Rosia furrowed her lovely brows, drawing upon the power of her stigmata as she tried to leave a mark on the hair ornament. Yet every time, the Honkai energy she had managed to imprint dissipated halfway through.
"Just a little more..."
Rosia lightly bit her lip and tried again and again.
The light in the room never dimmed, but the bustling city outside gradually fell into a deep sleep.
Sustained concentration while wielding Honkai energy quickly blurred the girl's consciousness. Just before darkness swallowed her vision, she succeeded.
The girl slumped over the table, her breathing gradually evening out, while her fair little hand protectively covered the exquisite hair ornament.
"What an idiot. Aren't you afraid of catching a cold...?"
"Rosia" looked at the girl helplessly. Even though she had fallen asleep on the table, a sweet smile still graced her lips.
"Bronya, Seele..."
Looking at the tiny imprint Rosia had painstakingly left on the hair ornament, "Rosia" pressed her lips together.
"Staying up in the middle of the night just to do something like this..."
"How ridiculous."
"Rosia" picked her up and laid her on the bed, then tucked her beneath the blanket. As she turned off the desk lamp, her gaze flickered toward the hair ornament.
"Fine... I'll help you, you little idiot, one more time."
"Rosia" lightly waved her hand, and another tiny imprint appeared on the hair ornament.
This kind of mark carved by Honkai energy was extremely stable. Unless the person who had left the Honkai energy disappeared, the imprint would remain forever.
"Goodnight, little fool."
As the desk lamp went out, specks of starlight rose within the room.
Tonight, peaceful dreams were the only theme.
When Rosia woke up, morning had already passed, and warm sunlight spilled through the window.
"Looks like I slept in a little."
When she arrived in the living room, Rosia found the note Bronya had left behind.
"Mother Bronya went to make up a practical class, Sister Mei went to the training room, and Sister Kiana went to retake her academic exam..."
After learning this, Rosia washed up, thought for a moment, and cleaned the entire dormitory.
Leaning against the windowsill, Rosia gently swayed her little head as she eagerly waited for them to return.
"Hm? A kitty?"
Rosia spotted a cute but skinny black kitten passing by nearby.
"Are you hungry?"
Rosia turned around and took some food from the refrigerator, but by the time she came back out, the kitten had already gone far away.
By the time Rosia caught up with it at a jog, she had reached the outside of the academy.
Noticing Rosia approaching, the little black cat did not run away. Instead, it walked over and affectionately rubbed against her.
"Here, eat more. Don't go hungry, okay?"
Rosia gently stroked the kitten's head and happily crouched beside it.
"Black cats are a symbol of misfortune in the Far East these days. It would be best not to get too close."
A blond youth wearing a dark green cap and leaning against a wall softly warned her.
"That's not true. How could there be something so absurd? Innocent little cats are being burdened with malicious accusations for no reason."
Rosia shook her head, refusing to agree with him.
"But that is everyone's common understanding. You can feed this one cat, but have you considered how many other black cats starve to death in the corners of cities and in the grass?"
The blond youth did not deny it.
"I know. That's why I have to get close to them. Otherwise, they would be too pitiful."
Rosia gently propped up her chin, watching the skinny kitten nibble at the food bit by bit.
"Even if you might be afflicted by misfortune?"
The blond youth looked at her meaningfully with his emerald eyes.
"Mhm."
Rosia answered without hesitation.
"Ha..."
Seeing the girl's innocent smile, the youth smiled. He wrote something in the notebook he carried with him, then tore out a small slip of paper and handed it to her.
"This is my contact information. If you encounter any difficulties, or there's something you want to do, you can call me."
"Whatever it is, as long as I can do it, I will."
"Thank you, but Mother Bronya told me not to accept things from strangers."
Rosia shook her head and refused. Her attention had remained on the kitten, so she never looked up at the youth.
"That's all right. We can become friends. Hmm... even strangers can be friends."
The blond youth smiled faintly.
"Oh, it seems your friend is here. I'll be going now. If fate allows, we'll meet again, my friend."
