Chapter 63: Red-Haired Annie

You really had to admit — the scenery around Aislinn Magic Academy was quite beautiful.

Especially in spring.

Even though the island academy stayed pleasantly mild year-round, you could still feel the subtle shifts between seasons.

Sometimes you’d catch sight of flowers blooming and suddenly realize — oh, it’s spring again, that quiet, nostalgic feeling.

Compared to the late winter when Jiang Cha first enrolled, early spring filled the campus not just with evergreens, but also splashes of vivid color — pinks, purples, and reds bursting everywhere.

And the witches, of course, couldn’t wait to shed their thick magic robes for something lighter and prettier — dresses fluttering, bare thighs gleaming, stockings glinting in the sun.

Everywhere you looked, color and motion — an eye-catching paradise.

“Witches really are strange creatures,” Jiang Cha sighed softly.

“Hmm? Has our little human lady had another revelation?”

“Not really…”

No one knew exactly when it started, but Lina had developed a habit of calling her ‘human lady’ — a teasing nickname that somehow perfectly captured Jiang Cha’s quiet awkwardness in witch society.

Lina herself was a half-dragon girl. He Qin was an otherworlder.

Jiang Cha alone was… just human.

“I just think — the temperature’s barely changed, but everyone suddenly decided to switch outfits at the same time. Why?”

Lina, of course, was wearing a beautiful little dress — light and elegant, perfectly matching her “spoiled young lady” vibe. The skirt fluttered gently as she walked; she looked effortlessly adorable.

Jiang Cha, on the other hand, hadn’t changed yet — still wearing her practical (and admittedly lovely, but slightly stodgy) magic robe.

It wasn’t ugly, just… out of place.

“Ehehe~ Cha-bao still has a lot to learn,” Lina said with a grin, offering no further explanation.

And really — there was nothing to explain.

Even if they weren’t affected by heat or cold, changing styles with the season was just what girls did.

It was so normal that explaining it felt pointless.

“So,” Jiang Cha asked curiously, “what did you do during your break, Lina?”

She hid it well, but Jiang Cha could sense it — that faint, dangerous pressure coming from Lina.

The girl’s family background as a witch clearly wasn’t simple. Over the past half-month, her strength had increased noticeably — enough for Jiang Cha to feel threatened even after patching her own magic shortcomings.

“Ugh! Don’t make me relive that hellish world! It was supposed to be a vacation!”

Lina clutched her head and groaned.

Yeah, definitely not a relaxing break.

Jiang Cha couldn’t help covering her mouth and giggling — a little schadenfreude mixed in.

“Don’t laugh! It’s your fault for being so obsessed with training!”

“I am not.”

“You so are! Take this!!”

Her mischievous little claws smacked Jiang Cha squarely on the butt.

This pervy loli just wanted to cop a feel.

“…”

Jiang Cha looked down at her, clearly thinking about payback — but then sighed.

“Cha-bao, that look in your eyes is very rude.”

“Lolis are cute, sure… but not exactly plump.”

“You actually said it out loud!?”

“Ehehe~”

“‘Ehehe~’ my ass!!”

“Annie! I’m here to support your business, babe!”

Lina kicked open the door with a dramatic shout.

For some reason, even though they were entering a maid café, she sounded like she was barging into a hostess club. Jiang Cha had to wonder what kind of questionable material this golden-haired loli usually consumed.

“Lina, you bastard!! My door!!”

A burst of flame shot out of thin air — a perfectly aimed Explosion Spell that slammed against Lina’s hastily raised shield.

“Oh~ what exquisite mana control.”

Jiang Cha’s eyes lit up.

To compress the destructive power of a fifth-tier spell that precisely — the witch inside was no joke.

“Pay for the damage!”

And then she saw her — the red-haired witch named Annie.

About the same height as Lina, dressed in a maid outfit, but with an aura of gentle confidence.

Unlike He Qin’s calm, soft warmth, Annie’s gentleness was energetic — the kind of radiance that made you want to smile back.

“Hm… so the old saying holds — red and gold make the perfect besties, huh?”

Jiang Cha rubbed her chin, muttering under her breath as she eyed the golden-brat-and-redhead combo.

“Cha-bao, what are you mumbling about?”

“Nothing~”

Jiang Cha just smiled, turning her gaze around the café.

The witches working there were, of course, all gorgeous — each one unique in temperament and beauty.

“Eeeemmmm…”

The red-haired loli bent forward, resting her chin in one hand, staring at Jiang Cha with visible curiosity.

“Miss Annie?”

While Lina had already found herself a seat and was happily chatting up a maid, Jiang Cha had to face the overly sociable redhead alone.

“Would you like to work here, Miss Witch? Daily pay, easy hours! I’ve never seen such a beautiful girl before — Lina may be a total brat, but she’s got good taste.”

“Oh! Cha-bao’s my super-duper beautiful girl!” Lina shouted proudly from across the room.

“Why are you proud of that, Lina? Someone’s about to steal your girl, you know!”

Jiang Cha rolled her eyes, then smiled politely. “Thanks, but… I don’t really have the time to take on a job right now.”

“Ah, a top student then.”

Annie nodded in understanding, still smiling brightly. “If you ever need money, come find me anytime. We have lots of special magic available too — you can redeem them with café points.”

In witch part-time jobs, the pay wasn’t always just money — often, you could earn rare or experimental spells as bonuses.

They might not be powerful, but they were fascinating and valuable for research.

Of course, apprenticeships like He Qin’s were different — her rewards came in the form of advanced knowledge of golemcraft.

“Cha-bao’s way too expensive for that, you know — my Cha-bao’s priceless!” Lina chimed in smugly.

Jiang Cha chuckled, then asked curiously, “So, you two… have known each other a long time?”

“Sort of childhood friends,” Lina said breezily. “Our family estates are just close together.”

“I wish I didn’t know this idiot,” Annie groaned, rubbing her face as if recalling a lifetime of trauma.

“But I adore my Annie-baby~”

“Don’t call me that, you degenerate!”

Ah, so they’re the bickering type…

Jiang Cha smiled inwardly.

Now she realized why Annie’s voice had sounded so familiar.

When she first enrolled, Lina had sent her a voice message — the girl speaking beside her at the time had sounded exactly like Annie.

“C’mon, c’mon! Tell us — got any new cute waitresses around here?”

“This isn’t some sleazy pigeon bar!”

“Eh, same difference! It’s a maid café!”

“You’re still a pain in the ass — maybe I should kick you out!”

“You two sure get along~”

Jiang Cha took a quiet sip of her tea, smiling to herself.

Yep — the maids were indeed beautiful, the atmosphere lively.

It really was a good place to relax.