As soon as the thought surfaced, Kaname decisively cut it off.
—If one doesn’t have expectations, there will be no disappointment.
Children often disappeared suddenly from the Daycare Center, followed by rumors that they had been adopted by kind-hearted people.
Some children indeed lived good lives, occasionally sending back photos of themselves in new clothes.
But even more children were like stones cast into the sea, never to be heard from again.
She didn’t fully know Erika yet, let alone her parents.
What if there really was a possibility of her and Erika becoming sisters?
Setting aside the fact that it was far from being a reality, just the practical considerations were enough to make one level-headed.
The Madam was indeed very hospitable and treated her like her own daughter.
But hosting a guest for a few days and formally going through the legal process to adopt a new daughter with no blood relation were two completely different things.
Especially for a prestigious family with a long heritage, the adoption process itself was much more troublesome than for an ordinary family, involving family reputation, inheritance rights, and even consensus within the family.
Therefore…
Kaname wouldn’t act like a real child, excitedly anticipating something unlikely just because of an adult’s joke or concern.
Facing Teacher Chinatsu’s expectant gaze, Kaname simply nodded obediently.
“I understand.
Thank you, Teacher.” This made Chinatsu’s expression even happier, as if she could already see Kaname marrying into…
no, entering into a wealthy family’s happy future.
As for what happened next…
…
After sending Kaname back to her room, Chinatsu stayed in the living room and mentioned to the Madam that the Kindergarten would reopen tomorrow.
“So soon?” Erikas Mother put down her teacup, her brow furrowing slightly, clearly still harboring concerns about the previous safety incident.
“Please rest assured.” Chinatsu hurriedly explained.
“The Daycare Center has learned its lesson.
Not only have we reinforced the walls, but more importantly, we’ve hired a Badge-holding Professional Pokémon Trainer through official League channels to be stationed there.” “Will there be a dedicated Pokémon Trainer permanently stationed there?” Erikas Mother inquired in detail about the various measures the Kindergarten had taken.
Her furrowed brow only relaxed after learning that a new Pokémon Trainer would indeed be responsible for the Daycare Center’s safety around the clock.
In this day and age, the title of a Professional Pokémon Trainer was still quite valuable.
Due to the rapid pace of urbanization, human settlements were constantly expanding outward.
This led to wild Pokémon, whose habitats were being squeezed, not yet being used to coexisting with humans and harboring deep hostility toward them.
Even in a metropolis like Celadon City, there were frequent incidents of Pokémon attacking passersby or breaking into buildings in the surrounding areas.
Therefore, every city often relied on Professional Pokémon Trainers registered with the League to protect the town and mediate conflicts between humans and Pokémon.
Although every Pokémon Trainer’s operational approach and personality differed, it was certain that a Pokémon Trainer without strength would not receive commissions.
The League’s assessment system was very strict.
Any Pokémon Trainer who could obtain a license and take on security commissions had to have some level of skill.
“Since there’s a Professional Pokémon Trainer there, I feel at ease letting Erika go to school.” Erikas Mother finally relented.
After all, she couldn’t keep her child at home forever without interacting with peers.
“A Pokémon Trainer…” Kaname, who was originally heading back to her room but had paused for a moment at the corner, overheard this conversation.
Her thoughts didn’t feel at ease like the Madam’s; instead, they immediately fell upon the Eevee in her room.
Although she had managed to hide Eevee well until now by sheer luck, and no one had discovered Eevee’s traces yet…
…daycare workers were, after all, just ordinary people with limited perception.
Professional Pokémon Trainers were different.
They dealt with Pokémon year-round and were exceptionally sensitive to a Pokémon’s scent, Growl, or even a single fallen hair.
Not to mention the Pokémon they carried with them, which often possessed senses of smell and hearing a hundred times sharper than a human’s.
Facing a professional whose job was to exclude wild Pokémon from the Daycare Center as much as possible, could she still hide Eevee as smoothly as she did now?
…In any case, she couldn’t delay any longer.
Sending Eevee away as soon as possible was the best choice.
Kaname no longer hesitated and turned toward the Study.
…
It would take more time for a handwritten letter to reach Dr.
Oak.
In this era where transportation and logistics were not yet well-developed, human couriers were still the mainstream.
A letter sent from Celadon City to Pallet Town wouldn’t arrive for at least three to five days.
E-mail was different.
Because the computer in the Study hadn’t been used for two days, a thin layer of dust had accumulated on the screen.
Even the maids didn’t dare to touch this machine casually.
Kaname skillfully pressed the power button, listening to the roar of the computer tower as it started up.
She struggled to climb onto the chair, and just as her two small hands reached the giant keyboard, a puzzled voice suddenly rang out beside her.
“Kaname, what are you doing?” “…Playing on the computer.” Kaname replied offhandedly without looking back.
Teacher Chinatsu was busy talking to Erikas Mother.
Logically, Erika should have still been alone in the Greenhouse pruning branches at this moment.
For a child who would need to inherit the family’s Flower Arranging title in the future, childhood was quite arduous.
But Erika was clearly not an obedient little girl.
After noticing that her mother’s attention was entirely on the Kindergarten’s new arrangements, she slipped out of the Greenhouse, using the excuse of looking for Kaname to play to escape her lessons.
However, after finding the room empty and running around the mansion for a bit…
…Erika finally found her in the Study.
She leaned over the back of the chair, poking her head out to curiously observe the scene before her.
Erika had seen her father use this expensive machine before.
The man who commanded the business world sat before the machine with a distressed face, holding a thick manual in his hands, only daring to tap a key with one finger after hesitating for ages, for fear of blowing the thing up.
But the Kaname before her was completely different.
Although the pink-haired girl struggled even to reach the keyboard, and her fingers were so short they couldn’t even cover the shortcut key area with one hand…
…her movements were exceptionally skilled, even carrying a dazzling sense of rhythm.
Click-clack— The crisp sounds of the keyboard clacking merged together.
On the computer screen, countless green characters that Erika couldn’t understand at all flowed and flashed rapidly like a waterfall, reflected in Kaname’s calm red pupils, appearing mysterious and unfathomable.
For some reason, the words of Charm Erika was about to say were swallowed back down.
She was a bit afraid to speak to Kaname in this state.
Although she was still the same person, at this moment, Kaname seemed to have an invisible barrier around her, exuding a certain aura.
Though she was right there, she felt very far away.