With that, the blond youth left.
By the time Rosia noticed, he had only left a slip of paper on the ground. After thinking it over, Rosia still picked it up.
"Rosia? Why are you here?"
"Mother Bronya?"
Hearing the familiar voice, Rosia stood up happily.
"I was feeding a kitten. It was so cute..."
When Rosia looked up again, the kitten that had been eating had suddenly vanished.
"Come on, let's go have lunch together."
Bronya did not pay it much mind and took Rosia's hand.
"Mhm."
Rosia felt a little disappointed.
Had the kitten been frightened? Or did it not like her anymore?
"Hehe... Don't be so fierce. I was concerned about her too."
In another alley, the blond youth looked at the little black cat baring its teeth and growling threateningly at him, then chuckled.
"You feel sorry for her? So do I."
The blond youth picked up the little black cat. Ignoring its frantic scratching with its claws, he softly muttered to himself.
"You shouldn't have appeared here, little thing."
P.S.: I planted a tiny bit of foreshadowing. It's fine...
Please give me some votes.
Black Seele (At a Loss)
"Sometimes I wonder, just how high does a score have to be before it counts as high...?"
During lunch, Rosia saw Kiana with a dejected face, wearing an expression as though she had seen through the meaning of life.
"That isn't a reason for you to fail even your retake, Kiana..."
Raiden Mei said with a headache.
"You can't blame me, Mei. Auntie only gave questions I didn't know! If she gave questions I knew, wouldn't I have passed?"
Kiana said with a gloomy expression.
"Kiana, next time tell the Headmaster to make the questions according to the answers you came up with."
Bronya mocked.
"Bronya! All you know is how to make fun of me. Rosia, look at your mom..."
Kiana looked at Rosia's somewhat strange expression in confusion.
"Rosia, are you feeling unwell?"
"N-No, I'm fine."
Rosia forced out a smile.
Because her ear had been grabbed, and it hurt so much she could barely stand it.
"You little idiot! Do you know who you just ran into?! And you actually answered him!"
"Rosia" looked at the disappointing Rosia with a face full of resentment.
"I... I didn't know... C-Can you be gentler?"
Rosia said aggrievedly.
At the time, she had truly been focused on feeding the cat and had not noticed so many details.
"That was that bastard Otto! **** (Estonian profanity!)"
"Rosia" snapped furiously.
Whenever there was a conspiracy anywhere in the entire Honkai storyline, looking toward Otto would definitely uncover clues.
He had deliberately waited outside the academy this time. Who knew what he was planning?
"I know, but... what can we do about it?"
Rosia said helplessly.
Even if she had not accepted the note Otto handed her, if Otto had truly set his sights on her, there was nothing she could do.
"Tch... true."
"Rosia" let out a faint sigh. She had not expected Otto to notice her after only a few days here.
"Rosia, hug!"
Taking advantage of Bronya being distracted, the depressed Kiana directly pulled Rosia into her arms.
"Hehe..."
Seeing Kiana's appearance, Bronya's mouth twitched. She swallowed the food in her mouth and wiped her lips.
"Kiana, if you dare let your drool drip on Rosia, you'll spend your next life in bed."
"Got it! I'm not some pervert, why would I drool!"
Kiana wiped the corner of her mouth and argued defensively.
"Oh, right, Rosia. I heard from Auntie that a lot of people have arrived in the Far East lately. Some gangs seem to have been causing unrest nonstop, so remember to be careful when you go out."
Kiana reminded her.
"I'll protect Rosia. You don't need to worry."
Bronya gave a soft snort.
Even before she had come into contact with Honkai energy, she had been a top-tier assassin. Now, aside from those Valkyries in Schicksal, ordinary people would only be slaughtered if they faced her.
She had only promised Seele that she would not kill people casually anymore.
They were merely a group of gangsters. There was nothing to worry about.
"That's true. Although Bronya is a little shorty, she still has one-tenth of this lady's strength. Taking care of those gangsters will naturally be no problem."
Before you continue