At first, Mika thought it was simply favoritism.
Charlotte was the youngest, the most vibrant, the most outwardly affectionate.
It made a certain kind of sense that everyone would dote on her a little more.
But as time passed and the pattern became more pronounced, Mika began to suspect that something deeper was at work.
"It's not fair!" Astrid would stomp her feet. "Why does Charlotte get extra dessert and I don't?"
"Because you're not as cute as me." Charlotte would reply with a smug grin, sticking out her tongue.
"Charlotte, that's not nice." Fauna would say, but there was no real bite to her words. "And Astrid, you were given the same amount as everyone else."
"But she got more!"
"Because she asked nicely."
"I asked nicely too!"
"You stomped your feet and whined."
The Battle Angels would just ignore the commotion and chide them, saying it wasn't like that. But Mika definitely knew they were spoiling Charlotte.
—
Then there were more signs like the interviews.
