Ch. 70 - Joining Velvet Bakery

"Oh, the manager's vault? It's a goldmine! Mana cores, spells galore—you name it. Rumor has it there's even transcendent knowledge tucked away~"

Tang Yihan leaned in, voice dropping to a hush at those last words.

"Transcendent knowledge?"

The phrase yanked me back to Bai Yu's warning, so I probed: Was this the forbidden kind?

"Ahem... can't say more. The point is, this transcendent knowledge isn't that one. And don't breathe a word to the manager about me spilling—it's her baby, the club's crown jewel."

"So, priceless stuff—look but no touch?" I fished.

Her caution screamed confirmation: the real deal.

Who knew the manager wielded that kind of pull? Bai Yu had stonewalled me hard, even scrubbed it from my profile.

"Yeah, pretty much—but she's got tons of other loot! And Yuehan, swear you won't rat me out!" The words blurted before she caught herself, rushing to clarify in a fierce whisper.

"Got it!" I nodded quickly.

Even if that transcendent knowledge was off-limits, the mana cores and spells still hooked me hard.

Mana cores bumped up my energy reserves and sped witchification along, and spells were straight-up skills. Either one would've sealed the deal for joining.

Sure, my talent could snag invites elsewhere—maybe even eager welcomes—but with my bond to the seniors already in place, this fits like a glove. They're already looking out for me, no questions asked.

"Glad that's clear. Whew~ Yuehan, will you join Velvet Bakery?" Tang Yihan exhaled, her gaze turning earnest.

"Of course!" I met her hopeful eyes and agreed without a second thought.

"Yes! Haha, Yuehan, smartest move ever!" She lit up at my answer, then spun on her heel in a rush of glee.

"Huh? Senior, where are you going?" I called after her—had she bailed right after?

"Grabbing your application form, duh. Got to register it—total formality. Hang tight~"

She dashed off with a grin, returning moments later with a simple sheet.

"Here—fill in the basics. Skip what you don't know. The pen's for you." She thrust paper and ink my way, urging me on.

As I scribbled, their stares bored in—like they needed to witness every stroke.

Once I finished, they both slumped in visible relief.

"Um, Seniors—did you just breathe easier?" I asked, puzzled.

"Huh? No, you misheard." Tang Yihan snatched the form, scanned my entries for errors, then tucked it away fast.

"Nope, I heard right—because Velvet Bakery's currently just... mmph!" Ying Shiqian sidled up to spill, only for Tang Yihan to clamp a hand over her mouth.

"Just... what?" Curiosity burned.

"Mmph! Yihan, Yuehan's one of us now—keeping this from her's no fair! And so what if it's just three people? That's concentrated essence! Elite squad!" Ying Shiqian wrenched free for once, firing back.

"Wait... three people?" My eyes bugged—a club that tiny? How did it even function?

"Correction: four now." Ying Shiqian grinned, fanning the flames.

"Sorry, Yuehan, I..."

"No biggie—like Ying Shiqian said, small's fine. We go elite all the way~" I jumped in to soothe her, signaling buy-in before guilt swallowed her whole.

Truth was, numbers didn't faze me. More folks meant more drama, more splits on the manager's vault goodies. Few meant first dibs for me.

"Yuehan, you really don't mind?" Tang Yihan hadn't expected my pep talk; she pressed, still flustered.

"Of course not—fewer people means no one's horning in on the manager's vault goodies~"

She chuckled. "Fair point. As soon as she gets back, I'll spill about you joining—time to make her open the floodgates."

"Exactly! Yihan, not to rag on you, but what were you thinking? Handing Yuehan the Cleaning Charm first? Total beginner bait. Should've snagged an attack spell at least!"

"What's wrong with Cleaning Charm? Utility spells cost as much as combat ones. Back when Yuehan was temp help, sweet-talking the manager into a spellbook was my miracle."

"Alright, alright—enough, Seniors. Any spell's a win in my book; I'm satisfied~" I stepped between them quickly, before it escalated.

They'd bickered before, sure, but not over me—I'd feel guilty as hell.

Once they simmered down, I exhaled in relief.

"Still, I'm curious. What's the manager usually up to? She's never around the bakery much. Not today either?"

"No clue—she never loops us in."

"Yep." Ying Shiqian chimed in. "But from our chats, she's knee-deep in something big lately."

"Big how?"

"Something with Tan Han, I think. You know—the top scorer we 'recruited' to Witch School? Manager pulled major strings~"

"Yeah..."

I nodded. This year's perfect-score whiz, passed over by the Big Three, winds up here at shady-rep Witch School. She'd probably sobbed her eyes out in some bathroom stall.

Manager had schemed hard to snag her; maybe she was on damage control now, soothing the fallout?

Hard to picture her doing anything else. Tan Han's "arrival" was days ago, though.

Zero fanfare. Weird—shouldn't they blast it everywhere? Perfect-score hype was gold, even if the methods were shady.

They must've weighed that. But snatching talent? Witch School tradition. Weren't witches supposed to brag about it?

Comments