"I Became a Witch, but Now Everyone's in Love with Me!"

Chapter 18: If It's He Qin, Then It's Not Impossible to Fall in Love~?
Jiang Cha carried a stack of books she’d finished reading, quietly returning them to their proper shelves. He Qin, who had only a few books, simply followed beside her, watching.
She observed the girl standing on tiptoe to shelve a book. Delicate, careful, determined.

He Qin felt a strange confusion.
Why could this girl—who had no memories, no past—step into this world so easily?
Shouldn’t it be painful? Waking up without a single memory, no family, no familiarity, and suddenly being thrust into a foreign world?

It wasn’t that she begrudged Jiang Cha. If anything, she admired her.
But still... how could she be so calm?
Truly...

Amazing.
"Jiang Cha-chan, you don’t seem confused at all," she said softly, serious.
Jiang Cha didn’t seem to notice the strange tone. She simply handed off a book to the library’s blue ball-like elf, then gently adjusted the books on the lower shelves.

"Maybe it’s because I lost my memory?"
He Qin blinked. She’d been lost in thought and hadn’t expected that gentle voice.
Jiang Cha turned around, hands behind her back. Surrounded by softly glowing motes of magical light in the great library, she looked like a girl gazing back under a starlit sky—gentle and serene.

"This world is so interesting. I like it a lot. That’s why I want to understand it better, be more serious, and work hard."
She pointed upward with a playful smile. "Don’t you think it’s beautiful?"
He Qin looked up.

The dome above rose endlessly, layer after layer, from the second floor to the third, the fourth... countless shelves and floating lights, each one a magical book glowing faintly like stars. Colorful book elves drifted about like living constellations.
She had come here daily, but for the first time, she saw it.
Rows of ornate wooden shelves. Medieval magic lanterns. The gentle hum of knowledge. Reflections shimmered in Jiang Cha’s eyes, like they held the world.
"The past is only the past. Whether I remember it or not doesn’t matter."

Jiang Cha approached, her red eyes filled with a quiet warmth. Her lips parted slightly as she spoke gently:
"I don’t know what your past was like, He Qin. But for us, this is just the beginning."
She hugged He Qin lightly.

"So..."
She stepped back, tapping He Qin’s cheek with a smile. "Such a pretty face shouldn’t frown so much. Don’t you think that’s a shame?"
“...”

Somehow, in just a day, this girl had seen right through her. It was dangerous.
But strangely... comforting.
Like Jiang Cha was someone she could trust. Someone who would be there no matter what.

Even though they’d only just met.
"Let’s go! If we’re too slow, Lina’ll complain."
Jiang Cha took her hand and gently pulled her along.

He Qin didn’t resist. She simply lowered her head and followed.
"Sister Moore, I want to borrow these five. Can you help me out~?"
Jiang Cha smiled sweetly at the librarian.

Moore glanced at the two girls—especially their linked hands—and grinned. "Youth is lovely, but you can’t flirt in the big library, okay?"
He Qin didn’t understand, but Jiang Cha blushed and quickly replied, "It’s not like that! We’re just friends!"
"Friendships like that are common in witch society too."

Moore teased with a dramatic sigh. Jiang Cha groaned.
"Stop teasing us! We’re in a rush!"
"Yes, yes. These days, young witches are so lively~"

Despite her jokes, Moore processed the loan efficiently. The books were packed into a silk-thread bracelet—a small-scale magic item that preserved the mana in enchanted books.
Mass-produced, functional, not fancy.
They didn’t return to the dorm right away. He Qin led the way to the campus commercial district.

The moment they stepped into the crowd, He Qin shyly let go of Jiang Cha’s hand.
"People might misunderstand. Holding hands like that looks... romantic."
"Oh?"

Jiang Cha simply made a mental note.
Then she leaned in and said quietly, "But if it’s you, He Qin, I wouldn’t mind."
"...?"

"Just kidding~" Jiang Cha winked. "I’m terrible at shopping, so I’ll rely on you!"
He Qin exhaled in /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ relief. That playful tone had felt too real.
She couldn’t handle that kind of misunderstanding. Not now.

The witch’s market had everything.
"He Qin, what is that?!"
Jiang Cha pointed to a grotesque, scaly fish swimming in bubbling water.

"Hell lava fish. Specialty of the lower realms. Delicious but hard to cook. Want to try it?"
"No way. It’s hideous. Lost my appetite."
"Then why’d you poke it...?"

She was already off to the next stall, eyes wide.
"What about this tail? It’s cold."
"Ice-type earth dragon. Slightly boosts ice affinity. Tasty, but Lina can’t eat it. Fire and ice don’t mix."

Jiang Cha blinked. Earth dragons! Like in fantasy books!
"Let’s skip it. I’ll cook it for you some other time."
She asked endless questions, dragging out the trip. He Qin eventually had to pull her away.

"We’re done. We’ll come back another day."
"Ehh—!"
Jiang Cha pouted but didn’t resist.

No money. No kitchen skills. No choice.
He Qin was the head of the kitchen.
"Chabaoooooo!"

A golden blur launched from the sofa.
"Wha—?!"
Lina clung to her like a backpack.

He Qin, unfazed, took the groceries. "I’ll cook. Don’t be loud—Estel is resting."
"Yes, yes~ Mama He Qin~"
"I’m not your mother!"

It sounded automatic now. A familiar joke.
Lina turned back with teary eyes and a dramatic pout.
Jiang Cha: "..."

Witches really had a flair for drama.