Chapter Text
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
“Wakey-wakey young whipper-snappers!”
I woke up first due to the noise and saw James hitting a ladle to a clean frying pan and Sans following along, except he had a pot together with Louie.
I had to cover my ears the more they kept up at the chorus of clanging pots until everyone else woke up from the noise.
“I’m waking up, I’m waking up!”
“MAKE IT STOP!”
To keep it short, it was chaos as everyone scrambled out of their sleeping bags while the trio cackled at our misery.
I can still feel the echo of the clanging pots and frying pan even with covered ears…
Ace and Kasper made a mad dash out of the lounge, fighting for who would be the one that could get to the bathroom first before the ghosts considered shooting water at them.
So that left Deuce, Mel, Lyle and I behind.
To sum up the sleepover that celebrates me leaving medical confinement, we all settled with doing a movie night with Mel calling dibs for the first two Patrick Johnson movies while eating up the rest of the tarts and other snacks they brought.
Then everyone else but Grim and I took turns sharing movies to watch until it’s late and we all turned in for the night on the sleeping bags.
It was… it was nice.
A good relaxation after what went down the past few days.
“Morning;” I greeted the ghosts after they finally put down the pots, ladles and frying pan.
“Morning kiddos!” Louie greeted with a big grin on his face.
“My ears…” Deuce had a pained look on his face as he tried to adjust his hearing again.
“Do you always wake up like this?” Lyle turned to face me and pondered.
I shook my head as I gave my reply. “No, I’m guessing they wanted to prank us this time.”
“It sure looks like you have fun ways of waking up, haha!” Mel giggled.
“Fun my foot.” Grim grumbled on the side.
“By the way kiddo, we got all the stuff you bought yesterday unpacked by now!” Sans informed me.
Ah, yeah.
I did end up speaking about how I met Kalim yesterday since the ghosts did drop in to ask what to do with all the groceries and the like down at the hall at one point.
“Yuu, did you just become someone’s sugar baby?” I remember Ace asking that and he got this shit-eating grin on his face as he questioned me.
“I tried to reject his offer once and he stays very insistent about paying so yes, maybe.” I drawled at him in return.
Anyway;
“Thanks.” I thanked them.
“No problemo! You need the rest after all!”
The ghosts saluted at me before going off their own way.
While Ace and Kasper were still fighting for who gets the dibs on the bathroom first, I headed to the kitchen.
I really wanted to test that Espresso machine and the coffee beans I just received (Yes, received, it's not really bought with my own personal cash anyway).
The ghosts placed the barista set on the kitchen so there's that.
“Yuuyuu, where are you going?” Mel pondered.
“Kitchen, I wanted to test something I just got from Kalim-san yesterday and we might as well have something to do while we wait for who gets to shower next.”
As if to answer us, Kasper’s wail of defeat echoed the halls of Ramshackle.
“Right, Ace got first dibs then.” I casually noted.
“Kasper’s going to take a while in the shower.” Lyle commented.
Well, with his spoiled background, I’m not surprised.
Once I reached the kitchen, five plastic cups each filled with a toothbrush along with a tube of toothpaste came floating in front of us.
A paper then floated my way, slowly plopping to my hand as I raised it and sees what the paper is about and it reads:
“Go brush your teeth first before you even dare use the kitchen or eat anything here. The only reason there’s five cups right now is because Ace isn’t here.” – Lando
…I want to know how good Lando’s poltergeist telekinesis is one day.
If I didn’t know that Lando’s been dead for years, I would have assumed he’s psychic.
…Time to relay the message.
***
We all decided to comply with Lando and get our teeth brushed over at the restroom located in the hallway.
It has a pretty big sink, probably to account for all the rooms shared here.
A majority of the first floor is cleaned up by now with some aid from the ghosts so that’s a plus.
The other bedrooms are technically unlivable except for mine, so us, by that, I mean, the merry group of us first year kids, slept at the lounge with a sleeping bag for our consequent sleepovers.
