Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

• TWST does not belong to me, it belongs to whoever it belongs to, which I wish was me but it isn't so...
• This story is going to have very dark things including but not limited to d**th (e, a), m*rder (u), g*re (o), and s**c*de (u, i, i). I will post warnings at the top of every chapter, of course, but these topics are very heavily interwoven with the story, so I suggest you read something else if you are not comfortable with these sorts of topics.
• The reader will be gender neutral, and they will have no pre-set physical properties which are not essential to in-story lore as to be as inclusive as possible. Any pre-set physical properties will be explained in due time. MC is also about the same physical age as Enma Yuuken.
• Love interests will NOT include: Cheka, Ortho, Grim, RSA students and NRC Staff. All NRC dorms are otherwise love interests, including Enma Yuuken
• The reader will have a designated personality, so that the story is more interesting. 

Chapter Text

Another day at the Kendo club, another day of you sitting at the side-lines.

You didn’t particularly mind, of course. You were more of a runner yourself anyways, and besides, you didn’t really have the physical strength for Kendo. You never really had the dedication nor the motivation to train for such a demanding sport, not like Yuuken.

That was one thing about Yuuken Enma, his drive. It hadn’t failed to pass by you, not once in the two years you two had been friends. He always worked hard at anything he set his mind to, an admirable trait in a person. He had hopes and dreams, and he was willing to work for them. And sure enough, his efforts had paid off, resulting in the Kendo’s Club’s first official match in ten years.

Perhaps you had hopes and dreams as well. Whether you did or not didn’t really matter in any case, since you couldn’t be bothered to work for something that would never turn to reality. You were content with this much, swimming through life with little disturbance.

Someone tapped you on the shoulder, interrupting your train of thought. “Senpai!”

You turned your head in the direction of the tap. A young underclassman waved around a newspaper with excitement. Normally, he would have been training along with the others, but as it so happened, the boy had hurt his leg recently, and was under doctor’s orders not to take part in sport of any kind.

“Read this!” The boy eagerly pointed to one particular headline:

AMPUTATED ARM FOUND NEAR APARTMENT!!!

Your eyes widened.

“This is the apartment you live in, right (L/N)-san?” asked the boy, no doubt motivated by some sort of morbid curiosity. “Did you see anything? Did you hear anything?”

 “No, I didn’t,” you answered, not hesitating.

“Aww.” The boy pouted, crossing his arms and slumping in his seat. “And here I thought I would be able to sniff out the murderer just like in those mystery manga…”

You shook your head. “You shouldn’t want to get involved in such things, Hayato-kun,” you chided him. “Who knows what danger you might land up in?”

“Come on, (L/N)-senpai, is it that bad to want to shake things up a little?”

“Well, yes.”

“Aww, you’re no fun.” Hayato groaned.

You chuckled. “How disrespectful.”

Yuuken walked up to you, a welcome disturbance. “(Y/N), we should get going.”

“Of course.”

“Hey, (Y/N)?”

You turned to Yuuken. “Yes, Yuuken?”

“What do you think of Koito? Of how he’s doing…”

You took a moment to think. “Koito’s improved a lot lately. He has so much determination in him, Yuuken. He rather reminds me of you. I’m sure the Kendo club will dominate the competition tomorrow.”

“You really think so?”

“With someone like you guiding them, I don’t see how you can’t at the very least put up a good fight,” you said, matter-of-factly.

A smile spread across Yuuken’s face. “Thanks, (Y/N).”

You smiled back, before a thought popped into your mind. “…On another note, Hayato-kun showed me a newspaper article today,” you said, your smile fading. “They found an amputated arm near where I live. They have no idea who it really belongs to, though, since there weren’t any matches to the DNA. It’s a cold case now.”

“…” Yuuken was silent. “Cold case, huh…”

“Yes. That always seems to happen,” you remarked. “Well, you don’t need to worry over it now, since you’re in the-”

“NEEEIIIGH!”

“Huh, what sort of cry was tha-”

Two horses, pulling a carriage, galloped in the place where a bus should be.

You were the only one to speak.

“What on earth?”

Chapter Text

You woke up inside of a dark place of some kind, somehow having fell asleep upright. Where…am I? You reached out, your hands brushing against the wooden lid of your coffin…

It didn’t take long for you to gather your senses and realise that you were, in fact, inside a cage of some kind, and so, you held your breath, trying not to make a noise. Who’s captured me…?

The lid was just thin enough to make out some muffled sounds from the outside world, and soon enough, you could hear a familiar voice, shouting, “A coffin?!”

Yuuken!

You began to bang against the wooden wall(?) frantically, and screamed from the inside, “Yuuken! Help me!”

Curse you and your your weak arms, you couldn’t open it by yourself, but you had faith in Yuuken and his incredible strength.

“(Y/N)?” he called out.

“Help me!” you yelled again, more desperately. “Get me out!”

“Hold on!” he said to you. “I’ll just pull on this handle…”

The box you were in began to shake, and the lid burst open, your body tumbling to the floor, down, down, down.

You scrambled up to a sitting position, clutching your poor, aching head, which had been hit in the fall. “Ow…”

“(Y/N), you’re alright!” Yuuken took your hand and helped you up to your feet, where you stood for a few seconds, observing your surroundings and checking everything.

Behind you was the box, which had an odd resemblance to a coffin. Someone had put you in there, and Yuuken had released you from it. You could see many other coffins, but only yours and one other was open (which you correctly assumed was Yuuken’s). And were they floating?

The place you were in was some sort of grand building or hall, with rows and rows of benches with people on them.

Speaking of the people…

Your eyes widened when you saw the beautiful cloaks which covered them, all the same design, as if it were a uniform of some sort. Have we been captured by a group of some sort? You shifted closer to Yuuken and grasped his hand. He squeezed your hand comfortingly, as if to say, it’s going to be alright.

You hoped so.

Murmurs exploded in the room, and you strained your ears in an attempt to hear what they were saying:

“Hey…what’s going on?”

“That guy came out of the door all by himself!”

“He even managed to open another one…”

“Honestly,” said a voice, and you whipped your head in the direction from where it came from.

A man, dressed in a top hat, a feathery cape, and a mask, with a cane in hand to top it all off. “Coming out of the door of your own accord is virtually unheard of. Why are you in such a hurry?”

Yuuken’s eyes widened, as did yours, and you shifted behind him a little as he grabbed his Kendo bag from his back and pointed it towards the strange man, shouting “D-Don’t come any closer!”

