Chapter 31: The Bakery Shopkeeper
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 31: The Bakery Shopkeeper
As the baked dough was placed onto a specialized, exquisite counter, Tang Yihan’s movements—fluid as drifting clouds and flowing water—quickly transformed it into something I definitely couldn't afford.
I had to admit, a focused Tang Yihan was truly captivating.
Meanwhile, Ying Shiqian stayed by my side to watch, showing absolutely no intention of stepping in to help.
"What are you looking at me for? I’m the one who has to run the errand later," Ying Shiqian added immediately when she caught my gaze.
"An errand? You have to run it personally?" A flash of confusion crossed my eyes. I wasn't sure what the Senior Sister was up to.
If it was just a delivery, shouldn't a courier... Oh, right. I thought back to the price of the order. For that much money, it was indeed worth a personal trip from a Senior Sister.
It wouldn't do if a delivery driver accidentally damaged the cake.
At this point, I still hadn't realized the gravity of the situation—not until someone else stepped into the bakery.
"Welcome~!"
I greeted them enthusiastically, using the standard catchphrase of the service-industry part-timer.
"Oh? Is this the new clerk?" The Senior Sister who walked through the door seemed incredibly familiar with the place. She looked at me with fervent eyes and immediately reached out to grab both of my hands.
"Uh, yes."
I responded with a hint of awkwardness, unsure of what was happening. Was this a regular customer?
"Shopkeeper? You finally found the time to come back," Ying Shiqian said from behind me. The title she used made me freeze.
"Shopkeeper?"
I looked at this Senior Sister—or rather, the Shopkeeper—in surprise.
Furthermore, as she held my hands, she was gently rubbing the backs of them, looking for all the world like she was taking liberties with me.
If she weren't a Senior Sister, I would have yanked my hands away already.
With that creep-like expression, was she some kind of former kidnapper of young boys?
But how could a Senior Sister like this be my "more money than brains" boss?
This was a total shock to my worldview!
"That’s right. Nice to meet you, my adorable clerk~ and a freshman, too." Xia Li reluctantly let go of my hands. It seemed she was quite satisfied with her new employee. "Work hard. Even though your strength is still lacking, I’m looking forward to your future performance."
"Right, I’ll do my best," I replied quickly with a generic response. After all, I didn't quite understand why working part-time in a bakery required "strength."
Was I supposed to be on guard against "zero-dollar shoppers" in the academy?
That seemed impossible no matter how I thought about it.
I wanted to ask more about that, but the Shopkeeper bypassed me entirely and went straight to Ying Shiqian.
When Tang Yihan saw the Shopkeeper arrive, she instinctively took a step back to maintain her distance.
"Yihan, are you serious with that step back? I just wanted to show some care for my hardworking employee," Xia Li said in a slightly exaggerated tone. Then, she suddenly lunged into Ying Shiqian’s arms, acting as if she were seeking comfort.
"Only Shiqian’s warm and soft embrace can soothe my empty heart."
I awkwardly retreated to my post at the cash register. This Shopkeeper had certainly left a deep impression on me during our first meeting.
I really didn't know how to judge her.
"Don't mind the Shopkeeper. She’s just like that."
Tang Yihan approached me, seemingly trying to comfort me. After all, the shock on my face earlier hadn't been an act.
"This..."
"All you need to know is that she pays well. If she tries to take liberties, you can just refuse, or demand extra pay. She’ll definitely choose to pay more."
"Huh?"
I was stunned by this revelation. There was actually a way to make money like that?
Incredible. I’ve learned something... truly questionable today!
Tang Yihan didn't care whether I understood or not and went back to her own business. After all, that massive order had just been finished and hadn't even been packaged yet.
"Mmm~ Shiqian, I just got word. Is something big going down?" Xia Li helped herself to a face-full of Shiqian’s chest, yet she still didn't pull away.
Ying Shiqian didn't resist. Perhaps this was the power of "extra pay"?
I was starting to feel a little envious.
"Yeah. The order came to me. Yihan just finished it; she’s about to pack it up."
Ying Shiqian answered Xia Li’s question quickly, though I found myself unable to follow the conversation.
What did "something big" have to do with a large order?
It couldn't be that someone was throwing a birthday party and ordered red velvet cake, could it? With that kind of money, wouldn't a custom birthday cake be better?
"So fast? That’s great! You guys are so capable~ Such high efficiency. What was the note on this one?"
"To sum it up: kidnapping. They’re giving money but no other benefits." Ying Shiqian spread her hands, looking somewhat helpless.
"Delivery address and recipient?" Xia Li pressed.
"Holy Angel Academy. The recipient is... Tan Han."
Hearing this, I finally picked up on something—specifically, the name Tan Han!
If I wasn't mistaken, wasn't that the name of this year’s Full Score Academic God?
Could it be someone with the same name?
My intuition told me it wasn't. After all, sharing a name with a Academic God would be too awkward.
But if the recipient really was Tan Han... the implications were deep.
A Academic God like Tan Han didn't seem like the type to join a Witch Academy. She should have a better future; wouldn't one of the Three Top Academies be better?
And how was Ying Shiqian going to deliver this red velvet cake across cities?
Besides, why would Tan Han place an order with a Witch Academy out of the blue?
A flood of questions rushed into my mind, but I couldn't exactly butt in to ask. This was clearly an "encrypted" conversation; a part-timer like me had no right to pry.
"Huh? Holy Angel Academy? Dammit! I’m going with you this time. I’d rather lose money on this order than let this go smoothly. I’m going to muck this up!"
The Shopkeeper suddenly cursed, her expression looking as though she had been provoked.
Holy Angel Academy.
The moment Ying Shiqian mentioned it, the Shopkeeper got angry. It seemed I should avoid asking her about that place in the future.
"Hey! Shopkeeper! Don't be impulsive. Making money is what matters. Use the chance to charge more!"
"Right, charge more. Tell them we’re raising the price and that I’m coming along!"
"Shopkeeper! Are you even listening? Make them pay more! We can't just go for nothing. We’re the ones providing the muscle, and we’re on the front lines. If I end up dying, are you going to reimburse my resurrection fees, Shopkeeper?"
Ying Shiqian finally snapped after hearing the Shopkeeper’s words. She was truly being driven mad by the Shopkeeper’s logic. The only reason this shop hadn't gone bankrupt yet was largely thanks to her stopping the Shopkeeper’s antics!
"Resurrection fees... Oh, right!"
The mention of that seemed to calm Xia Li down instantly. It seemed resurrection fees were incredibly expensive; otherwise, the Shopkeeper wouldn't have cooled off so fast.
But... resurrection?
I hadn't misheard, had I? People can be brought back to life?
Is... is this the world of the Transcendent?
Terrifying. They’re practically toying with death!
"The other party has to reimburse the resurrection fees!"
The Shopkeeper finally squeezed out another sentence, only to be met with another verbal beatdown from Ying Shiqian.
Tang Yihan and I watched the drama from the sidelines. The Shopkeeper’s posture was far too low in front of Ying Shiqian. Could there be that kind of relationship between the two of them?