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Translator's note: The last part seemed a bit off. The author changed the POV of the narrator. No worries, he changed it back in the next chapter.
After tasting the red velvet cake, Tan Han got up and started exploring everything around her. If she saw an interesting cookie, she’d just pick it up and try it without a second thought.
I couldn’t help but feel a little envious of her. If the manager had told me I could eat whatever I wanted, I doubt I’d be as casual about it as Tan Han was.
I had thought about going over and introducing her to the new treats, but she waved me off. She wanted to try them herself.
I didn’t press the issue. After all, anything placed front and center for display probably wouldn’t taste as bad as that first cake. Still… some of these treats had pretty intense flavors. I hoped she wouldn’t run into any of the extreme ones.
The heavier-flavored items were usually sold in blind boxes in bakeries—cheap, quirky, and fun. These baking blind boxes sold pretty well, though that was only in comparison to the other pastries.
Since Tan Han wasn’t talking to me and I had nothing else to do, I picked up my Cleaning Charm and tidied the shop. I had to admit, this spell was basically a godsend.
It wasn’t just for washing dishes. It can handle trash, dust, and even keep yourself clean. Honestly, if I didn’t still shower normally, the Cleaning Charm could basically replace it.
Same for clothes—before tossing them in the laundry, I’d clean them with the spell first. Not for any practical reason, just for the ritual of it, letting the clothes “know” they’d been washed.
“Yuehan… is that… magic?”
I jumped at the voice behind me. I hadn’t expected this usually quiet genius to speak first.
“Ah—sorry! Yeah, it’s a spell. Cleaning Charm. Pretty useful, honestly,” I calmed down and explained, without any hint of complaint.
“You can already use spells?” Tan Han asked, eyes wide.
“Well… kind of. Honestly, using a spell is simpler than you might think.” I nodded, careful not to give the wrong impression. Using a spell and mastering one were two very different things.
“I know—Spell Book, right?”
“Wait… you know about it?” I was genuinely surprised. I hadn’t expected her to know. So in the end, was I the clown here? I’d been preparing some big explanation about Spell Books and Spell Slots… but now it seemed unnecessary.
“Just a little. My Senior mentioned it to me these past couple of days.”
“That’s nice…” I sighed, a little envious. I’d been shadowed by a Senior, too, but why hadn’t I gotten this treatment?
Then again… Bai Yu had helped me out too, hadn’t she?
I didn’t ask. At the time, I didn’t even know enough to ask.
Tan Han looked at me, openly envious, and seemed like she wanted to explain. But in the end, she didn’t.
Some things just didn’t need explaining—having that kind of treatment just proved your own value.
On the other hand, Xia Li’s voice came from behind, which meant the manager had probably finished her work.
“Yihan, seriously! You took the club application and didn’t say a word? I’ve been looking for it everywhere,” Xia Li called, her tone a mix of exasperation and helplessness—but not really scolding.
“But you didn’t tell me you were looking for it! How was I supposed to know? And isn’t this the kind of thing you’d usually ask me to handle? I’ve done stuff like this before,” Tang Yihan’s Senior voice followed.
Soon enough, the group walked over.
“Han~ here you go, I found the application! If you’re really serious about joining our club, come and sign it~” Xia Li smiled and waved Tan Han over.
For a moment, I instinctively thought she was calling me. But when I saw Tan Han step forward, I froze.
She was… joining the Baking Club?
Was she out of her mind? Didn’t she know what she was signing up for? Counting me, there were only four members total!
What was she after?
The manager’s secret cash stash?
Because honestly, I couldn’t imagine what kind of transcendent knowledge was hidden in that little vault that could possibly attract her—unless it was sheer personality charm. But come on. I wasn’t seeing it.
Then again, Xia Li was definitely loaded. Xia Li might not be perfect, yet at least she paid me on time—and yesterday, no less! Who could complain about that? A boss who pays promptly is a national treasure.
“Senior Xia, you can just call me Xiao Tan. That’s what my family always calls me. ‘Han’ feels kind of strange to me now,” Tan Han said as she walked up to the manager.
I actually found that kind of endearing—but that didn’t stop me from trailing after them to see what was going on.
By the time I got close, Tan Han had already filled out the form without a moment’s hesitation. That speed—was she even thinking about it?
“All right~ congratulations to Tan Han for becoming our fourth—”
Xia Li started cheerfully, but Ying Shiqian and Tang Yihan cut her off immediately.
“Manager, correction—our fifth member! We forgot to tell you something,” Ying Shiqian explained quickly.
“Fifth? Wait, what? How come I didn’t know?”
Now it was Xia Li’s turn to look confused. She was both the bakery manager and the club president—how could she not know?
“It’s Yuehan! Yang Yuehan. We just recruited her this morning. We were waiting to tell you when you got here.”
“Yuehan?” Xia Li turned to me, puzzled, then looked at Ying Shiqian and the others as if to say, ‘Seriously, what’s going on?’
“Okay, Manager, could you not just focus on Tan Han? You seriously don’t care enough about your employees. Yesterday, Yuehan tried meditation for the first time—and nailed it! You’re just gonna ignore a little prodigy like that?”
Ying Shiqian’s tone was half playful, half scolding, and for a second, it was honestly hard to tell who was the boss here.
“Uh? Wait… what… huh?”
Xia Li let out four confused sounds in a row, unable to form a single complete sentence. It was obvious how hard that news hit her.
Tan Han put down her pen and looked me square in the eye. In that moment, even she seemed to sense this was no small thing—something she actually needed to take seriously.
She’d assumed the new student at the shop wouldn’t cross her path again, so she’d deliberately kept her distance.
She’d seen too many people who tried to cozy up for favors, and maybe I didn’t feel like one of those. I've tried to be polite, kept a respectful distance, and haven’t forced myself into anyone’s life.
Tan Han had heard about Witch Meditation these past few days but hadn’t tried it herself. She’d asked about the method, the timing, the details—she understood what it would mean for someone to succeed on their first try.
That meant it was Tan Han’s turn to step forward. Meditation was the foundation for channeling any transcendence energy into life; sliding into a light friendship and talking about meditation seemed like a perfect place to start.