Episode 27
Perhaps it was because it was the day of the second adoption competition, held for the first time in three years. The atmosphere at the Talent Training Center felt undeniably different. A strange, undefinable tension drifted among the students gathered in the grand auditorium.
As I looked around, my eyes landed on Elision. Naturally, someone with such a radiant appearance was easy to spot. He stood still with a nonchalant expression, surrounded by a ring of children.
“Popular, aren’t you.”
Elision’s gaze shifted toward me. In an instant, a bright, sunny smile blossomed on his otherwise emotionless face. It was as if that smile had bloomed solely for me.
Was I imagining things? Just as I was about to look away, a familiar voice struck my ears.
“Hero…! You’re here! I’ve been waiting!”
At the innocent yet piercing shout of Rosemary, every eye in the auditorium turned toward me. A wave of dizziness washed over me, and for a moment, I considered turning back—but with a “to hell with it” mindset, I waved.
“Yep, the hero has arrived.”
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
“That’s someone I haven’t seen before. Could that be the kid who shattered the entrance exam records?”
“Hah, she was that young?”
“She doesn’t look like much. How did she hit those records?”
“What’s this about a ‘hero’?”
“Heh. Playing hero, are we?”
Hm. Everyone is certainly chatty today.
Rosemary bounded toward me, and Raspi followed close behind, rubbing his face with his hands as if he could no longer handle her frantic energy.
“Heroooo!”
*Thump.*
I patted the back of Rosemary, who had thrown herself into my arms, and caught Raspi’s apologetic gaze.
“I’m sorry. I should have kept a better eye on Mari.”
“It’s fine. I’m used to people’s gazes.”
“Hero, why were you so late! You didn’t come for almost a month, so I thought something happened and I was so worried…!”
“Sorry. It took some time to get permission from my guardian.”
“Still, I’m glad you came before the adoption competition started!”
After speaking energetically, Rosemary suddenly lowered her voice and whispered into my ear.
“This is a secret, but the notice for the adoption competition date was posted the day after we took our exam. It seems like the Duchess wanted to take you as her daughter…!”
“Is that so?”
I had vaguely guessed as much, but hearing it confirmed was something else. Then again, my Abilitator was a power that even a Duchess would drool over. If she had failed to adopt me, she would have surely cooked up some excuse to invite me to the Duchy anyway. After all, her ability was ‘copying.’ Although there were several conditions attached to it, making it unlikely she could fully steal mine, the interest remained.
“Oh, right! Hero, I’m learning to write these days, and I can already write quite a bit. I wrote a letter while waiting for you, should I show—!”
In the midst of her chatter, Rosemary rummaged through her pockets and stopped, covering her mouth in dismay.
“Oh…! I think I left the letter in the dormitory. What do I do? W-wait here for a second. I’ll be right back!”
I didn’t even have a chance to stop her before she darted off like lightning. I patted Raspi on the shoulder.
“Raspi, she’s going to trip. Go with her.”
“…Understood.”
Perhaps worried about the tomboyish Rosemary, Raspi followed her out without another word. She seemed incredibly energetic, as if life at the Talent Training Center suited her well; there wasn’t a trace of worry on her face. Raspi, too, looked noticeably plumper than he had a month ago, a sign he was finally eating well.
Just as I felt a surge of pride seeing them grow, someone approached me.
“Are you the kid from the rumors?”
A girl in her early tens with red hair tied back in a ponytail stood before me. Small freckles were scattered across her face like stars, giving her a cute appearance. Wow, I feel like I’ve seen this development in a novel before.
“I don’t know what rumors you’re talking about, but I’m probably the one.”
I replied while suppressing a thrill of anticipation. She placed her hands on her hips and spoke as if angry.
“You, arriving exactly on today’s date—it seems you’re full of yourself just because you did well on the entrance exam!”
…It’s “full of yourself,” not “full of arrogance.”
“The one who’s going to be adopted by Duchess Papiope is Sion! Do you really think a brat like you can become a daughter of the house?”
Ah, so she’s on Team Elision? How cute.
Even though I was in a position where I had to win, I didn’t want to fight a child who was siding with Elision. I took a piece of candy from my pocket—the one the mister had given me for when I was bored—and began fumbling with the wrapper.
She shouted in indignation.
“Are you ignoring me right now?!”
“No.”
I popped the unwrapped candy into her mouth. Taken aback, her eyes went wide, blinking repeatedly.
“Are your blood sugar levels low? Eat something sweet and calm down.”
…Hmm. Was that last remark a bit like an old person? Well, since my face is a child’s, it should be fine. I decided to let fate take its course and lightly pinched her chubby cheek. The soft, squishy texture felt nice. I finally understood why Aiden-ajusshi tried to touch my cheeks whenever he had the chance.
“Why do you say such mean things with a face as cute as that?”
“Uh…”
“Instead of being hostile, why don’t you be friends with me? You can never have too many friends, right?”
Perhaps she wasn’t as bad a kid as she looked; she stammered defensively, her face flushing red.
“B-but my mom told me to only side with the kid most likely to be adopted by the Duchess…”
Aha. So that’s how it was. The Talent Training Center existed to nurture talent, but there were plenty who joined hoping for a rise in social status. It was unfortunate that the parents’ greed was preventing the children from growing in a healthy direction. I stretched her cheeks like cheese and spoke as if giving advice.
“Listen well. Making enemies for no reason is something only a C-rank extra does. In terms of fairy tales, it’s not even as high-level as Cinderella’s stepsisters.”
“E, eh?”
“Besides, everyone here is a talent who passed the entrance exam. How do you know what kind of person someone who was previously ignored might become later?”
“But…!”
She tried to protest, but I cut her off with a firmer voice.
“And!”
After pouring that out, I gave a loose smile.
“The candy I gave you, isn’t it sweet?”
The child, who had been listening with her mouth agape, slowly closed it, her cheeks moving as she chewed. It seemed she was rolling the candy around in her mouth. It must be sweet.
“Friends are people who share things like that. Isn’t that great? And you don’t have to worry about getting stabbed in the back, either.”
After savoring the taste for a while, she fidgeted before making up her mind, cautiously holding out her hand.
“…M-my name is Rachel. I was a bit prickly earlier, wasn’t I? I’m sorry.”
Ah, seeing her soften up, I guessed her blood sugar really had been low. I grasped her hand back with a playful grin, thinking thoughts she couldn’t possibly understand. Then, curving my eyes into crescents, I whispered like a fox.
“But friend, if you were trying to hitch your wagon to the right line, you’ve succeeded.”
After all, I’m the one scheduled to be the adoptee.