Chapter 34 - A New Day

The day flew by in a blur.

I clocked out, swapped my work clothes for something comfy, and got ready to head out.

Tang Yihan looked like she was wrapping up too. The shop was about to close anyway.

“Done for the day, huh? Stay safe, Yuehan,” she said, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

“You too, Senior Tang,” I replied with a casual nod.

She grinned. “Psh, if I were there, the bad guys better watch out. Hey, if you’re free tomorrow, swing by early, alright?”

“For sure!” I gave her a quick thumbs-up.

With that, I grabbed the small bag of cookies she had insisted I take and headed back to the dorms.

The cookies were kind of a gift, I guess. Senior Tang said they’d been sitting out for a while, but when I tried one—crisp, buttery, still fresh—they definitely didn’t taste like leftovers.

She offered, so I didn’t turn her down. Honestly, they probably wouldn’t have sold anyway, right?

Still, I had to admit—the free bread spread at lunch and dinner was amazing.

But watching Senior Tang poke at her food with that tired look, I had a feeling I’d end up the same way. Eating the same thing every day got old fast.

No wonder she was always experimenting with weird new recipes. Even when the flavors were downright strange, she’d try them with this spark of excitement.

She said most of the shop’s new menu items came from her kitchen experiments. She was basically the store’s recipe genius.

Of course, no one kept track of the ingredients that got wasted along the way.

Watching her made me think—maybe I should start learning to bake too. I couldn’t stop imagining what it would be like to recreate desserts from my past life, blending flavors from two different worlds on the same plate.

Back at my massive villa-style dorm, I had secretly hoped a new roommate might show up and shake things up a little.

No luck.

It was still just me, wandering around that oversized, empty place.

I figured no new students would be arriving early—unless they showed up at the last minute.

How did I know no one else was there? Easy. I asked the butler. That little device zipped around the house all day and kept tabs on who came and went.

I was blown away to find out it could even climb stairs to the second floor. Gotta give props to those magic-powered alchemical gadgets—they were seriously next-level.

Anyway, I planned to crash early that night and get up with the sun. I’d head to the shop first thing in the morning—it was usually calmer then, right?

As for dorm chores, I didn’t mind them much. With no one else around, I could take my time and do things my way without worrying about bothering anyone.

Still, I didn’t want to let the place go to ruin. No point in looking like a total slob.

There was plenty to handle—like sorting the clothes I hadn’t touched yesterday and shoving them into the wardrobe. Then there was laundry. I’d worn a bunch of stuff already.

But hey—no need to air-dry anything. This dorm had a dryer.

I hadn’t used it yet, though. Call me old-school, but I loved the fresh, sunny scent of clothes dried on a line. There was something cozy about it.

Right before bed, I got a surprise: a goodnight text from Bai Yu. Totally random.

Sure, she’d rushed off the night before, but texting me just to say “goodnight”? That was a first.

She’d never done anything like that before.

Maybe she still felt guilty for dragging me into Witch School. I’d told her a dozen times it wasn’t her fault. It had been my choice—and I didn’t regret it one bit.

Still, her awkward little text was kind of cute.

That night, I slept like a baby.

My body clock was finally on point, so I woke up early, totally ready to take on the day.

Today was going to be a money-making day!

I wondered if the manager and the others were back—especially Ying Shiqian, my other senior. If she wasn’t there, it’d probably just be me and Senior Tang again.

Which meant one thing: I’d be stuck washing dishes for half the afternoon.

I just hoped Senior Tang wouldn’t go too wild with her “creative” snack experiments. There was no way we’d sell all that stuff. For real.

For breakfast, I munched on the cookies I’d brought back yesterday.

I hadn’t eaten much the night before. Too much late-night snacking was a one-way ticket to tight jeans.

Not that I was exactly packing on the pounds. Back at my old family, gaining weight had been practically impossible, given what they served me every day.

I jogged to the shop with a little bounce in my step. The moment I spotted Tang Yihan bustling around, I knew the manager still wasn’t back.

Sure, they’d said they were out delivering red velvet cakes—but seriously, how long could that possibly take?

If I remembered right, they were also scheming about recruiting this year’s top student. I’d seen the notice pinned on the academy’s task board, and a ton of people had signed up.

“Yuehan, you’re here early! Go change and jump in—my dough’s waiting for me in the back,” Senior Tang called out, barely looking up from her work.

“Got it!” I replied, slipping past her.

I glanced at the customers picking out bread and had to do a double-take. Was this even the same bakery that had been a ghost town yesterday?

Maybe mornings were just busier.

It made sense—grabbing pastries or bread for breakfast wasn’t exactly strange. Mealtimes probably brought in the crowd.

I always griped about how dead the shop was, but when it got busy, I felt like I needed three clones just to keep up.

So I hustled to the back, threw on my work clothes, and took over the counter from Senior Tang.

“Thank God you’re here, Yuehan. I’d be drowning out here alone,” she said, already halfway to the kitchen. “Gotta check on my new creation—it’s been brewing in my head all night.”

“Go for it. I’ve got this,” I told her, giving a wave as I settled into the rhythm of the morning rush.

The vibe shifted when a customer piped up.

“Oh, a new face! Are you a freshman?”

“Yup, just started yesterday,” I said, keeping my tone bright. “If I mess anything up, please let me know.”

I flashed a polite smile, thinking, Wow, they actually care about the staff? Definitely a regular. Probably buddies with Senior Tang and Senior Ying, too.

“Really? You’d take feedback?” they asked, leaning in with a mischievous glint.

“As long as it’s reasonable, we’re all ears,” I said, my customer-service smile locked in place. Something told me this one was going to be trouble.

Please don’t make this weird.

“How about giving me a sweet morning greeting? You know, with some cute gestures to match!” said a guy.

My smile cracked. Oh, come on. That is so not in the job description.

I was just a part-time worker—why put me through this?

I racked my brain for any kind of morning greeting I’d ever heard and came up blank. Finally, under their expectant stare, I cobbled something together.

“Good morning! Here’s a ray of sunshine, two slices of bread, three dashes of hope, four scoops of blessings, and five sprinkles of luck. Have a happy day!” I chirped, handing over their bag of bread.

Thankfully, that saved me from having to invent some cringeworthy gesture. No way was I doing that—it’d be mortifying.

“Oh! Thank you! With that blessing, I’m definitely nabbing that freshman I’ve got my eye on today. See ya!” she said, practically skipping out the door.

I stood there, a little stunned, silently praying for whatever poor freshman was about to get pulled into her orbit.

And, well… congrats in advance for joining the Witch School, I guess.

“Hey, little junior,” the next customer said, stepping up with the same eager look. “I want a blessing too. You’re not playing favorites, are you?”

I groaned inwardly.

This was my fault—I’d opened the floodgates.

I was doomed.

My pitiful vocabulary was not equipped for this.

'Want a curse instead?' I thought, screaming internally.