Yesterday was an incredibly eventful day. First, I negotiated a business deal with someone. Then I got inspiration for developing a new Potion. After that, I was kidnapped—and finally rescued. It really was quite a day.

Anyway, it was far more exciting than anything Tori had imagined experiencing in the first half of her life. And she’d shown off her brains, too. So now, time to give herself a score!

She pulled out a notebook and started writing.

“The problem started at the very beginning. Someone just waltzed into the lab and tied me up. Right now, if the old man isn’t here, the shop’s nothing but an empty shell.”

She was weak herself. Even if she improved in a short time, the best she could hope for was to become one of The Weak. And The Weak weren’t nearly strong enough! The Weak—so she couldn’t rely on her own strength. Ethan wouldn’t be in the shop forever, either. If he ever had to make a choice, old man Yabu would definitely go help him.

That wouldn’t do.

She felt she needed to come up with some way to protect herself.

Poisons were something she was pretty good at, but it wasn’t clear how effective they’d be against the Mighty. She’d heard that Life Magic included a spell for curing poison—though of course, that depended on the poison.

Maybe she should start gathering ingredients.

All at once, she had so much to do that Tori felt a little hopeless. She was gradually realizing she’d hit a bottleneck in her strength. Even the Miniature Meditation Potion hadn’t been much help lately.

So she went to find Ethan.

“Then you’re about to break through. But do you feel like you’re about to?” Ethan asked Tori.

“What does it feel like when you’re about to break through? How can you tell?” Tori didn’t really feel anything.

Ethan thought for a moment. “It’s like you’re about to explode. It’s really just an illusion. Once you actually explode, you’ll have broken through.”

“That sounds kind of dangerous.”

“It’s not. But once you get that feeling, don’t meditate anymore. You’ll break through pretty easily. You can get an advancement Potion ready. If there’s not enough time, you can pay another Potion Maker to brew one for you. You could learn a thing or two while you’re at it, too.”

Ethan gave her some very sensible advice. “If you don’t have the money right now, I can cover it. We’ll deduct it from your share later.”

Tori frowned. “Not for now. I don’t have that about-to-explode feeling yet, so I’m still a long way off. And I know how to make an advancement Potion myself!”

“Oh, right! There’s a tournament this month. I have to go back to the Academy and take part. If anything comes up, just tell Uncle Yabu.”

“But classes just started, didn’t they?”

“Yeah. Two weeks after the term starts, once everything’s settled, the Academy tests how the students have improved over the break by holding a series of duels. It lasts three days. The next tournament’s three months later. Every student has to take part.”

Tori’s eyes lit up. She looked at Ethan. “Young Master Ethan, you seem pretty confident!”

“Heh-heh~” Ethan really did look cheerful. His face practically said the word confidence. “Once, I lost everything. Today, I’m going to take it all back.”

Was the protagonist finally going back to rub everyone’s faces in it now that he had cheat powers?!

“Um, could I come watch?”

Ethan shook his head and looked at Tori kindly. “That wouldn’t be a good idea, Tori. It’s dangerous. I have a lot of enemies, especially in Dais City—and at the Magic Academy. When you enroll there, don’t let anyone know you’re connected to me. Besides, the shop needs you to run it.”

Well, Tori had figured that if the protagonist left, the shop would get into trouble right away. Then, just when things were about to fall apart, he’d come back at the perfect moment, save everyone, and earn himself some affection points.

Still, it was probably a good thing Ethan didn’t want to take her along. It might be more dangerous around the protagonist. Come to think of it, the protagonist was basically a walking jinx...

“What a shame. But aren’t you worried I’ll fudge the books?”

“I trust you, Tori.”

He was so composed, and Tori could understand why. He’d lost everything in the past, and now he was going to take it all back. He had the strength and will to face whatever came next. He had plenty of reasons to feel confident.

“I hope that when I come back, you’ll have reached the rank of The Weak.”

Tori shook her head. “It’s still too soon! I’m not worried, so why are you? Though if I do break through, I’ll be able to make more Potions.”

As she said that, something suddenly occurred to her. She grabbed Ethan and took him to the tailor’s shop where she’d had her clothes made.

The moment the owner saw Tori, he recognized her. He knew how difficult this girl could be—she’d haggled the price down by a huge amount last time.

He immediately went on high alert.

“Boss! Hurry! I want something like this on his clothes by tomorrow!” She snatched a sheet of paper from the counter and drew the logo she’d just designed for Witch’s House.

