Chapter 74: Store Promotion

“Jiang Cha opened a witch shop herself?”

Mephist’s expression froze for a moment — she looked genuinely surprised — but she quickly took a graceful sip of coffee to cover it up.

“It’s a general store, actually~ A general store!”

The girl smiled brightly, repeating herself in that cheerful, singsong tone that made her sound irresistibly cute.

“Would Mephist-senpai like to place an order? Jiang Cha can make anything, as long as it’s within my ability range~”

“…Anything, huh? You really like saying things that can be misunderstood, don’t you?”

Mephist chuckled softly. “No orders for now.”

She put down her teacup and turned slightly toward the window, watching the soft light fall through the glass.

“By the way, Mephist-senpai, you come here every day to drink tea… how’s your alchemy research going?”

Jiang Cha skillfully steered the topic elsewhere.

It wasn’t like she’d expected an order from Mephist anyway — the Karel family was an alchemy dynasty. As the family’s proud heir, Mephist would hardly be short on supplies.

“It’s fine.”

The white-haired lady let out a light sigh. Her gaze lingered on Jiang Cha for a moment — thoughtful, unreadable — before she finally smiled.

“I just passed the Advanced Alchemist certification, so I thought I’d take a little break.”
“Work and rest in balance — that’s the only way to keep progressing on the path of alchemy.”
“You should take it easy too, Jiang Cha.”

“Mhm~ I know! Ah—Sina-senpai’s here! I’ll be going then!”

“See you next time, Mephist-senpai~”

“Next time, huh…”

The elegant witch lifted her cup again, taking a final sip of tea that had already cooled a little.

“I’ll look forward to it.”

“Sina-senpai!”

The girl called out cheerfully, giving her a playful wink as she ran over, her steps light and quick.

“Oh, Jiang Cha? What’s up?”

Qu Si’nan was always busy — practically living at the Alchemy Club. Still, if you waited long enough, you were bound to catch her eventually.

Jiang Cha’s timing today was perfect — she’d only just finished tea with Mephist when the busy senior appeared.

“Can I promote my shop in the Alchemy Club?”

The girl hugged Si’nan’s arm with soft insistence, blinking her big eyes hopefully.

“Shops that sell alchemy goods don’t usually find much business in the Alchemy Club.”

“Ah, but don’t underestimate me! I’m developing in every field! A true all-rounder!”

“Oh? You’ve got certifications for that?”

Si’nan raised a brow. It was surprising — but given Jiang Cha’s progress since enrollment, not unbelievable.

She’d seen plenty of prodigies before — like Estelle, already with mid-tier alchemist skills, or Kyoko, who in her second year was already as good as a fourth or fifth-year senior.

But for some reason, the more talented a witch was, the more peculiar her personality tended to be.
Someone like Jiang Cha — gifted, yet cheerful and well-balanced — was a rare breed indeed.

Still, that very talent meant she was unlikely to take on any major club duties.

Si’nan treated her professionally — the club would give her fair support, but not favoritism.

“Of course I’ve got them! I’ve passed every one of the exams!”

Jiang Cha stretched out her words proudly, puffing up her chest in mock arrogance — the perfect image of a bright, slightly smug little prodigy.

Not that she was fooling Si’nan.

You couldn’t trick an old fox with a schoolgirl act.

Both of them knew exactly what Jiang Cha was doing — drawing attention from the other witches nearby.

If the members noticed her, that meant free publicity — for both her shop and herself.

After all, for witches, an interesting, adorable shopkeeper was often far more memorable than a cheap potion.

Truthfully… that was the reality of the witch market.

Even within the academy, the competition was brutal — a crowd of mid-tier witches already had their own stores, and outside there were even master alchemists like Mortel.

If Jiang Cha wanted her little store to survive, well… she might need to “invest a little charm.”

“Pfft! Pfft! Not charm! That sounds so wrong!”

She quickly shook her head at the thought.

“It’s networking! Building good relationships with classmates so they’ll come support my business!”

“Alright then, permission granted. Anything else?”

Si’nan could read the girl’s mind easily, but it wasn’t against the rules. In fact, the Alchemy Club often supported member-run stores anyway.

Jiang Cha’s request was perfectly legitimate.

“Nothing else! Oh, and I gave the new Focus Glasses design to Shi Lan-senpai already!”

“Got it.”

Working Si’nan was very different from how Jiang Cha remembered her — brisk, focused, almost intimidatingly efficient.

But Jiang Cha didn’t mind. Honestly, it was better that way.

She’d never expected someone as capable and connected as Si’nan — a high-tier alchemist and mid-tier potion master — to bother helping her shop anyway.

“No problem!”

Hands clasped behind her back, Jiang Cha turned with her usual bright smile — and spotted a familiar figure at the front desk.

“Kyoko-senpai— Eh! Kyoko-senpai, don’t run away!”

“Honestly… am I that scary?”

The girl puffed out her cheeks, grumbling softly —
which, of course, made all the nearby seniors burst out laughing.

“To Kyoko, Little Jiang Cha’s scarier than a natural disaster!”

“More like an Estelle-class haunting!” another chimed in.

“Hahaha—!”

The room erupted in laughter.

Jiang Cha just blinked innocently.

“Then you all have to come support my shop, okay?”

“Don’t worry, we definitely will.”

Satisfied, Jiang Cha clasped her hands together.

“Alright then—Lina Club, handled!”

The flyers would be taken care of by the club staff later, so she figured she might as well head to the Duel Club next.

Honestly, though, she didn’t know many witches there. Every time she went, she spent all her time sparring or training.

So…

“Lina baby~!”

“Stop right there!”

The golden-haired loli had just finished a duel, and the moment she saw Jiang Cha coming at her with that look, she knew something was up.

She held up a hand to stop her, almost poking Jiang Cha in the nose.

“What do you want?”

“Lina baby, how could you be so cold… boohoo…”

Jiang Cha even squeezed out two perfect tears for effect.

“Good sisters keep business and friendship separate! Business is business!”

Lina was torn between exasperation and amusement — she knew this tea girl too well.
If Jiang Cha was making this face, she was definitely scheming something.

“Fine, fine. Let’s talk business.”

Jiang Cha instantly dropped the act, straightening up.

“Bring me customers. I’ll pay you commission — 20% of my net profit.”

“Why didn’t you just say that from the start?”

Lina rolled her eyes.

She didn’t really care about the money, but helping her bestie out? That she could do.

And hey — money she earned herself always felt better to spend.

“Lina baby~”

Jiang Cha’s eyes shimmered sweetly.

“Alright, alright! But first, come fight me.”

“…”

Jiang Cha’s smile froze.

Yeah. She knew this battle maniac wouldn’t let her go that easily.