Back in his room, Vinny paced back and forth.
Unless absolutely necessary, Vinny really didn’t want to transform Vanessa at the academy. The risk was too great. If he ran into some acquaintances, the chance of exposure would increase significantly.
But given the current situation, if he didn’t call Vanessa out to help him come up with a solution, he might soon starve to death on the streets. Well, along with Shikondell, that little fool who also had no source of income.
He had thought about asking for help, but after much deliberation, who would help him??
Mirexia was the student council president, always busy with countless tasks. Vinny felt bad troubling her.
As for Aesphyra, forget it. Would she help him? Dream on. Not only would she not help, she would probably kick him while he was down, gleefully composing poems to mock him for nearly starving.
Fred was out of the question too. The reason for his bankruptcy was because of those jerks showing off their cards. If Fred found out he had lost everything trying to emulate their card draws, he would die of laughter.
So, among the people he knew, who else could help him? Milian? Don’t be ridiculous. That girl would probably set off firecrackers to celebrate if she found out he was running out of money for food.
Ultimately, Vinny disliked owing others. So even if someone could help him, unless they were very close and he trusted them completely, he wouldn’t ask.
However, owing others was out of the question, but owing himself was acceptable, right?
Now, it seemed the only option was to ask Vanessa for help.
Looking at the pile of card boxes in the corner, Vinny sighed softly.
He just hoped that after transforming into Vanessa, he wouldn’t go overboard.
Today happened to be the weekend, with two days off, giving him enough time to solve this problem.
After much deliberation, Vinny had no choice but to compromise. He silently prayed, “Vanessa, please, save me!”
And then... please go easy on me. At least, don’t treat those cards I spent money on as trash and throw them away!
With his hands clasped ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) together, a flurry of cherry blossoms filled the room, shimmering brilliantly like the first rays of dawn illuminating the cherry trees.
As the cherry blossoms fell and the light faded, a stunning girl with snow-pink hair opened her peach-shaped pink eyes.
She removed the nearly bursting male clothes she was wearing, summoned Armor Fortress, and stood before the floor-length mirror to tidy her appearance, ensuring not a single strand of hair was out of place. Her gaze swept the room, finally settling on the card boxes in the corner.
The sound of high-heeled boots echoed in the room as Vanessa, with a pleasant smile, walked over to the card boxes.
She really couldn’t understand how she had bankrupted herself for a box of worthless paper cards. Was it really worth it??
What had she been thinking, spending all her savings on drawing a few rare pieces of paper??
How much did these pieces of paper actually cost? How much had she spent drawing these useless things??
Vanessa now felt like dragging out her past self who had drawn those cards and giving her a good scolding, but unfortunately, she couldn’t.
However, she could make sure her future self learned a lesson by destroying the culprit to avoid any lingering attachments.
She had been wrong about one thing before transforming. Treating these pieces of paper as trash and throwing them away? No, that would be too slow and inefficient.
Vanessa smiled as she looked at the cards lying in the box. A flame burning with cherry snow and colorful glass ignited at her fingertip, and instantly, the temperature in the entire building skyrocketed.
“Eh? Eh??” Shikondell, cooking in the kitchen on the first floor, was drenched in sweat, completely baffled as to how the temperature could change so drastically during the day.
On the second floor, Vanessa blew out the flame on her fingertip, feeling relieved. The corner where the box had been was now empty, not even ashes remained.
At that moment, the temperature returned to normal. Shikondell looked blankly at the wilted vegetables on the cutting board, tilting her head cutely.
Had something just happened?
Was it an illusion? She felt like the temperature had suddenly soared to a terrifying level, but the wilted vegetables on the cutting board reminded her that it wasn’t an illusion.
Shikondell felt her CPU couldn’t process this sudden change.
Upstairs, Vanessa sat on the bed, looking at the few copper coins left in her wallet, and sighed softly.
What’s done was done. There was no use in blaming herself. The priority now was to find a solution.
There was still one possible solution.
Vanessa remembered something Fred had mentioned a few days ago.
