Collapse, I became Duck's daughter at the start?

Rosia frowned, her beautiful brows furrowed as she tried to imbue the hair ornament with the power of the Stigmata. Each time, she only managed to complete half the process before the Honkai energy left behind dissipated.

"Just a little more..."

Rosia bit her lip, trying again and again.

The light within the room never dimmed, but the bustling city outside gradually fell into a deep slumber.

Sustained, focused channeling of Honkai energy quickly made the girl's consciousness blur. Just before the encroaching darkness consumed her vision, she succeeded.

The girl slumped onto the table, her breathing evening out, while her fair, delicate hand protected the exquisite hair ornament.

"What a dummy, she'll catch a cold like this..."

"Rosia" watched the girl with a hint of helplessness. Though she was asleep on the table, a sweet smile played on her lips.

"Bronya, Seele..."

Looking at the tiny imprint Rosia had painstakingly left on the hair ornament, "Rosia" pursed her lips.

"Staying up so late when she should be sleeping, just to do something like this..."

"How ridiculous."

"Rosia" gently lifted her, placing her on the bed and tucking her in. As she switched off the lamp, her eyes flickered towards the hair ornament.

"Never mind... I'll help you, you little dummy, one more time."

"Rosia" waved her hand lightly, and a small imprint appeared on the hair ornament.

These imprints, carved by Honkai energy, were incredibly stable. Unless the person who left them vanished, the imprints would remain forever.

"Goodnight, little dummy."

As the desk lamp's light extinguished, specks of starlight began to appear in the room.

Tonight, sweet dreams were the only melody.

When Rosia woke up, the morning had already passed, and warm sunlight streamed through the window.

"I guess I slept in a bit."

Arriving in the living room, Rosia saw a note left by Bronya.

"Bronya Mom went to make up practical lessons, Mei-neechan went to the training room, and Kiana-neechan went to retake her exams..."

After understanding the situation, Rosia, having finished her morning routine, thought for a moment and then cleaned the entire dormitory.

Leaning on the windowsill, Rosia swayed her small head, eagerly anticipating their return.

"Hmm? A little cat?"

Rosia spotted a cute but thin black kitten passing by.

"Are you hungry?"

Rosia turned and took out some food from the refrigerator, but by the time she came back out, the kitten had already walked away.

Rosia chased after it, running all the way, and by the time she caught up, they were already outside the academy.

Noticing Rosia approaching, the little black cat didn't run away. Instead, it walked over and affectionately rubbed against her.

"Here you go, eat more, don't go hungry."

Rosia gently stroked the kitten's head, squatting beside it happily.

"In the Far East now, black cats are considered a symbol of misfortune. It's best not to get too close."

A young man with blond hair, leaning against the wall and wearing a dark green hat, reminded her softly.

"That's not true. How can such a ridiculous thing happen? An innocent kitten is being unfairly burdened with baseless malice."

Rosia shook her head, disagreeing with his words.

"But that's the common consensus. You can feed this one cat, but have you considered how many other black cats are starving in the city's corners and grass?"

The blond youth couldn't deny it.

"I know, that's why I have to get close to them. Otherwise, they're just too pitiful."

Rosia gently rested her chin on her hand, watching the thin kitten eat the food little by little.

"Even if you might bring misfortune upon yourself?"

The blond youth looked at her with his emerald eyes, a deep meaning behind his gaze.

"Yes."

Rosia replied without hesitation.

"Ha..."

Seeing the girl's innocent smile, the youth chuckled. He wrote something in his portable notebook, then tore off a small slip of paper and handed it to her.

"This is my contact information. If you encounter any difficulties, or if there's anything you want to do, feel free to call me."

"Anything at all, as long as I can do it."

"Thank you, but Bronya's mom told me not to accept things from strangers."

Rosia shook her head and refused. Her attention was entirely on the kitten, so she didn't look up at the boy.

"It's okay, we can be friends. Um... strangers who are friends, I guess."