Anyway, with our teeth brushed, we are treated to the fanciest breakfast that Lando could have made for us based on what we had in the Ramshackle dorm kitchen and fridge (Plus what I recently stocked up thanks to Kalim).
Placed on the dining table near the kitchen counter are a handful of toasts, a selection of jam and sauce, eggs, bacon, some helping of pasta loaded with what I believe is Alfredo sauce... Well, lots of food, basically.
“Knowing you kids, you’re gonna need to eat a bunch.” Lando spoke from the kitchen, then he pointedly stared at me. “Especially you;”
I exhaled a sigh in response to Lando. “One time you are medically confined and now you’re stuck with having to eat a lot.”
“But you do need it to get better.” Lyle, being the lone person outside of myself who can see and hear Lando, inputted.
“Is Landy arguing about how Yuuyuu should eat more?” Mel pondered.
“Yes.” Lyle affirmed to Mel and a curious Kasper eyeing from the side, eyebrows furrowed at me.
“Lando’s right though, you did lose a lot of blood.” Deuce joined, nodding to Lyle’s side.
…They’re gonna be arguing about this to me a lot until I got the clear, aren’t they?
I let out another exhale, resigned. “Fine, but don’t come forcing me to eat more than what I could handle.”
Lyle gave a nod of approval at me once he heard my reply.
Anyway, I decided to walk and head over to where the Espresso machine was placed in the kitchen while everyone else decided to get seated at the dining table.
It was a small one, nothing too fancy but enough for myself and occasional visitors.
“I read the manuals and set things up ahead. Grinded all the coffee beans on the grinder and tested the machine last night while you're watching a movie.”
Lando informed me once I was close to approaching the kitchen.
“Thanks.” I thanked him.
With that done, I grabbed the mug nearby and moved around the counter as if it came to me naturally.
I grabbed the group head of the Espresso machine and put the now grounded coffee beans on it before tamping it with the coffee tamp.
Then I placed the group head back at the machine and turned the machine to let it extract the coffee with the mug as the container for the extracted liquid.
After a few minutes, getting a clean spoon while waiting for the extraction, I stopped the machine and grabbed the mug now filled with coffee.
I didn’t really get the chance to taste the coffee beans yesterday, though movie night was fun.
But first, I need to taste the coffee.
The coffee beans in Twisted Wonderland won’t be anything similar to the ones I used to taste back home, especially when you account for the fact that magic is real here instead of being an old forgotten part of history and they may play a factor in how some of the plants and crops here are grown.
Potentially, I mean.
I still need to know if magic is used in some form but coffee here definitely won’t taste the same as what I’m used to tasting back home.
It’s been a while since I last brewed and made coffee too so there’s that.
“Whoa you’re pretty fast Yuuyuu!”
I shift my attention from the hot coffee to the rest of the group standing in front of the counter looking at me, with Grim jumping onto the table and Mel looking in awe at my work.
I shrugged my shoulders in response to Mel. “It’s nothing; I’ve been doing this for about three years and my dad back home brews and knew coffee better than I do.”
Technically, I started actively helping around the café at age thirteen and until then, I’ve only been helping around my parents with baking and the like, all while avoiding the elephant in the room that was the words mom spoke to me once at age ten.
“I’m sorry Yuu I’m sorry-“
I shook my head off lightly at the echo of a familiar memory and looked down at the mug.
…Maybe I should ask Sam if there are part-time job offers in a café downtown or something.
My relationship with my family has never been the same as it used to be before, but I really do get to enjoy brewing coffee and experiment as much as I like thanks to my dad.
I miss brewing coffee.
“You’re not drinking it yet?” Grim pondered, staring at the mug while I was grabbing for a spoon to taste a sip before asking. “Can I have it?”
I warned Grim. “That’s not for you and it’s still hot.”
Grim whined. “Why not? Since you’re making it, it should also be for me too!”
Then without waiting, Grim decided to take the mug and take a sip out of the coffee.
Only to spit it out at the next moment;
“Blegh! It’s bitter!”
I exhaled a sigh in response to Grim, reiterating. “I did warn you earlier.”
