Chapter 10
“I’m back.”
“You’re back, meow!”
As soon as she opened the door, Luna came running up as if she had been waiting.
Tail held high and full of charm, she nuzzled against the hem of Selina’s skirt.
“Did you bring jerky, meow?”
“Ah! I forgot…”
“What did you say?”
Luna’s face instantly filled with despair.
“Sorry… I must have forgotten because I bought so many things.”
“D-Don’t tell me none of them were for me, meow?”
Her yellow eyes shimmered with moisture, as if a small poke would make tears spill.
Selina glanced at Luna, then rummaged through the basket of goods she had brought. She held something out in front of Luna.
Luna, still staring blankly, twitched her nose at the faint scent coming from it.
“J-Jerky, meow!”
Dazed for a moment, she quickly took it and bit into it, smiling at Selina.
“You think I’d forget? I bought plenty, so you can snack whenever. But don’t eat too much at once.”
Selina took out more jerky and put it in a glass jar. Luna climbed onto the table with jerky in her mouth.
“I bought my favorite cheese jerky, meow! Huh? I thought you never got me cheese jerky because it’s expensive.”
“Well, we won’t be together for the next six months. Let’s at least enjoy the remaining two weeks.”
“Meow?”
Thunk.
Luna, chewing enthusiastically, dropped the jerky in shock.
“Meow… you really can’t go with me?”
“It’s Academy rules.”
Actually, there were ways to take her along, but her reaction was so funny Selina couldn’t stop teasing.
Pretending to be troubled, she covered her face with her hand while sneaking a peek at Luna.
Would she be on the verge of tears again this time?
Luna stared at the jerky on the floor. Her head hung low, hiding her expression. Curious, Selina peeked at her face.
Suddenly, she gasped and stepped back. A white divine aura rippled off Luna’s body.
Selina’s mind went blank, and a primal fear washed over her.
The air thickened, making it impossible to breathe properly or even stand.
[No matter what, I’ll get into the Academy. What should I do?]
An aura emanated from her that was completely untouchable.
[Ah, right. First, I’ll have to brainwash the headmaster, then.]
This was how it always was when Luna—or rather, Lunius—was angry or serious: she seemed to descend as a god.
If this continued, the innocent Academy staff would surely fall under divine brainwashing.
Panicking at the thought, Selina shouted.
“Th-That’s a lie!”
[What?]
Her eyes, now navy blue, locked onto Selina.
“Animals are forbidden, but familiars can enter the Academy! You can even stay with me all day!”
[…….]
A brief silence passed. The air, heavy moments ago, slowly returned to normal.
Selina gasped in relief.
Lunius quietly set her foot down.
“Meow~ Why didn’t you say so sooner, meow!”
Lunius had returned to Luna’s usual form, smiling cheerfully. The divine aura from moments ago was gone.
Luna plopped onto the table, holding the jerky with her small black mallet, nibbling happily.
Seeing her back to her cheerful self, Selina quietly exhaled.
She silently vowed: Next time, I won’t tease a god.
One more slip, and Selina wouldn’t live to tell the tale.
A week after receiving the Academy acceptance notice, a late-afternoon delivery arrived.
It was clothes Selina had bought a few days ago with Mie. All alterations were finished, and with Mie’s items together, the delivery was packed full.
“That was faster than I expected.”
Selina sorted the items and neatly stored them.
“Meow! What’s this, meow?”
Luna, prowling nearby, tapped something on the floor.
Picking it up, Selina found a letter with no sender indicated.
“What’s this?”
She opened it after scanning her surroundings.
“What does it say, meow?”
“…I had given some advice to the staff at this clothing store before. Looks like it worked out.”
“Advice? You saw the future, meow?”
“Yes. Luckily, everything’s fine. They thanked me in the letter.”
The letter detailed the staff’s experiences and expressed gratitude to Selina.
At the end, it said:
<If you ever need new outfits, please visit our atelier. It’s always open for you, Selina. —Emma>
“Good to know nothing went wrong, meow.”
“Indeed…”
Selina stared at the letter with a complicated feeling.
This wasn’t the first time she had seen such a thing in her life.
Occasionally, she glimpsed someone’s ominous future, and her compassionate heart wouldn’t let her ignore it.
In the past, she had advised them, but outcomes were rarely good.
People initially ignored her as a witch, but later feared her when her warnings came true.
Some even blamed her for causing the misfortune.
Because they feared the unknown power she possessed, they always remained exclusive.
Selina had resolved to quietly let this situation pass, but her wide concern didn’t allow it. Thankfully, this time everything had ended safely.
Ding-dong!
Late at night, the awaited visitors arrived.
“Welcome.”
“You’re not coming too late, right?”
“Of course not. Perfect timing.”
“Hi! Selina!”
It was Bixter and his daughter, Becky. They had come to check the magical tools Selina had requested.
“Did you bring all the magical tools?”
“Yes, we brought everything from the shop.”
They handed the pre-packed boxes to Bixter.
“Phew. With so many items, I’ll need to hurry.”
Bixter sat at the empty table, taking out and inspecting each magical tool.
Becky didn’t sit beside him but cheerfully approached Selina.
“We didn’t get a chance to talk properly last time. Long time no see! How have you been?”
“Good! I heard you’re entering the Academy too?”
“Yep! And you’re joining too, right? Dad told me.”
“Yeah… somehow it worked out. I thought you’d inherit the business learning from him, so this is a surprise.”
“I wanted to see a bigger world, so I enrolled!”
Becky placed her hands on her hips, laughing heartily.
“Becky! If you skip classes, you’ll get disciplined!”
“Hey! That’s unfair!”
Bixter scolded her, and Becky grumbled while going next to him.
The two bickered as usual, then got serious, inspecting the magical tools with expert focus.
“Jerry, bring the screwdriver.”
Squeak!
Becky called her familiar, and the brown rat appeared in a puff from her arms.
The rat, about the size of her forearm, found the screwdriver among the scattered tools and brought it to Becky.
It efficiently helped with other tasks as well.
Meow?
Jerry was startled by Luna’s appearance but quickly stayed composed, circling Becky—maybe hiding near her?
Although Luna had been passed off as a familiar before, this was the first time she’d seen a real familiar. Now, even familiars seemed ordinary animals.
“All done.”
As Selina watched Jerry’s twitching tail, all magical tools were repaired. They lay on the floor looking brand new.
“Now, test them out.”
They checked each one: the voice-modulation tool for Madame’s voice, the illusion tool for producing fog, and so on.
All essential tools for Silent Moonlight worked perfectly.
“Excellent. You’re amazing as always, sir.”
“If you run into trouble again, contact me anytime. Oh, and here.”
Bixter pulled something from his coat.
“This is what you requested last time. I also prepared a spare, just in case.”
It was a transformation magical tool: a set of necklace and earrings made from small red gemstones.
Creating magical tools that could go unnoticed like this showed his careful thought.
“The necklace is the main item. The magic is engraved on the setting, not the gem itself. Same for the earrings—just be careful.”
“These earrings are magical tools too?”
“Yes. If you lose the necklace, the earrings will work for about a week. But if the necklace is lost, tell me or this one,” he said, pointing to Becky.
“Thank you! How much do I owe you?”
“No charge. It’s a gift.”
“Really? But…”
Bixter patted her shoulder with his large hand.
“Just take it. Next time you have repairs, I’ll charge properly.”
“Yeah, take it. Who knows when that stingy man will give another gift?”
Becky backed him up, joking. Bixter playfully grabbed her head, making her scream and flail.
Selina laughed heartily at the playful father-daughter banter.