She hadn’t considered it before, but given the current circumstances, she had no choice.
She had been obsessed with spending all her savings on a foolish endeavor, and now she was left to clean up the mess.
If possible, Vanessa really wanted to drag out her male self and give him a good scolding. Why did she always have to deal with the mess he left behind?
Now, she had to take such a big risk, allowing her, a student not on the records, to move around the academy.
As a new student, the rewards for taking on missions were pitifully low, and there were almost no places to work part-time.
During the academy term, she couldn’t even leave the academy. It seemed like she was at the end of her rope.
But it wasn’t entirely hopeless, as heaven never seals off all exits.
Vanessa had an idea in mind. In such desperate times, she really had no other choice.
Today happened to be the weekend, so she decided to check it out.
With that thought, Vanessa went to the window, looked both ways, and after making sure no one was around or paying attention, she opened the window, flipped out, and landed gracefully on the ground.
Shikondell was on the first floor, so she couldn’t just walk out the front door.
After quietly leaving the courtyard, Vanessa arrived on the academy’s streets.
Perhaps she was being overly cautious. Carillian Islands were vast, and it was the weekend. What were the chances of running into someone she didn’t want to see?
How many people were in the academy? From a probability standpoint, the chances were extremely slim.
Vanessa walked gracefully towards a certain entertainment street.
Her cherry-colored hair swayed in the wind, and she tucked it behind her ear.
Carrying a scent of lavender and white tea, many passersby looked up, captivated by the dreamlike cherry-haired girl, unable to help but stop and stare.
“Who is that pink-haired girl? Do you know her? Is she a student or a teacher?”
“Don’t know her. Must be a teacher, right? I’ve never seen her in class, but she could also be a student... just not sure if she’s a senior or a junior.”
“Do you think she looks a bit like the Goddess of Radiance?”
“Shh! Can you just say that?? Don’t forget there are many students and teachers in the academy who use Saint Envoy, devout followers of the Church. If they hear you spreading such rumors, they’ll make sure you regret it!”
“Y-yeah, you’re right...”
Vanessa paid no attention to the chatter along the way.
The shop Fred had mentioned was one she often passed by on her way to Carillian Academy, so she quickly found it.
It was an adorably decorated shop, mainly in white and blue tones. The shop sign had a pair of cat ears and was written in a cute, playful font: “Maid Café,” followed by a heart.
At the entrance stood a triangular sign that read, “Hiring Maids~”
However, it was still too early, and the shop didn’t seem to be open yet. There was no one inside. She pushed the slightly ajar door open and entered.
“Sorry, dear master, we’re not open yet. Please come back later~” What greeted her was a pair of cute cat ears, followed by a red-haired, short twin-tailed cat-eared maid in a super-short maid outfit appearing before Vanessa.
“Oh? Such a beautiful girl~” Upon noticing Vanessa’s appearance, the cat-eared girl was momentarily stunned.
“Hello, Miss Cat. I’m not here to visit the shop. I saw your shop seems to be short-staffed. Could we discuss further?” Vanessa politely bowed to the cat-eared girl.
“Oh, oh! You’re here to apply for a maid position??” The cat-eared girl exclaimed in surprise.
“I’m here looking for work.” Vanessa smiled lightly.
“Great, great~ Meow! Meow finally has a companion~” The cat-eared girl cheered, running inside while shouting, “Boss, boss! A beautiful girl is here to apply for a maid position~”
Soon, a honey-haired girl wearing a hair accessory and cute bear slippers emerged from the inner room, still looking very sleepy.
“Early in the morning, Mioka, can you keep it down? I was sleeping, you know? There are still many residents around sleeping.”
“Wait, you said someone’s here to apply for a maid position? Where?” The honey-haired girl suddenly perked up, her gaze falling on the pink-haired girl in the shop, and she froze.
Then, as if she could teleport, she appeared in front of Vanessa, circling her, examining her from every angle.
“Uh?” Finally, Vanessa’s movements stiffened, and she couldn’t help but ask what the other was doing.
“Perfect, absolutely perfect!” The honey-haired girl suddenly reappeared in front of Vanessa.