“Please, calm yourself!” The man raised a hand placatingly. “Believe me, I’m certainly not a suspicious character.”

“You look incredibly odd,” you chimed in, still not moving from behind Yuuken. “And this whole situation is incredibly odd. You’re very suspicious to us right now.”

Yuuken opened his mouth to shout something, but you placed you hand on his shoulder and squeezed it knowingly, sending him a silent message. Let me do the talking.

“Could you please tell us what this place is?” you asked. “And why we are here.”

“Why, this is the prestigious Night Raven College, where a chosen few with exceptional magic are gathered from all around the world. And the reason you two are here is because you are one of those who have been chosen. The Dark Mirror-” the man gestured to a large, floating mirror “-has recognised your prowess. A black carriage carrying a door must have come to pick you up as well. You don’t seem to be entirely lucid. A side effect of the spatial transportation magic, perhaps?”

“Spatial wha-?” Yuuken was growing more and more confused by the second. Your mind, meanwhile, was running a mile a minute, trying to piece together your situation.

“…there must have been a mistake,” you concluded, stepping out from behind Yuuken and looking the strange man straight in the eyes. “Neither I nor Yuuken can use magic. Your ‘Dark Mirror’ has chosen wrong.”

“What did you say?” The man was visibly confused.

“There’s been a mistake,” you repeated, your voice louder. “The Mirror has chosen wrong.”

“We have an important match to go to tomorrow,” added Yuuken, grabbing your hand and slinging his bag over his shoulder. “So, if you’ll excuse us!”

Yuuken began pulling you along to the exit along with him; you looked at the many eyes on you two.

For a second, your gaze fell on a young boy with red hair and large, pale grey eyes grinding his jaw, rage barely restrained.

But that second went by in a flash, and you went on scuttling after Yuuken.

“Wait a second! Someone refusing to enroll is unheard of!” The man sounded panicked. “Let’s just calm down and-”

“Don’t tell us to calm down!” retorted Yuuken indignantly. “This has nothing to do with u-”

“HOLD UP! WAIT A SEC!” shouted a voice from the outside.

Smash! went the window, and a grey furry creature leaped through the hole, landing in front of you two. The creature stood on its hind legs, a cocky expression on its face, and begun to speak. “I’ve been listenin’ to you guys! How many folks d’ya think are bitin’ at the chance to enter this school?! Lettin’ it slip by like that…I can’t believe you! So if you’re gonna be like that…let me enroll in your place!”

The whole room was silent. You were silent.

You looked at the creature.

He looked right back at you; chest puffed with pride. “How ‘bout it?” He crossed his arms cockily. “So overcome with gratitude ya can’t speak?”

“…Tanuki!” you squealed, eyes sparkling. “I wanna take him home~!”

“I’m no tanuk-”

“Yay!” You happily leaped towards the creature, grabbing him and cuddling him close to you, rubbing his cheek against yours. “Soo cuuuuute~!”

“Wha-LET GO OF ME!” The creature batted at you helplessly, but you took no notice of his cries, just hugging him tighter, a wide grin on your face.

“What should I name you?” you cooed. “Fuzzy-Wuzzy? Mr. Miaow Miaow?”

“I’m not Mr. Miaow Miaow, I’m the amazing Grim-sama! Cut that out!”

And just like that, the ‘Amazing Grim-sama’ opened his mouth, a bright blue fireball shooting out as he finally leaped away from your arms…

Chapter Text

Hot blue flames swirling, you toppled backwards with shock, falling into the strong, reliable arms of Yuuken.

“(Y/N)!”

“…” You could only blink, helplessly opening and closing your mouth. “…tanuki…” you mumbled.

“(Y/N), just stay,” said Yuuken, balancing you gently. “I’ll handle this.”

The scornful whispers of the attendees of the ceremony filled the room.

“The ‘Great Grim-Sama?’ How sad…”

“A monster? Being a student in the prestigious NRC? He should just stick to being that person’s pet…!”

“That flame spell reminded me of a toddler playing with sparklers!”

“WHAT’D YOU SAY?” fumed Grim. “Well, I guess I’m going to have to show you my real power!”

Grim opened his mouth again, the flames emerging bigger, hotter. You could see several cloaks catch on fire, people shouting in pain as the fire seared their skin.

“How foolish…!” murmured Crowley. “If he isn’t stopped…the school will be enveloped in an ocean of fire!”

Yuuken grabbed your hand. “(Y/N), we need to get out while we-”

“Tanuki,” you simply muttered, walking towards Grim, unaware of the blue flames, eyes solely focused on Grim. “I want…”

Yuuken pulled you back once again

“What a show-off,” groaned one of the students in the front row, the student with glasses sitting to his left looking incredibly irritated. However, the student to his right shot up to his feet, walking towards Grim with a certain decisiveness in his step.

Grim stopped wreaking havoc as soon as he spotted the student, shocked by their boldness.

“First someone refuses enrolment, and then a monster intrudes?” said the student. “How dare you ruin our solemn entrance ceremony!”

“He sounds angry,” you observed.

“Yeah…” agreed Yuuken.

“You…” The boy with red hair glared fiercely at Grim, grey eyes filled with fury. “Remove yourself from our school at once!”

“Get outta my waaay!” Grim roared. A pillar of blue fire once more erupted from his mouth, but the boy didn’t even flinch.

“Watch out!” shouted Yuuken, letting you go and running towards the boy, tackling him to the ground away from the blue fire.

“Trey-kun, look!” you heard someone say.

“Yeah…not good.”

“Hey! Are you…Are you okay?!” shouted Yuuken anxiously.

The boy’s hood had fallen off, and you could now see him much better than before. His features reminded you of a doll, skin as smooth as porcelain, and large pale grey eyes shining like glass.

“Just who do you think you’re speaking to?!” He pushed Yuuken aside, the larger boy tumbling away. “Move aside!”

Too bad his personality wasn’t as pleasant as his looks.

“Yuuken!” You rushed to Yuuken’s side, helping him up, before giving the bad-tempered boy a look. “How rude,” you murmured under your breath disapprovingly. “You were only trying to help him…”

“I’m not givin’ up!” shouted Grim. “So, knock it-”

“Silence!” The boy brought out a pen with a gem on top, and it started to glow brightly. “Are you ready for your sentence?” he intoned. “The verdict will come afterwards.”

