Miss Witch Doesn’t Want to Become a Songstress

Hestia knew her words might be misunderstood, but she said them anyway.

“Yes, ever since the misfortune in my family a few years ago, I have indeed been living frugally. That’s why I had to take on a part-time job after graduation…”

Thinking about how some people enjoy themselves during vacations while others have to work, it’s clear the world is full of disparities.

“But the job isn’t as strange as you might think. I simply worked at a café.” Hestia thought for a moment and decided to show her personal device, pulling up a photo for clarification.

In the sapphire-hued world, the ground reflected the blue sky. Hestia stood under a large blue pillar with a few companions. Decarabia leaned against her, seemingly napping with his eyes closed, while Belphegor fiddled with a small water gun in his hand, and Haures held a tray in front of him.

The photo was taken by Forneus, on the day they celebrated Hestia’s internship completion.

“You started working so early? That must’ve been tough.”

For an ordinary Federal family, part-time work during vacations wasn’t uncommon. But given the appearance and demeanor of the girl before them, it was hard to imagine her doing such a job. Shouldn’t she be seated in a high-end restaurant or lounge, effortlessly receiving money from others?

Most people, being mundane, would instinctively leap to such conclusions.

After Hestia explained her reasons, the mood in the suite shifted again. Gradually, people began to discern the truth behind the farce. However, Lina wasn’t ready to give up.

“How is that possible? Could a part-time job earn that much? She’s just a—” Lina’s voice was abruptly cut off as a hand reached from behind and covered her mouth.

Clara was doing her utmost to stop the struggling Lina from speaking further. This was her last act of kindness as a classmate. If Lina dared to say anything truly offensive, things would spiral out of control. Clara knew Irene’s family situation well. If Lina didn’t know when to stop, that young lady would not hold back.

“Enough, Lina. Just stop,” Clara said, shaking her head.

She then turned to the others and began to explain.

“I’m sorry for not sharing this earlier. Actually, I’ve known Hestia for a long time. We were not only classmates in middle school but also in elementary school.”

“I can confidently say that Hestia is a kind and genuine person. She wouldn’t do the things Lina is accusing her of. I’ve even encountered her on her way home from work and know that she has indeed been working recently.”

“As for the Apex Tower, I understand it’s a place many aren’t familiar with, but I happen to know about it from browsing the StarNet. It’s a highly professional and official venue, directly managed by the Federal government. It’s not as chaotic as you might imagine. If you’ve been there, you’d know how strict the security is.”

“And as for whether Hestia can afford nice clothes, I don’t think that’s something we should question. Hestia’s elder sister was once a student at Saint Ingo Academy, the top-ranked school in the Four-Leaf Crystal Star Region. Not only that, but she also won first place at the Winter Festival Gala and was promoted to Sequence 5 at just 18 years old—a level of achievement that’s unimaginable to most of us. It’s only because of some unfortunate events in recent years that Hestia ended up studying at our school.”

“Stop using your narrow perspective to judge others. It’s boring and demeaning.” Clara released Lina, who looked utterly stunned.

After addressing her middle school classmates, Clara walked over to Irene and the others.

“I’m sorry for not sharing more about Hestia earlier. Perhaps I should’ve said something sooner.” She sighed, then opened the door and walked out.

Outside, a group of elementary school classmates waited in the hallway. When Clara came out, Nokai approached her.

“So it’s over? Honestly, I thought there’d be a fight. We were ready to step in.”

“Fighting won’t be necessary. You can head in now,” Clara replied thoughtfully.

“Fair enough.” Nokai opened the suite door, and the group filed in.

They had been waiting outside to avoid escalating the situation, but they were prepared to intervene if necessary, ensuring that neither Irene nor Hestia was wronged.

Seeing the group enter, the middle school students instinctively stepped back a few paces.

Sensing the awkward tension, Jones decided to mediate.

“Since the misunderstanding is resolved, why don’t we all sit down and eat? After all, Hestia is still our classmate…” He chose to ignore Lina’s earlier outbursts, as addressing them would only worsen the situation.

Unfortunately, not everyone was willing to let it go.

“Why should we? Jones, whose side are you even on? Mine or theirs? Are you just going to ignore everything I said?”

Her crass remarks made Jones pinch the bridge of his nose. He was hosting this dinner, not Lina. Was she trying to ruin it for him?

Left with no choice, Jones signaled two of his friends. Though reluctant, they understood his intention and quickly moved to escort Lina out of the suite.

Though reluctant, Lina refused to leave. If she slinked away now, she’d forever be a laughingstock among her classmates and former friends—a humiliation she couldn’t bear.

Seeing that she refused to comply, and that the other classmates couldn’t resort to too much force—after all, they were classmates and there were so many people watching—things reached a stalemate.

