Coffee

After finding a nearby café, Cen Jing thoughtfully ordered an iced coffee and a sandwich.

"You look a little tired." After Jiang Han had eaten a piece of sandwich, Cen Jing asked.

At first, Jiang Han had wanted to say, "I'm not," but after thinking about how she'd been yawning, she gave a slight nod.

"I am a little."

"Are Miss Cheng Yu's lessons too demanding?" Cen Jing asked with a smile.

"No, they're not. Mentor Cheng Yu has been going over A2 exam questions with me lately... I'm tired because of my job." Jiang Han paused, hesitated, then decided to be honest. "I work at the Witch House tavern."

Working at a tavern shouldn't be embarrassing...

Cen Jing rested her left elbow on the table and propped her cheek in her hand as she smiled.

"The Witch House? They have a branch in Jianye. Lin Zhaojun, the Archwitch currently ranked first in the country's overall score for the international exchange matches, used to work there..."

"Lin Zhaojun... Is she the strongest witch in the country?" Jiang Han perked up, ready for some gossip.

Witch competition rankings were based on competitors' placements in various contests. For instance, the Masters Championship winner might earn ten thousand points, while some obscure competition might be worth only a hundred. The World Competition Association determined each competition's point value and also awarded extra points based on the prize money.

Lin Zhaojun was the queen of major competitions. Her historical record against Qu Xuesong, who had gone ten wins and zero losses on the first day of the World Witch Invitational, was three wins for Qu Xuesong and eighty-nine for Lin Zhaojun. It had practically been a one-sided beating...

Cen Jing thought for a moment, then nodded.

"She's the strongest. Last year, I think she won nineteen consecutive championships—a complete grand slam—and was voted World Witch MVP unanimously..."

Nineteen consecutive championships... Had she dominated every major competition, both at home and abroad? Jiang Han marveled at the thought, then grew curious. If Lin Zhaojun was that strong, why was Qu Xuesong the one representing the country at this year's international invitational?

Jiang Han asked, "What about this year? Lin Zhaojun hasn't appeared in the papers at all..."

Cen Jing's lips curved slightly.

"She failed the A3 exam and decided to spend a year studying before taking it again."

...So she had to retake it.

Jiang Han stiffly took a sip of iced coffee. The answer was unexpected, yet somehow not surprising.

"Of all things under heaven, exams are the one thing you can't avoid. You must pass A3." Cen Jing's smile was beautiful and alluring, yet also held a hint of a student's innocence.

"Doesn't she get extra points for being a witch?" Jiang Han asked, troubled. Just thinking about having to take the A3 exam someday gave her a headache.

"She does. An Archwitch gets five extra points, but that's all. She still needs at least seventy-five points on the exam to pass. Oh, right... There was an Archwitch who kept failing A3 until she went mad and tried to..."

Jiang Han interrupted Cen Jing's joke. "Offer her body? Was it that Archwitch named Theresa?"

"Oh, Miss Cheng Yu has already told you that story..." Cen Jing's face showed just the right amount of regret.

The beautiful witch took a sip of coffee and said, "If Lin Zhaojun really wanted to force her way through, there are ways. But it would be too embarrassing, so she'd rather sit out competitions for a year and take the A3 exam."

By then, Jiang Han was so depressed she couldn't speak. She could practically see Lin Zhaojun's future becoming her own.

Exams!

How miserable. Even the strongest witch in the country had to take A3 like everyone else, and if she failed, she had to take it again...

"Witch House gets one honorary A3 certificate to award every three years." Cen Jing smiled. "But I only heard that through the grapevine, so I don't know if it's true. Even if it is, Lin Zhaojun wouldn't want to pass A3 that way. It really would be a little embarrassing."

After a moment of silence, Cen Jing apologized. "Sorry, I brought us back to exams again, when I was supposed to help you relax."

"Oh, it's fine, really. I'm enjoying listening." Jiang Han put on a smile. "It's nice to learn about things I didn't know."

Cen Jing propped her cheek in her hand and suddenly said, "If you're too tired, you can ask Miss Cheng Yu for a day off."

Ask for a day off...? Jiang Han thought of Cheng Yu, who gave off a dangerous vibe, and shook her head. Mentor Cheng Yu reminded her of an elementary school homeroom teacher. The only difference was that the average elementary school teacher wasn't as beautiful as that woman.

"Miss Cheng Yu has other classes to take care of, too. If she's been helping you review A2 lately, you can ask her for a break." Cen Jing smiled. "If that doesn't work, you could suggest that I teach you for a couple of lessons. I've been pretty tired lately, too. We could go out and relax together."

It was... undeniably a practical idea, and one that suited Jiang Han very well.

Lately, Mentor Cheng Yu's lessons had just been those same four spells, over and over. Jiang Han needed to master them before Cheng Yu could apply for more advanced spells for her. Otherwise, they could only study for the A2 exam. But Jiang Han felt she could easily beat the examiners in the A2 test—in other words, she was sure to pass.

And going out to relax with Cen Jing...

Jiang Han touched her index finger to her lips and gave Cen Jing an appraising look. Miss Cen Jing was more than happy to play along, making a V sign on either side of her face. So cheeky... and cute.

Aside from the fact that Cen Jing might have been a man in the past, everything was so wonderful. She was beautiful, considerate, and rich...

Of course, most importantly, Cen Jing seemed reliable, trustworthy, and knowledgeable.

Although this witch was keeping some secrets, they weren't frightening ones. Jiang Han knew that Cen Jing's magic was unusual for a witch and close to Cheng Yu's level... All in all, she seemed like she'd make a really, really good friend.

With that thought, Jiang Han nodded at her. "How about Tuesday and Wednesday?"

She didn't have to work those days.

"Sounds good. Talk to Miss Cheng Yu about it on Monday... Hehe, I sometimes fill in for her, too. We get along pretty well." Cen Jing said, "Witches aren't very popular with witches, but Miss Cheng Yu doesn't dislike people like us."

Much of the tension between witches and witches came from the special treatment witches received. For example, when all else was equal, hiring a witch could earn an association subsidy. This had led to conflict between some witches and witches.

By contrast, what Jiang Han had assumed would bother witches—the fact that witches could be men in disguise—hadn't drawn their ire.

When you thought about it, witches could even play around with Witch Eggs. That level of perversion was nothing by comparison.

Jiang Han finished the rest of her sandwich. It was strange: she'd eaten breakfast earlier, but after drinking some coffee, she wanted to eat even more.

Seeing how much she'd eaten, Cen Jing smiled and ordered her another hot dog.

She even gently offered to take Jiang Han home.

"You might not be in the best shape to ride a broom. Why don't I take you home?"

Jiang Han happily accepted. This witch was so friendly it was impossible to dislike her. Jiang Han still suspected there was more to the other teachers' dislike of Cen Jing, but that didn't stop her from thinking Cen Jing was a good person.