The Shop Mascot

Aaron lay on his bed, watching Abei sleep soundly beside him. He shook his head with a wry smile.

Everything he had failed to understand before had become clear tonight. He just found it hard to accept for the moment.

He had thought it was his parents' deep love, but it turned out to be... a damn family tradition.

Of the three ways to gain "freedom," the third, which was the hardest for others, was the easiest for him.

At his rate of Magical Energy growth, reaching Archmage before graduation should not be a problem. If he added all the Magic Points he signed in for each day to his Magical Energy at his current rate, he might even cross the threshold into Grand Archmage by the time he graduated.

But that was impossible. The System Shop's countless skills and magical items were enough to dazzle him. Barring any surprises, less than a tenth of those Magic Points would probably go toward Magical Energy.

Besides, the family tradition did not apply to him during his school years. In other words, as long as he made it through the remaining month, he would be "free."

That was good news, yet why did he feel strangely lost?

Diagon Alley, Aaron's Drinks Shop.

Since they had obtained a "Dragon Leash License," Ling Ge openly carried Abei out. Still, to be safe, he had put a coat on it to make sure its wings and ears were hidden.

Even so, the adorable white "cat" left countless customers amazed.

Many female customers fell in love with the lively little cat at first sight and wanted to pet it, but they only got the chance when Abei was in a good mood.

As for when it would be in a good mood, that depended on your looks and what you bought in the shop.

In short, only people who were attractive and willing to spend money were qualified to touch it. It could not be bothered with anyone else.

Thanks to this mascot, the shop's turnover had risen by a full fifty percent.

Someone had even offered Aaron two hundred Gold Galleons for the pet, only to be immediately added to the Blacklist.

Two hundred Gold Galleons was roughly a month's profit for his Small Shop, and it was an enormous sum for an eleven-year-old child, but... did he look like he needed that little bit of money?

Apparently, they had no idea that his monthly allowance had another zero after that number.

Besides, Abei was a Holy Dragon, the only ultra-rare breed among dragons. Was it worth only two hundred Galleons? Who were they insulting?

"Young Master, even if you can keep it openly now, there was no need to put it on the counter on the very first day, was there?" Jeans said with a wry smile. He objected to parading such a Magical Creature through the streets.

"Hey, Uncle Jeans, don't be so rigid," Aaron said with a smile. "Abei had been staying in my room and never came out before today!

"Now that I can finally keep it openly, there's no reason to make it stay in there any longer, right? How is that any different from house arrest?"

Abei turned around and cutely blinked at Jeans.

Facing this devastating skill that worked on both men and women, Jeans had no choice but to surrender. Half his heart melted instantly.

It was not that he did not want to be stricter, but Abei was practically the entire Gaius Family's darling. If it suffered even the slightest grievance, not only would the Young Master come after him, but the master and madam would probably have words with him too.

"All right! Young Master—no, Boss. As long as you're happy."

Aaron nodded in satisfaction and gave Abei a victory gesture. Abei flashed a broad smile in return, its huge eyes blinking adorably.

Time passed, and soon a month had gone by.

Over the past month, Aaron's lifestyle had not changed much. He still traveled back and forth between home and Diagon Alley, though things were much better than before.

Since their precious son was about to start school, the Gaius Couple had stayed home with him these past few days, allowing Aaron to experience the warmth of family again after so long.

Abei's presence also brought much more fun to his dull life. Aside from minding the shop, studying with Gaius, and practicing a few simple spells, he spent his time teasing it.

Petting a dragon was actually pretty fun. It gave him such a strong sense of accomplishment!

At that moment, Aaron was lying on his bed, looking at his Attribute Panel.

Host: Aaron Gaius

Magical Energy: 784 (Intermediate Mage. Your path in magic has only just begun.)

Talent: Once in a Century (Upgradeable. Magical Energy increases by 2 points per day.)

Items: Moon Drop, Resurrection Potion

Magic Points: 82

The numbers made him feel somewhat melancholy. It felt as though a month of hard work signing in had not matched the rewards. He truly missed the days when the numbers had been four digits.

It had only lasted one day, but looking back now, that damn day had been the peak of his life.

"Young Master, today is not a day for you to sleep in," Jeans called from outside the door.

"Got it." Aaron abruptly sat up, excitement gleaming in his eyes.

He grabbed Abei from beside him and pulled clothes over it despite its reluctant gaze.

"Don't be upset. It's already August twenty-eighth. There are only three days left before school starts, so we need to buy the things we'll need for school. If we wait any longer, it'll be too late."

More than ten minutes later, Aaron emerged from his room with Abei.

"Young Master, you're half an hour later than usual today!"

"Quit nagging. Besides, you can only keep an eye on me for another three days."

Jeans froze for a moment, then quickly understood why. Smiling, he said, "It seems the Young Master has great confidence in himself. Then I shall wait and see."

"You will."

Jeans shrugged and said nothing.

Honestly, while Aaron had quite remarkable magical talent, becoming an Archmage before the age of eighteen was not something that could be accomplished through talent alone.

Still, he would not spoil the mood at a time like this. In a few years, after the Young Master understood just how difficult it was, he would probably stop making such grand claims.

"Where are my parents? Aren't they coming?" Aaron looked around but saw no sign of the Gaius Couple.

"Um, the master and madam had some urgent matters to attend to, so they left last night.

"Besides, almost everything you need to buy is in Diagon Alley. It's practically no different from taking a stroll through the backyard. Do you really need your parents to accompany you for that?"

"That may be true, but they actually left without saying goodbye to their son. They must really think highly of me!"

After breakfast, the two men and one dragon walked to the fireplace. Green flames flashed, and they arrived at the shop in Diagon Alley.

"Scouring Charm." Jeans immediately cast the spell to clean their clothes.

"Uncle Jeans, can I handle the shopping by myself?" Aaron asked hopefully.

"Young Master..." Jeans frowned. "I believe you can handle such trivial matters, but you also understand the Gaius Family's tradition. There are too many things we cannot decide based on personal preference.

"Until you board the Hogwarts Express, we must ensure your safety."

"Phew!" Aaron let out a long breath. He had expected that answer to some degree, but hearing it for real was still hard to accept.

"There are only three days left. Can't you make an exception and give some face to your future family head?"

Jeans calmly shook his head and replied righteously, "Precisely because there are only three days left, we cannot let down our guard. Please respect the fruits of our eleven years of labor.

"If something truly went wrong during these final three days, it would be a stain on us for the rest of our lives."

Aaron's mouth twitched slightly at that.

Well, damn. Just damn.

The way he put it made refusing to let them follow sound like some kind of crime.

"Fine, follow me if you want!

"We're all neighbors around here, anyway. It's not a big deal." Aaron opened a sheet of letter paper with a wry smile and checked the necessities he needed to buy next: uniforms, textbooks, a wand, a cauldron, a set of glass bottles, a telescope, and a brass scale.

There were quite a few places to visit: Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, Flourish and Blotts, Ollivander's Wand Shop, Potage's Cauldrons, Slugworth's Potions...