Chapter 49 : Chapter 49

Chapter 49 : The Enthusiastic Senior Sisters in the Alley

Only when I was out walking did I feel the oppressive emotions from before could be released.

I’d been a bit too stuck in my own head earlier, but that was unavoidable.

No one could suppress the buildup of emotions, and I’d been taking some things too seriously.

I should adapt to my new life and enjoy this rare leisure time before the new semester started.

For example, the shops along the street.

I hadn’t found any food that immediately caught my eye, but the dazzling array of stores gave me a thrill of endless choices.

Cursing myself for being so inexperienced, I regained my usual mindset and decided to randomly pick a place to try, treating it as a surprise for myself.

Let’s go with the eighth shop from here.

I tried not to look ahead, counting one by one, building anticipation as if saving the excitement for myself.

Though it wasn’t exactly mealtime, the aroma of food filled the air.

“Sixth shop… oh, that smells good. Braised pork bones? Such a pity, not meant to be… Seventh shop… buffet? Wow, a buffet in the supernatural world? Aren’t they afraid someone with special powers will eat them out of business? Next one Heh heh.”

I rubbed my hands excitedly, eager to see what the next shop would offer.

I didn’t have much money, but on such a memorable day, a little splurging could be forgiven!

“Huh?”

As I passed by, I noticed an alley branching off, a bit abrupt compared to the main street.

There seemed to be stalls inside, making me hesitate.

Should I keep going or check out the alley?

I knew well that the best food was often found in overlooked alleys.

I wasn’t sure if that held true in this world, but it didn’t stop me from hoping.

I had plenty of time.

I looked up at the eighth shop I’d been fixated on.

It was a noodle place.

The bun-like things looked tempting, but I wasn’t in the mood for that kind of food so close to evening.

So, I quickly shifted my interest and headed into the alley.

Here I come, cheap and delicious hole-in the-wall stalls.

Walking in, I found the stall vendors were old ladies who could’ve been my grandma.

Could students’ families live here too?

That was my first thought.

“Oh? A freshman?”

Seeing someone enter, the old ladies lit up with smiles, making me feel a bit shy.

This was awkward.

I hadn’t decided to buy anything yet, but their enthusiasm left me no choice but to approach.

How did she know I was a freshman?

Did I look that obvious?

I glanced at my clothes nothing screamed “newbie.”

“Haha, your magic power source is still a bit unstable. That’s a clear freshman trait. Come, come, wanna chat with us? I’ll treat you to something tasty for free,” one of the old ladies said, as if reading my mind.

“Okay… alright, Grandma.”

In the end, I couldn’t resist the lure of free food and stepped forward.

It was just chatting with them, right?

They must be bored here.

“Grandma? We’re old in body but young at heart. Call us senior sisters.”

Another old lady chimed in, seeming displeased with my term but still smiling warmly.

“Senior… sisters?”

My eyes widened in disbelief.

They were senior sisters?

This truth hit me like a thunderbolt.

If they hadn’t said it, I wouldn’t have known, but it made sense.

Tang Yihan had mentioned that graduated students could stay and live here.

Were these ladies living here until retirement?

That was terrifying!

“Don’t mind her. Calling us Grandma is fine. But we are your senior sisters many, many batches older, heh heh,” another said with a laugh.

“Grandma,” I said, sticking with it.

Calling them senior sisters felt too weird!

They didn’t mind and chatted with me enthusiastically about the outside world.

It seemed they hadn’t left the academy in ages, staying here all this time.

During our talk, I learned they could’ve used spells to freeze their appearance, but they chose not to.

Without becoming transcendent witches, their lifespans were still limited, though longer than ordinary people’s.

Aging continued.

They didn’t use spells to maintain youthful looks.

They said their mindset had aged with their bodies; this was how they should be.

Even the one who insisted on being called a senior sister didn’t argue with this view.

Maybe in her youth, she was a lively, tsundere type?

Hard to imagine.

They’d saved enough wealth long ago to last until they returned to the earth.

The snacks they sold were unique to their hometowns.

They said they’d been dormmates originally, but none of them graduated, only barely completed their studies and stayed here.

In their youth, they’d even started a snack club, which later disbanded.

So, their leisurely hole-in-the-wall stalls here weren’t without reason.

My hands were nearly full with the snacks they eagerly handed me.

If I hadn’t been firm, they’d have stuffed me with more.

In the end, I paid them.

It was our first meeting, and though chatting brought us closer, it wasn’t to the point of eating for free.

They refused payment for the first portion, but I paid for the rest.

It was cheap, almost cost price, which made me a bit embarrassed.

Thinking about it now, I couldn’t help but sigh.

They’d all been preparatory witches.

Those who didn’t become transcendent witches remained preparatory, like me.

I remembered what Bai Yu told me: during witchification, we lost the ability to bear children.

So these grandmas had no kids to care for them.

In their youth, they could’ve had sweet romances or lifelong partners, but after merging with the magic power source, they’d said goodbye to all that.

Thinking about it, Witch Academy was pretty terrifying too.

For many boys, it was even scarier.

Witchification twisted their cognition, forcibly changing them.

The academy created a micro-society of only witches, forcing boys to watch themselves “fall” into their new orientation.

Acceptance or liberation were the only paths here.

You could bet there were senior sisters with warped personalities and probably a lot of them.

But so far, the senior sisters I’d met were gentle, so my impression of Witch Academy was still positive.