Chapter 28: Apprenticing at the Bakery
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 28: Apprenticing at the Bakery
When I arrived at the location, I realized it really wasn't far from my dormitory. From a geographical standpoint alone, I was already sold.
I peered through the glass curtain wall at the facilities inside. The space was quite large, with slightly cramped but neatly arranged cake racks showcasing bread and pastries in their best light.
It seemed that various types of bread were their primary products. As I stood outside watching, the staff inside caught sight of me. Their gazes were so intense it felt as if they were desperately willing me to come inside.
Looking at it this way, though, there weren't any customers. Was this place really this deserted?
I looked at the two girls inside. They were wearing what appeared to be the shop's uniform. Unsurprisingly, they were likely senior sisters several years ahead of me.
But only two employees?
Was that enough to maintain the normal operations of a bakery, or was the pastry chef busy in the back?
Sensing that I had been standing there for a while, they took the initiative to come forward and open the door, seemingly determined to turn me into a patron.
"Oh, it's a newly enrolled junior sister! Is there anything you need? we take custom orders for pastries and cakes. Also, our premium Red Velvet Cake can be delivered straight to your door~"
I gave a slightly awkward nod. After all, I was only here to see if I could apply for a job, but seeing how low the foot traffic was, I started to get worried.
More than that, I was curious—how did they know I was a freshman at a single glance?
There was nothing special about my Witch cape or my chest badge; they looked exactly like the ones the senior sisters wore. However, I was too embarrassed to ask.
"I saw a recruitment task on the Academy System. Are you still hiring?"
Regardless of my doubts, I decided to give it a shot. Whether they would take me or not was something I had to ask, and whether the shop would go bankrupt wasn't my concern. If it went under, I’d just find another part-time job.
"Hiring? Hey, Yihan, is the shopkeeper's recruitment notice still up?" one senior sister leaned over and whispered to the other. She didn't hide it well at all; I could hear every word.
"It should be. Why don't we ask the shopkeeper?" the senior sister named Yihan suggested, sounding equally uncertain.
Then, right in front of me, they started making a phone call to check.
"Um, sorry about that, junior sister. We aren't quite sure about the hiring situation ourselves, so we're asking the shopkeeper for you. But I'm curious—why did you choose our bakery to work at?" Senior Sister Yihan stepped toward me to put me at ease, making small talk while they waited.
"Just a part-time job before school starts. I'm running low on money, and this place is very close to my assigned dorm," I answered truthfully. Since my hiring didn't depend on these two, there was no harm in being honest.
"Low on money? You're attending a Witch Academy—don't your parents give you an allowance?"
"Well... I had a falling out with my family." I told the truth about this as well. It was a common enough story; the reputation of Witch Academies wasn't exactly stellar, and there were always parents who worried that their children would turn out "wrong" after enrolling.
"I see. Don't worry. If the shopkeeper still intends to hire, there are basically no requirements for a part-time job here. Besides, there aren't many customers, so the workload isn't heavy."
As I listened to the senior sister tell me this, my lip twitched slightly. Was that something she should be telling a prospective employee?
If this place wasn't making money, would anyone actually come here to work?
Unless the pay was great, I’d be a little skeptical too. If the pay was low, the only thing attracting me would be the light workload.
While I was chatting with her, the other senior sister's call went through.
"Hello, Shopkeeper? I wanted to ask if we're still hiring. Right, right... there's a freshman here right now who wants to work part-time..."
"I know about that. I just got off the phone earlier. Take a look for me—if she's pretty, hire her. Just give her the standard wage."
"Got it, got it..."
I had already stopped talking to the senior sister in front of me. Was the one on the phone using speakerphone?
I heard the shopkeeper's voice loud and clear!
What did she mean, "if she's pretty, hire her"?
Was I supposed to be eye candy for the storefront?
Then again, after Witchification, there probably weren't any "ugly" girls left. Compared to me being the face of the shop, I felt the two senior sisters in front of me were much better suited for the role.
As I was now, if it weren't for my long hair giving people the preconceived notion of a young girl, I personally felt my features were more on the androgynous side.
"Alright~ The shopkeeper knows. I'll go draft the contract. By the way, little junior sister, are you sure you want to work part-time here? It has to be part-time, right? Freshmen have a lot of classes once the term starts, so you can't be a full-time employee."
"Yes. Um, may I ask what the pay is like?" I couldn't avoid the question of compensation in the end. If I didn't clear this up now and the pay turned out to be terrible, what then?
It would just be a waste of everyone's time.
"Hmm... the wage range for temporary workers is 15 to 22 per hour. Do you have any prior baking experience?"
"No baking experience, but I have experience with part-time jobs like cashiering."
"Then I'm sorry, we might only be able to start you at the minimum of 15..." Before she could finish, the other senior sister nudged her with an elbow. "What?"
"She's a freshman, and she's had a falling out with her family. She's broke. Are you really going to lowball her that much?"
"Please, I'm the one signing the contract on behalf of the shopkeeper. What if she scolds me?"
"The shopkeeper isn't short on cash! If anything happens, just push the blame onto me. Since when does the shopkeeper nitpick over a few coins with us?"
"Fine. If I get chewed out, I'm dragging you down with me."
Following their "loud conspiracy," my wage somehow went up for no reason. Honestly, my requirements for a job weren't high; at this stage, I just needed enough to live normally.
The four basics—food, clothing, shelter, and transportation—weren't huge issues, but I was naturally happy about the raise. I hadn't expected these two senior sisters to be so nice.
Was this the "Freshman Halo" at work?
"Alright then, let's round it up to 20. I'll go draft the contract." After saying that, the senior sister ran to the back, presumably to prepare the so-called contract.
"Um... what is this 'contract'? Isn't it just signing an employment agreement?" I looked at the other senior sister and asked curiously.
"You can think of it as a labor contract, but now that you've entered a Transcendent Academy, the binding power of a contract is much stronger than any clause in the mundane world. I hope you never have to feel that binding force for yourself—it's scarier than breaking the law~" The senior sister explained with a smile, her tone carrying a hint of intimidation. This was likely a lesson from a veteran.
Otherwise, how would she know the binding force was that terrifying?
But it served as a wake-up call for me. Contracts, binding power... were these the hallmarks of the transcendent world?
I was already starting to look forward to it.