After Liyakade used the mouse to knock Eric out, the two of them decided to just leave him here.
After all, there shouldn’t be any danger inside the Academy.
People like Eric really annoyed Liyakade.
He wasn’t like Irina Zi who loved making a big fuss, so there was no reason to go overboard with him.
He was just like a stray dog on the street—you could kick him however you wanted, but you just couldn’t kill him.
Even though they had already crushed the source of the rumor and eliminated a competitor in the process, things hadn’t completely improved for them.
After all, the effects of the rumor had already spread.
For this, Liyakade’s solution was the same as in the original: let Field do the taste test and guarantee with her status and prestige as a Princess.
This not only dispelled the rumor’s impact but also attracted guests.
Of course, this was just a publicity method—the main point was that Alice’s skills were good enough.
Only with delicious sweets would the guests who were drawn in leave good reviews, bringing in more customers.
When Liyakade and Field returned, they saw Alice standing at the counter, looking a bit dejected.
“Miss Liakade, Princess Field, you’re back.”
At this moment, Alice looked a little discouraged.
When she was alone in the store earlier, she had also heard those rumors from outside.
“Not many people came to the store at noon, and… it seems the Nobles have a prejudice against Commoners like me. Maybe no one will come again. I’m dragging everyone down.”
“It’s okay.”
Liyakade shook her head.
She hadn’t wanted Alice to hear about these things, but since she was watching the store alone, she would eventually find out.
So Liyakade comforted her.
“It’s just that someone who resents me has been deliberately spreading rumors. We already reasoned with him just now. He won’t slander us anymore.”
Of course, she was referring to physical reasoning.
After all this, their store was likely to be reported soon and unable to operate, so how would they have any energy left to slander Liyakade?
“But… everyone outside believes it.”
Alice was still a little gloomy.
Although it was just a rumor, those Nobles outside easily believed a few words without any evidence at all.
And this was all because they looked down on Commoners and were prejudiced against them, which made Eric’s rumor spread so quickly.
“Hmph, then let them see for themselves. Commoners are no worse than those so-called Nobles.”
Liyakade encouraged Alice as she spun her Wind Blade at high speed, slowly cutting into the wall.
“Miss Liakade? What are you doing?”
Alice looked at Liyakade’s actions, puzzled.
These stores were originally set up quickly as temporary buildings and weren’t of high quality.
Liyakade’s Wind Blade easily sliced through the wall.
“I’m opening a window directly into the back kitchen to make it a Transparent Kitchen, so the production process can be seen. Oh, right, Alice, you wouldn’t mind being watched while making sweets, right?”
Liyakade stopped, seeking Alice’s opinion.
“So you can do that… I don’t mind.”
Alice thought about it and felt Liyakade’s method seemed workable.
“That’s good.”
After getting Alice’s confirmation, Liyakade quickly opened a window.
She threw the cut-out wooden board and debris into the small grove behind, planning to clean up after closing.
Of course, they had to carefully manage public opinion too.
Field was already at the door sampling and promoting, also declaring this as a Transparent Kitchen where the ingredients and process were absolutely safe and hygienic.
That still wasn’t enough.
Liyakade searched for their previous Clients, hoping they could help spread the word a bit.
She didn’t expect that after hearing Liyakade’s predicament, they were all happy to help.
Originally, Liyakade had only tried asking those former Clients for help, so it was a real surprise that they all willingly assisted.
With everyone’s efforts, the Dessert Shop’s customer flow finally returned to normal.
Seeing new Guests arriving again, Alice’s mood gradually improved.
As Guests watched Alice working seriously in the Transparent Kitchen, they also felt at ease.
After tasting the delicious Sweets, they spread the word about the shop to others.
Thus, their store entered a virtuous cycle once more, successfully breaking the rumors’ influence.
The afternoon’s sales gradually increased, and Alice became busier.
But at this time, she didn’t feel tired—she even felt a bit happy.
It wasn’t just because her Sweets were selling well and recognized by Nobles, but more importantly, Alice felt she had helped out, making a contribution to Liyakade and Field, which made her happy.
By evening, when the first day’s business ended, Liyakade and the others had no more accidents.
“Thank you, Miss Liakade, Princess Field.”
After tidying up the store, Alice bowed deeply to the two at the door.
Seeing Alice’s intent to bow, Liyakade quickly supported her.
“What are you doing? We’re good friends. Saying thanks once is enough.”
Liyakade chided.
“Besides, our store’s ability to keep running depends on Alice’s skills.”
“But… without you both helping to spread the word and crush those rumors, I wouldn’t have been able to keep going alone.”
“That’s right, so don’t think it was all thanks to us.”
Liyakade refuted Alice’s self-deprecating words, gently patting Alice’s head.
“We all did our part. Everyone is indispensable. There’s no need to pick an MVP.”
At that moment, Liyakade recalled a famous scene from a certain streamer before she transmigrated.
The three of them were already a team.
Each one had shined in this event, so Alice had no reason to feel useless or thank them like this.
“…Mm, thank you, Miss Liakade.”
Alice felt the warmth on her head and saw the petite Liyakade before her, standing on tiptoes to comfort her.
Her heart fluttered, and she felt much better.
“By the way, why don’t we visit your dormitory today for old time’s sake?”
Seeing that Alice was no longer troubled, Liyakade smiled and suggested.
“Eh?”
“Hm? Why did you suddenly decide to come see us today?”
Hearing Liyakade’s words, both Alice and Field were surprised.
Since Liyakade had said she wanted to be independent that day, she had come to hang out less often.
They hadn’t expected her to suddenly say she wanted to visit today.
“Alice-chan worked hard all day today. As Alice’s good friends, we have to reward her properly.”
Liyakade said bluntly.
“Re-reward!? How are you going to reward her?”
Field swallowed nervously, staring at Liyakade.
“Hey, I’ve been busy all day too! Reward me as well!”
What kind of reward has to be done in their dorm?
“Fine, fine. I’ll reward Field when we get back too, don’t worry.”