Chapter 17: Joining the Witch Academy, Embracing a Beautiful Life
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 17: Joining the Witch Academy, Embracing a Beautiful Life
After walking out of the cafeteria, Sister Bai offered to take me on a tour, but I politely declined. Wandering around the shops probably wasn't for me yet. Maybe after turning into a girl, I just hadn't discovered a passion for shopping?
Since I turned down the suggestion, Sister Bai naturally didn't push it. After all, the essence of shopping is spending money—at least, that’s how it felt to me—and I didn't want her to keep spending her hard-earned cash on me.
So, Sister Bai pivoted to a different suggestion. The academy was so massive that it was impossible to see everything at once, and the distances between various sectors were anything but short.
However, the academy operated bus lines that ran on fixed routes. Otherwise, if a student lived several hours away from the teaching buildings on foot, how were they supposed to get to class?
Since transportation definitely existed, Sister Bai wanted to take me to experience it.
Of course, I had to ask: "Senior, don't Witches usually ride brooms and things like that? Why take a bus when you have something so convenient?"
Sister Bai’s answer was simple. First, brooms were alchemical products. High-end, expensive brooms could sell for astronomical prices. The fundamental reason was that I couldn't afford one.
Even the cheap brooms used just for commuting seemed to be beyond my current budget.
Another crucial reason was that you couldn't just hop on a broom and fly the moment you bought it. First, there was the issue of professional skills. It was like a bicycle—someone who had never ridden one couldn't just buy a bike and hit the road; it required practice.
Furthermore, riding a broom required passing an exam for a corresponding flight license. There were also flight rules, much like traffic laws, and you could easily be fined for breaking them.
That series of hurdles immediately shattered my dream of flying on a broom.
In my past life, getting a driver's license had been a massive headache. The theoretical portion, in particular, had been a total bottleneck for me. I’d pass the road test with a perfect score, but I failed the theory exam multiple times.
Naturally, the flight license had a theoretical assessment as well.
While it gave me a headache just thinking about it, it didn't stop me from wanting to fly. At worst, I’d just grind it out slowly. It wasn't like I was going to drag-race my broom or anything; I was a law-abiding citizen.
It was just like my past life—once I got my driver's license, I never touched a car again.
Besides... I felt like taking the bus wasn't so bad. Sister Bai told me that the Witch Academy's buses were free. And what could be more attractive than "free"?
There weren't many people on the bus at this time—or rather, not many senior sisters. Since I was currently in the Witch Academy, everyone I met was a beautiful older sister. If they weren't a "Senior Sister," they were a "Teacher." Either way, you couldn't go wrong with those titles.
As for where the bus Sister Bai and I boarded was headed, it was naturally my new residence.
Specifically, the location marked on my room card: No. 62 Block 2 Xinmengli.
Sister Bai had been right. When we checked the map to find my place, it really was located toward the outer perimeter, quite a distance from the Central Teaching Area.
It was indeed far; even the bus took quite a while to get there.
"Is this the place?"
I was a bit surprised. The housing here was quite different from what I had imagined.
I had expected a large apartment building where I’d be assigned a specific unit. Now, it seemed the Witch Academy was truly filthy rich. No. 62 Block 2 Xinmengli was actually a standalone villa.
Was I really allowed to stay here for free?
Standing there, I instinctively took a step back, looking at Sister Bai beside me in disbelief.
"What's wrong? Isn't this the place?" Sister Bai gave me a gentle nudge from behind, smiling.
"But... is the academy really this generous?" I asked, pointing at the building. "I won't have to pay for this, will I? I'd honestly rather live in a run-down dormitory."
"It's fine. You really don't have to pay. However, you won't be living in a building like this alone. At least five or six people will stay here, ten at most. The academy's recruitment might not have been ideal this year, so there probably won't be that many people living together."
"Oh, so it's not just for me."
Knowing that, I breathed a sigh of relief. The most important thing was that I didn't have to pay.
But still! Even so, living here felt like a massive stroke of luck.
"Of course. But once you have roommates, you'd better keep yourself in check. You don't have your 'tools of the trade' anymore, you know~" Sister Bai teased, her tone playful.
"I'm well aware of that! Honestly, I'm very protective of my virtue. Even though I had a girlfriend, I was still a virgin," I retorted immediately. Strictly speaking, I was now a virgin across two lifetimes.
How tragic.
But it wasn't a big deal. Adding both lives together, I wasn't exactly young. Didn't people say that if you stayed single for thirty years, you’d become a wizard?
Even though I was a Witch now, my combined age had long since passed thirty, so the logic still mostly held up.
"Oh? You never managed to get that little girlfriend of yours?" Sister Bai suddenly looked interested when I mentioned her.
"Of course not. Look at my family background versus hers. She's about to become a top student at Afuhemi Academy. If I hadn't gotten into the Witch Academy, I'd probably be wasting away at some random school," I said with a shrug. I didn't actually harbor any resentment toward her; she was simply talented enough to make me feel like I wasn't in her league.
It was a peaceful breakup.
By "peaceful," I meant I didn't go to see her, and she didn't come to see me. No conflict, no arguments. If that isn't peaceful, what is?
"If you want, I could try to 'kidnap' that little girlfriend of yours and bring her to the Witch Academy," Sister Bai said suddenly, shocking me.
"Eh? No, no, no! Please don't."
I waved my hands frantically. I didn't want that at all. I’d feel terrible, and if she ever found out, wouldn't I just be creating trouble for myself out of thin air? Even if she were brought here, there was probably no chance for us anymore.
"Are you sure?"
When I refused, a faint, almost imperceptible smile played across Sister Bai's lips. She might not have even noticed it herself.
"I'm absolutely sure. I don't want to run into her here. That would be way too awkward, even if she might not recognize me."
"Alright then." Sister Bai took my hand and led me to the front of the house. "Go on in. Let's see which number student you are in this house."
"Okay."
I tapped my room card against the sensor. With a click, the door actually opened.
It really felt like a dream. The thought of living here from now on made my future academic life seem wonderful!
Praise be to the Witch Academy!
I could say that now without a hint of insincerity. After all, I was very easy to bribe—just give me some perks.
I pulled the door open and stepped into the entryway.
This was the area for changing shoes, and the floor inside was impeccably clean. Just then, a disc-shaped object slid slowly and silently around the corner.
"What's this?"
The thing looked exactly like a robot vacuum.
"That's the house's Smart Butler. It's a type of alchemical product," Sister Bai said, stepping forward to take a look.
"Huh? A Smart Butler? And an alchemical product? It looks just like an automatic robot vacuum to me," I couldn't help but complain.
"Hello, new Master. Welcome home~"
The Smart Butler suddenly spoke, startling me. As expected of a Smart Butler—it even knew how to greet people.
"Additionally, this Butler is responsible for cleaning the rooms, so I am indeed a type of automatic robot vacuum. However, I have many more functions~ Would Master like a report? Or would you prefer to read the instruction manual yourself?"
"Uh... no, that's fine." I hurriedly declined. It was enough to know what it was; I didn't have much interest in it for the time being.
