Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva

Late October, the temperature gradually rose, and the afternoon sunshine spilled into the room, casting the shadows of the trees outside to sway.

Tilan sat in the room reading a book. After a while, she felt sleepy and eventually decided to put the book aside. She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes to rest. Dailan's dress lay on the seat, featuring white lace cutouts, and her delicate, fair wrists peeked out from the tied sleeves, hanging loosely.

The seasons in South First District were opposite to those in the north; as the year-end approached, the temperature paradoxically started to rise.

Recently, Tilan had been learning about economic subjects, but she had to admit that such material was truly complex. Even with AI assistance for statistics and calculations, understanding the principles was still filled with tedium and intricacies, at times even bringing a sense of disarray.

Economics seems like a single discipline, but in reality, it is influenced and driven by countless other fields: the upgrading of various technologies, changes in lifestyle and concepts in different regions, the trends of the times, policy shifts, and so on, all affecting the economy. It is difficult to summarize with a simple model or explanation.

In this field, there are too many uncontrollable factors. Even predictions made by so-called 'experts' often face embarrassing outcomes. Later on, fewer people made overly certain assessments, speaking only of tendencies and potential impacts in a more cautious tone.

Although highly complex, there are still some basic principles. The state of economic development is extremely important for every organization, company, group, and even nation. Edith Academy, as a school focused on elite education, naturally emphasized economics as a key part of its curriculum.

Generally speaking, the economy of the Rose Federation is currently in a downturn: technological advancement in various industries is slow and has not led to breakthrough changes or the exploration of new market territories.

But to say it is terrible would be an overstatement. The advanced theoretical and AI technologies allow the nation to monitor industry and market data changes in real-time and make timely adjustments. While this does not invigorate the economy, it ensures a safety net, preventing sudden financial collapses or market breakdowns.

With the aid of fast and convenient AI, the national economic regulation has become much easier and simpler. Even someone with no financial knowledge in a finance minister position could deliver a passable performance with the guidance of AI.

Furthermore, AI development has made the economy somewhat more transparent, meaning even ordinary people who do not study finance can, through AI's statistics and prompts, understand who ultimately profits from various policies or what impacts and consequences they might cause.

Injustice often stems from information asymmetry and opacity. When every policy and economic activity becomes transparent, maneuvering with ulterior motives becomes more difficult.

Progress in civilization and the development of science and technology are always intertwined.

However, even with increased economic policy transparency, the wealth gap continues to widen. This is almost an inescapable Möbius strip. Even if the world's wealth was distributed evenly once, after some time, disparities would reemerge, creating class stratification.

Whether it's equal distribution, distribution according to work, or distribution based on need, different scenarios and contexts will lead to different choices.

"This is really headache-inducing..." Tilan, covering her forehead with her arm and leaning tiredly back in the chair, muttered to herself.

Having experienced the hardships of lower-class life, she harbored a simple wish to improve the lives of people in situations like hers. However, after studying numerous economic courses recently, she realized that this simple wish was anything but—tangled with too many aspects, from economic development and societal distribution to national systems, none of which were straightforward.

That's enough for today, she thought, rising from her seat, closing the book in front of her, and standing up, ready to take a walk in the yard.

Edith Academy occupies a very large area, almost like a small city, and there are only a few thousand students. The majority of the area is occupied by some cooperative research institutions and broad, pleasant natural scenery.

Walking in the yard, Tilan watched the little bees occasionally fly among the flowers at her feet and stretched out her finger.

The tip of her finger gently touched the little creature that had just finished gathering nectar; its wings unfolded at once, vibrating with a buzzing sound. Under the watchful gaze of Tilan's light blue eyes, one could see two small pollen sacs on the bee's hind legs.

Carrying the collected pollen, the bee buzzed upward and rose into the sky, heading into the distance. It was only then that Tilan withdrew her gaze.

She felt a bit envious of these creatures, able to ignore the complexities of society and live their own simple lives; such thoughts occasionally surfaced in her mind.

Continuing to walk through the blades of grass, she savored the sensation of the grass brushing against her palm. Some were finely serrated and slightly rough, while others were tender and soft. Sunshine poured between the grass, releasing the unique fragrance of plants, although she couldn't tell which flowers the scent came from.

As the grass became denser, the places where Tilan could step grew fewer, and she had to leap lightly before landing again. Moving through the grass with jumps, the breeze brushed against her cheeks and hair, lifting her skirt slightly and revealing her slender legs occasionally amidst the greenery, adding a touch of cuteness and beauty.

After growing tired from her stroll, Tilan found a large tree and cleared a relatively clean spot under it to rest. Looking up at the clear blue sky, with the occasional wisp of white cloud drifting past and a few birds chirping in the distance.

Light and wind flowed gently through time, and the natural and peaceful environment allowed her to lean against the tree and slowly drift into slumber, her breathing gradually steadying.

...

It was a rare nap without dreams, and when Tilan woke up, she had the illusion of having slept for a long time, but according to the time, it had only been 20 minutes.

She stood up slightly, patting off the leaves and dust from her Dailan dress, and after some ankle movements, she walked back toward her cottage.

Back inside the house, it was already past 3 p.m. Seeing Tilan's return, the two maids who had stayed behind brought over freshly cut cantaloupe. The mildly fragrant and sweet flesh of the melon tempted the slightly thirsty young girl.

These two maids really know how to anticipate my thoughts and needs, Tilan couldn't help but think to herself. Nevertheless, she sat down on the mahogany chair and quietly began to eat, as she was indeed a little thirsty.

After satisfyingly eating three slices of cantaloupe, the girl remembered to check her personal terminal, and then she found an unread message.

It was from Ran Bei'er, the girl who had invited her to her home during the academy's evening party. A month had passed, and Tilan had almost forgotten about it, but the other party still remembered and had sent another message asking if she was free.

Well, why not go and visit? After all, she had been wanting to go out and explore recently.