Vanessa also noticed the other’s appearance. The honey-haired girl was quite pretty, especially her eyes, which were cross-shaped.
Had she seen such eye shapes somewhere before??
Vanessa pondered, but the Virtue Points system showed no reaction, so she probably wasn’t one of the main heroines.
“Miss, may I know your name??” The honey-haired girl clasped her hands together, asking reverently.
“My name is Vanessa.”
“Huh? No surname?” The honey-haired girl tilted her head.
“Yes, no surname.” Vanessa shook her head.
“Miss Vanessa, I see. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Luna Horaleth.” The honey-haired girl performed a noble’s salute, though her current outfit didn’t quite match the gesture.
“I heard you’re here to apply for a position at this shop? As you can see, we’re only hiring maids here.” Luna smiled, looking Vanessa up and down as if she had found the perfect candidate.
“Yes, if possible, I can also work in the kitchen. I have some experience with cooking...”
“No, no, no! Such beauty hidden in the kitchen would be a waste! It would be a crime!” Before Vanessa could finish, Luna cut her off.
“Of course, I can’t stop you, Miss Vanessa, but think carefully. Kitchen work is tiring, and the pay is less than half of what you’d get working the front. Plus, front desk staff not only have a higher base salary but also get bonuses based on customer reviews and volume.” Luna tempted her.
“Of course, if Miss Vanessa really doesn’t like it and isn’t in dire need of money, you can choose according to your preferences.” As she said this, Luna played with her fingers, pretending to be nonchalant, but her intentions were clear.
“May I ask if the salary is paid daily?” Vanessa inquired.
“Yes, yes. How could I possibly owe you hardworking maids any money? Alas, as you can see, young ladies studying here wouldn’t stoop to being maids. So, currently, the only maids in this shop are me and Meow.” Luna spread her hands.
“Sorry, I think if possible, work that doesn’t require facing customers would be best.” Vanessa hesitated. “I’m still not quite comfortable with this, so perhaps...”
“If you’re willing to work the front desk, double the salary.”
“You misunderstand. It’s not about the money. What I mean is...”
“Triple the salary.” Just as Vanessa was about to explain, the shop owner mercilessly raised the offer.
“Miss Vanessa, if you miss this opportunity, there won’t be another. Are you really going to choose the kitchen over the front desk?” Luna continued to tempt her. “All you need to do is learn some maid skills. It’s very simple.”
“Please, don’t say such things. I really...”
“Quadruple.”
Vanessa’s amber eyes widened, and the words “I really can’t handle it” in her mouth changed to “Really?”
“Of course, Miss Vanessa. If you think I might go back on my word, we can draw up a contract.” Luna smiled. “How about it? I guarantee you won’t find another job in Carillian Academy that’s as easy and well-paid as this.”
“Alright, I understand, Miss Owner. What should I do?” After a moment of silence, thinking of her pitifully empty wallet, Vanessa knew she had no choice.
“Great, that’s settled. We’re about to open. Go to the back and change into a maid outfit, and I’ll give you a quick maid training. You can start working today.”
“Change into a maid outfit?” Vanessa was momentarily stunned.
“Of course. Your current outfit looks angelic, but it doesn’t match our shop’s style. This is a maid café, so all the staff are maids.” Luna stated matter-of-factly.
“But it’s my first time wearing such clothes. I might not...”
“Everyone has a first time. Mioka.” Luna called out to the cat-eared maid watching nearby.
“Meow, here~”
“From now on, you’re colleagues. You’re responsible for helping Miss Vanessa get familiar with the job and teaching her how to wear the maid outfit. Off you go.”
“Got it~ Miss Vanessa, come with me~” Perhaps because she now had a colleague and wouldn’t have to work alone, Mioka was very enthusiastic. She took Vanessa’s hand and skipped into the inner room.
After watching Vanessa being pushed into the back room, Luna’s smile gradually turned mysterious. She gazed deeply in the direction of the back room, her starry cross-shaped eyes filled with meaning, as if pondering something.