"No, that's not right! I remember my family saying you shouldn't aim like that!"
"Can you really hit anything shooting that way?"
Jeanne stood before a shooting gallery booth, clutching a replica firearm. She wore a helpless smile as she looked down at the cluster of children surrounding her, all of them eager to offer their "expert" tactical advice.
The chaos of the festival and the fallout from the Basilica had finally been settled a couple of days ago. She had simply wanted to take a stroll today to experience the daily life of Laterano... so why, the moment she tried a simple game, did a swarm of children appear? Was she truly a magnet for kids?
Or was it as Alina said—that Jeanne possessed an aura that naturally attracted children, capable of making even the most inconsolable infant stop crying? Jeanne still hadn't figured out if Alina was complimenting her or teasing her by implying she had the "nanny vibe" down to a science.
Regardless, she had only been curious about how this game worked and wanted to give it a try. She hadn't expected that the moment she picked up the replica, these "little advisors" would descend upon her. They looked like the type of kids who had already spent their allowance and were now loitering to get their thrills by watching others play.
What do I do now? Can someone please pull these kids away? Lemuen, why are you just standing there watching?
Jeanne shot a look at the pink-haired angel beside her. Her eyes practically screamed: Save me!
"Alright, alright, let the lady have a few shots first. You kids stop causing trouble!"
Thankfully, the booth owner was a good sort. Seeing Jeanne's predicament, he quickly shooed away the pint-sized strategists. The children didn't dare talk back to the boss; if they annoyed him, he might stop letting them hang around to watch the fun.
Once the children had scattered, the owner offered an apologetic smile. "My apologies, miss. It's quite a sight, isn't it? Are you a tourist visiting Laterano? Why don't you try a few shots? It doesn't matter if you miss—since you're playing at my booth, I'll count any wins for double rewards."
The owner greeted her with a warm, enthusiastic grin. He looked like a hospitable local taking extra care of a rare foreign visitor.
However, there was more to it than that. From the way Jeanne held the gun, the owner could tell she was a complete novice—the kind who had never touched a firearm in her life. Shooting required training to master, and a girl playing for the first time would be lucky to hit the board, let alone the target. By offering double rewards, he made the deal irresistible. Most people would fall for the "small favor," play multiple rounds, and line his pockets.
As for losing money? Impossible. Unless someone hit a perfect string of bullseyes to win the grand prize, he couldn't lose. Not to mention, he'd "adjusted" the difficulty of this particular replica gun just a bit.
Jeanne looked at the "hospitable" owner with a deadpan expression. She got the distinct feeling she was being underestimated. "No, really, boss. There's no need. I'm just playing for fun."
She tried to decline his generosity—not because she was afraid of embarrassing herself by missing, but because she was worried the owner would actually go bankrupt.
But the man insisted, telling her to take a few cracks at it for the sake of "tourist hospitality." Even Lemuen was behind her, flashing a mischievous smirk and gesturing for Jeanne to start. It was clear the angel wanted to see how the owner's face would change once the bullets started flying.
"Fine. I've already paid for two rounds anyway. Boss, don't regret this!"
Seeing that the owner wouldn't "cry until he saw the coffin," Jeanne picked up the replica gun and pulled the trigger.
It was true: Jeanne didn't understand the complex mechanics of Sankta firearms. But hitting a stationary target? With her physical prowess and Revelation, it was trivial.
Jeanne fired in rapid succession. Under the owner's dissolving gaze, she hit twenty consecutive bullseyes. A total, crushing victory.
"I'm starting to feel like this boss is a bit pitiful..." Jeanne muttered to herself as she walked away, clutching four "All-You-Can-Eat" annual passes for the local dessert stations.
In Laterano, these passes weren't cheap. Many booths used them as a "hook" to lure customers, never expecting anyone to actually win them. The owner never dreamed that his casual promise of "double rewards" would result in him handing over four of them at once!
"You don't need to pity him! Honestly, he was sitting there plotting against you, and you're worried about his losses?"
Lemuen saw right through the owner's schemes. Having lived here all her life, she knew every trick in the book. She thought back to how much allowance she'd lost to these scammers as a child; after all these years, their tactics hadn't improved one bit.
Jeanne wasn't surprised. She knew the booth was rigged. If you opened a shooting gallery in the city of marksmen without some "trickery," you'd be out of business in a day.
"Plotting? Do you mean the double reward bait, or the fact that he'd tampered with the gun's sights?"
Jeanne had noticed those things immediately. To her, it was just a business tactic to get people to spend money, though messing with the gun itself was a bit underhanded. The owner clearly targeted tourists who wouldn't know a replica's quirks from a hole in the wall. While it was "small business survival," it wasn't exactly honorable.
"It's more than that! Didn't you notice the timing of those kids? And how they shut up the moment the boss spoke?"
Undoubtedly, the "distraction squad" was on the payroll. While Jeanne was aiming, those kids were trying to draw her attention to make her miss. It was just that Jeanne had fired so quickly that the whole thing was over before they could even finish their first "distraction."
"The boss probably pays them in ice cream. I haven't seen it in a while, but little Exusiai used to be bribed as a shill when she was a kid."
Hearing this, Jeanne offered a silent prayer for any booth owner who hired Exusiai. Hiring that girl as a shill? You're asking for a public relations disaster. She could imagine Exusiai "distracting" people with zero subtlety until the owner's reputation was socially dead in Laterano.
"But the boss was decent enough to actually hand over the double prizes. A truly greedy man would have given me nothing," Jeanne noted. Now, she had a different headache: who was she supposed to give these to? She wasn't staying in Laterano for a year; keeping them was a waste.
"Hmm... maybe I'll give one to the Pope. I heard he had to slash his afternoon tea budget to pay for his office renovations."
Jeanne felt a twinge of guilt. After all, her flag had been responsible for at least 50% of the damage to his office. Seeing the old man struggling to balance the books made her feel a bit responsible.
"There you are, Saint... Miss Jeanne. Word has come from the Pope's office. He requests your presence to discuss some matters."
As they walked, an Apostolic Knight on patrol stepped out from an alley. He looked relieved to see her; he'd expected it to take much longer to find her in the city.
"Alright, I'll head over now."
Jeanne knew exactly what this was about. But these people are fast! she thought. How long has it been? The meeting is over already? Is a matter concerning the entire future of Laterano really something you can settle this quickly?