At this moment, Irene stepped forward. Her gaze briefly swept over the woman still struggling, then she spoke to the two boys beside her.

“That’s enough. Since she won’t leave, I’ll just continue.” The young lady was clearly serious this time.

“The man you brought that day is named Senquild, isn’t he?” With these words, Lina’s actions came to a halt.

“Senquild—62% elf lineage, an employee at Lynch Corporation, and one of the managers of the North Sector 7 branch. His main role is promoting the company’s conceptual products to wealthy clients—things like cups with historical charm, furniture with natural textures, and air cans reminiscent of bygone scents. Because of his decent looks and elven heritage, he achieved modest success in the Southern 3rd District area and gained some recognition.”

“But during one of his promotional events, someone pointed out that the products he was selling were nothing but flashy and impractical items—not even qualifying as extraordinary creations. Coupled with his indiscreet personal life, his reputation turned sour locally, bringing negative impacts to the company. As a result, he was transferred from the affluent Southern 3rd District to the current Northern 7th District, with a demotion.”

“That’s your so-called ‘boyfriend,’ right? No wonder he was able to get you a recommendation for the Vortex Academy in Southern 3rd District.” Irene projected the newly obtained information from her personal terminal onto the room’s ceiling, ensuring everyone could see it.

“Don’t worry, I won’t deliberately frame you. But because of today’s incident, your ‘boyfriend’ will likely face another rough patch. Who knows how much money he’ll have left to spend on you after this.”

Shortly after she finished speaking, Lina’s personal terminal began ringing. Seeing the familiar contact name—the very last one she wanted to see at this moment—her expression changed.

“You!”

She seemed unable to understand how Irene had managed to gather information even she wasn’t aware of. Fear began to creep into her heart, spreading rapidly.

Perhaps this time, she had truly kicked the so-called iron plate. This wasn’t the usual kind of trouble she could resolve with tricks, tantrums, or drama.

As Lina left the suite dejectedly, Jones finally let out a sigh of relief. At last, there was some peace today.

However, just as he thought the rest of the evening would pass quietly, a stranger emerged from the crowd and sat down beside him.

“Hey, you’re Jones, right? Clara mentioned you earlier—you’re the leader among the boys in class and also the class president.”

“Uh, yeah, that’s me,” Jones nodded cautiously.

“My name’s Nokai. I’m also from the same elementary as Thilan, your classmate. I think it’s fate that we’re sitting here together today, don’t you agree?”

“Ah, haha, yeah, it seems like quite a coincidence,” Jones responded, unsure of Nokai’s intentions, and decided to play along for now.

“How about we have a few more drinks together? Actually, I have a lot of questions. For example, over the past three years, how has Thilan been doing in class? Have there been any unpleasant moments?”

“Hmm…” Jones thought back. Although he wasn’t particularly close to Hestia, it seemed like he hadn’t bullied or troubled her over the years, which helped him relax a bit.

The two sat in a corner of the dining table, drinking and chatting. Meanwhile, the other classmates gradually dispersed, heading back to their rooms on the third floor.

On the way, Irene held Hestia’s hand. Cindy and a few others were still talking about how Lina had left in disgrace, clearly feeling vindicated.

“Alright, let’s stop talking about it. Otherwise, Thilan will feel too embarrassed,” Irene gently reminded them.

“Got it. We won’t mention it in front of Thilan anymore. She’s always been thin-skinned,” Cindy replied playfully before walking off with a few companions to sit at another table.

The main dishes were gradually served in the suite, and everyone resumed the gathering, though much of the conversation revolved around the earlier events.

“I bet Lina will regret bullying Thilan in the future.”

“Yeah, too bad we didn’t seize the chaos to slap her.”

“Don’t worry. Life and society will deal her plenty of slaps. Does she really think she can get far with those petty tricks? If they were effective, why would people throughout history strive to innovate technology and unite politically?”

“It’s all just backroom scheming in small spaces—shady tactics that can’t withstand scrutiny or the light of day.”

“Still, there will always be fools like that. After all, the world looks narrow and limited in the eyes of fools, like mosquitoes in a well.”

“Even the cleverest mosquito is still a mosquito, but a clumsy frog—despite getting hurt many times—will eventually leap out and discover a vast world.”

“Exactly, that’s the point, right?”

“Wow, you’re suddenly waxing philosophical today,” someone chuckled.

“It’s rare to gather with everyone again. Usually, no one listens when I talk about these things.”

“Well, those who think too much often feel lonelier.”

“So, which would you choose: this cup of wisdom-laced loneliness or the cup of foolish happiness?”

“Can I choose neither? What I really want is…”

“The cup named wise happiness.”