Miss Witch, even if we're poor, we can't sell ourselves!

When the bus came to a complete stop at the Star Track Academy station, Mi Ye almost thought she had missed her stop.

She jumped out of the front door, her cat-ear hat being flipped backward by the wind from the door opening.

So he reached out and pressed down on his hat, looked up, and froze on the spot.

The main gate of Moon Forest consists of two ancient iron gates covered with glowing vines, engraved with the year the school was founded. They are so unassuming that first-time visitors can easily walk right past them.

But Star Orbit Academy is completely different.

The main entrance is a star-shaped archway at least two stories high, with its silver metal frame reflecting tiny iridescent spots of light in the morning sun.

The white marble colonnades extending from both sides of the archway form an arc that embraces a wide plaza, in the center of which stands a crystal sculpture in a fountain pool.

Miya blinked, pulled her cat-ear hat down a bit, and unconsciously let out a "Wow!"

Although it is significantly smaller than Moon Forest in terms of area, since it takes almost half an hour to walk from the main gate to the back mountain of Moon Forest, every building here is so exquisite that it looks like it was cut directly from the cover of a design magazine.

The exterior walls of the main teaching building are painted in a color scheme of ivory white and light gold, and the window frames of each window are carved with intricate patterns.

"This is way too exaggerated..."

She muttered something to herself and walked along the main road.

Rows of jacaranda trees line both sides of the main road, their trunks straight and their crowns converging overhead to form an arched flower corridor.

The flowers were in full bloom, with clusters of purple-blue blossoms crowding the branches, painting the entire road with a soft purple hue.

Occasionally a gust of wind would blow by, and the petals would flutter down, landing on Mi Ye, but she didn't bother to brush them off, only focusing on looking up at the petals that were being pierced by the sunlight.

Jacaranda trees should have already passed their flowering season, but it's clear that Star Orbit Academy used magic to accelerate their growth, keeping them in their most beautiful state.

Following the signs, Miya walked through the jacaranda corridor, around the fountain square, and then past a dance studio with floor-to-ceiling windows on the outside. Through the windows, she could see several practice rooms where students were practicing in front of mirrors.

She continued walking and finally found the stadium.

Although it's called a stadium, it's actually more like a small indoor performance venue.

The dome is made of a semi-transparent light purple material, so even when standing inside, the sunlight doesn't feel glaring.

The stage frame inside the venue has been erected, with scaffolding and bundles of wires everywhere, and lighting equipment and small chairs that have not yet been assembled scattered on the ground.

Next to the side entrance of the venue, Miya found a lonely table.

A crumpled sign-in sheet lay open on the table, and a little witch was crouching behind it.

Her tag was tucked under her elbow, with a corner peeking out. It read "Asuka Kanade" and had a student council member label next to it.

Her hair was sticking up in a mess because of her lying position, and her shoulders rose and fell slowly with her breathing, making it look like she hadn't slept much since last night.

Miya hesitated for a moment in front of the table, then bent down slightly and lowered her voice.

"Excuse me... is this the place where the commission was posted?"

Asuka Kanade's shoulders twitched, and she struggled to prop her head up from her arms, her eyes still misty with sleepiness.

Her lips moved slightly, then her gaze met Mi Ye's face.

Miya tilted her head.

She didn't know how she appeared in other people's eyes. A few strands of light golden hair peeked out from under her cat-ear hat, and her scarf made her face look even smaller as it covered her chin. Her eyes were fixed on the other person, with a hint of polite curiosity and a touch of wariness towards a stranger.

Asuka Kanade was stunned.

After a while, Miya noticed that the other person seemed to have completely stopped, so she reached out and gently waved her hand in front of Asuka Kanade.

"Senior?"

As if waking from a dream, Asuka shook her head violently, and the tips of her ears turned a light pink at a visible speed.

She coughed lightly, pushed the sign-in sheet forward, and pulled a new pen from under the table, placing it beside her. Her tone was noticeably softer than before, when she had sounded so lifeless.

"Ahem... Please register here first. Your job is to move equipment. You can leave early once you're done."

Miya took the pen, bent down and carefully wrote her name on the sign-in sheet, then cautiously asked a question.

"Um...where can I eat if the work meal is provided?"

Her voice trailed off, and by the time she said the last word, Mi Ye visibly became embarrassed.

Zou didn't say anything, but reached into his coat pocket, pulled out a blue meal card with the Star Orbit Academy emblem, placed it on the table, and pushed it in front of Mi Ye.

"Go to the cafeteria, swipe this card, and order whatever you like."

Miya picked up the meal card, her eyes lighting up. She was about to say thank you when Zou had already slumped back onto the table, her voice muffled as it drifted out from under her arms.

"Just return it to me when you're done."

Miya carefully put her meal card into her pocket, patted her pocket to make sure it was in place, then said thank you to Kanade who was lying down, and then turned and left the gymnasium, walking briskly towards the cafeteria indicated by the road signs.

Jacaranda petals fell on the stone path she walked on, the purple shadows of the flowers and the golden sunlight spreading out a mottled long carpet behind her.

Miya touched the meal card in her pocket, her steps becoming lighter and lighter.

Who cares? I need to eat my fill first so I'll have the energy to work.