Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva

At dusk, "Dream of Glazed Glass" had reached its closing time, but today, no one was in a hurry to leave; instead, they stayed for a communal meal. The simulated night sky on the ceiling was dotted with stars, and the slightly dark hall was illuminated with candle-like night lamps. The floor, swept spotlessly clean, reflected the warm yellow candlelight, hazy and beautiful. Around the makeshift long table, waitresses sat chatting and laughing, with others weaving between them, bringing over freshly made dishes—roasted bass with steam rising off it, pastries, golden-brown sweet potato balls, and sizzling small cuts of lamb chops on an iron plate, among others. "Save two pieces of steak for me!" With one hand holding a plate with a wine glass and the other clutching cookies, Tilan called out to a waitress near a distant table, in front of whom sat a just-served plate of steak, topped with red peppers and parsley that whetted the appetite. "Is there any more of this lemon wine?" Botis picked up a cup of the clear light-yellow fruit wine from Belfeng's plate, finding the flavor delightful. "There's none left, I'm saving the last glass for myself," replied Belfeng, shaking her animated rabbit ears to show that she was also fond of it. "Go find 'Huale', she knows how to make this kind of wine, but she's busy right now, helping out with Dantalion," suggested Belfeng. "Okay," nodded Botis, sipping from her wine glass before walking over to whisper something to 'Leviathan' and then heading towards the bar where several waitresses had gathered. Near the head of the long table, 'Andusia' was inserting candles into a cake, while beside her stood a slightly blushing 'Deklabi'. The young Angel had also come to "Dream of Glazed Glass" today, which coincided with her impending birthday, prompting everyone to decide on celebrating and having a gathering tonight. "I haven't seen Dantalion; didn't she say she was coming?" Deklabi, with a pale golden glowing pentagram on her forehead, looked around curiously, greeting familiar faces and a few unfamiliar waitresses, exchanging a few words. "Dantalion said she would arrive in the afternoon; she's over there helping Huale right now," consoled Andusia, going on to light the candles one by one. "That's perfect," Andusia said with satisfaction as she watched the candles and the cake glowing in the dark. "Should we take a photo to remember this by before the candles burn down?" "Yes, but there are a few people who haven't arrived yet," Deklabi replied, wanting to take a photo with the two people she knew best—Dantalion and Belfeng. "I've sent others to call them; they will be here in a moment," said Andusia with a nod. "You're going to make a birthday wish later; what would Deklabi like to say?" she asked, helping the petite waitress adjust her collar and headband, acting almost like an elder sister and making one want to lean on her. "About that, I haven't thought it through completely, but if I really were to make a wish, I would hope time could freeze at this moment," Deklabi pressed her hands together. "Everyone is around me, caring for me with affection, and we all remain in this most beautiful age and time." "Ah, what a fairy-tale wish," Andusia smiled brightly. "But indeed, it is a very beautiful wish." As Deklabi and a few waitresses chatted, a lively noise approached, and everyone turned to see several waitresses pushing a cart towards them, with Tilan and 'Huale' among them. On the table lay a large plate, atop which sat a fantasy cottage made from cake bases, pastries, candies, and chocolates, adorned with glittering specialty jelly beans, giving it a hazy, dreamlike look. With care, they placed the candy and pastry-filled fantasy cottage on the table, then the waitresses let out sighs of relief followed by bursts of laughter and congratulations. "Happy New Year~" "Happy Birthday~" "Happiness every day~" "Joy for each day~" "Health to the body~" "Success in love~" Various jovial blessings were voiced by everyone, and then they gathered the other busy waitresses to join them. A few minutes later, once everyone had arrived, Botis, holding a megaphone, announced the start of the evening party. Tilan and Belfeng stood beside Deklabi, and the three of them, joining hands, blew out the candles on the cake in front of them. Cheers and laughter filled the hall, and a series of camera flashes captured the precious and cheerful moment. "Have you made your wish?" Botis asked Deklabi, who still had her eyes closed. "I've made my wish," the girl opened her eyes and then released her hands. A large pale yellow five-pointed star rose from her palm, slowly floated into the air, then shattered, scattering a trail of dazzling sparks like little meteors across the dark hall. "Then—let's eat!" declared Botis, lifting the megaphone and raising her hand high. At this moment, the long dining table that had been pieced together was covered with all sorts of delicious food, as well as drinks; but the most eye-catching of all, was the little house in the middle made entirely out of pastries and candies. "The trees are made of hard candy sticks and chocolate, the walls of the house are also chocolate slabs, the roof is a cream-filled biscuit sprinkled