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

Miya jogged through the bar lobby, the hem of her maid outfit swaying gently with her steps.

When they got to the bar, Zimilu stood on tiptoe and leaned over the edge, making a "two cups" gesture.

"It sold out so quickly?"

Zimi Lu raised an eyebrow and turned to get the cocktail shaker.

"Moonlight Amber and Nightingale's Song? Impressive, you opened your store many times faster than Korika's first day."

"Sister Purple Rice Dew—"

Mi Ye lowered her voice.

"Add another lava chocolate cake."

Zimi Lu paused for a moment.

"...The cake, is that what the customer wanted?"

"No, I ordered it, and I paid for it."

Miya took out her small wallet from her apron pocket; it was the little bit of her real savings that she had hidden before coming to the bar.

"She looks so tired, and she definitely didn't eat dinner."

Zimi Lu didn't say much, she just put the money into the cash register and went to the kitchen to get the cake.

After the two cocktails were mixed, the cake was placed on a small white porcelain plate and garnished with a raspberry and a mint leaf.

Miya carried the tray back to the corner booth and gently placed two glasses of wine on the table.

"The one on the left is Moonlight Amber, which has a refreshing taste."

"The one on the right is Nightingale's Song, it's a bit stronger."

Then she placed the cake neatly in front of Meredith, her fingers unconsciously twisting the edge of her apron.

"This lava chocolate cake is the best dessert in our shop. You just got off work and probably haven't had dinner yet. Drinking alcohol on an empty stomach is bad for your stomach, so eat something first."

Meredith looked at the cake in front of her. The surface of the chocolate cake was slightly raised, emitting a rich sweet aroma, and a small water droplet was still clinging to the raspberry next to it.

"...A cake is included with the chat service?"

"It wasn't a complimentary item; I ordered it with my own money."

Miya sat down next to her.

"Because you are so gentle and beautiful, I thought, 'Wow, my first customer is such a witch!' I'm so happy, so I ordered you a cake. I love this too, it's super delicious!"

Meredith took off her glasses and placed them on the table, then picked up a small spoon, scooped a spoonful of cake, and put it in her mouth.

After taking a bite, she noticeably sped up her pace. Although her movements remained elegant, the frequency of her spoon movements betrayed her true state.

In less than three minutes, the cake was completely devoured, and even the last bit of chocolate sauce stuck to the edge of the plate was scraped clean with a spoon.

Meredith put down his spoon, picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth, and then put his glasses back on.

"...Thank you, I am indeed hungry."

"Would you like to eat something else? We still have a snack platter—"

"No need, it's fine as it is."

Her voice was slightly stronger than before, and a hint of a smile appeared in her deep blue eyes.

"What's your name? I was too tired to remember it when you introduced yourself."

"Miye, Miye of the night sky, the night of the night."

Miya placed her hands on her knees and answered politely.

Then she hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help speaking up.

"Um, Miss Meredith, would you mind...?"

She pointed to her legs, then to the sofa.

"So—lie down? I can massage your head for you. Your shoulders were so stiff just now, it must be from working with your head down for a long time, which makes your cervical spine and scalp very tense."

Meredith paused to think for a moment, then softly hummed in agreement, bent down to untie her low-heeled shoes, lay down on her side on the sofa, and gently rested her head on Miya's lap.

Miya took a deep breath, suppressing all the chaotic tension, and then stretched out her hands, running her fingers through Meredith's dark brown hair.

Starting from the customer's forehead, gently push backward along the hairline with your fingertips, applying just the right amount of pressure.

This was her unique skill for earning pocket money in her dormitory in her previous life.

"Is this force okay?"

"……Um."

Miya's fingers moved from her temples to the top of her head, gently pressing around the Baihui acupoint with her fingertips, then sliding down to the back of her head, pausing for a few seconds near the Fengchi acupoint, before slowly pushing upwards with her thumb.

Meredith's body sank deeper and deeper into the sofa with each movement.

Those deep blue eyes were half-closed behind the gold-rimmed glasses, and their eyelashes occasionally trembled slightly.

The jazz music in the bar changed to a slower tune, with piano notes floating lazily in the air.

"Miss Meredith."

"……Um?"

"If you have anything to say, you can tell me. If you don't want to say anything, you can just lie there. In short, you don't have to bear it all alone."

Miya's fingers did not stop, her voice was soft and steady.

"I don't know many witches, but I think that anyone who can become an academician must be a very, very powerful person. But even the most powerful people get tired, and when they are tired, they should have a place to rest. Although I am just a hostess, at least this corner is yours tonight."

Meredith did not answer. A long, long time passed, so long that Miya thought she had fallen asleep.

"……today."

Meredith's voice was very soft.

"Two students used the Fireball spell I invented to blast each other during a lab class, and they blew a hole in the lab."

"The board of trustees used this as an excuse to cut my research funding. The budget of 700,000 Loren was reduced to 200,000."

"Then I was notified that someone had reported me for fabricating data in one of my papers. It was a baseless accusation, but it took me a long time just to cooperate with the investigation."

"That's too much."

Mi Ye's voice was filled with genuine indignation, after all, she felt the same way.

"How could those officials be like this?"

Meredith was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke, her voice carrying a very faint hint of grievance.

"...Sometimes I wonder what I'm really holding on to."

Miya did not answer that question.

She knew this wasn't a question that needed an answer; it was a question that needed to be heard.

She simply continued to gently press Meredith's scalp with her fingers, from the top of her head to the back of her neck, in circles.

"Miss Meredith."

Miya spoke.

"The fact that your magic was used by students to blow up the lab proves that your magic is indeed powerful."

"When I first came here, I felt like the most useless person in the world. I was worse than everyone else in everything, and I was always at the bottom wherever I went."

Miya's voice became even softer, and her finger movements became even gentler.

"But then I thought, everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. You're already an academician, so you must be incredibly capable. All those messy things will eventually pass."

She could feel Meredith's breathing slow down.

"You're very well-suited for this line of work."

Meredith suddenly spoke.

"On her very first day, a new employee is giving a massage while resting her head on her lap? Are bar training standards this high already?"

Miya's face instantly turned red.

"This wasn't something I learned through training; it's more like a skill I developed myself—I honed it by helping my roommate with head massages!"

Meredith chuckled softly, then closed her eyes.

The Moonlight Amber on the table was half-empty, and Nightingale's Song was still untouched, but the amber-colored liquid swayed gently under the lights, reflecting the warm glow of the entire bar.