Grim began to run away, clearly sensing danger, but the boy gave chase, continuing his spell. “Prepare yourself. Off with your head.”

A flash of light…

There was now a heart shaped collar around Grim’s neck, seemingly conjured from thin air. “What’s this thing?” Grim struggled with it, trying to pull it off. “This collar!”

“Accept your fate, cat,” said the boy, crossing his arms together.

“I’ll roast ya!” Grim opened his mouth, but only a small wisp escaped this time. “Huh…my magic!”

He…

Poor Grim!

You rushed up to the little grey creature and scooped him up your arms, nuzzling him. “You poor thing,” you cooed. “Are you hurt? Is the collar itchy?”

“Get your hands off me!” Once again, Grim jumped out from your arms. “You weirdo!”

“…” Your face fell with hurt at Grim’s insult, but all the same, you backed a little away from Grim, making your way back to Yuuken’s side. …Weirdo.

“What marvellous magic, Riddle Rosehearts-kun!” The man in the mask picked up Grim by the scruff of his neck. “Now, let’s toss this tanuki off the premises.”

“Fnyah?!”

“I could have used you for stew, but I didn’t! For I am gracious!”

“Lemme go, you-!” Grim kept on struggling in the man’s grip. “Dammit!” he shouted, his voice fading away as he was carried away further and further. “I’ll never, ever, ever give up!”

“Poor thing,” you muttered once again. “That man is holding him so roughly, he doesn’t deserve such horrible treatment…”

“(Y/N), are you seriously thinking of adopting him?” Yuuken sighed.

“He seems to like me.”

“(Y/N), he tried to burn you up and called you a weirdo.”

“…touché.”

At that moment, the red-haired boy (who you now knew as Riddle) stepped up to Yuuken, pointing his pen right at Yuuken’s face.

“How dare you insult me just now,” said Riddle. “Let me make this clear: that’s the same as insulting the Queen of Hearts herself! That is an unspeakably serious crime! Therefore, I shall have your head! Do you understand?!”

“…With all due respect, I don’t.”

Riddle’s gaze turned to you. “Excuse me?”

“I don’t understand why you are threatening Yuuken,” you repeated, your voice a little louder. “His help might have been unsolicited, yes, but he was only trying to help you. He did not intend to hurt you; quite the contrary, actually.”

Riddle pointed his pen towards you, his scowl deepening. “Are you questioning me? Are you questioning the Queen of Hearts?!”

“…” You took a moment to think, considering your words carefully. “I am not questioning you, per se. I am simply questioning your verdict.” Before he could open his mouth to yell, you continued to speak. “I understand that we do seem like we are simply troublemakers, but I assure you, we only wish to be sent home. We don’t wish to enroll here, and besides, what place do two magicless people have in the prestigious Night Raven College?” There was a touch of sarcasm in that last statement, but thankfully, Riddle didn’t detect it.

“Nonsense,” spat Riddle. “The Black Carraige wouldn’t come for magicless human-”

“It is as you say.” The voice had come from a face in a floating mirror, surrounded by flames. “I sense no magic from these two. No colour, no shape. Nothing.”

Silence.

Then the strange man once more walked into the room, saying, “I find that very hard to believe. However, a medley of impossible things are happening today. So, if that’s the case, we’ll have the Dark Mirror return you from whence you came.”

The man stepped in front of the Dark Mirror, spreading his arms. “O, Dark Mirror! Guide these two to where they belong!”

“…It is nowhere to be found,” said the Dark Mirror.

“Huh?” said the man.

“That can’t be true…” you muttered.

“We were just there!” exclaimed Yuuken.

“…where were you from, again?” asked the man.

“Japan!”

“…I have never heard of such a place.” The man frowned. “You aren’t lying to me, by any chance?”

“…Yuuken, they don’t know Japan,” you whispered, trembling slightly. “I…”

“We’ll make it back on our own, then!” Yuuken grabbed your hand.

“The exit’s over there.” You pointed to said exit, as you both walked away from the hall.

“Alright!” Yuuken flung open the double doors of the exit, to reveal…

A vast land lit up by the night sky, lamps and stars. Tall mountains, and a sea reflecting the impossibly large full moon.

Yuuken dropped his bag to the ground, and in the corner of your eye, you saw people flying around on broomsticks, chatting to each other.

“Yuuken…I don’t we’re in Japan anymore…”

Chapter Text

“Do you know your way home?” The masked man had followed you, it seemed.

“No…I’m at a complete loss…” responded Yuuken.

“Have you tried contacting a friend?”

“That’s right!” Yuuken joyfully brought out his phone. “Koito and the others…” His face fell. “No signal…”

“I don’t have signal either.” You showed Yuuken your phone. “I think we have really been transported to another world…”

“We’re…not going to get to the match in time, are we?”

“I don’t think so, Yuuken.”

“Even after all that hard work we did to get in the competition…” Yuuken gripped his Kendo bag tightly.

“It appears you aren’t lying, which presents a problem. There’s no feasible way a person who cannot use magic can stay here…”

“Surely you can make an exception?” You looked at the masked man improvingly “Perhaps you could provide us living quarters while we search for a way home? Me and Yuuken would even be willing to work for it, if that’s what is required of us.”

“Well…there is a vacant building nearby. It used to be a dormitory. You could stay in there,” the man offered.

“Thank you for your generosity!” You bowed to the man, old habits from your time in Japan sparking up.

“Ah, I am so generous~” The man beamed. “Truly an exemplary educator! Now, let us hurry to the dorm!”

On the way to the dorm, the man introduced himself to you as the ever-so-gracious headmaster of Night Raven College, Dire Crowley.

Honestly, you would have never guessed he was the headmaster by his demeanour alone. He was rather…arrogant, to put it gently.

You blinked, looking at the run-down building, which you supposed was your new home.

“It’s very charming,” remarked Yuuken.

“It has a roof,” you said, thanking whatever gods were up there for small mercies. It could always be worse.

“It’s a little broken down, but it can probably withstand the rain and wind,” said Crowley as you walked through the halls of the building.

Probably? That was a little worrying…

“You will be able to stay here free of charge, since the school owns the Dark Mirror, and that makes us partially responsible for it summoning you both here.”

“But what about other costs?” you asked. “Food, clothing-”

A chandelier suddenly came crashing down, breaking and splintering the wooden floor, Yuuken swiftly pulling you out of the way. “(Y/N), watch out!”

“Hee, hee, hee…”

“What a shame!”

