Chapter 28 : Chapter 28

Chapter 28 : Working as an Apprentice at the Bakery

When I arrived at the location, I realized it was indeed quite close to my dorm.

Just the convenience of the location was enough to make me excited.

Peering through the glass curtain wall, I looked at the bakery’s interior.

The space wasn’t small, with neatly arranged cake racks displaying breads and pastries in their best light for customers.

It seemed like bread was the main product.

As I stood outside observing, one of the staff inside noticed me, her eager gaze almost urging me to come in.

But from the looks of it, there weren’t any customers.

Was this place always this quiet?

I saw two girls inside, wearing what seemed to be the shop’s uniform.

No surprise—they were probably senior sisters a few years ahead of me.

But just two staff members?

Was that enough to keep a bakery running smoothly, or was the baker busy in the back?

Perhaps noticing I’d been lingering too long, one of them took the initiative to open the door, as if ready to turn me into a customer.

“A new student, huh? Need anything? We offer custom cakes and pastries, and our signature red velvet cake can be delivered to your door.”

I responded with a bit of awkwardness.

I was only here to check about the job, but seeing how empty the place was, I started to worry.

What puzzled me more was how they instantly knew I was a freshman.

My witch cape and badge weren’t anything special—they were the same as the senior sisters.

I was too embarrassed to ask, though.

“I saw a job posting in the academy system. Are you still hiring?”

Regardless, I decided to give it a shot.

I had to ask if they were hiring, and whether the shop might close wasn’t my concern.

If it went under, I’d just find another job.

“Hiring? Wait, is our manager’s posting still up, Yihan?”

The senior sister leaned toward the other one, whispering, though not quietly enough to keep me from hearing.

“Probably? Should we ask the manager?”

The one called Yihan suggested uncertainly.

Then, right in front of me, they started calling to check.

“Um, sorry, junior sister. We’re not sure about the hiring situation, but we’ll ask the manager for you. By the way, I’m curious—why choose our bakery to work at?”

Yihan came over to reassure me while casually asking about my reasons.

“Just looking for a part-time job before school starts. I’m short on cash, and this place is close to my assigned dorm,” I answered honestly.

Since hiring wasn’t up to these two, there was no harm in explaining.

“Short on cash? You’re at Witch Academy, and your family doesn’t give you living expenses?”

“Well… I had a falling out with them,” I replied truthfully.

It was true, and with Witch Academy’s bad reputation, some parents would worry about their kids enrolling here.

“I see. Don’t worry, if the manager is still hiring, there’s really no barrier to working here part-time. Plus, we don’t get many customers, so the workload’s light.”

Hearing her say this, the corner of my mouth twitched.

Was that something she should be telling me?

If this place wasn’t profitable, who would want to work here?

Unless the pay was really good, I’d be a bit skeptical.

If the pay wasn’t great, the only draw would be the light workload.

While I was chatting with this senior sister, the other one’s call connected.

“Hey, manager, are we still hiring? Yeah, yeah, there’s a freshman here who wants to work part-time…”

“I know about it. We just talked on the phone. Check her out—if she’s pretty, hire her. Pay her the usual rate.”

“Got it, got it…”

I stopped talking to the senior sister as I overheard the conversation.

Was her phone on speaker or something?

I could hear the manager’s voice!

What did she mean, “if she’s pretty, hire her”?

Was I supposed to be a storefront mascot?

With witchification, there shouldn’t be any unattractive witches, right?

Compared to me as a mascot, I thought the two senior sisters in front of me were far more suited for it.

Right now, if it weren’t for my long hair giving people a first impression of a girl, I felt my appearance was still pretty androgynous.

“Alright, the manager knows about it, so I’ll draft the contract. By the way, junior sister, are you sure you want to work here? It’s part-time, right? Freshmen have a lot of classes, so you can’t be a full-time employee.”

“Um, can I ask about the pay?”

In the end, it all came down to compensation.

If I didn’t clarify this, what if the pay was terrible?

I didn’t want to waste their time.

“Well… the pay range for temp workers is 15 to 22 per hour. Do you have any baking

experience?”

“No baking experience, but I’ve done part-time work like cashiering.”

“Then sorry, we can probably only offer the minimum, 15…”

Before she could finish, the other senior sister nudged her arm.

“What?”

“She’s a freshman, and she’s broke after falling out with her family. You’re offering her the lowest rate?”

“Come on, I’m signing the contract on behalf of the manager. What if she blames me?”

“The manager’s not short on cash. If anything, just pin it on me. You think she’d haggle over a few bucks?”

“Fine, if I get in trouble, you’re taking the fall with me.”

After their loud whispering, my wage somehow went up.

Honestly, I didn’t have high expectations for the job—as long as it covered my basic living expenses for now.

Food, clothing, housing, and transportation weren’t big issues.

But I was naturally thrilled about the raise.

I didn’t expect these senior sisters to be so kind.

Was it because of my freshman glow?

“Alright then, let’s make it a round 20. I’ll go draft the contract,” the senior sister said before heading to the back, presumably to prepare the so-called contract.

“Um… what’s a contract? Isn’t it just signing a labor agreement?”

I asked the other senior sister, my tone curious.

“You can think of it as a labor agreement, but now that you’re in a supernatural academy, a contract’s binding power is much stronger than mundane legal terms. I hope you never experience the force of a contract’s constraints—it’s scarier than breaking the law.”

She explained with a smile, her tone carrying a hint of intimidation.

Maybe it was a lesson from a seasoned senior.

How else would she know a contract’s binding power was that terrifying?

But it was a wake-up call.

Contracts and their binding power—were these a hallmark of the supernatural world?

I was starting to look forward to it.