I’m gonna have to make a whole new cup for coffee cupping now…
It’s unhygienic to use a mug that’s been previously used. I’ll clean up Grim’s mess too.
Mom’s always particular with kitchen hygiene and most of her lessons about cleaning up the kitchen stuck with me till now.
Anyhow;
I grabbed the mug away from Grim and unceremoniously dropped the liquid down at the sink, before quickly washing the mug with some bit of dish washing soap and grabbing a new mug to use while leaving the washed mug to dry off.
“Why did you throw that drink away?” Deuce wondered.
“Hygiene reasons, mostly.” I answered.
Soon, I start reciting what dad taught me as I start cleaning up the mess Grim made earlier when he spit out the coffee.
No, dad wasn’t a coffee fan at all-
…Wait, which dad am I thinking about?
I think I’m mixing up what I remember of my reincarnation.
“A grind that’s been used for a drink won’t taste as good as a freshly brewed one. All that’s left in the now used and brewed coffee grounds are unpleasant flavors, so they’re technically useless and can’t be used to make another cup of coffee. And the reason the now brewed grounds are also thrown out is mostly to not clog the machine with leftover grounds.”
“But it still tasted bitter.” Grim grumbled from his spot.
“Coffee has always been bitter, even in Espresso form.” I reiterated for Grim.
Grim grumbled more. “What’s the big deal with the drink?”
He’s in for a ride.
I then compromised with Grim. “If you still want to watch me brew them, I’ll grab a free chair for you to sit and watch over me for. I’ll be making a Latte and making two cups won’t hurt.”
“No need to move around and get the chair, I’m on it.” Lando joined in after keeping his silence earlier.
Well, I’m not sure if it’s silence if Lyle and I are the only ones that could hear and see him as he used his abilities to levitate and bring a wooden chair towards the counter.
The sight of a levitating chair brought Mel, Deuce, Kasper and Grim to surprise as they jumped in response to seeing a floating chair.
“Whoa is Landy bringing a chair for Grimmy?” Mel exclaimed, having jumped to the side when he saw the chair.
“Yes.” I confirmed for Mel as I walked back to the counter to gather a new grind to put on the group head, tamp it and then let the Espresso machine do its magic after grabbing two new mugs to use.
For some reason, I’m reminded of my old cat, Shiratama…
Uncle Souren introduced the idea of having a pet at home to help me out since that incident in my first elementary school and I ended up picking a cat, kitten at the time, and named her Shiratama.
Yes, I named her after the Shiratama Dango back then but I always thought that it’s a pretty name for a food as a kid.
Anyway, Shiratama has always been around with me for 8-9 years and she can get really curious about things around her.
She also liked to jump over at the counter a lot whenever I’m in the kitchen and eventually uncle Souren came up with a compromise of getting a customized chair for her so she could watch me do my thing without getting too close to the other equipment and stuff around the counter.
Shiratama doesn’t shed a lot of fur but mom always reminds me to be cautious still.
And the habit stuck.
Either way, I turn the machine off to end the extraction on one mug, putting it away from Grim’s reach, now that he is sitting on the chair that Lando brought.
My hand reached for the tea spoon and I took a sip.
…I’m not quite sure about the profile of this coffee ground. I’ll just treat it as a regular ground coffee.
I grabbed the milk from the fridge after putting the tea spoon onto the sink, opened it and poured it on the small milk jug to start steaming the milk in it before making the second cup of coffee.
Once it’s done, I decided to pour over the steamed milk onto the first cup of coffee I made without doing anything special to differentiate the first drink from the next one.
Then I repeated the steps for the second cup of coffee after cleaning up the milk jug and steaming wand.
It’s… a tedious process, but it’s an art, in a way.
And I personally think the look of coffee mixed with water or milk to be pleasing.
Anyway, with the second coffee ready and the milk 100% steamed, I tilted the mug and start out with a simple leaf stack.
“Is it ready?” Grim demanded from his seat.
“Here.” I gave the mug with the leaf stack latte art to Grim after it’s done. “Drink slowly, if it’s still bitter, I’ll grab some sugar in a bit.”
