Chapter 64: The Mysterious Miss Annie

The early spring sunlight spilled across the old brown wooden table.
A red-haired, golden-eyed witch in a maid outfit rested her chin in her hands, gazing at her with a cute yet affectionate smile.

There was a trace of nostalgia in Annie’s eyes—as if, through the girl’s lovely face, she was seeing something, or someone, from a long-forgotten memory.

It would have been a charming moment… if only Jiang Cha hadn’t just met this red-haired witch for the first time.

“Um… Annie?”

Jiang Cha tilted her head slightly, looking awkward.
She’d flirted with others before, but this was the first time someone had flirted with her.

What kind of move was this? She couldn’t counter it at all.

Lina… forget it. Expecting help from that idiot is my own fault.

She looked over for support—only to see the golden-haired loli already lost in paradise, surrounded by a group of affectionate maids.

“Sorry, did I scare you?”

Annie blinked, fingertips pressed together, and gave a bashful laugh.

“No,” Jiang Cha shook her head with a gentle smile. “A girl as cute as you, Annie, can stare at me all she wants.”

“Pfft.”

The red-haired witch covered her mouth, giggling softly.

“Jiang Cha, you really haven’t changed at all.”

“Wait… have we met before?”

Jiang Cha immediately caught the key word. Her memory was clear—she had never seen this Annie before.

“First time meeting,” Annie replied with a smile—but she didn’t really explain.
“You’ll understand later, Jiang Cha.”

She tilted her head, that mysterious smile eerily similar to Jiang Cha’s own—not naturally so, but as if she were imitating it.

“It just needs the right timing.”

“Eh—”

Jiang Cha drew out the sound, smiling playfully. Her tone turned teasing as she reached out, her fingertip lightly brushing against Annie’s pale, delicate hand—its nails painted a glimmering red.

“Then I’ll look forward to it, okay?”

That was a perfect Tea Smile™.

“Having someone as adorable as Annie leave a little mystery in my life… I think I quite like that.”

The brilliant smile stunned Annie.
She froze for a long moment before jerking her hand back like she’d been electrocuted, her face turning scarlet—nearly as red as her hair.

Under her breath, she mumbled so softly that even Jiang Cha’s witch-level hearing couldn’t make it out:

“Knew it… you heart-stealing radish.”

Before Jiang Cha could ask, Annie clapped her hands against the table and stood up abruptly.

“Today’s drinks are on me! Everyone, have fun!”

“Wooahhh! Boss, you’re the best!”
“Manager, we love you!”
“Even the stingy iron hen finally plucked a feather!?”
“You can pay instead if you don’t like it!”

There weren’t many customers inside—fewer, even, than the number of maids.
It was the holiday season, after all.

But the witches cheered enthusiastically, ordering as much as they could, each one calling over her favorite maid to keep her company.

“Can I get a menu?”

Jiang Cha was still seated, hand extended, smiling lightly at Annie.

“I’m the manager. I don’t take orders.”

“But you’re wearing a maid outfit.”

Despite her words, Annie still handed her a menu.

Jiang Cha flipped through it—nothing unusual, just the typical café fare she remembered from maid cafés.

Until she reached the last page.

“…This café offers maid takeout service?”

“They’re all witches here!”

Annie waved a little fist, clearly proud.

As the manager, she didn’t interfere in what her employees did off-hours—but during work hours, if a maid accompanied a client outside, there was a fee.

“Even witches have reputations to maintain, you know.”

“I thought that sort of service was reserved for red-light districts?”

“There are always people who prefer innocent little witches.”

Annie smiled sheepishly.

“Reputation services” weren’t necessarily shady.
Sometimes friends would hire a maid to pose as a girlfriend at parties, to accompany them at formal events, or even to act as a wingwoman when chasing another girl.

As long as both sides agreed on the details, Annie just took a small commission.

“Our external bookings are actually quite popular. If you’re interested, Jiang Cha, I can list you on our roster. When someone requests you, I’ll let you know.”

“Still trying to rope me into working for you?”

Jiang Cha tilted her head, smiling helplessly.

“Because you’re way too pretty not to, otherwise it’s a total waste!”

“…Not impossible, I suppose—since you flatter me so well.”

She gave a shy little smile, though she was already calculating whether this job might actually be worth it.

“What’s the cut?”

“Maid gets eighty percent; I take twenty as the broker. Standard rate—very fair.”

“I want ninety.”

“Eh—! No— …fine.”

Annie reflexively started to refuse, but under Jiang Cha’s calm gaze, she sighed and gave in.

“You win. Ninety it is. But you’ll owe me more availability—at least Sundays on call.”

“If something comes up, I’ll ask for leave from you directly, Miss Annie.”

Jiang Cha smiled like a satisfied cat—pure schemer’s grin.
Her little experiment had worked: clearly, this red-haired witch had a very high tolerance for her.

She didn’t know why, but it was interesting.

“Then let’s make this your first assignment!”

Annie suddenly clapped her hands, sounding excited.

“Huh? But I’m still a customer right now.”

“Trial period! New-hire training! Otherwise I’ll lose money.”

“…Alright, alright.”

Jiang Cha sighed in mock defeat, stood up, and popped the last bite of cake into her mouth.
Then she held out her hand with a smile, switching instantly to her professional persona.

“Shall we go then, my dear boss?”

Annie’s cheeks turned pink as she nervously fidgeted with her skirt hem, too shy to take the offered hand.

She really did think Jiang Cha fit this job perfectly.

“Mhm… mhm!”

“Lina, we’re heading out for a bit, okay?”

Jiang Cha waved casually. She didn’t mind—it was a job, after all. And it paid really well.

Five thousand witch gold a day—after commission, that was still 4,500. Witch labor wasn’t cheap, especially for “special” services like this.

“Huh? HUH!?”

Lina, currently sprawled across a busty maid’s lap while eating cake, looked up in shock at the two of them.

“That’s my Tea-bao for you~”

So fast!? Already bagged one!?

“Annie’s loaded too—go get her, girl!”

“What are you even talking about? It’s just a job trial.”

Jiang Cha sighed, laughing helplessly—
but when she glanced sideways at Annie’s red face and lowered head, she had to admit…

It really didn’t look convincing.