The morning sun streamed through the gaps in the curtains, illuminating Jet's room. He sat on the edge of his bed, a thick wad of banknotes clutched in his hand, counting them three times.
"Thirty-five…" he murmured, his fingertips gently caressing the edges of the bills. "That should be enough, right?"
This was the money he had secretly earned selling Cat Ear Potions after the 'Cat Ear Potion Incident,' plus the scattered rewards from previous commissions. He had finally saved enough to take over that small shop in Magnolia's old town.
Granny Poluchka had told him about the location, and she had also suggested the idea of opening a shop.
Porlyusica's exact words were that he had learned enough for now, could make most basic potions, and should stop bothering her here. He should move out, open his own shop, sell potions, and gain some experience.
(Translation: He's learned quite well. While he can't be considered a master, he can at least earn money through alchemy potions.)
By selling his own goods and interacting more with people, he would become a little smarter.
(Translation: Don't be like her, always staying in the forest alone. She just genuinely dislikes humans. He's still young; if he doesn't interact with people for too long, his personality will become very strange.)
Jet himself had also considered opening a shop, mainly because he had been using materials collected by Granny Poluchka for his potion-making practice.
After a period of study, Granny Poluchka's herbal supplies were almost depleted.
Jet truly felt bad about continuing to consume Granny Poluchka's stock, so he planned to use the money earned from opening a shop to buy his own materials and continue researching alchemy potions.
The shop wasn't large, and the location wasn't the best, but its advantage was its proximity to the guild, and the back room could be converted into a simple laboratory.
Jet took a deep breath, just about to head out, when a soft knock sounded on his door.
"Who is it?" He opened the door in confusion, then his eyes widened. "Po-Granny Poluchka?"
Porlyusica stood at the doorway, leaning on her staff, her face still bearing that impatient expression, but her eyes were softer than usual.
She said nothing, only pulled an old brass key from her Pregnant, and tossed it to Jet.
"The medicine cabinet is for you. The formulas are hidden inside," she turned to leave, then paused. "Whether you can learn them depends on your skill."
Jet fumbled to catch the key, and before he could react, Porlyusica had already walked away.
He looked down at the key in his palm; the metal surface was engraved with intricate patterns, cool and heavy to the touch.
"What does this… mean?"
…On the streets of Magnolia's old town, pedestrians were sparse, and the morning mist had not yet fully dispersed.
Jet stood in front of the long-vacant shop. The old sign above the door read "Fairy Potion Shop." The key made a soft "click" as it slid into the lock.
The door hinges were rusty, creaking loudly as he pushed it open.
Dust danced in the sunlight. Jet coughed twice, waving his hand, but his gaze was drawn to something in the corner—
A huge antique medicine cabinet.
Its dark brown wooden body was carved with intricate vine patterns. Inside the glass doors were rows of neat small drawers, each with a yellowed label.
Jet approached, his fingers gently tracing the cabinet's surface. The wood felt warm and substantial.
"This is… Granny Poluchka's medicine cabinet?"
Jet carefully pulled open one of the drawers; it was empty.
He tried a few more, finally finding a folded piece of parchment in a secret compartment on the second-to-last level.
Unfolding it, he saw a potion formula, written in neat, elegant handwriting. The title read—
"Calming Potion — For the Sleepless Foolish Child"
Jet froze.
He had indeed been sleeping poorly lately, tossing and turning until dawn, preoccupied with thoughts of opening the shop.
But he had never told anyone… "Granny…"
…"Jet! We're here to help!"
Around noon, Natsu's loud voice came from outside the door, followed by a series of clattering noises.
As Jet turned, he saw Natsu charging in, carrying a crooked wooden board, followed by Gray, Levy, and Happy.
"Look! I made you a sign!" Natsu proudly propped the board on the ground. "Jet's Magic Potion Shop" was written on it in charred charcoal, the letters askew, and smoke still rising from the edges.
"Uh… thanks?" Jet gave a dry laugh. "But I've already ordered a sign; it's being delivered this afternoon…"
"That won't do!" Natsu thumped his chest. "Something made by yourself shows more sincerity!"