Grim did so, slowly sipping onto the hot mug. He put down the mug after a few sips, frowning. “It tastes like something is roasted and still bitter.”
Well, that’s to be expected. Not even milk can fully dilute the bitterness in coffee.
Grim then adds. “But the milk makes it creamy! It’s still bitter and lacking other flavors though.”
“So your verdict is?” I wonder.
“It’s good, but could taste better, ya know?”
“Sure.”
“So you weren’t kidding when you said that you helped your family café on the side.” I turn to my left when I hear Ace’s voice joining in-
Actually, when did Ace get here?
“You’re pretty much in the zone earlier when Ace-y arrived here Yuuyuu!” Mel answered for me.
“I smelled coffee after I’m done with my shower and now Kasper’s in the shower room.” Ace told me.
“Okay.” I affirmed them both.
“Say Yuu; think you can make another cup?” Ace requested.
“Are you expecting me to be a free coffee maker?” I questioned back.
“No,” Ace denied, “But Heartslabyul had a dumb rule we just learned yesterday that coffee is banned in there and I’m kinda craving some coffee right now.”
What.
No coffee in Heartslabyul???
Ace then clasped his hands together, giving me a pleading look. “Please?”
Deuce stepped in, frowning at Ace before I could think of a reply. “Ace, Yuu is still recovering so we can’t trouble him too much.”
…Well, I technically own this abandoned building right now.
It’ll be rude and honestly, Ace, Deuce, Grim, every one of my new found friends here, they already did a lot to set up the sleepover.
I could do something at least.
One of these days I might have to correct my pronouns to them, but today’s not the day.
They haven’t actually asked either, so there’s that.
Either way, I gave my answer. “I could make some. Not now though. Just don’t expect me to make one for you every day.”
“Sweet!”
I then ask. “Deuce, Lyle, Mel, do you guys have any preference? You too Ace;”
“You can ask that later.” Lando chimed in, floating above me. “Breakfast is about to get cold soon, you might want to eat first.”
…Right.
***
For a long story, short:
Breakfast was a merry affair but everyone else had decided to leave Ramshackle to do their own thing and leave me to rest.
So it’s just me, Grim and the ghosts in the haunted mansion dorm now.
Well, after everyone had taken their shower in Ramshackle though.
It’s a miracle that the water pipes are functioning as well as it did for a rundown dorm. Maybe the Headmaster fixed it when I first arrived.
I made them all a cup of coffee as promised while everyone’s taking turns in the shower and made a mental note of their preferences for lattes once I got them all to taste it.
They all accept the latte as is but I could tell some bits from how they take their drinks.
To sum it up:
Deuce is rather new to coffee drinking and usually goes with the instant kind where it already has some sugar in it. I had to give him two spoons of sugar to make it palatable for him when he had his first taste of his cup. (Given how Deuce is raised by a single parent, he probably doesn’t have a lot of luxuries to try coffee shops or the like. And there’s his past as a former Yankee, so… yeah. It’s just a guess on my part though.)
Lyle had no comment, oddly, and takes the latte as is.
Kasper, as expected, had high standards for how he wanted his coffee to be. I had to put my foot down that my coffee bar in this kitchen isn’t a super fancy coffee shop’s coffee bar.
Mel wanted truckloads of sugar in his cup and grabbed the sugar jar as soon as it’s on his hands.
Ace wanted more caramel on his latte and went to grab the caramel syrup that was placed next to the coffee grinder.
Well, their preferences are gonna grow when I eventually get my hands on more syrups and tools to use. I only got caramel syrup from the set Kalim bought for me.
Caramel's a simple classic, but it still does it's charm well.
Anyway, Grim had taken to exploring around the dorm with Louie and James for company after Ace, Deuce, Kasper, Lyle and Mel left Ramshackle as I sat on the sofa in the lounge room after taking my shower and changed out my clothes for new ones so Lando can do the laundry.
I am currently reading one of the books that Lilia recommended me yesterday as I let myself relax and enjoy the now quiet dorm with only the background noise of nature accompanying me.