“It missed…”

“Who’s there?!” shouted Yuuken.

“Hee, hee…”

A wide grin appeared.

“Welcome to our castle!” A large, chubby ghost dressed in a cape phased right through Yuuken.

“Don’t tell me…they’re ghosts?” Your eyes were wide with shock.

“Yes, they are. I forgot to mention before, but some mischievous ghosts have taken up residence here.”

And you only remember this now? You kept that thought to yourself.

But still.

You were technically intruding, in a sense.

You gave the ghosts a pleasant smile. “Hello, my name is (Y/N) (L/N). I am…16 years old. It’s lovely to meet you!” You bowed down.

Yuuken, though slightly confused, followed suit. “My name is Yuuken Enma, and I’m 17!” He also bowed down. “I never knew you could see ghosts in this world without powers! Awesome!”

“I apologise for our intrusion, but we will only be here for a short amount of time,” you told the ghosts. “We’ll try not to disturb you too much.”

“…” The ghosts stared at the two of you, before huddling up and muttering things to each other.

“…(L/N)-san, you were asking me about food, clothing and extra expenses. Those will simply have to come out of your own pockets, unfortunately. I can’t let you simply mooch off me until your departure.”

“I don’t think you’ll accept this…” you said, pulling out a few coins.

“I have never seen this type of currency before,” agreed Crowley. “I cannot accept it.”

“…then, how about we work some odd jobs around the school?” you suggested. “Yuuken is quite strong, I’m sure some maintenance wouldn’t be a problem for him.”

“Well…” Crowley looked at Yuuken head to toe, taking in his burly frame. “Alright. And you?”

“I’ll help Yuuken, of course. I’m not as physically strong as him, but four hands are faster than two, yes?”

“Very well then. Yuuken-kun, (L/N)-san. From tomorrow, you two will become the handymen of Night Raven College!”

“Main Street is rather large,” you commented, holding a bucket.

“Do you think we should start with the statues?”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

Yuuken put a small ladder next to the statue of the short, plump lady holding a sceptre with a heart, and he brought out. “Hey, do you think this lady’s some sort of celebrity?”

You took a moment to think. “Perhaps a historical figure of sorts? I doubt they’d make a statue of a celebrity, but who knows?”

“Is that some kind of joke?” chimes in a voice.

You and Yuuken looked in the direction of the voice, to see two boys. One with bright orange hair and a heart painted over his eyes, and one with blue hair and a spade painted on his eye.

“You don’t know the Queen of Hearts?” said the boy with orange hair (Heart-boy, you internally dubbed him).

“No. We’re new to this country,” you explained. “We don’t know any of your history.”

“Does she rule here?” asked Yuuken.

“The Queen of Hearts was a queen who lived in a labyrinth of roses long ago,” Heart-boy explained. “Her subjects were all mad there, but they swore their absolute obedience to her. Why, you ask? Well, because if you dared to break any of her strict rules, it was off with your head!” Heart-boy made a slicing motion across his neck playfully. “Cool, right?”

“…I wouldn’t say so,” you said quietly.

“Yeah, she does sound a little oppressive,” agreed Yuuken.

“A little…?”

“I’m guessing you two are students here,” Yuuken said, addressing the boys.

“Yep! I’m Ace!” Ace made a heart with his two hands, grinning widely. “A brand-new sparkling first year! Nice to meet ya!”

You smiled back. “Pleased to make your acquaintance, Ace.”

“‘Acquaintance?’ You talk like you’re a million years old!” scoffed Ace. “Sheesh, you’re pretty stiff.”

“…” How…unpleasant.

“You both were the ones acting up at the entrance ceremony, right?” Ace asked, raising an eyebrow.

“…well, not exactly, but you could say we caused some trouble,” Yuuken admitted.

“I knew it!” Ace elbowed Yuuken, laughing. “Magicless people being summoned? Man, I was trying so hard not to laugh!”

Deep breaths, (Y/N), deep breaths…

“Don’t be rude to someone you just met!” the other boy scolded. Thank you.

“I believe you didn’t introduce yourself.” You addressed the blue-haired boy.

“The name’s Deuce Spade.” Deuce smiled. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“I’m (Y/N) (L/N).”

“And I’m Enma Yuuken. How’s it going?” Enma dismounted the ladder.

“Ehn? You? (Y/- (Y/L)-?” Deuce sounded confused. Poor thing.

“That’s not how you say it. Eh-n-ma Yuu-ken.” You then said your name again, this time more slowly, enunciating each syllable “See?”

“Those are weird names,” Ace remarked.

“That would be the cultural difference, I suppose,” you assumed. “Well, why not come up with nicknames for us, if that helps?”

“I’ll call Ehn-whatever ‘Yuu’ and you can be…” Ace squinted at you, taking a moment to think. “Oldie!”

“H-huh? I am not old!”

“You act like it,” sniggered Ace.

“Ace, don’t be rude!” scolded Deuce.

“I-” You were about to protest, but something made you stop in your tracks. “Tanuki!”

Grim: *exists*

MC: *goes absolutely feral*

Chapter Text

You quickly leaped up, defying gravity, and grabbed Grim from the foot of the statue, cuddling him tightly. “How are you, Mr. Tanuki?” you cooed affectionately. “I missed you!”

“It’s Grim-sama to you!” snapped Grim, wriggling in your iron grasp.

“Of course, Grim-sama!” You gave him a kiss on the top of his head.

“…hey…” Grim stopped wriggling and relaxed in your arms, his eyes widening. “This…isn’t so bad. Finally, someone recognises my greatness!”

“What’s up with Oldie?” whispered Ace to Yuuken.

“(Y/N) really likes animals.”

“Yeah, but that’s a monster.”

“It makes no difference.”

“Why do you even want to enrol here anyway?” Yuuken asked Grim.

“That’s easy!” answered Grim. “It’s ‘cause I’m a genius that was born to be a great magician!”

“Great magician?” Yuuken’s eyes were wide.

“Uh, for real?” snorted Ace. “You?”

“I waited a real, real long time for the Black Carriage to come and get me. And yet…” Grim trembled. “And yet, the Dark Mirror won’t acknowledge me. So, I gotta do something myself! I’m never, ever gonna give up! I’m gonna become an amazin’ magician!”

Yuuken’s face went pale, and as you looked into his eyes, you realised what he was thinking. Koito.

“I see.” Yuuken’s voice betrayed no emotion. “You’ve got a dream you can’t surrender too.”