The blond boy smiled faintly.

"Oh, it looks like your friend is here. I'll be going now. See you around, my friend."

With that, the blond boy left.

By the time Rosia noticed, all that remained was a piece of paper on the ground. After some thought, Rosia still picked it up.

"Rosia? What are you doing here?"

"Bronya's mom?"

Hearing the familiar voice, Rosia stood up happily.

"I was feeding the kitten. It's so cute..."

When Rosia looked up again, the kitten that had been eating suddenly vanished.

"Let's go, we're going to have lunch together."

Bronya didn't seem to mind, taking Rosia's hand.

"Okay."

Rosia felt a little regretful.

Was the kitten scared? Or did it not like her anymore?

"Heh heh... Don't be so fierce. I'm just concerned about her."

In another alley, the blond boy looked at the small black cat baring its teeth and making threatening noises, chuckling softly.

"Are you heartbroken? I'm heartbroken too."

Picking up the black kitten, the blond boy ignored its frantic scratching with its claws and murmured to himself.

"You shouldn't have been here, little one."

ps: Just a few small foreshadowing details, it's nothing...

Please vote for me!

Chapter Twenty-Four: Black Seele (Flustered)

"Sometimes I think, how high do you need to score on these exams to be considered high..."

During lunch, Rosia saw Kiana with a dejected face, looking like she had seen through life.

"That's no excuse for you to fail even the make-up exam, Kiana..."

Raiden Mei said with a headache.

"You can't blame me, Mei. The Auntie only gave questions I didn't know. If she had given questions I knew, I would have passed, right?"

Kiana said with a sullen expression.

"Kiana, next time, tell the Headmaster to make the questions according to the answers you made up."

Bronya quipped.

"Bronya! You just love to make fun of me. Rosia, look at your mom..."

Kiana looked at Rosia, whose expression was a bit strange, and felt confused.

"Rosia, are you not feeling well?"

"No... No, I'm not."

Rosia forced a smile.

Her ear was being pulled, and the pain was almost unbearable.

"You little idiot! Do you know who you just spoke to?! And you answered him!"

"Rosia" looked at the disappointing Rosia with a face full of complaint.

"I... I didn't know... Can... can you be gentler?"

Rosia said aggrievedly.

At the time, she was really just focused on feeding the cat and didn't pay attention to many details.

"That was byd Otto! F***!"

"Rosia" said, furious.

In the entire Honkai storyline, whenever there was a conspiracy, looking at Otto would always reveal clues.

He specifically staked out the academy entrance this time. Who knows what he's trying to do?

"I know, but... what can be done about it?"

Rosia said helplessly.

Even if she didn't accept the note Otto handed her, if Otto really set his sights on her, there would be nothing she could do.

"Tsk... That's true."

"Rosia" sighed slightly, not expecting to be targeted by Otto after only a few days here.

"Rosia, give me a hug!"

The dejected Kiana, taking advantage of Bronya's distraction, directly pulled Rosia into a hug.

"Hehe..."

Seeing Kiana's behavior, Bronya's mouth twitched. She swallowed the food in her mouth and wiped her lips.

"Kiana, if you dare to drool on Rosia, you'll be stuck in bed for the rest of your life."

"I know, I'm not a pervert, why would I drool!"

Kiana wiped the corner of her mouth, arguing.

"Oh right, Rosia, I heard Auntie say that a lot of people have come to the Far East recently, and some gang groups seem to be in constant turmoil. Be careful when you go out." Kiana reminded her.

"I will protect Rosia, you don't need to worry."

Bronya snorted.

Even before she came into contact with Honkai energy, she was a top assassin. Now, besides the Valkyries in Schicksal, ordinary people would only be slaughtered by her.

However, she had promised Seele that she would no longer kill indiscriminately.

But a bunch of gangsters was nothing to worry about.

"That's right. Although Bronya is a shorty, her strength is still one-tenth of mine. Dealing with these gangsters is naturally no problem for me."