Birds chirping and the wind blowing… It's a good kind of quiet for me.
It’s easier to focus on reading the book.
Lilia recommended that I start with the “History of Magic” and its influence in the world.
“To understand a certain power, one must learn the history behind them,” or so Lilia told me yesterday.
So there’s that.
I was quietly reading for another hour when I heard the echo of the door of this racket-y dorm being knocked three times.
Who would be coming to visit here?
As if to answer me, I saw Lando heading for the door to see who it was before he returned a few minutes later. “Hey kid? Little red is here.”
…Riddle?
Why would he be coming here?
Grabbing the shawl poncho I placed near the sofa earlier because of the chilly autumn weather, I stood from my seat.
“You’re gonna greet him?” Lando wondered.
“Yeah, it’s not like he can see you.” I reasoned.
“Fair point;” Lando conceded before giving me a look. “Just holler at me if he does try something kid.”
I nodded at him and walked towards the hallway with the shawl on my back.
Once I put on my slip-on shoes, I opened the door to greet my unexpected visitor.
The red haired senior stood in front of me, hands fidgeting on what I believe to be a lunch box, his eyes were wide in surprise as if he didn't expect me to answer the knock.
“What do you need, Riddle-san?” I implored him.
Riddle stood firm in front of me but the way his fingers fidget on the box said other wise.
So I opened the door wide and beckoned. "Please come in."
***
"Coffee or tea?" I asked him once I brought my unexpected guest to the kitchen. Grim is still away with Louie and James so he wasn't aware of Riddle's surprise visit.
"Tea," Riddle answered me, before adding. "With honey, please."
I nodded in affirmation and asked another question, more out of habit from the days I've spent helping my parents' cafe. "Any preference for tea blends?"
"...What sort of blends do you have?" He wondered.
"I don't have the fancier blends so your possible choices are just the Earl Grey, Queendom’s Breakfast, Darjeeling, Chamomile and Peppermint blends."
Pretty sure the Queendom's Breakfast blend is just the English's Breakfast blend back home, some names are just not the same as what I'm used to.
They're also simple starting tea blends and what I'm more familiar with than the fancier stuff.
"Earl Grey then;" Riddle answered.
"Right, one honeyed Earl Grey tea coming up." I grabbed the kettle of hot water on the stove and place it on the heating mat next to it while grabbing the Earl Grey teabag and jar of honey along with the mug.
Once the set up is done, I placed the teabag on the mug and pour hot water on it. I opened the lid of the honey jar and pour a small amount to a cupping mug (From the set that Kalim bought me) and grab a teaspoon from the drawers.
With that done, I brought the mug with a teaspoon placed on top of it and the smaller cupping mug filled with honey. "Here you go, do be careful when drinking since it's still hot."
Riddle nodded at me, murmuring a "Thank you" as he received the mug.
Riddle took a few sips of the tea, leaving us both in awkward silence, unsure where to start until his hand went to the lunchbox that was placed on the table earlier and he opened the lid to show a strawberry tart.
"Riddle-san, is that-"
"I'm sorry." Riddle cut me off before I could finish.
I slightly tilt my head in wonder as Riddle continued. "After that disastrous event two days ago, I had pondered about what I should do to personally apologize to you and I'm not sure if you'd fully forgive me after what I have done, but... I still wish to apologize."
Riddle paused, inhaling a shaky breath before he brought the opened lunch box containing three slices of strawberry tarts to me.
"I'm unsure of how I should actually apologize to you but I wanted to start with these apology tarts."
I stare at the nervous looking senior and then looked at the tarts.
I can accept this.
It's a start.
"Alright," I spoke up, pondering at the tarts. "May I take a bite?"
Riddle nodded at me, his eyes lighting up with positivity.
With that said, I took one slice from the box, placing it on a plate taken from the kitchen drawer to prevent bits of the cake from falling to the wooden floor and took a bite-
I bit my grimace as soon as the taste hits my tongue.
It looks like a strawberry tart, but it tastes too salty.
The saltiness of the flour and the sweetness of the strawberries clashed.