You chuckled a little, your laughter tasting bittersweet. “I guess you’re like us, Grim. A little bit of a romantic. You’ll fit right in, then. Maybe, I can get Crowley to enrol you?”

“You really can?” Grim’s eyes shone with hope.

“Maybe,” you reaffirmed. “I know I’m not much, but-”

“That’s impossible,” interrupted Ace. He smirked, gesturing to a gem on his blazer. “Only the chosen are able to get into this school. And you didn’t make the cut.” Ace’s voice was condescending, cruel almost. “So just give up and admit defeat.”

“Hey,” snapped Deuce, grabbing Ace’s hand. “All you’ve been since we got here is rude. Don’t you have something to say to them?”

“What is this, a lecture?” Ace scoffed. He slapped Deuce’s hand away. “Don’t be so annoying.”

“You can’t treat people’s heart’s like-”

“Yeah, yeah.” Ace turned away, putting his hands behind his head. “I’ve got class, so I’m gonna split.”

“Ugh…” Deuce turned to you. “Sorry, but I’ve gotta go too,” he said apologetically. Deuce then went and followed Ace.

Grim leaped out from your arms, and glared at the departing Ace, standing on his hind legs. “You…I’ll show you…!”

Whoosh! A stream of blue fire erupted from Grim’s mouth, Ace and Deuce dodging just in time.

“Watch it!” snapped Ace. “The hell are you trying to pull?”

“You’re tryin’ to make a fool outta me!” Grim fumed. “So I’m gonna light up that fiery-lookin’ mop head a’ yours!”

“Mop head?! You’ve got some guts, tryin’ to fight me!” Ace brought out a black pen, topped with a bright gem. “I’m gonna turn you into a frizzy toy puddle!” Gusts of wind began swirling around all around Ace, and you widened your eyes with panic.

“Grim!” you shouted, trying to run into the frenzy of the fight, Yuuken easily holding you back.

“(Y/N), don’t! You’ll hurt yourself!”

“But Grim!” you cried out.

“Leave him for now.” Yuuken felt a stab of pain when he saw a few tears roll down your cheeks, but even so, he didn’t let you go. I can’t let you get hurt, (Y/N), not again…This is for your own good.

Grim and Ace fought, Ace using wind magic to dissipate Grim’s fire and send in flying in different directions. Then Deuce shouted something, and a heavy black pot appeared mid-air, falling right on top of Ace.

“Is that a cauldron?” you muttered.

“Yes, it is.”

“It looks awfully heavy.”

“It probably will hurt a lot.”

Despite that, the three continued to quarrel, until a ball of flame was blown into the nearest statue, the statue of the Queen of Hearts. You and Yuuken leaped away from the statue as it burst into flames.

“…oh dear,” you commented.

“That doesn’t look good,” Yuuken agreed, frowning.

“HOLY FRIGGIN’ CRAP!” Ace screamed.

“He…he didn’t just…” Deuce had gone very pale.

“I don’t know nothing!” Grim quickly began to make his escape, running away on all fours.

“No! Grim!” You tried to give chase, but Grim was much faster, and quickly bounded out of your sight. “My cat…”

“I came to see what the commotion was about, and…” A voice came from behind you, and you all turned around to see Crowley, his yellow eyes glowing eerily. “You three…what in the world are you doing?! You’ve scorched one of the Great Seven’s statues!”

“The Great Seven?” asked Yuuken.

“They’re exalted entities that once existed in our world,” Crowley explained. “So, this,” Crowley gestured to the scorched statue, “is blasphemy against a renowned figure! There’s no possible way I can turn a blind eye to this! All of you expelled, effective immediately!”

“…Yuuken and I don’t even go here,” you pointed out. “We just stay in the old dorm.”

“Then you both cannot stay here anymore, not after such an error!”

Your eyes widened, as you realised the implications of Crowley’s declaration. “No…!”

“E-Expelled?!” exclaimed Deuce, clutching his head anxiously. “No…anything but that! Please!”

“You all only have yourselves to blame,” said Crowley, beginning to walk away.

“Surely you can make a compromise,” you said, desperate not to end up homeless. “There has to be a way we can make it up to you, right?”

“I’ll do anything!” shouted Deuce.

“Anything…?” Crowley stopped and turned around. “Then, I shall offer you a chance to make amends…”

Chapter Text

“Mount Dwarf…” You looked around, observing the new scenery. “This is where we’ll find the magical stone that can repair the chandelier, yes?”

“Yeah,” said Deuce, walking briskly. “We’ve got no time to waste. Let’s go!”

You followed Deuce, until you spotted something in the corner of your eye.

“Hey, Yuuken…” You pointed at the cottage, which was nestled among the trees. “Look.”

“We should go in there,” said Yuuken,

“It could be dangerous, though.”

“It’s worth a shot.”

“…Alright, then. Spade-kun, Trappola-kun, follow us,” you called out. “We found something.”

“Huh, really? Let’s go!” exclaimed Deuce.

“There’s no one here. I don’t think there has been anyone here for a long time now,” you muttered, looking around and about the little cottage.

“These chairs and tables are way too small!” Ace crouched down to the height of the round table, which had seven chairs all arranged in a circle. “There’s seven! Way too many.”

“That’s not an awful lot,” Yuuken said. “Wasn’t it the norm to have many children back then?”

“It was. But it could be different here. Who knows?” You turned around to fact Deuce. “Was it?”

“What?”

“The norm to have many children.”

“W-Well, I guess it was…”

“Well, standing here and yakking isn’t gonna solve anything,” Ace pointed out. “We should check out the magic mine, there’s gotta be magic gems in there.”

“I heard the mine was closed,” said Deuce. “It’ll be pitch dark in there.”

“Well, did any of you bring a torch?” you asked.

“No, but we could use this candle.” Deuce picked up said candle and handed it over to Yuuken. “We’ll have to find a way to light it, thought.”

“You can’t use magic to light it?” questioned Yuuken.

“No.” Deuce explained the technicalities of magic, and how you needed to visualise it clearly for it to work.

“That’s what the Academy’s for,” added Ace. “You really need to practice using magic the way you want.”

“So, lighting a fire’s not an easy task, huh?” Yuuken looked down at the candle in his hands.

Suddenly, a ball of fire appeared, hitting the candle wick, a bright blue flame springing up.

Blue fire…

Grim!