As he spoke, flames ignited on his fingertips, ready to "process" the wooden board a bit more.
Before Jet could stop him, Natsu enthusiastically began welding—
"Boom!"
The Dragon Slayer Magic flames were too hot. The sign was instantly burned through, and a large section of the doorframe was scorched black.
"Natsu!!" Jet clutched his hair in despair.
Gray scoffed from the side: "As expected, the flame idiot only causes trouble."
He raised his hand, condensing ice crystals. "Watch me, the water pipes need Ice Demon Magic to be stable—"
"Crack!"
The water pipe burst, and a Jet of water gushed out, instantly turning half the shop into a small pond.
Jet stared at the water-filled room, stunned. "You're not any better!"
Levy sighed, pulling out a storybook: "I'll draw a drying magic circle…"
However, in his frantic movements, Jet knocked over a potion shelf, and a bottle of blue liquid spilled onto the magic circle, instantly distorting the runes.
The next second, the legs of the antique medicine cabinet suddenly wiggled. Wooden textures extended into four legs, and with a "thump," it jumped off its base and started scurrying around the room.
"Waaahhh!!! The medicine cabinet came to life!!" Happy shrieked, flying to the ceiling.
"Catch it!!" Jet lunged, but the medicine cabinet deftly dodged him, knocking over Gray's newly frozen ice sculpture decoration.
In the chaos, Jet slipped, falling into a puddle of mixed potions.
Jet lay on the ground, staring at the ceiling: "Next time, I'm definitely not skimping on the renovation company."
…In the evening, "Jet's Magic Potion Shop" officially opened.
Although the sign was hastily remade from a wooden board, there were still scorch marks on the doorframe, and the water pipes had just been repaired, Jet still solemnly hung the "Open" sign at the entrance.
The first person to enter wasn't a customer, but Natsu.
Since the shop had just opened and Jet didn't know many potions, the display board at the entrance could be scanned and understood clearly at a glance.
Natsu frowned, looking up and down, then pointed at a potion name he hadn't seen before.
"I want to try the latest Vitality Potion!" he shouted, pounding on the counter.
"No!" Jet sternly refused. "Didn't the Cat Ear Potion teach you a lesson last time?"
"I'm supporting your business!" Natsu had already reached out to grab a bottle from the shelf.
"Natsu! Don't—"
"Gulp!"
Natsu tilted his head back and took a big gulp, then—
"Boom!!"
Flames shot from his mouth, directly charring the brand-new sign. "Jet's Magic Potion Shop" became "Jet's Magic Charred House."
Jet: "…" He finally empathized with his clients.
Just then, the doorbell rang again.
A middle-aged man in a formal suit walked in, his gaze sharply scanning the shop.
"Hello, what can I get for you?" Jet forced a smile.
The man pulled out his ID from his Pregnant: "Magic Council, Department of Drug Safety Inspection, routine check."
Jet instantly froze.
People from the Council?!
An inspection on the first day of business?!
"Ah, no problem, these are all safe potions." He fumbled to grab the potion for inspection and tasting, but in his nervousness, he mistakenly handed over the "Honesty Potion" instead of the "Calming Potion."
"This is our special… uh… Calming Potion, please have a taste…"
The man took it, sniffed it suspiciously, but still took a sip.
Three seconds later—
"Actually, I secretly keep seven stray cats!" he suddenly blurted out. "Council regulations forbid employees from having pets, but I just can't bear to see them go hungry!"
Jet: "…? "
What's going on… Natsu: "Whoa."
The man seemed startled by his own words, covering his mouth, but it was already too late.
His face flushed red, and he turned to leave, but was blocked by a crowd that had suddenly gathered at the door—
"Even a Council official dares to drink his potions!"
"It must be very reliable!"
"Boss! I want three bottles of Recovery Potion!"
Jet stood frozen, looking at the suddenly surging customers, then at the wrong potion bottle in his hand, and suddenly smiled.
"…It really is full of surprises."
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