After swallowing it, I put down the tart onto the plate and turned my eyes to the red-haired senior.
"Riddle-san, have you actually tasted it?" I wondered after tasting the oddly salty tart.
Riddle looked puzzled the moment he asked me. "Is something wrong? Was it not to your taste?"
I didn't answer him right away, I gestured my hand to the other tart slices he brought and suggested. "Try a taste, Riddle-san."
Riddle's puzzled expression stayed on his features as I suggested it but he nevertheless agreed, since he made the tart himself.
He took a slice and then bit it.
His neutral face shifted to horror, a gagging noise erupted out of his throat as he tasted the tart and grabbed the nearby tissue box to unceremoniously spit out the salty sweet tart.
"That was..."
"What did you put on the tart, Riddle-san?" I wondered.
"I followed the recipe to make one! I even included the oyster sauce to make it tastier..."
...So that's why.
"Riddle-san, sorry to say but, Trey-san is lying to you about the oyster sauce bit."
Riddle gaped at me once I finished.
“Trey…?”
“It was meant to be a joke rather than an actual fact,” I explained before advising. “You should try to actually taste the food first before giving it to someone Riddle-san.”
"...I shall note that." Riddle nodded at me. "Though the tarts..."
...Wait.
"Did you bake a whole tart?" I decided to ask.
Riddle looking away from me gives me all the answer that I needed.
I would laugh at the hilarity of the serious Riddle buying the obvious joke that oyster sauce and sweets don’t mix, but that would sound rude and reject his attempt for a sincere apology, like I’m making fun of him.
So I instead suggested. "You know, Ace never said that you can't get help from anyone else. He just said that you're not allowed to get Trey-san to help."
"I... can do that? But..."
I shook my head, stopping Riddle from finishing his line of thought. "There's nothing wrong with getting help if you're not too good at something. Even if you follow the instructions to the tee, unexpected errors happen and people do make mistakes in doing something and there's nothing wrong with that. There's no harm in making mistakes or getting help."
I took the tart on my plate as I elaborated. "Maybe you didn't mix the batter well, maybe you put in too much sugar, but you can always note your mistakes for next time, not every thing is cooked the same way, it just takes a lot of practice to make your craft perfect."
Riddle didn't seem fully convinced with that.
Though I suppose if you grew up with heavy expectations to be perfect and make little to no mistakes, it's hard to get used to failures when you are used to think that failure means disappointing people.
I placed the plate back down and reminded him. "We still have some days away from the redone Unbirthday Party, right? You still had some time to make a better tart."
I soon followed with a quote. "Have courage to think and act on your own, and have the courage to disobey."
Riddle's eyes were wide as saucers when I said that. "What...? Can you repeat that....?"
I obliged and repeated. "Have courage to think and act on your own, and have the courage to disobey."
"That's... you..."
"Riddle-san?"
At my questioning gaze, he shook his head. "Apologies, I feel like I heard someone say that before." Clearing his throat, he nodded. "I'll remember that."
Riddle's lips curved upwards, it wasn't the cold, prideful and snide smile he had shown over the past few days, and the smile radiated the warmth of gratitude. "Thank you for the tea."
I gave a small smile to him in return. "You're welcome."
***
Riddle left after finishing the tea and Grim returned from exploring shortly after.
"Was that Riddle I see just now?" Grim wondered.
I nodded with a hum as I washed the mug on the sink. Grim must have seen a glimpse of Riddle as he left the building.
"He didn't do anything to ya did he?"
I shook my head at the cat monster that now jumped to the empty chair near the counter. "Nah, he's here to talk a bit and apologize. Nothing big;"
"But he hurt you." Grim grumbled.
Putting the now clean mug to dry in the drying rack, I went over to Grim and put my hand on his head, ruffling the fur.
"Thanks for the concern Grim." I thanked him, lightly smiling at him.
I admit, despite our horrible first impression, and me still having some reservations about his attitude, he's slowly improving.
Grim puffed his chest. "Hmph! I'm only doing the obvious as the Boss!"
Yeah, slow and steady. He'll get better in time for sure.