It showed a little stick figure in a wizard’s hat, holding a bottle of Potion. Underneath it, she wrote, “Witch’s House.”

“Huh?”

Only then did Ethan catch on. “You want to use this chance to advertise?”

“What else? It’s called advertising! And you, especially—you come with your own buzz, get it? Once you make your comeback, who knows how many people will come to Blackwater Town to buy Potions? Just say that becoming strong has everything to do with Witch’s House. Even if they come and don’t find a Potion that helps them, more people means more spending, and more spending means more production. That’ll make your job easier, won’t it?”

“Uh... but my clothes... I mean, I’m a Magic Swordsman. I have to wear armor in battle...”

“Then we’ll go to the blacksmith!”

Today, Ethan was reminded once again just how attached Tori was to money. Still, it was reassuring to know the shop would definitely make a profit in her hands. It was just...

“Isn’t this kind of embarrassing?”

“It’s fine, Young Master Ethan. As the saying goes, when Heaven is about to entrust someone with a great task, it first tests their resolve...”

Those words struck a chord with Ethan. “You’re right. My bones are weary, my body and skin are worn out, my judgment has failed me, and I’m suffering... It means I’ve been entrusted with some kind of mission. You’re right, Tori!” He looked solemnly at the armor and lining Tori had labeled. It no longer felt like something to be embarrassed about. It was a challenge to his embarrassment, and Ethan had never been afraid of a challenge.

Tori took one look at his expression. There! She’d talked him right into it!

She cheerfully helped Ethan get everything ready. Then she brought out several tubes of Potion. “This is the undiluted form of the Miniature Meditation Potion. You’re supposed to mix it with water before drinking it. If you drink it straight, you’ll pass out and fall into a state of suspended animation. But—if you take it together with this concentrated red chili extract I just made—trust me. It’ll restore your mana incredibly fast. It’s for emergencies.”

“And this is the undiluted form of a Miniature Healing Potion. Drinking it might make your wounds worse. But you can stop that from happening with this tube of concentrated red chili extract. Just apply it to the wound.”

Ethan’s mouth twitched. “Red chili’s that useful?”

“Red chili’s great! The only problem is that it hurts. A lot. But I believe in your willpower.” Tori patted Ethan, showing how worried she was about him.

In the end, Ethan packed up all the Potions and headed straight out.

Once she was sure Ethan had left—

“Woohoo!!!!”

Tori jumped up and headed back to Witch’s House. She plopped down in the seat where customers usually waited, striking a lordly pose. “Come on, Lydia! Bring me some tea!”

“Manager Tori...”

“Come here, pretty girl! From now on, you have to call me Master. Got it?” She was like a thug or a scoundrel, finally showing her true, ugly colors.

“Eh?! But... that doesn’t seem quite right...”

Lydia clearly couldn’t accept it. A faint blush colored her cheeks, matching her silver hair quite nicely and making her seem awfully tempting to tease.

“Heh-heh~ You just don’t get it, Lydia. Think about it carefully! How do you make money?”

“I-I don’t know... I don’t know anything about that.”

Tori held up a finger, explaining why she was right. “I’m thinking of going with a maid theme. You know what I mean? There are lots of rich people, but they’re not actually nobles, right? They can’t keep maids at home. So we offer maid service here—and make them feel special. Then they’ll be willing to spend money in the shop. Get it?”

“M-Maid service!”

Lydia’s face went from red to deathly pale. She could hardly believe it. Did offering maid service mean doing that sort of thing?!

“M-Manager Tori, our original contract didn’t include anything like that...”

Tori frowned. “What are you thinking? What kind of things are you imagining at your age?! I mean proper service! Do you even know what ‘proper’ means?!”

“Never mind. But you’re right, too. This kind of service does push the boundaries a little, and it might not be suitable for either of us. Maybe we should hire someone else—someone who isn’t so opposed to it and wants to make money...”

Yabu came over to Tori. “If I may speak frankly, Miss Tori, this may not be a good idea. If someone reports it to the lord, it could reflect badly on Young Master Ethan, too. This is a matter of noble dignity.”

“That’s what I’m saying...” Tori shook her head and dropped the subject. Looking rather bored, she got up from her seat. “I’m going to work on Potions. Come find me if anything comes up that you can’t handle.”

She threw herself back into brewing Potions.