Chapter 73: Anne’s Cup

With all the preparations finally done, Jiang Cha’s little witch shop was ready to open for business.

And then… she sat there the entire day without seeing a single customer.

“Welcome to Witch’s—oh… it’s just you, Lina.”

The girl perked up as soon as the door moved, excitement flashing across her face. She got halfway through her long-rehearsed greeting before swallowing the rest of it.

“So, so~ how’s business going, Cha-cha baby?”

The one who walked in was Lina, smiling with that infuriatingly smug grin that made it clear she knew perfectly well a brand-new shop wouldn’t have many customers.

“Lina-chan!”

Behind her, He Meng hurriedly gave the blonde loli a little smack on the head.

“I know, I know~ Cha-bao won’t mind, right?”

Lina stuck out her tongue playfully.

Jiang Cha really didn’t mind her teasing—after all, they were already close friends—but she still felt a little disappointed inside.

Looked like today’s revenue would be deep in the red.

Glancing at the perfectly blank ledger page, she sighed softly.

“That’s one big fat zero, huh…”

“Then~ Cha-bao, I’ll order a batch of mental-stamina potions, little-sister-flavored!”

“Strawberry flavor, right? How many bottles?”

Jiang Cha barely gave her a look. She couldn’t even be bothered to comment on the dirty joke, simply putting on her best business smile.

“Eh? So today’s Cha-bao is strawberry-flavored? Then give me twenty bottles to sample the taste!”

“Twenty bottles of strawberry-flavored mental potion.”

She carefully noted it down in the ledger, quickly calculating the price.

“That’ll be eight hundred coins. We’re running a 20% off grand-opening discount today.”

The potions Jiang Cha could make were only low-tier ones.
No matter how you priced them, those never cost much—
a “small-profit, large-volume” sort of business.
After subtracting the cost of materials, what she earned was basically just a bit of labor fee.

And with the discount applied,
her net profit came out to a grand total of… twenty-odd coins.

Hardly a profit at all—barely enough to count as symbolic.
Still, it was the shop’s first sale, and that was something worth smiling about.

“Then I’ll take twenty bottles too—mango flavor this time.”

“Didn’t you still have some left from your last batch?”

Jiang Cha looked up, surprised.

“Well… there’s a discount… And if potions didn’t have a shelf life, I’d buy even more.”

He Qin fidgeted a little, counting on her fingers, looking embarrassed.

That was just how witches were: even between close friends, business was business.
Jiang Cha charged them the standard processing fee,
and they, in turn, took advantage of her discount days to stock up.

Money and friendship didn’t mix—except for the occasional friendly markdown.

“Alrighty~ twenty more it is.”

Jiang Cha cheerfully jotted it down.

Her friends supporting her business was heartwarming enough.
Besides, this wasn’t a one-time thing—
none of her dormmates knew potion-making,
so their daily potion needs would pretty much all come from her anyway.

The arrangement benefited everyone:
they got trustworthy potions cheaper than store price,
and Jiang Cha got steady sales.
The only downside was the shorter shelf life—but that hardly mattered.

“Then, Cha-bao, we’ll head back~ You stay and mind the shop, okay? Make lots of money and come spoil me later!”

Lina waved her tiny hand dramatically, dragging He Qin out with her in a flurry.

It was the weekend, but obviously they weren’t going to spend all day chatting in Jiang Cha’s shop.

And in truth, Jiang Cha herself was studying while watching the counter—
so hanging around too long would’ve just wasted everyone’s time.

“Go on, go on~ Love you both, babes.”

She waved after them, smiling brightly.

“So, how’s business?”

Just as Lina and He Qin left, a red head suddenly popped in through the doorway. Annie walked in with her hands behind her back, skipping lightly toward Jiang Cha.

“So-so, I guess. It is the first day.”

Jiang Cha wouldn’t complain to Annie—not because she was hiding it,
but because they hadn’t known each other long enough yet.

…Mostly, she was afraid the little rich witch would pull out her wallet and try to sponsor her again.

(Also, her shop happened to be right next to Annie’s maid café.)

“Want me to help you advertise a bit?”

After what happened last time, Annie clearly came prepared this time—
instead of offering money directly, she tried a different way to help.

“If I put up a small notice in my café, that might draw some attention.”

Witch supply shops were everywhere on the academy island—
every street had at least a few.
It was one of the witch world’s oldest trades,
and competition was fierce.

Profit depended entirely on craftsmanship and personal connections.
It was just like small restaurants in the human world—
a “friends and regulars” business.

Jiang Cha’s connections weren’t bad,
but she’d done no marketing at all.
Annie’s café, on the other hand, had tons of daily customers—
the advertising effect would definitely be strong.

And if her maids acted a little cute while recommending it,
some customers would surely come take a look out of curiosity.

“Then… I’ll count on you, Annie. I’ll also go promote at the Alchemy Club and the Duel Club.”

Jiang Cha tapped her chin, deciding.

That was her main advantage, after all.

Most student-run witch shops specialized in only one craft—
alchemy or potion-making, sometimes two or three if they were exceptional.
But Jiang Cha was different.

She was all-around capable.
She could handle complex cross-disciplinary products too.

In other words, even in the Alchemy Club—where everyone was an alchemist—
she still had potential clients.
And as for the Duel Club—
well, that went without saying.

“Oh, right. I should display my certification.”

Low-tier professional certificates didn’t carry much authority—
the exams weren’t that difficult—
but they were still something customers could trust.

And having certificates for every sub-profession was a bit of a novelty too—
enough to attract some attention.

“You’ve already gotten certified, Jiang Cha?”

“Mm-hm. Sister Molly took me to the Tech City to take the exams.”

“Eh—! As expected of a genius.”

Annie sipped her tea calmly—
until Jiang Cha came out from the back
hugging five framed certificates,
hanging them neatly one by one on the wall.

“Pfft—! You’ve already passed all of them?!”

“Is that… a problem?”

Jiang Cha tilted her head.
Her eyes lit up slightly as she used a Force Field spell to stop Annie’s sprayed tea in midair.

“Hmm, should I sell this? I bet lots of people would pay for red tea touched by Annie’s lips.”

“Throw it away!!”

The red-haired loli puffed up angrily.

“Ehehe~ just kidding, just kidding.”

Jiang Cha grinned sheepishly as she poured the floating tea into the trash bin.
No way she’d actually sell something like that—
even if, technically speaking, it would fetch a good price.

“Honestly, Jiang Cha! Don’t make weird jokes like that!”

“If anything, I should sell the cup instead! A cup used by Annie—
I bet some upperclassman would pay top coin for that,
since you’re so popular.”

“Hey!!”