"Hey Grim, want some hot chocolate to drink?"
"Heck yeah!"
"My, may I have some as well?"
"Sure-"
I cut myself off and whipped my head towards the foreign speaker to see Irene, and in her hand was the mug she borrowed from me two days ago.
"Hey where are you-" Grim turned and then screamed. "A FLOATING MUG!?"
Oh, right.
I'm the only one who can see dead people.
"Hello Irene." I looked at the now clean borrowed mug as I greeted her while Grim gawked at the invisible visitor's identity. "How was the honey milk?"
"Ah, about that," Irene looked sheepish as she told me. "I didn't drink it, I left it at Riddle's room and it took me a while to get the mug back."
"Why?" I voiced out.
"Trey seems to be on my trail and is keen to be searching for me."
...Well.
He did see Irene's appearance along with recognizing her dead ringer resemblance to his childhood friend. Trey would have wanted answers about her connection to Riddle.
"...So you're seeking shelter in Ramshackle until he is off your trail?" I guessed.
"Partly," Irene admitted, looking away from me as she did so.
...Maybe she isn't ready to show herself in front of Riddle yet.
"Sure, you can stay for a bit." I told her.
...Wait.
If Irene's gonna stay around...
"How would you drink the chocolate if you're not in Heartslabyul grounds?"
"I have my ways." Irene simply smiled and told me like it's a matter of fact.
...Maybe I shouldn't have asked.
Irene chuckled at my silence and quickly clarified. "No need to worry, I'm still just as magically inclined as the other ghosts in the employ of Night Raven College, I can eat and drink just fine."
Well, the more you know.
"Hey Yuu, are you saying Irene's gonna stay around?" Grim wondered.
"For a while, she isn't gonna stay long and will go back to Heartslabyul later." I answered for him.
Irene lightly bowed her head to me at my response. "Thank you for the patronage, Yuu-san."
I nodded at her. "Yeah, no problem; I'll make some for three, scratch that, seven. Lando, Louie, Sans and James are going to want some too."
I did buy some milk chocolate bars and some dark chocolates yesterday.
"I'm going to make them from scratch by boiling in and mixing milk and chocolate with a dash of coffee grounds, hot chocolates are creamier that way."
Mom and dad taught me this secret when I started helping around the café and started brewing chocolate.
We actually use instant cocoa powder mixed with milk and some coffee grounds for the café though, since not every person is willing to wait for a drink for too long.
"Really!? I wanna have a taste!"
"Slow down Grim. I need to start making them now."
Dinner is going to be rowdy with five ghosts and the two of us later.
But I don't mind.
It reminds me of home, somewhat.
***
Grim did, in fact, enjoy the hot chocolate with milk and a dash of coffee grounds.
The ghosts actually emptied the mug and drank them.
So Irene was right. Magic being a thing in Twisted Wonderland means that ghosts can actually enjoy food and drinks like a regular person.
Or something;
Some things aren't meant to be questioned too much.
Once the mugs dried up, I grabbed a permanent marker (One of the things I decided to buy thanks to Kalim yesterday) and started doodling.
Purple and blue marble for Lando, the faces of Louie, Sans and James on each of their respective mugs, and a black cat with a bow for Grim.
For Irene's, I grabbed one of the white mugs in the shelf and drew a crown and a rose on it without giving them any additional colors. White markers are kinda hard to see on a white mug.
I let the ink dry for a bit as I stare at my handiwork.
Maybe I'd draw something for the rest of the gang if we have another sleepover.
***
Monday arrived without much fanfare and I woke up Grim for classes and to accompany me with my medical check-up at the school's infirmary and Lando tagging along after making breakfast for us both.
Crewel-sensei was already at the infirmary when I arrived and he handed over three vials filled with the same potion meds that I’ve been drinking the last two days after he finished checking on my health and the verdict of my injuries when I was discharged on Saturday.
“You can undo the bandages by tomorrow, but I expect you to drink those potions for the next three days, pup.”
I nodded to his explanation with Grim listening in on the side.
Once the check-up was officially finished, Grim, Lando and I headed off to our class.
