As Rose tried to wait for the perfect opportunity, something she never expected to happen happened… Through all her life, she had never seen one of these rich kids she envied and hated so much ever extend a hand or to offer them anything…
Yet…
"Ya hungry?" Wondered the oldest of the two "rich girls" a beautiful ice giant girl wearing a blue dress, quickly sharing her salted grilled fish with the pink-haired mermaid, Rose. "Here! Eat!"
Rose felt like time stopped… She felt surprised that the girl would offer her fish to her so easily. She was either too dumb or… simple too nice. And a quick inspection into her heart told her right away…
FLASH!
It was shiny.
Bright like the sun.
She had never seen someone with such a gentle heart before.
Even if she was a little baby girl, if she was raised in so much luxury, wouldn't she be spoiled and cocky?
Yet…
Rose couldn't help but accept her gift, as the little girl smiled at her taking the fish off her hands.
"Uwaah! T-Thanks!" The little Rose quickly began eating almost desperately, to the point she chocked and began coughing. "Cough, ugh…"
She hadn't eaten in over a day, as she often gave away all the food and money she got to the children of the orphanage.
"Rose! Give me some! Don't be greedy!"
"I want some too!"
"Give it to me!"
"No, it's mine!"
The children started fighting over the salted fish as they were just as hungry as her. Rose didn't wanted to share it with anybody though, ferociously eating it before anybody could snatch it away from her hands.
It was delicious, and it even made her cry a few tears of happiness over filling her empty belly.
The little girl that gave it to her, and her little sister, noticed her tears.
"Ya always hungy? I can… get shu more food!" Said the oldest of the "twins".
"Hungy? Here…" The little one, who was floating somehow, offered her a tasty clam skewer to her, and then shared freshly baked meat buns with all the children.
"T-Thanks…" Rose sighed.
"Uwaah, meat buns!"
"They're so good!"
"Ugh, but shouldn't we save them for the kids at the orphanage?!"
"I am so hungry, I don't care!"
Rose sighed seeing her friends, even Coral, enjoying the meat buns.
She glanced back at the girls, as they said their names.
"I'm Benladra… Wan to be frens?"
"Wate… Kate…"
"Benladra and Kate… Nice… Nice to meet you." Sighed Rose, feeling already bad about thinking she could steal them, such a plan already fading away from her mind. Usually when people offered them something, they would not steal them later.
"You look sick… Are you ok?" Benladra asked, extending her hands towards Rose. "[Shining Grace]!"
FLAAASH!
A tiny flash of light emerged from her small hands, covering Rose's body, in seconds, her constipation was gone, and her headache as well as her slight fever too. Even more, her gills were not slimy anymore.
"Huh? Healing magic…" Rose was shocked.
"Heheh, ya feelin better now?" Benladra asked gently.
"Wan mor buns?" Kate opened a small portal leading somewhere, as she pulled out more buns.
"Alright, alright, calm down. I've got tons of food if that's what you want… But first, where did you come from? Are there more like you here…?"
Interrupting her thoughts, the tall man, the father of Benladra and Kate spoke, as Rose saw through his heart…
FLAAAASH!
And just like his daughter, his heart was bright! Bright like the sun and gold itself! It was so bright… she felt perplexed.
Could this be… could this be the miracle she had been secretly hoping for? Someone with a heart of gold that could help them?
…However, before they could answer, a group of guards approached them.
"Halt in there, you damn nasty brats!"
The Guards came, they had even been secretly tailing them from behind. Rose and Coral panicked, and as they saw the Guards being stopped by the father and the rest, they decided to run away, even when the man was putting himself in danger to protect the children.
"We have to run Rose, we can't let them catch us!" Coral said to Rose, as Rose began running as fast as she could.
"I know but… His heart… it was so shiny…" Rose sighed, trying to forget about it already. "Nah, forget it… There's no way- huh?!"
"Waaaaai!"
"Don go…"
Suddenly, Benladra and Kate began following them from behind!
"Eh? W-What are those two young ladies doing?!" Coral felt surprised. "They want to come with us?!"
"But why…?" Rose sighed. "No… I can't let them. Girls like them getting in the suburbs… Something dangerous might happen to them…"
Rose's eyes shone brightly pink, as her tiny fingers pointed at the girls, pink-colored, dreamy magical power emerged from within her body, as her Stigma started glowing. A darker power was beginning to emerge from within, which boosted her original Illusion Magic to levels no mortals could achieve… even if only temporarily.
"[Dreamy Illusion Curtain]"
FLAAASH!
Suddenly, the magical power materialized into a giant invisible curtain, making Benladra and Kate stop their charge as they felt confused, their surroundings suddenly changing and becoming something else, helping Rose and everyone else escape without being chased by the girls.
And before they could get through the confusing illusion, their father used wind magic and quickly carried them back to him, fully knowing the dangers they might be exposed to if they wandered into the dangerous suburbs…
Rose sighed, without wanting to look back, she ran and ran with everyone else… At the end, it was just another day in her life, where nothing would ever change.
"Phew… we barely made it…" Coral sighed.
"Yeah…" Rose sighed. "Well, at least we got to eat, right?"
"True! And- Eh? Uwaaah! What's that in your head, Rose?!" Coral freaked out, as he saw something truly strange on top of Rose's head!
"Eh?!" Rose quickly realized what it was as well, freaking out as much as her friend.
It was a small, red-colored slime!
"Sheesh! You kids are really a handful!"