“Hehehehe.” Grim was sitting in one of the tiny chairs, arms crossed together and a smug grin on his face. “Looks like you’re in need of my awesome fire magic!”

“Grim!” You quickly scooped him up in your arms and gave him a kiss on his forehead. “I was so worried!”

Grim grinned even wider. “I bet you missed me, henchman!”

“Yes, I missed you a lot!”

“Have you seen a cave entrance around here?” asked Yuuken.

“Well, yeah! I was thinking of getting some magical gems to boost up my powers!”

“Then why didn’t you go in?”

“W-well…i-it’s not like I was scared to go in or anything!” Grim shouted. “T-that’s not what’s goin’ on here!”

“Aww, Grim-sweetie!” You cuddled him a little closer. “We’ll protect you from whatever horrible things are in there, alright? You don’t need to be scared!”

“I-I just said I wasn’t scared!”

Yuuken smiled a little at the two, before catching himself and tempering his expression into something more neutral.

“I’m the cap’n here,” announced Grim, “So follow me! Let’s go to the cave!”

“There ain’t nothin’ here but rocks!” fumed Grim, holding a small pickaxe with his paws.

“Maybe there really aren’t any left,” Ace thought aloud, to which Deuce yelled, “Search even harder!”

“Could you not with the ordering me around?” Ace scoffed. “We wouldn’t even-”

“Everyone, we mustn’t fight,” you said. “It’s not going to help us at all.”

“No one asked you, you geezer,” snapped Ace.

“…” You frowned. “I don’t know about you, but if we don’t find a gem, Yuuken and I will end up homeless. So, it would be much appreciated if you refrained from provoking everybody, Trappola-san.” People speak Japanese here, so perhaps Japanese honorifics would be appropriate.

“And this is why I call you Oldie,” muttered Ace under his breath.

You didn’t deign to reply, simply going back to searching for a magic gem.

Deuce Spade and Ace Trappola…if your memory didn’t fail you, they shared their names with playing cards. How odd. But then again, you were in a different world. It stood to reason that they would have different customs than what you were used to.

“Won’t…”

Yuuken nudged you a little to get your attention.

“Yes?”

“I heard a voice just now.” He pointed to a dark entrance which led deeper into the cave. “From right over there.”

“Huh? A person?” Ace frowned in confusion.

“Yeah, right. This place is abandoned,” pointed out Deuce.

“Won…uu…gib…”

You swiftly pulled Grim and Yuuken behind a wall of rock and Deuce and Ace quickly followed you. You placed a hand over your mouth to muffle your breathing, as a horrible creature, wearing a small hat and seemingly formed out of an inky black substance slithered out, holding a lamp.

“What the heck is that?” hissed Ace.

“No one said jack about this thing bein’ here!” Grim whisper-shouted, his eyes watering with fear.

“Hush,” you murmured calmly, tightly gripping Yuuken’s arm. “It’ll hear you.”

After what seemed like an eternity, the monster slithered away. “Sto...ne…belong me…”

“Did it just say stone?” asked Ace fearfully. “Like, a gem?”

“So, there are still magic gems in these mines!” exclaimed Deuce. “Let’s go!”

Chapter Text

“Spade-san, please, reconsider!” You quickly grabbed him by the sleeve.

“That monster is guarding the gems!” Deuce exclaimed. “We’ve got to beat it!”

“You’ve got to be kidding!” exclaimed Ace and Grim in unison.

“That thing looks very powerful,” you tried again. “Are you sure that you want to risk your life over something like this?”

“It’s better to just throw in the towel,” sighed Ace. “I’d rather be expelled than have to fight that thing.”

Deuce slowly clenched his fist. “Screw you…”

Sensing his rising anger, you took a step back, raising your hands to guard yourself.

“LIKE HELL WE’RE GONNA QUIT NOW!” Deuce slammed his fist into the wall of rock beside him, and your eyes widened as you saw the rock crack with the sheer strength of his hit. “I’m going. You cowards can just sit there and bitch!”

“No! Please wait!” you called out again, but he had already begun to run after the monster.

You tightly gripped Yuuken’s arm in fear. I hope he isn’t getting too tired of my clinging. “This isn’t going to end well…”

“That idiot,” muttered Ace, but he quickly shut up after you gave him a sharp look.

The ground began to shake from the force of what you presumed a fight, and you could hear the monster’s angry roars. “We should go after him, he-”

At that moment, the passageway began to rock and sway, and the monster appeared once more. “Leave, leave!” It began slithering in your direction. Ace and Grim immediately started running for it, but Yuuken ran towards the monster.

“Yuu?” asked Ace in shock.

“We can’t leave Deuce behind!” he yelled.

“Yuuken!” you shouted, turning around and stopping right in your tracks.

“Leeeaaave!” The monster raised its pickaxe high above its head, smashing it into the ground. Large chunks of rock flew at Yuuken, only for a gust of strong wind to deflect them.

“I barely made it in time to deflect that debris!” shouted Ace.

“Thanks Ace!” shouted Yuuken. “I’ll be right back!” Yuuken ran off.

You took a few moments to look at Ace, scrutinizing him. Maybe he isn’t all that bad after all.

Ace caught your gaze and frowned. “What’cha staring like that for, geezer?”

You smiled a little, before spotting Yuuken, who was carrying Deuce over his shoulder. “You’re here!”

“So, you’re absolutely sure nothing’s wrong, right?” you questioned Deuce once more.

“Yeah, aside from a few bruises here and there, but nothing too serious.”

You let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, I’m so glad…”

You harshly smacked Deuce across the face.

“OW!”

“What on earth were you thinking?” you shouted, a harsh glare on your face. “Running off like that without even a proper warning or plan…were you trying to get killed?!”

“I-”

“What if you died out there, Spade? Then what?” You took a deep breath, trying, and failing to calm yourself down.

“And you!” You swiftly turned to Yuuken and slapped him as well. He didn’t yelp, but his eyes widened, and he brought a hand up to his reddened cheek. “You just ran off after him…you nearly died! You would be dead if it weren’t for Ace!”

“I’m sorry…”

“…well…as long as you’re safe…” You easily backed off, your anger quickly giving way to relief. “Just…don’t scare me like that again, ok?”

“Of course.” Yuuken reached out to you, but quickly retracted his hand at the last moment.

“So, do we have a plan to beat that monster?” asked Deuce.

“It’s too early for us to give up yet,” said Yuuken. “The first battle may have gone badly, but if we all work together, we can change the outcome.”

