Very Sweet Candied Apples

Himeko sighed softly.

"You're so young, yet you already have such an adorable, well-behaved daughter. You have no idea how much people at the academy have been talking about Rosia lately..."

"If Ms. Himeko had found someone earlier, your child would probably be almost as old as Rosia by now."

Bronya replied calmly.

"Ha, but I'm your teacher."

Himeko said helplessly.

"Rosia doesn't take after me. She resembles Seele a lot."

This was one of the rare occasions when Bronya voluntarily shared information about Seele with them.

"I remember Rosia saying that Seele looked almost exactly like her?"

Kiana replied.

"Mm. Not just her appearance—her personality is very similar too."

Bronya nodded.

"Seele and Bronya met at an orphanage..."

Hearing that, Raiden Mei couldn't help coughing softly.

This family of three seemed to have grown up in similar environments...

"Alright, everyone, eat up. Mei's cooking is going to get cold."

Rosia knew Bronya did not particularly want to talk about Seele, so she changed the subject for her.

"Mm, right, let's eat first!"

Kiana's attention was diverted immediately, while Himeko looked at Rosia in surprise.

This child was very clever.

From the very beginning, Himeko had been paying attention to her. Most Valkyries who came to this academy had strong personalities; a child like Rosia, who naturally exuded a delicate and adorable air, was practically irresistible here.

Even Himeko found it difficult not to be drawn to this child.

More importantly, Rosia's talent was exceptionally good. A Valkyrie with a natural stigmata could, at the very least, become an A-rank Valkyrie.

It was hard to imagine how many outstanding Valkyries would be by her side in the future.

"Still, you girls aren't bad either."

Himeko smiled faintly.

Whether it was Bronya, Kiana, or Raiden Mei, they were all the most outstanding children of their class.

As their teacher, she wanted to teach them many things: responsibility, determination, courage, and strength.

But their time at the academy always passed in the blink of an eye, and there were many things she could not teach them.

"There really is a sweet scent."

After sitting there for a while, Himeko could faintly smell a fragrance even sweeter than honey.

"By the way, Bronya, did you get that limited-edition Houmu plushie you wanted to buy last time?"

After dinner, Kiana and Bronya sat on the sofa and watched television for a while.

"No. The shop said they were sold at random times with no set schedule. Maybe if I get lucky someday, I'll be able to buy one while passing by."

Bronya shook her head lightly.

Hearing that, Rosia, who was handing Mei a towel nearby, had her silver-gray eyes brighten slightly. Even the strands of hair atop her head seemed to perk up happily.

"A limited-edition... Houmu plushie?"

Chapter 26: Very Sweet Candied Apples

Class time was always difficult to endure, yet it somehow passed very quickly.

On the weekend, when Kiana got up blearily to eat breakfast, she was surprised to find that there were only three people at the table today.

"Rosia still hasn't woken up?"

Even on weekends, Kiana rarely saw the disciplined Rosia sleep in.

"She's awake. Rosia said she wanted to go out and buy some food. She'll probably be back around noon."

Raiden Mei shook her head.

"I see... Rosia's gotten a little greedy too, huh? Why didn't she ask me to come with her?"

Kiana puffed out her cheeks.

"I know lots of places with delicious food."

They were not worried about Rosia's safety. On weekends, many Valkyries liked to stroll around the shopping streets near the academy.

There were plenty of Valkyries who knew Rosia, and quite a few even secretly followed her around the academy. Not to mention outside it.

"Come to think of it, Rosia hasn't come back for a nap at noon lately. I wonder what she's been doing."

"Don't try to guess a girl's thoughts, Kiana."

Although Bronya was also curious, she decided to give Rosia enough personal space.

"Bleh, Bronya, sooner or later I'll make you change what you call me!"

"Don't even think about it!"

On the bustling shopping street—

"How much longer are you planning to look?"

"Rosia" watched the little blue-haired girl carefully search shop after shop before bowing to thank each one, and pursed her lips.

"It's already been a week. You come to these shops every day and ask again and again. Don't you find it annoying?"

"Rosia" did not think there was any need for this, wasting so much time on such meaningless things.

"Maybe the next shop will have it?"

Rosia lightly placed her slender fingers against her lips and revealed a faint smile.

"Is it really worth it? It's just a toy..."

"Alright, alright. As long as you're with me, that's when I'm happiest."

Seeing the expectant expression constantly on Rosia's face, "Rosia" fell silent.

"Fine. I'll keep you company a little longer."

When they reached the next shop, Rosia spotted the most conspicuous Houmu at a glance, and tiny sparks of light rose in her eyes.

"Hello... I... I want that one!"

Rosia stood on tiptoe with all her strength and pointed at the limited-edition Houmu plushie.

"Little Rosia, you're here again?"

The saleswoman smiled when she saw her arrive.

"This one was just delivered today. I guessed you'd come by."

"Big sister, how much is this?"

Rosia looked at the Houmu plushie expectantly.

Every noon, she tried to visit every Houmu specialty store. Today, she had finally found one after so much effort.

"The price tag is on it. I'll get it down for you."

The saleswoman enthusiastically helped her.

Recently, Rosia had often appeared around here, and her obedient, adorable image had attracted quite a few people.

They had also seen people with ill intentions stop her. Then, in the next moment, a number of pretty girls would rush out, drag that person into a corner, and a round of screams would follow.

"Thank you!"

Rosia's sweet smile put the saleswoman in an even better mood. Seeing Rosia was one of the few joys in her workday.

"..."

Seeing the price on the tag, Rosia's silver-gray eyes flickered twice. Her voice was hesitant, but she still looked at the saleswoman as if pleading.

"Um... could you save it for me first? I want to..."

At this point, Rosia's voice trembled noticeably.

She did not like causing trouble for others, and she knew this might be difficult, but...

"I'm really... sorry..."

Rosia lowered her head slightly.

At the listed price, she could not even afford the fractional amount.

"For this, I'll need to ask the manager."

Although the saleswoman dearly wanted to agree, this was beyond the scope of her responsibilities.

The various limited-edition plushies in Houmu specialty stores were not cheap, and they were extremely popular. That was why these limited items were sold at unpredictable times.

Whether one could buy them depended entirely on luck.

"Alright, thank you very much."

Hearing the saleswoman's words, Rosia did not insist. Instead, she gave her a grateful smile.

"Manager, it's that girl you saw last time... Alright, I understand."

After some discussion, the saleswoman finally put down the phone and nodded at the girl, who was full of hope and worry.

"The manager said this Houmu plushie has a limited period of six months. So within the next six months, little Rosia, you can come back and buy it."

For them, Houmu plushies were hardly difficult to sell, much less limited-edition ones.

Because of Rosia, sales had increased at many Houmu specialty stores recently. The manager was happy to grant this favor, and when the right opportunity came, they might even ask Rosia to do some advertising.

Why not?

"Thank you, big sister..."

Though she felt sorry for possibly causing some trouble, Rosia still smiled happily.

"What now? Something that expensive..."

"Rosia" watched her back and frowned.

Half an hour later—

"Rosia" sat on a bench with her chin propped on her hand, watching the blue-haired girl sell candied apples one by one, lost in thought.

When noon was approaching, Rosia finally swayed her little head and prepared to leave.

"How many candied apples are you planning to sell before you can afford that thing?"

From how cautious Rosia had been lately, she clearly did not want Bronya and the others to know.

"You only have time to come out on Saturdays and Sundays. Even if you sell candied apples for half a day, how long will it take?"

"At least... there should be enough time."

Rosia smiled upon hearing "Rosia's" words.

"I'm really lucky..."