Chapter 65: The Witch of the Future

It seemed that Annie had invited Jiang Cha to go out together on a whim.

She hadn’t even decided where they were going.

“Do we really have to wear maid uniforms when going out? They’re cute, sure, but a little too cute.”

“Feeling like your status is being threatened?”

Annie tilted her head up slightly, revealing a slender, snow-white neck. She seemed to have calmed her nerves — enough to start teasing Jiang Cha back.

“It’s just… Annie’s too cute. It’s distracting.”

“You’re really good at flattering girls.”

The red-haired girl smiled shyly.

“Well, I am your girlfriend for today, aren’t I? So—my little girlfriend—where would you like to go?”

Jiang Cha didn’t mind playing along. Since she’d taken the job, she might as well do it properly.
Although, in this situation, Annie looked far more like the one offering “maid service,” given that she was the one actually in a maid outfit.

“Hmm… I do have a place in mind.”

After thinking for a moment, Annie led Jiang Cha to a small street behind the main commercial district.

It was quiet — not many people passed by — but there were plenty of shops lining the street.

“This is the academy’s biggest goods market. Most merchants and shop owners come here to restock.”

Annie noticed the curiosity in Jiang Cha’s eyes and explained softly.

“I thought it’d be… more high-tech?”

Jiang Cha waved her hand around in disbelief. The witches’ world was such a strange blend of advanced and outdated — like two eras overlapping.

There were sci-fi-level air docks and starships… but then, here was an old-fashioned farmers’ market.

Well, a farmers’ market that sold magical produce, but still — it looked ancient.

“That’s because everyone likes this kind of vibe. Even with all the new tech, witches still prefer buying things in person.”

Annie laughed softly, as if not surprised by Jiang Cha’s confusion.

“I like it too.”

She crouched down in front of a stall, picking through some produce before telling the shopkeeper:

“I’ll take twenty pounds of this Oze parsley.”

One nice thing about shopping in the witch world — prices for everyday goods were dirt cheap, and thanks to advanced preservation and cultivation magic, you never had to worry about bad quality.

Trying to scam customers just wasn’t worth the risk.

“I come here once a week to restock for the café.”

Annie chatted as she picked out vegetables.

“Isn’t running a business kind of… competitive in the witch world?”

“A maid café isn’t too bad. Still, we do have to add new menu items every so often to keep customers coming back.”

The ingredients themselves were cheap — but Annie’s café definitely didn’t sell food at bargain prices.

After all, what people were really paying for wasn’t the dishes… but the service from the maids.

“Actually, we’ve been running at a loss since opening.”

Annie stuck out her tongue sheepishly.

“You’ve only been open… what, three months?”

“Four.”

So she’d opened the shop right after entering the academy.

Jiang Cha frowned slightly — Annie didn’t seem like someone who needed money.

“Do you like running a business that much?”

“Not exactly. I just like the lively feeling of it all.”

Annie brushed the dust off her hands and smiled.

It was a common thing among witches — some ran cafés or boutiques just because they liked the energy of it, not because they needed profit.

For a witch, making money was easy. They had all the time and power they needed to indulge in their hobbies — even expensive, time-consuming ones.

“Hearing that makes me kind of want to open a shop too.”

Jiang Cha said with a spark of interest — though her rational side reminded her she didn’t have that kind of money to burn yet.

“Then you should! You think too much.”

“Easy for you to say. I’m poor.”

Annie blinked, not quite able to relate.

“Not everyone’s like you, you know.”

Renting a storefront in the academy was expensive. Even with her income from the alchemy club’s profit shares, Jiang Cha would have a hard time.

She still had to buy grimoires and research materials, after all.

Still… opening a store could be useful.

She wanted to open a curio shop — one that didn’t stock items, but took custom orders for odd, magical requests. It’d be a great way to learn about different side professions and gain practical experience — something that could help her advance to a higher rank later.

“I can invest.”

Annie said it without hesitation.

“Better not… I want to try doing it myself first.”

Jiang Cha smiled, a little embarrassed. She didn’t want to be “sponsored” by the red-haired rich girl — not yet, anyway.

“I thought you’d jump at the offer,” Annie said, blinking in surprise.

“So, the future me would just accept without hesitation?”

“Not exactly. You just wouldn’t bother pretending to be polite.”

Annie laughed softly — then suddenly gasped, covering her mouth in mock surprise.

“Oops, did I say too much?”

“So you are a future witch.”

“Not really. I can just see glimpses — fragments — of uncertain futures.”

“A divination witch, then?”

“No. I’m not planning to specialize in that direction.”

“Then what are you?”

“Guess~”

Annie turned around, her smile mysterious and bright.

“You’re being so cryptic — how could I guess?”

Jiang Cha pouted slightly, not wanting to give Annie the satisfaction.

“Eh~? Giving up already? The Jiang Cha I know wouldn’t stop until she found out!”

“Well, the current me isn’t that curious. Whether you’re a witch of fate or the future, it doesn’t matter. All I need to know is that you’re Annie — and that you won’t hurt me.”

“Ah—!”

Annie’s face instantly flushed red. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, completely flustered.

“A… a-ba-ba…”

“Honestly.”

Jiang Cha sighed softly. She couldn’t help feeling that lately, more and more strange girls were getting attached to her — Estelle, Suicune, Annie…

All of them seemed to have this inexplicable fondness for her.

The Great Sage probably didn’t count — that one had a reason.
And besides, they hadn’t even met properly yet. Who knew what she was really like?

Suicune, though… was just a hopeless romantic. Totally unreliable.

Maybe the Great Sage only wanted to see her once — and would leave after that.

After all, real Sages were busy.

(Except Suicune, who had way too much free time — probably spent half her days lazing around the dueling club.)

“Come on, boss. Are you really going to waste my trial shift buying vegetables?”

“What’s wrong with shopping? It’s fun!”

Annie puffed up her cheeks in mock annoyance.

“It’s the most ordinary things that feel the warmest, don’t you think? Every time I ask someone to come with me, they never want to.”

“You could just ask your employees to come.”

“I’d have to pay them. Might as well let them watch the shop.”

“You really are a little money grubber.”

“Ehehe~ thank you for the compliment.”

Annie grinned goofily.

And Jiang Cha — well, she just sighed.

The more time she spent with this red-haired witch, the less she understood her at all.