with colored dots, with whipped cream for the ground and the tree's White Snow, the windows are of transparent mint candy, the shrubs in the wood are wafer rolls, and the boxes by the walls are made of fruit leather," Huale introduced the evening's masterpiece, a collaborative effort by several maids because otherwise, it would not have been finished so swiftly. "It's so beautiful, I almost don't want to eat it." Many of the maids began taking photos with their personal terminals, capturing the beautiful and delicious candy house. "We should still eat it, it adds to the memory; otherwise, if the candy house goes bad after tonight, that would be a real shame," someone replied. "That's true, let's all try it," said a maid cautiously as she plucked one of the shrubs beside the house, which happened to be a delicately inserted wafer roll. "I want to gnaw on a tree~" someone snapped off one of the trees next to the house and started nibbling on it bit by bit. The candy canes inside of these trees were hard candy, but the outside was brushed with layers of melted chocolate to mimic the rough texture of tree bark and branches. Once the chocolate cooled and solidified, it formed a shape very similar to that of a real tree. "Is no one going to eat the house? Really, no one? If that's the case, I'll be the first to try, I'm taking the roof," a maid said with a hint of mischief, and then she removed the slanted cream-filled biscuit from the roof. "Inside the walls there are milk candies," someone said curiously as they took out one of the white candy blocks, releasing a soft, sweet scent of milk that spread through their mouth. "What part does Deklabi like?" Belfeng asked the little Angel beside her. "That chimney looks interesting, can I have it?" "Sure thing, hmph, no one dares to compete with me, Belfeng, for anything." The rabbit-eared girl reached out, grabbed the top of the house, and took the chimney made of white chocolate. "Here you go." Belfeng placed the chimney in Deklabi's palm and watched as she nibbled on it with small bites. At another side, Tilan was savoring small pieces of whipped cream on her plate; it was also a part taken from the house in the woods, mixed with the wafer cookies from inside the house, and the taste was quite good. "Of course it tastes better this way, the other candies are too sweet." She blinked her eyes, feeling that too sweet desserts could be cloying; this level of sweetness was just right for her. "Dantalion must be from The East," Huale said teasingly beside the girl. "Eh, why do you say that?" Tilan asked curiously, tilting her head up. "Because you guys find a little sugar too sweet, while other Species don't seem to notice," Huale stated with seasoned experience, and casually shook her finger. "Like macarons, cake, cookies, and the like, many of these are made of more than half sugar, and most people think they're great, but people from The East find them too sweet and rather rich." "Is there such a difference," Tilan was hearing this for the first time, but reflecting on her past experiences, it seemed she indeed didn't have much of a sweet tooth. Many of the candy desserts other girls loved, she found too sweet to the point of nausea. "Different body types, it's not a bad thing actually. With less sugar intake, maintaining your figure becomes much easier." As Huale spoke, she glanced up and down at Tilan. "It's been two years, and Tilan has indeed grown a lot taller, and your figure has improved a bit, not as skinny as before." "Maybe in the future, you could become as voluptuous and beautiful as Andusia," Huale conjectured. Just as Huale was evaluating her, the blonde Elf sister nearby came closer, apparently because she heard her name. "What are you talking about?" Andusia placed her hands on Huale's shoulders, causing the maid to panic and immediately stop her previous comment. "Nothing, just saying that Andusia has a good figure." "Hmph, I heard that," Andusia said as she picked up a wafer roll and popped it into 'Huale's' mouth to temporarily silence the chatterbox. "Dantalion, don't pick up bad habits from her. It's best to maintain your current figure. There's no need to deliberately go after some voluptuous curves or anything, you'd lose that natural beauty you have in your youth." "Got it." Although Tilan had never paid much mind to these things, she didn't want to argue at the moment and simply nodded instead. Seeing Tilan still as earnest and pure-hearted as before, Andusia felt a wave of relief and happiness, then she spoke again. "Alright, let's not talk about this now. Let's eat more. Even though it's Deklabi's birthday celebration, you're also one of the stars tonight. It's because you and Deklabi returned that everyone has gathered together." "I will," the girl replied with a smile, then walked along with her plate beside the long table, picking out the foods she liked to add to it. After a while, she returned to the head of the long table and sat together with Deklabi and Belfeng; the three of them ate while chatting about the time they had been apart over the past two years and the changes that had taken place with each of them. Amidst the laughter and chatter of the maids, the people of 'Dream of Glazed Glass' spent a rare and delightful reunion dinner.