"Today, after deducting the cost of food and adding in the profit...and then we got..." - Quartz
"How did it go?" - Aster
Taking off her glasses, the older sister turned to her younger sister with a joyful expression.
"Good news! After a few days of trading, we now have more than enough money for tuition!" - Quartz
"Really?!" - Aster
She couldn't believe that in such a remote, sparsely populated place, instead of food, these creatures appeared out of nowhere, eating their food and paying with gemstones.
"Did you calculate this carefully?" - Aster was still a little skeptical.
"That's right, converting the quality of these gemstones into money, we've already made five times more than we planned." - Quartz
"Five times?! That's more than your previous income!" - Aster
"Yes, I'm just as surprised as you. This is the first time in my life that making money has been so easy. We have enough money now, let's go register in a few days." - Quartz
"But what about the uniforms?" - Aster
"Have you found the uniforms yet?" - Quartz
"I found them, but we don't even know our own address here." - Aster
"So, do they sell uniforms directly there?" - Quartz
"No, they say that to avoid mistakes in student clothing sizes, they send samples for students to have made themselves. The important thing now is we don't even know how to do that." "How about we get some clothes to make?" - Aster
"You're right, this is really difficult," - Quartz
Their magic mirror vibrated slightly as if a notification had arrived. Checking the notification, they saw that the wardrobe had been upgraded, and it had been updated to produce clothes, but only if there was enough fuel to create them.
Quartz was surprised and turned to her younger sister, who was too focused on making money to notice that she needed new clothes. Aster, being the one who always paid attention to these things, was very particular about the appearance of women.
The older sister hugged her younger sister, making the younger sister shiver with cold because of her sister's excessive affection.
"We've sorted out the clothes, but what about transportation...?" - Aster
"You don't need to worry about that. I've asked a beast for help; he said he'll take us there." - Quartz
"Really? Is it safe?" - Aster
"We'll have to see first." - Quartz
Another day ended, the house was shrouded in darkness, and everyone fell asleep.
_______
"Please, is anyone there... I'm in so much pain..."
"Father... Mother..."
The child tried to speak, but no words came out, making him terrified. He tried to scream, but still no sound escaped.
______
"Hey! Wake up!!!" - Fenech whispered.
Immediately, the rabbit slammed hard against Artie's face, waking him up. In an instant, he violently pushed the rabbit away, sending it crashing against the wall. The commotion was so loud that Quartz rushed downstairs to check on him. She found the person on the bed in a panic, and the rabbit lying on the floor in pain. She panicked and ran to check on the rabbit.
"Are you alright?" - Quartz asked anxiously.
"No, just a slight slap." - Fenech
Her gaze shifted to the person on the bed, a look of anger appearing on her face.
"What's wrong with you? Why did you hurt Fenech?" - Quartz
Artie was startled to see the girl's face as she held the rabbit in her hands. Realizing what he had done, he jumped off the sofa and knelt on the floor.
"I'm sorry, I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm truly sorry..." - Artie
Looking at the person kneeling before him, Quartz was a little taken aback. She quickly composed herself, picked up the rabbit, and stood up to leave.
Seemingly unforgivable, Artie lay back down on the sofa to continue sleeping. But remembering the girl's angry face made him feel uneasy.
"Hey, are you still awake?"
"Oh my!" - Artie jumped.
Artie sat up abruptly, only to have a hand cover his mouth. It was Quartz; she had returned without the rabbit.
The small lamp beside him switched on. Quartz sat down next to him, holding a cup of hot cocoa, and began to drink. Artie looked at the cup in his hand and took a sip, his eyes widening in astonishment.
The cacao was naturally grown; once ripe, the beans were harvested, left to ferment for a week, then dried, separated, and finely ground. Mixed with a little milk, it became a warm, soothing drink that calmed a stressed mind.
Artie felt more relaxed as the bitter taste of the cacao blended with the rich aroma of the milk in his mouth. All the heaviness seemed to wash away with each sip down his esophagus; the cup of cacao was empty before he knew it.
"Now, can you tell me what exactly happened?" - Quartz
"I... I had a nightmare. Just a childhood nightmare, nothing too serious." - Artie
"Oh, so it was a nightmare?" - Quartz
Quartz looked at Artie with a pensive expression, as if to say she didn't believe him, leaving Artie feeling helpless.
"When I was little, I was cursed by a witch, making it impossible for me to live like a normal child. My father tried everything to save me, but it only made the curse worse. So I found a solution and ran away from home." - Artie
"So that's why you ended up in the forest? What exactly brought you here?" - Quartz
"Because I heard from my master that a saintess and a witch exist here. They say the saintess has the power of light, and the witch has the power of darkness. They are blessed by the gods and possess immense power, that's why I came here to find them." - Artie
"So, did you find them?" - Quartz
"Well, as you can see, not only did I not find them, but I was also terribly injured." - Artie
Seeing Artie's tired face, Quartz gently pulled his head down onto her lap and stroked his hair.
"What are you doing?" - Artie
"Close your eyes and count starting from zero." - Quartz
"This is nonsense." - Artie
"Close-your-eyes." - Quartz said each word clearly.
Hearing that voice sent a chill down Artie's spine, and he felt embarrassed because he was a male in female form. Although the girl didn't know, he felt ashamed, a jumble of emotions making him close his eyes and try to fall asleep.
Initially, he had trouble falling asleep, but the gentle caress on his head eased his tension. The quietness brought him relief, and he drifted off to sleep without realizing it.
_______
In the divine abode, Ambrosia gazed at the scene within the mirror-like lake, a smile curving her lips.
"What a romantic sight. This child is truly charming," said Ambrosia.
The goddess's gaze fell upon the person resting their head on her lap.
"It seems to be an old curse, but it doesn't matter. Thanks to that child's cooking skills, this person will be cured sooner or later!" said Ambrosia.