Chapter 99: Even if the Academy is Rotten to the Core, I Still Need to Earn Money
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 99: Even if the Academy is Rotten to the Core, I Still Need to Earn Money
As I walked down to the living room alone, Dongli Yiren’s eyes followed me the entire way.
"Why are you staring at me like that? Do I have a flower on my face?" I asked with a smile, plopping down onto the sofa.
"No... it’s nothing..."
"If it’s nothing, then that means you need something from me, right?"
"I... well..."
"Is it something embarrassing? Just say it. Or should I guess? Is it about the new roommate?"
"No... it’s nothing like that," Dongli Yiren muttered, turning her head away.
"Alright then. I thought you were really concerned about the newcomer." I leaned back against the soft cushions, ignoring Dongli Yiren’s hesitant, lingering gaze.
That’s what you get for being such a tsundere. You want to say something but won't open your mouth. I really ought to find a way to fix that attitude of hers.
"Meeting Guan Qiuling today was a bit of an accident. Dongli Yiren, do you know what I found out from the senior sister who was handing out the room cards?" Seeing that she wasn't going to speak, I took the initiative to start a conversation.
"Huh? What?" Dongli Yiren was caught off guard by the sudden shift in topic and didn't react immediately.
"Actually, our dorm already has four people assigned to it."
"Four... already? Wait, what!" Dongli Yiren’s eyes widened suddenly as the realization hit her. "Is it a ghost? Does the Witch Academy not even let ghosts rest in peace?!"
"How could it be a ghost? Honestly." I quickly tried to calm her down, genuinely afraid she’d get worked up and pull some kind of stunt.
"Then... you... you’re just trying to scare me! What’s the point of that!" Once she realized the truth, Dongli Yiren shot me a resentful look.
"I’m not scaring you. Four room cards have indeed been issued for this dorm. But even with Guan Qiuling, there are only three of us here. That means there’s one more person who hasn't shown up yet, even though they already have their card. They’re probably in a similar situation to yours."
"This... damn Witch Academy! There really are too many perverts here! I shouldn't have expected anything from this place; it's rotten to the core!" After hearing my explanation, she caught on quickly and cursed under her breath.
"Alright, complaining won't help. I just wanted to tell you that our fourth, yet-to-be-seen roommate is likely a boy too. A fellow sufferer. Doesn't that make you feel a bit like kindred spirits? Even if you haven't met yet."
I rested my chin on my hand, looking at Dongli Yiren with anticipation to see how she’d react.
However, her expression remained surprisingly calm, which was a bit disappointing.
"Don't you have anything to say?" I asked, unwilling to give up.
"What is there to say? Trash Witch Academy."
"Fine..."
I sighed. Dongli Yiren’s perception of the Witch Academy hadn't improved at all; she still had "trash academy" on the tip of her tongue. Personally, I thought the Witch Academy was actually quite decent.
Since that was the case, I didn't have much else to say. I planned to take an early shower and head to bed.
I had a lot of work to do tomorrow. I hadn't practiced with the flying broom today, so I’d have to make up for it tomorrow.
Also, I needed to submit the records for those mindless activities. My quota was completely over-fulfilled; even the senior sister in charge of registration recognized me now.
Mainly, I wanted to go help out at the Baking House. I’d leave the task of finding people to someone else.
Those senior sisters only cared about their own amusement and didn't give a damn about the freshmen's future lives. While that might be a bit of a generalization, there certainly were plenty of senior sisters with nasty personalities.
Since I was the one cleaning up after them, I naturally wasn't running into the responsible ones.
All I ever saw was the mess they left behind.
Just as I stood up to head upstairs, Dongli Yiren finally couldn't hold it in any longer.
"Hey! Um..."
"Hmm? What is it?" A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. I knew she had something to ask; I just didn't expect her to cave so quickly.
"That... I have one more thing to ask you." Dongli Yiren’s gaze flickered, looking as if she didn't know how to broach the subject.
"What is it?"
I remained indifferent, forcing her to say it out loud. I really didn't know what was on her mind; that’s the thing about tsunderes—you can never guess what tiny thing will make them stop talking to you.
"I, well... you... are you working a part-time job?"
"Of course. Didn't you visit the place where I work?" I looked at her, a bit puzzled that this was all she had to say after all that hesitation.
"I... I know that, obviously! I want to ask, um, where do you find part-time jobs?" Dongli Yiren started loudly to bolster her confidence, but her voice trailed off toward the end.
"Ah... what? What am I looking for?" I asked again, pretending I hadn't heard.
"A part-time job! A part-time job! I’m asking where you find them!" At this point, he seemed to have thrown caution to the wind and shouted the question.
Seeing her ask so bluntly, I figured her "tsundere level" wasn't quite high enough yet. It was almost a bit boring.
But I hadn't expected Dongli Yiren to ask this. Wasn't she rich? Why did she need a part-time job?
Had her family stopped sending her money?
"A part-time job? You should have just said so. There’s nothing embarrassing about asking that. I just asked a senior sister. You can find them in the Academy System."
"The Academy System?" Dongli Yiren stared blankly at the Academy System app on her phone. To be honest, she had hardly used it and had no idea how it worked.
"You don't know, do you? Open the most prominent task section in the Academy System. There’s a sub-section for part-time recruitment. Just find one you like and contact them directly. But be careful not to get scammed into doing hard labor."
"What... you can get scammed?" Dongli Yiren clearly caught the keyword, her eyes widening.
"Of course. The academy is like a miniature society. Getting scammed for a part-time job inside the academy might not be too serious, but it can be very bad outside. Just look closely and choose carefully. By the way, are you looking for a job because you’re short on money?"
"I—I have plenty of money! I just feel... I feel bored right now. I have nothing to do and wanted to find something to occupy my time." Dongli Yiren reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. It seemed the lack of money really was a sore spot for her.
"Alright then. I’ve told you how. I’m going to shower now. Don't you dare peek!"
"I would never peek! What kind of person do you take me for!"
* * *
Meanwhile.
An office door was pushed open, and a slightly disheveled figure walked in.
"Bai Yu, thank you for coming back personally. But shouldn't you find someone who knows healing spells to look at that wound?"
"I’ve tended to it. It’s fine. It’s just that healing spells don't seem to work on this injury. It might require more specialized means." Bai Yu held her left shoulder with her right hand, her movements labored. The injury was far more serious than it appeared on the surface.
"Do you regret it then? Even if this was just a minor detail of the Script, there is always a price to pay for someone who isn't a Transcendent Witch to try and change the process."
The Transcendent Witch standing before Bai Yu—the same teacher who had contacted her previously—spoke in a lecturing tone.
"It was worth it."
"Fine. It seems that little one named Yang Yuehan really is important to you." At this point, the teacher paused. "But I should also thank you for your proactive disruption. It’s put things in our favor before the Script even truly begins. Do you mind us using you like this?"
"Of course I mind. But I signed a contract with you. Is there anything else? If not, I’m leaving." Having said her piece, Bai Yu turned to go.
"Nothing else. Why such a hurry? Are you rushing off to see your precious Xiao Han?" the teacher asked with a smile.
"No... I need to recover first. I can't let Xiao Han know I’m hurt. Also, please remember your promise to help look after her."
"You know better than I do how much importance we place on her. Since you’ve mentioned it again, I’ll go check on her personally."
"Thank you." After offering her sincere thanks, Bai Yu left the room.
"No need for thanks. What do you think about me becoming Xiao Han’s homeroom teacher?"
Her words echoed in the office after Bai Yu had already departed, leaving them unheard.
"Well, since you didn't answer, I’ll take that as a 'yes'."