After buying me the cloak, Rosa-chan immediately went out of the store.
Of course, I followed her right away.
"Rosa-chan, where are we going next?" I asked to make sure.
As much as possible, everything we do today should help change her feelings.
If she starts to trust and choose me, my mission will become much easier.
"Ah! I want that!" she said, pointing toward a shop.
——
(Rosalia side)
For some reason, I thought of buying him a cloak.
When we were in the castle, he himself said that he didn't have any other clothes. That's why I took him to a clothing store.
I… don't know if this is just simple concern or something more…
But I still felt puzzled—why did he fold the cloak when I gave it to him?
He also seemed a bit confused, as if he thought I bought the cloak to give to someone else.
When he showed me that cloak at first, it felt like watching a little kid who just saw a nice toy.
It really felt like Lotte was excited and genuinely loved it.
It was the first time I had ever seen a man express himself like that.
Most of them would just smile, without much excitement—but Lotte was completely different.
—
He wore the cloak, and just as I expected, he looked so cool and handsome.
The size of the cloak perfectly matched his body. And its color suited Lotte's hair very well.
When he showed it to me, for some reason, my heart started pounding. I could really feel it.
At that moment, maybe my ears turned red when I told him it was a gift from me.
Lotte… maybe that name doesn't suit him anymore.
Especially for someone as cool as him now—could it be that "Lotte" is just an alias?
It feels like a name that doesn't fit a man like him. I'll ask him later.
Honestly, I had my own reason for accepting his invitation today.
I wanted to make an excuse to Luis that I already had a fiancé.
If I can successfully trick Luis, then our marriage won't happen. As I've said before, I have no desire to marry Luis.
And this fiancé I'm looking for might be the one I'll actually marry someday.
As long as that man can understand me and always protect me.
I think Lotte is indeed cool and handsome… but I still don't know anything about him.
Maybe he's the right person to become my fiancé.
——
(Yukito side)
Rosa-chan pointed toward a small shop right by the side of the road.
It was a cart-style shop, meaning it could move around easily.
Shops like this were a simple kind, but almost the same as regular ones.
At this place, several dolls were hanging—some shaped like animals, others like little people.
There were also tin cans stacked into tall triangles, arranged neatly on racks.
Then, a few flower bouquets were displayed inside the shop. I murmured to myself, "What kind of place is this?"
Is this a flower shop? A doll shop? A place that sells used cans?
As we approached, the shopkeeper appeared. He looked like a young boy with black hair.
"Would you like to play~? Ten bronze coins per game~," he said.
Play? What kind of game could we play here?
Rosa-chan immediately pulled out ten bronze coins and handed them to the boy.
"Go ahead~," the boy replied happily.
He handed us five small balls.
Ah! I understood now.
It was a game where you had to throw the balls at the stacked cans.
If you managed to knock them all down, you'd win a prize.
Why did I only realize it now? It was such a common, simple game.
But somehow, I felt uneasy.
Rosa-chan handed me all the balls to hold, then took one herself.
She looked focused, aiming at the stack of cans in the center.
Her eyes were sharp—completely ready to bring them down.
SWOSH—she threw the ball.
It hit one of the stacks, but unfortunately, the ball just bounced off and didn't knock down a single can.
That was strange. The ball clearly hit it, so why didn't any fall? Was her throw too weak?
I grabbed one ball and threw it at the same stack she had aimed for.
Same result.
The ball hit, but the cans only wobbled slightly—none fell.
"What's wrong with you two~? You're not being serious, are you?" said the boy mockingly.
I had a feeling this kid was cheating. I didn't know if it was just a hunch, but I suspected I was right.
I focused closely on the stack of cans, inspecting them carefully.
I thought they might be glued, but it didn't look like it—there was no sign of any adhesive at the base.
Maybe… I had an idea.
I looked at Rosa-chan, who had already taken another ball from my hand and was ready to throw again.
"Wait," I said, stopping her.
She obeyed and didn't throw the ball.
I leaned close to her ear and whispered something.
"After this, throw the ball together with me. Maybe then, the cans will fall."
Rosa-chan nodded, meaning she understood what I was saying.
I took one ball and prepared to throw it at the same time as her.
Up close, I noticed the boy was sweating and looked nervous.
Heh, maybe my plan would work.
SWOSH—we threw our balls at the same time toward the cans.
And just as I expected, the whole stack collapsed after being hit by our combined throws.
It seemed the cans needed more force to fall.
Rosa-chan looked very happy and high-fived me.
Meanwhile, the boy looked confused and panicked.
"Hey, kid, where's our prize?" I said, pressing him.
The boy finally handed us a small box, looking very annoyed.
"Next time, play somewhere else," he said.
Yeah, he was clearly sulking now…
But why did he give us a small box? I didn't even know what it was.
Shouldn't we have gotten a doll or some flowers instead?
"Lotte, what's that box?" Rosa-chan asked curiously.
I opened the small box carefully, staying alert about what might be inside.
KLEK—inside was a beautiful necklace.
There was a small gemstone as decoration, and the necklace looked luxurious.
I handed the box to Rosa-chan, since there was no way I would wear a necklace myself.
I thought she'd be surprised by the prize we won, but she looked unfazed.
"Didn't you see earlier? Under that stack of cans, there was a sign that said 'Secret Prize.' That's why I aimed for that one," Rosa-chan explained.
Really? I didn't even see that. No wonder she wasn't surprised.
I thought she didn't like the necklace, so I was about to throw it away.
Suddenly, Rosa-chan held out the necklace toward me.
"Put this on my neck," she said, already turning around.
Carefully, I clasped the necklace around her neck. From behind, I could smell the scent of her hair.
It was kind of distracting, honestly.
But in the end, the necklace was fastened.
I looked at her again—now wearing the necklace—and she looked stunning.
The necklace seemed like it was made for her, completing her beauty perfectly.
"How is it? Does it look good?" Rosa-chan asked happily.
"It looks good," I replied.
This time, Rosa-chan looked truly happy.