Chapter 8
“You… this is too much, ma’am.”
“Just… take it. All you need to do is follow what I say.”
The clerk kept her lips tightly sealed, nodding seriously this time instead of showing the fearful expression from before.
“Please repair the clothes nicely.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Selina left the store without hesitation, and Mie hurried after her.
Seeing the clerk bow deeply as they exited, Mie whispered quietly.
“What’s up? Did something happen?”
“That woman… she’s going to be killed soon.”
“What?!”
Mie gasped, staring at the now-closed store.
“You saw the future?”
“Yes. If it were just pickpocketing or a simple robbery, I would’ve ignored it, but this… this isn’t that level.”
“Right… I hope she’ll be okay.”
“I already gave her a serious warning, so it should be fine.”
Selina spoke matter-of-factly and pulled her hat down tightly as she walked. Yet the piercing gaze from Mie at her side made her frown.
“Stop staring.”
“Hoho, as expected of you, Selina. So kind.”
Mie looked at Selina with pride, like a mother admiring her child. The feeling made Selina awkward and embarrassed.
“Annoying.”
“Don’t be embarrassed.”
The two of them bickered playfully, laughing like any ordinary teenage girls.
In the middle of the market, no one paid them any attention. They blended into the bustling scene perfectly.
“Ugh… is there still more to buy?”
Selina followed Mie slowly, her face weary. The afternoon had already begun.
“We’ve only done half! Why are you complaining? You should’ve been more active normally.”
“I do exercise in my spare time.”
“Then what good does that do? You collapse after just five hours. Ah! Look, a sale!”
Mie’s eyes sparkled as she dashed into the store displaying a sale sign. Selina followed with a look of despair.
“Ugh… my back hurts.”
As soon as she entered, Selina spotted a chair and immediately sat down.
Twisting her waist slightly, she heard a faint crack. Holding her aching back, she pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from her pocket.
“Did we buy everything?”
Looking over the list she had written at home, she noticed a few missing items.
“I also need to buy jerky.”
She thought of Luna, the black cat who had been meowing for jerky, and a small smile escaped her.
“And not just jerky…”
She realized she had forgotten something important: it was time to replace the voice-modifying magical device.
Besides that, she needed to repair some of the general magical tools used in the store.
“Since I’m out anyway, I should go there too.”
Looking around, she realized she was near the magic tools store she frequented. It seemed better to do this than just follow Mie around.
“Mie.”
“Hm? I’m busy right now.”
Mie, examining items in the sale section, didn’t even turn her head.
“I’ll go somewhere else for a bit. You’ll stay here, right?”
“Uh, yeah. Go ahead.”
Mie waved vaguely. Seeing that, Selina packed her things and headed toward the magic tools store, Omnis.
The street was lined with magic tool shops, but Selina bypassed them and entered a quiet alley.
Unlike the crowded street, few people wandered here. Occasionally, a drunk or homeless person could be seen.
They stared at Selina, but when they noticed the wide-brimmed hat with black feathers, they quickly looked away.
She continued down the alley and stopped in front of a building.
A rusted cogwheel-shaped sign swayed beside the door. Selina opened it without hesitation.
Inside, it looked nothing like a store—it was chaotic.
Items for sale or antiques were jumbled together. If not for the small counter at the entrance, she might have mistaken it for a storage room.
Bang!
Smoke billowed from the door behind the counter.
“Cough… cough… failed again, huh…”
A middle-aged man with a messy beard was covered in black dust. This was Bixter, the owner of Omnis.
Selina knocked on the counter.
Knock knock.
“Ah? Selina!”
Bixter, finally noticing her, laughed heartily as he approached.
“Long time no see. What brings you here?”
“The mana in my voice-modifying magical device is running low. I also need some other magical tools repaired.”
“When was the last time you came?”
“About six months ago.”
“Then it’s about time for replacements. I’ll visit your house soon. Will nighttime work as usual?”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Good, good. How have you been?”
“Nothing to complain about.”
“Still, if you need help, just ask. Even if you’re capable, the absence of adults is a problem. You owe Stella a lot, so I’ll support you anytime.”
Selina smiled bitterly and nodded.
“Do you need anything else?”
“Ah! Could I get a new disguise magical tool?”
“I have one, but why? Is it broken? Or is it for your Madam duties?”
“No, neither. I’ll be attending the academy soon, and I can’t risk this device acting up there.”
She shook the bracelet on her arm—a rough cord with a blue mana stone. It was old and worn.
“The academy? Do you mean Perion Academy?”
Bixter’s hand froze mid-stroke as he stroked his beard, genuinely surprised.
“It’s sort of how it happened. Not my decision, but tuition’s paid, so I can’t back out.”
“Ah, I think I understand. Then yes, it can’t fail at the academy. It’s over ten years old, right?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t have a spare now, but I’ll make one and bring it to your house. It’ll be fine just to change your hair color?”
“Yes, that’s enough.”
“But you only have two weeks until entrance. What about the store?”
“I’ll have to close temporarily. No choice.”
“Hmm… the Priman family really doesn’t have a plan, huh?”
“Ha ha…”
Selina laughed awkwardly at Bixter, who had already guessed she was going to the academy.
Thump thump thump!
Heavy footsteps descended from above, moving toward the stairs.
“Dad! Have you seen Jerry?”
A young girl’s voice echoed down the stairs.
Becky, Bixter’s daughter, cheerful, rough, and sometimes eccentric, was one of Selina’s three friends.
“Why are you looking for my familiar?”
“He disappeared, didn’t he? Oh! Selina, long time no see!”
Becky noticed Selina, waving her hands, and spotted a small squeaking sound.
“You little—!”
Crash!
Becky hurried down the stairs and caught a brown rat hiding in a pile of objects. It squeaked in protest.
“Two weeks until entrance, and you’re still disobedient?”
Becky shook Jerry in her hand and went back upstairs. The room fell silent after a brief commotion.
“I don’t know who he takes after.”
“What rat? Was there one like this before?”
“No. This is Becky’s summoned familiar. But she summoned one exactly like herself, so it doesn’t listen well.”
Bixter laughed heartily, even as his daughter struggled.
Selina nodded quietly, recalling what she had just heard.
“Wait, so Becky is going to Perion too?”
“Yes, that’s right. You’ll be classmates.”
“But didn’t Becky just try to bring the rat to the academy…?”
“Yes, exactly.”
Bixter nodded lightly.
“Animals aren’t allowed, but familiars are fine. They obey their master, so they’re easy to control. Of course, if the familiar harms someone, there’s punishment.”
Selina’s eyes widened. This meant she could bring Luna.
A familiar—a summoned being bound to its master.
Though Luna was merely a spirit inhabiting a cat’s body, she had passed him off as a familiar to others. This way, she could still take him to the academy.
A smile crept across her face at the thought of not being separated from Luna, though the corner of her mouth twisted mischievously.
Hehe, I’ll have some fun teasing you.
Though she had been surprised she couldn’t go together, she couldn’t pass up the chance to mess with the spirit.
“Well, I’ll be off then.”
“All right, I’ll visit in a week.”
Bixter saw her off. When she had first entered the store, the sky was blue; now the sun was setting.
“Mie must be waiting.”
She didn’t know if Mie had really waited, distracted by shopping.
Selina wandered through familiar alleys. As it grew later, suspicious-looking people began to appear.
“Eek! Put that down!”
“Hehe, miss, come play with us.”
“Don’t you know where you are?”
The alley was dangerous for anyone else, though no one dared bother Selina.
She sighed inwardly, observing the all-too-familiar scene.