It was 8 AM now. Students are starting to trickle down the campus corridors and halls.
"There are other people at this time?" Grim pondered.
"They're probably taking breakfast at the cafeteria." I told him, remembering what the Headmaster told me during day one. "The cafeteria serves breakfast but it's optional because you also got the choice to just cook in your own dorm."
Grim hummed in thought. "Maybe we should get some grub tomorrow! I like Lando's cooking not gonna lie but I want the yummy cafeteria food once in a while!"
“Gee thanks for the compliment.” Lando commented from the side.
"With the gang?" I wondered.
"Yeah!"
"Sure." I nodded along and it took a few more steps to reach the 1-A classroom.
“And this is where I bid farewell, take care kid.” Lando waved as he floated away while I nodded in response.
I opened the door and walked in.
Ace and Deuce aren't awake yet, none of them are online last I checked Encord an hour ago.
(The interface looks vaguely similar with Discord, Twisted Wonderland's local Discord, perhaps?)
Mel made everyone download Encord 2 days ago during the "Get out of bed rest" celebration sleepover so we now have another group chat outside of Magicam.
I sent the message that I'm awake and heading to the campus earlier but that's about it.
While I walked to my shared seat with Grim, a blonde haired student with mouse ears walked towards me and greeted. "Hey."
I looked at the student with a raised brow while I saw Grim giving the student a side eye in suspicion.
"Are you recovering well from three days ago?"
Oh.
I just took note of the Heartslabyul logo on his arm band.
I nodded at the student. "Peachy; Crewel-sensei's potions helped out with the recovery process."
The mouse beastfolk student smiled in relief. "That's great."
Before I could step away to get to my seat, he started.
“I… I was there three days ago, you know? In that duel with Dorm head Riddle, I mean.” The mouse beastfolk started after a moment of fidgeting his fingers.
“I… I didn’t like the way Dorm head Riddle does to lead Heartslabyul too but unlike Ace and Deuce… I was too afraid. Too afraid to be punished that I complied with his rule… but then, I see you running into the fight when Dorm head Riddle overblotted without a single shred of fear, only the need to finish off and save Dorm head Riddle from overblotting…”
Pausing, he fidgeted around more before finally concluding; “What I’m saying is… I admire you and am jealous of that bravery you have, and maybe that bravery is why some of the seniors initially afraid of Dorm head Riddle ended up joining the fray and help the fight… because… if a magicless student is far braver and more willing to face conflict head on, what does that say about them, someone who has magic, but far too afraid to face it in fear of consequences?”
…Huh.
That’s a way to see it.
“That can be seen as recklessness in a certain point of view though.” I pointed out.
“Still,” He digressed, shaking his head at me. “The fact that you’re the first to step in to face a crazed dorm head completely head on spoke volumes about you more than the rest of us in Heartslabyul who are too afraid to fight back.”
"I might have been the braver one in your point of view, but that doesn't mean you are any less in the right for being afraid and freezing on the spot."
I long learn to train myself to be calm and assess my situation since that incident when I was 7 years old. What happened three days ago is definitely his first experience in a life-threatening situation.
My experience dealing with ghosts back before... this entire Isekai thing probably gave me some good grasp of human psychology and understanding the many facets of people.
Not everyone has a fight or flight response, and some would freeze in fear.
"It's your first experience being in a life-threatening situation and you're not in the wrong for being afraid. You can just take it as a learning experience. Everyone faces their fears in one way or another."
"...I'll note that." The student nodded at me.
"By the way, you are..." I trailed; I didn't know his name yet.
"Oh, I'm Percy Neville, nice to meet you." He showed his hand towards me.
...Now that I think about it, I didn't have a chance to get to know my other 1-A classmates outside of Ace and Deuce.
I've been hanging around with them, Kasper, Lyle and Mel since my arrival to this strange world and never had the proper chance to acquaint myself with my fellow peers.
...I should speak and get along with my 1-A classmates more.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Yuu Shiina" I greeted back, introducing myself in western naming and shook the outstretched hand in return.