That determination. That drive. There it was again.

You smiled, and Yuuken took a quick glance at you, his stare lingering for a few seconds, before he began telling you all his plan…

“Come out, cauldron!”

A large cauldron fell from the heavens, landing right on the monster, before bursting into flames.

Ace, Deuce and Grim all high-fived enthusiastically, shouting, “Yay!”

“Glad it all worked out,” said Yuuken, smiling.

“It’s so lovely to see you all getting along with each other,” you added fondly, stepping out behind from your hiding place in one of the shrubs. You had no desire to die.

You were met with velhement denials from the three, that no, they weren’t getting along, and no, they weren’t bonding, to which you chuckled.

“Alright then.” You hoisted up the pickaxe. “I’ll go in there and get the stone. Listen to Yuuken while I’m gone.”

While you definitely weren’t particularly strong, you were fast, and you had good reflexes, and plus, you wanted to contribute a little to the plan as well. It simply wouldn’t do if you just hid around the whole time. You didn’t want to be a burden.

You began to run into the cave, fast even with the pickaxe weighing you down, but then, something closed around your foot, making you fall, the pickaxe clattering away from your reach.

“Won’t give…won’t give…”

The monster loomed over your defenceless form, ink dripping down on you.

“STONE MINE!”

“(Y/N)!” shouted Yuuken, horror dawning on his face.

“Run!” you screamed out. “Before it gets you too!”

“WON’T GIVE! WON’T GIVE!” The ink dripped dangerously close to your eyes as the monster roared, and you sighed, resigned. I’m going to die.

But suddenly, the monster burst into flames, searing hot, so much so that the glass of the monster’s head cracked into shards that rained down on you, along with the ink that had sloshed out as well, the rest of the monster’s form vaporising away.

All that was left of it was a puddle of ink.

Yuuken immediately rushed towards you, arms spread wide. “(Y/N)!”

Before he could embrace you, you shook your head and smiled weakly. “No, Yuuken, you might hurt yourself on the glass.” You stood up on your own, glass falling off you and ink dripping, dripping down. I’m only a little scratched up.

“Honestly. Why is a monster like this giving you so much trouble?”

You turned to the direction of the voice, and to your surprise, you saw Heartslaybul’s Dorm Leader himself: Riddle Rosehearts, along with two lackeys, one with orange hair, one with green.

“Dorm Leader!” exclaimed Deuce. “Thanks for rescuing (Y/N)!”

“Rescue, you say?” he responded. “I’ve no reason to support transgressors.” He then began to yell about sneezing and rules and hedgehogs and songs, which you didn’t really understand.

Riddle cast his spell ‘Off With Your Head,’ and the two lackeys began to drag Deuce and Ace away, to which Yuuken called out, “What are you going to do with them?”

Riddle turned around, glaring right at the two of you. “It’s got nothing to do with you. This is a Heartslaybul matter.” He began to walk away again. “If you don’t want to get beheaded as well, you should return to school soon.”

Your face pinched into a little frown as he departed, but lucky for you, Riddle didn’t see it.

“You don’t seem to like him very much, (Y/N),” noted Yuuken.

“…to be honest, I don’t have a very good impression of him as of now,” you admitted.

“What do you think of him?” asked Grim.

“I should think that he’s…” You took a moment to consider.

“Rather mad.”

Chapter Text

Yuuken held the sparkling stone gently in your hands, its gentle glow lighting up the whole cave. “So…this is a magic stone…” you said in wonder.

“The monster was guarding this…” added Yuuken, his own eyes transfixed on the gem.

“Hand that over!” yelled Grim, making a grab at the gem, but Yuuken swiftly lifted it out of his reach.

“Grimmie-pie, we can’t give it to you,” you said apologetically. “We need to give it to Crowley so we can stay in that old dorm, and we also need to make sure that Ace and Deuce-kun aren’t expelled either. Maybe next time.”

“I deserve it after all that work!” Grim desperately pawed at Yuuken’s trousers, before collapsing.

“Grim!” You picked him up in your arms, his form limp. “What’s wrong?!”

“I used so much energy, and I’m starvin’…” he mumbled. “Gimme tuna…”

“Grim, we have tuna at home.” A little bit of a lie, since Crowley didn’t supply you with tuna, but you were sure you would be able to obtain some tuna somehow. “And besides, eating stones is bad for you!”

“(Y/N) is right,” agreed Yuuken. “If you eat the stone, you’ll just get a stomach-ache.”

Suddenly, Grim lifted up his head, sniffing the air. “…Something kinda smells real good…”

Yuuken sniffed the air too, frowning slightly. “I don’t smell any food.”

“It’s coming from outside!” Grim leaped from your arms and began bounding away.

“No, Grim, wait!” You began running after him. “Come on, Yuuken!”

After the both of you caught up to Grim, you saw him running towards a black stone. Is that the thing he smelled?

“You can’t eat that, Grim, that’s a stone,” you tried as he held it up in his paw.

“It’s in the same spot the monster was,” observed Yuuken. “Is that what remains of it?”

You face contorted with horror. “Then Grim definitely can’t eat that! Grim, put that down right now!”

Grim took no notice of your words, unable to tear his gaze away from the inky-black stone. “Yum, I can’t hold back!” he cheered, bringing the stone into his mouth. “Thanks for the food!”

“Grim, no!” you and Yuuken shouted in unison.

“Urgh!” Grim stood stock still, before hunching over.

“Grim, you spit that stone right out this instant!” you demanded.

“What did we tell you…?” sighed Yuuken.

Suddenly, Grim broke out into a wide smile, his eyes sparkling. “Soo tasty! It’s full and rich, with an aromantic sweetness that blooms on my tongue, like a whole flower field in my mouth!”

“…Well, as long as you don’t hurt your stomach,” conceded Yuuken.

“Yuuken, what are you saying?” you scolded him. “Just because he’s fine now doesn’t mean he’s not going to be ill later.”

The both of you began walking away. “We should get him checked up by a vet later, just in case…”

“You actually went to Mt. Dwarf to search for a magic gem?!” gasped Crowley.

“Why, yes. We did.” You smiled pleasantly and set the gem down on Crowley’s desk. “I see your mind is as sharp as ever, Headmaster Crowley.”

“I didn’t imagine that you’d really go there…I was already filling in the withdrawal papers, actually.”

“…” You and Yuuken exchanged a look.

“So, did you do it on your own?” asked Crowley.

