(Rosalia's side)
To be honest, I didn't expect the secret gift to be a necklace.
I thought it would be something like a rare flower or a doll. But instead, it turned out to be a necklace.
Lotte also looked very surprised when she saw the gift for the first time.
She probably didn't expect that just by joining such a game, she could get a necklace.
The necklace's design is indeed very simple, but I like it. It's light, and not too flashy.
According to Lotte, it looks good... she must be complimenting the necklace, right?
I was also a bit shocked when my first throw failed to knock down the stack of cans.
That's why I thought that boy might've cheated.
But suddenly, Lotte whispered one of her ideas to me.
Maybe she was just coming up with a small plan that was bound to fail.
However, the plan she made actually worked and knocked down the stack of cans.
At times like this, Lotte fits the description of someone reliable.
From now on, if there's any problem, allow me to share it with you, okay?
I'm sure you can help me solve it.
——
(Yukito's side)
Where should we go next? Until now, it's always been Rosa-chan who invited me somewhere.
For once, I should be the one to ask her out somewhere... but where?
We walked leisurely past several houses and shops. Quite often, people called out Rosa-chan's name.
Well, it's only natural for the citizens to recognize one of the princesses of the castle, isn't it?
Fortunately, none of them tried to make physical contact with Rosa-chan.
That means they're good people and have manners, right?
Usually, there are always some who try to take advantage of the situation and touch famous people.
For men, it's usually just a handshake or maybe a selfie.
But for women, there's a chance they could become victims of harassment.
And perhaps, all harassment cases are done by men.
They can't hold back their desires and start taking them out on women.
I hate guys like that the most.
At least having dirty thoughts or thinking about girls is still better than committing harassment.
Guys often talk about such things anyway, right? That's still considered normal.
——
Suddenly, Rosa-chan stopped me.
"Wait a second!" she said. She looked surprised and had a very serious expression.
What, what? Is there something that scared her? Could it be a group of people trying to assassinate her?!
Rosa-chan suddenly ran toward a large board placed by the roadside.
That board was probably as big as the ones usually found in adventurer guilds—where quests are posted.
Now, this one might contain new pieces of information or recent happenings.
There were quite a few people standing around it, blocking Rosa-chan's small figure.
She tried jumping, hoping to catch a glimpse, but unfortunately, the people in front of her were too tall.
It looked kind of familiar...
Ah! Rosa-chan looked just like a rabbit!
Yeah, somehow she resembled one—a little bunny hopping around trying to peek over a fence.
I immediately approached her to help her see the board.
When I stood beside her, she puffed her cheeks and folded her arms in front of her chest.
She looked annoyed at the crowd blocking her view.
"Ehehe..." I could only chuckle seeing her like that.
I stood in front of her and tried to clear a path. The people here were quite big, so it wasn't easy to make room for her.
After we finally moved forward, we both looked at what was posted on the board.
Many sheets of paper were pinned across it.
There were reports about kidnappings, engagements, and other various news.
Maybe the engagement mentioned was between Rosa-chan and Luis.
That's the most likely case.
Then, why were all these people crowding around? Were they curious about who was getting engaged?
I decided to ask the guy next to me.
"Excuse me, may I ask... why are so many people gathered here?" I asked.
He turned toward me after realizing I was talking to him.
"Lately, there have been many kidnapping cases around here. That's why everyone wants to know who's behind them," he said.
"Are there really that many cases?" I asked again. If there were only a few, there wouldn't be this many people gathered.
But if the kidnapping targets were nobles or members of the royal family, that would make sense.
"In the past week alone, about twenty-one people have vanished without a trace. Even the guards are having trouble tracking them down," he said.
Seriously?! Dozens of people disappearing within a week?!
That means the case has grown really big. Surely, the citizens must be worried about being the next victims.
"Most of the ones kidnapped were children. That's why parents are now keeping their kids locked inside their homes."
"They don't want their children to fall victim to these cruel abductions," he continued.
I guess I'll have to keep a much closer eye on Rosa-chan.
If she ever gets taken, it'll be a real disaster for me later on.
——
I looked to my right, where Rosa-chan was standing.
She was staring at the big board with an expression that was hard to describe.
But maybe, she was daydreaming.
"Rosa-chan, what's wrong?" I asked to make sure she was okay.
She turned to me, a bit startled. It seemed she really had been spacing out.
"N-nothing! I'm done here, let's go somewhere else," she said.
She began making her way out of the crowd, with me following behind.
Once we were clear, Rosa-chan seemed to scan her surroundings carefully.
I wasn't sure what she was doing, but she looked worried.
Meanwhile, I noticed a small shop selling drinks nearby.
Since I was feeling thirsty, I decided to invite her to get something to drink.
"Rosa-chan, let's go over there," I said, pointing at the shop.
She nodded and followed me toward it.
——
I ordered two drinks, one for each of us.
In front of the shop, there were several chairs prepared for customers.
We sat side by side there.
After a short wait, the seller brought us two glasses of drinks.
I looked at the drinks—it might be something like juice.
"What kind of drink is this?" I muttered softly.
The liquid was yellowish-orange, and its texture looked thick.
I'd never seen it before.
"This is orange juice... the pride of this kingdom," she said after taking a few sips from her glass.
Orange juice? I thought it would have a fancier or more foreign-sounding name.
"Go ahead, drink it. It tastes good," Rosa-chan told me, since I still hadn't taken a sip.
Gulp. I took several sips first to test the taste.
The oranges were sour, but the sourness was just right. The sweetness balanced it perfectly—this was the best orange juice I'd ever had.
I really like sour drinks, but when the flavor is both sweet and sour, it's even better.
"How is it? Tastes good, right?" said Rosa-chan, watching me enjoy the juice.
"Seriously, you dragged me here to buy drinks, but you didn't even know what it was," she said, looking puzzled.
Well, what can I say? The only thing that caught my eye just now was this shop.