In a corner of the classroom.
Erika and Lorelei stared each other down.
After a long while, Lorelei finally backed down.
She pushed up her glasses and sighed helplessly.
As an adult, fighting over a friend with a five-year-old child was truly unseemly and would damage her dignity as a trainer.
Lorelei still had some self-awareness as an adult.
But Erika clearly had no intention of letting a potential rival off so easily.
The little girl puffed out her cheeks angrily and stood up abruptly, tightly clutching the pink-haired girl’s arm and leaning most of her body weight against her, declaring her sovereignty through action.
“…” Kaname felt her arm grow heavy and her body tilted involuntarily.
She had to struggle to stay upright and maintain her balance.
To ease the awkward atmosphere and gather information, Kaname took the initiative to speak.
“Lo…
Lorelei-teacher…” The girl’s voice was timid as she blinked her large eyes and asked.
“Why would someone as amazing as you come to a place like this…
to play with us?” “Eh~” Lorelei was a bit surprised and glanced at Kaname.
She clearly hadn’t expected the usually quiet child to take the initiative to ask a question.
She didn’t have much of a guard up—or rather, she felt there was no need to hide anything from a few small children—so she sat back down on the small stool and began to ramble about her original intention for coming to the Daycare Center.
“Actually, this is also a part of my training.” Lorelei stretched, her tone casual.
“The League recently issued some tasks regarding security maintenance around cities.
I thought since I needed to stay in Celadon City for a while to adjust my team’s condition and earn some League points and travel funds, I’d take on this stationing task.” Speaking of this, she seemed to remember something, and her expression became troubled.
“I thought it was just simple patrolling, but I didn’t expect to be responsible for watching kids…
what a miscalculation.” After saying that, she looked at the two tender faces in front of her and suddenly realized she might have said too much.
“Sorry, I said so much, you probably don’t understand anyway.” Lorelei smiled apologetically.
“…” Kaname pursed her lips and shook her head obediently.
She tried her best to play the role of an ignorant listener.
However, this well-behaved look of pretending not to understand only made her appear even more cute and endearing in Lorelei’s eyes.
Lorelei couldn’t help but reach out her ‘devilish claws’ again, wanting to pat Kaname’s head.
“I don’t know, I don’t understand!” Before Lorelei’s hand could touch Kaname, Erika seized the moment, grabbed Kaname, and ran away.
Before leaving, she turned back and made a big funny face at Lorelei.
“Bleh bleh bleh—we’re going to class!
Goodbye, teacher!” Watching the two little ones run away, Lorelei was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.
…
Nothing happened for the rest of the half-day.
On the first day the Daycare Center reopened, everyone, from the teachers to the new security guard Lorelei, was on high alert, so naturally, no trouble was stirred up.
Until evening.
The setting sun dyed the playground orange-red, and parents arrived one after another to pick up their children.
Kaname stood at the door, smiling as she saw off Erika, who looked back every three steps with a face full of reluctance.
Once the familiar black car disappeared at the end of the street, Kaname’s smile faded, and she turned to head back to the dormitory.
However, just as she reached a secluded corner of the playground, her path was blocked by several figures.
They were several girls two or three years older than her, probably around seven or eight, who were also orphans in the Daycare Center.
“Hey, Pink-haired freak.” The leading girl stood in front of Kaname with her hands in her pockets, a malicious smile on her face.
“I heard you’ve been clinging to a rich family’s young lady lately?
What, didn’t you bring back anything good to eat today to show us some respect?” Kaname was expressionless and didn’t even bother to give them a glance, trying to sidestep them.
“Stop acting so high and mighty!” Infuriated by being ignored, the girl reached out and shoved Kaname’s shoulder.
“You’re not worthy…” Snap!
A slender yet powerful hand appeared out of nowhere, firmly grabbing the girl’s wrist.
“Ow, ow, ow!” The girl let out a scream of pain.
Lorelei appeared behind the group at some unknown time, her long red hair fluttering in the evening breeze.
Her face was as cold as ice, and her gaze behind the black-rimmed glasses was sharp.
“Is this how you treat your companions?” The group of unruly brats, who had been arrogant just a moment ago, were instantly terrified by this aura.
After stammering an apology, they scrambled away.
“Isn’t this bullying?” Watching the backs of the fleeing children, Lorelei’s chest heaved violently; she was clearly quite incensed.
She hadn’t expected to encounter something like this on her first day at the Daycare Center.
Although she was just a Pokémon Trainer, using the pretext of being stationed at the Daycare Center, her primary duty was to guard against emergencies involving wild Pokémon in the outskirts of Celadon City.
As long as she completed her missions, she would receive points and subsidies from the League; in theory, other trivial matters were outside her scope of duty.
But watching Kaname being surrounded and bullied by older children, Lorelei couldn’t control her emotions for a moment.
“Are you okay?
Are you hurt?
Do they do this often?” Lorelei crouched down, nervously checking on Kaname, her tone hurried.
“…It’s fine.” At that moment, a cool, small hand reached out and gently took hold of her palm, which was trembling with anger.
Lorelei froze, then lowered her head.
Her gaze met those red eyes.
There was no fear, grievance, or tears as she had imagined.
The eyes were as calm as a bottomless lake, even carrying a detached indifference.
“Things like this…
it doesn’t really matter.” Kaname said softly.
…
Lorelei always felt that the little girl in front of her was a bit different from earlier in the day.
But regardless, looking at the petite and frail figure in the sunset, Lorelei felt a strange tightening in her chest.
Perhaps it was out of an adult’s sense of responsibility, or perhaps she was simply stung by Kaname’s emotionless eyes.
Lorelei didn’t let go; instead, she gripped Kaname’s small hand back, crouched down, and forced her gaze to be level with Kaname’s.
“…Kaname, things like this can’t just be dismissed with a ‘doesn’t matter’.” Her tone was serious, but then, looking at Kaname’s expressionless face, her voice softened.
“If you’re not feeling well, I’ll take you out for a walk.” “…” Kaname tilted her head, not understanding why Lorelei would say such a thing.
The silence was misinterpreted by Lorelei as consent.
“Let’s go.” Without allowing for debate, Lorelei stood up, took Kaname’s hand, and walked toward the gate of the Daycare Center.
Along the way, the two could see many parents coming to pick up their children.
Big hands holding small hands, laughter and joy; some children were showing their parents their drawings for the day, while others were using Charm to ask for snacks.
In contrast.
Those left in the Daycare Center building were almost all orphans.
Looking at the heartwarming scene around her, Lorelei remembered the current situation of the Daycare Center that other teachers had mentioned to her.
She looked down at Kaname, who was quietly following by her side.
Kaname was clearly so cute and sensible; why had she been left in the Daycare Center all this time?
Not knowing any of the inside story, Lorelei only felt a sense of indignation.
She even wanted to go back immediately and question Chinatsu or the Director, asking if it was due to negligence at the Daycare Center or a lack of effort in contacting adoptive families that such a good child hadn’t been adopted yet.
But she didn’t say a word.
The two crossed the street and arrived at an undeveloped vacant lot.
It was far from the bustle of the street, and it was very quiet all around.
Lorelei stopped and suddenly took a Poké Ball from her waist pouch.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
“And If you’re enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!”