“Well, there was a monster in the cave, you see. So Ace, Deuce, Grim and Yuuken all worked together to get the gem,” you said. “Yuuken came up with a wonderful plan.” You smiled fondly at him. “We couldn’t have done it without him.”

“And you?”

“…I…tried to help?” You resisted the urge to shrivel up with embarrassment. I should have been more proactive…

“…so, the four of you worked together to defeat the mysterious monster that lived in the mines?”

“Yes,” you and Yuuken said in unison.

“Oh…Ooooh…OOOOOOHHHHH!” Crowley howled loudly, and you jumped at the sudden noise, clutching onto Yuuken.

“In all the years I have been headmaster, I never thought I would see the day when the students would…would…work together!” Crowley bawled, tears flying out from behind his masked eyes.

“…”

“You are a headmaster, right…?” muttered Yuuken.

“This concludes it. You-” Crowley points at Yuuken, “-undoubtedly have talent as a beast tamer!”

“A what now?” the both of you chimed.

“NRC’s students are all talented, budding magicians. However, it’s this talent which gives them great pride, and also makes many of them self-centred, egoistic and uncooperative,” explained Crowley.

“That’s very harsh,” you muttered under your breath.

“You are incapable of using magic, but that’s precisely why you can assist mages. A plain, mediocre student such as yourself is exactly what our students need!” Crowley’s finger was millimetres away from Yuuken’s nose now, and Yuuken slowly backed away, but subtly, so that Crowley wouldn’t notice.

“I shall not only waive the expulsion of Trappola-kun and Spade-kun, but I will also grant you the opportunity to attend Night Raven College as a student!”

“Say what?!” shouted Grim.

“I beg your pardon?” you blurted out.

“As a student?” Yuuken was clearly astonished.

Grim began sulking in the corner, paws over his head. If he were any more gloomy, you were sure that mushrooms would start sprouting.

“Grim, you don’t need to be sad, you might be able to…” You trailed off. How can I say that, when even I might not be able to stay?

Headmaster Crowley had only accepted Yuuken, after all. And so, that presented the possibility that you would stay as a handyman. Or be sent away, if things went from bad to worse. You weren’t very good when it came to menial tasks, after all, and the school had magic to do a lot of the work. It only made sense to send away the hypotenuse.

…even if things don’t go out my way, at least Yuuken has a place to stay, you consoled yourself. I’ll get by, somehow. I always do.

“Indeed, you can stay, for I am exceedingly gracious!” beamed Crowley. “But…since you cannot use magic, you won’t be able to train as a mage. I doubt you’ll be able to do your lessons properly either. That’s why…Grim-kun.”

Grim lifted up his head at the sound of his name.

“You’ve proven to me today that you have the talent needed to become a magician. That’s why I’m letting you and Yuuken enrol as one student!”

Grim’s eyes lit up with hope. “I’m…I’m gonna get to school…? Really…?”

“Yes, you are, Grim!” you cheered happily. “I’m so happy for you!”

“Nice, Grim!” Yuuken grinned, and patted Grim’s head. “You can be a great magician!”

You smiled a little to yourself. And now Grim’s future is secure too. Things are going so well, see, (Y/N)?

One nagging thought continued to swirl in your head, though, despite your best efforts to banish it: What about me?

Your smile fell from your face.

Yuuken looked at you, reaching for your hand. He hesitated for a moment, before taking it, making sure to be gentle with you as he squeezed your hand reassuringly.

“Headmaster, what about (Y/N)?” asked Yuuken. “Is (Y/N) going to be enrolled as well?”

“…” Crowley took one long look at you, scrutinizing you. You didn’t flinch nor squirm under his stare, holding your head high. “…Initially, I didn’t consider your role at all,” Crowley admitted. “But now, that I think about it…you would make a wonderful Dorm Leader for these two! So hereby, you shall be responsible for their demeanour, and you will additionally represent them in Dorm Leader Meetings.”

“You need to take your job as Prefect seriously, since Grim-kun is new to human society. It will be your responsibility to make sure he

“…Thank you very much.” A slow smile spread across your face. “I’ll…do my best.”

“No need to thank me for being so incredibly gracious!” beamed Crowley.

“Well then, Grim-kun.” Crowley raised his staff, which you noticed had a golden raven perched on top of it. “I’m going to adorn you with proof of your enrolment at NRC: the magic gem.”

With a flash of light, Crowley conjured, out of thin air, a large ribbon and bow around Grim’s neck, with a lilac gem hanging from it.

“You look so cuuute with that ribbon, Grim!” you cooed, your eyes sparkling.

“Usually, students have theirs inside ‘magical pens,’ but I assume those paws of yours don’t mix well with writing instruments,” said Crowley. “Ah, how thoughtful of me! I am simply far too gracious!”

“Yeah!” exclaimed Grim. “My very own magic collar! I’ve gotta try it right now!” Grim tried to rush off, but Yuuken quickly caught him by the collar. “Hold it, Grim. What if you set the school on fire again?”

“Grim-sweetie, it’s dangerous to play with fire,” you added. “We might do it when it’s safe, though, so don’t be disappointed!”

Grim grinned brightly. “My glorious days as a grandmaster mage-in-training are finally gonna begin!”

Chapter Text

Time ticked by.

Grim had decided that he wanted to sleep with Yuuken, due to the fact that the considerable dust in your room (that lingered despite your best efforts to clean it up) made him sneeze uncontrollably. You didn’t have any issue with it, but all the same, it would have been nice if you had a roommate to keep you company. It would have been nice…

The bed was perfectly made, not a single pillow or blanket out of place, and you sat your own desk, pondering over what you should do during the night.

You fancied that if you had a piano over here, you could practise some pieces, so long as you were quiet about it. But alas, that was all it was, a fancy.

Such a shame. Oh, what a joy it would have been to distract yourself with the all the pieces you had learned over the years. You could imagine the music in your head, recall it like the back of your hand, but it just wasn’t the same as playing it, hearing it with your own two ears.

You could go out and take a walk, you supposed. It was a beautiful night, and the sky was clear, the stars glimmering with all their diamond-like beauty. But it was too much of a risk. This was a place you didn’t know, and with the darkness hiding all from view, anything could happen. It was not an option, at least, not now, while you weren’t quite so desperate.

You once again wished that you had someone to keep you company. Despite the number of nights and days you had spent all alone, and no matter how much you tried to downplay your own feelings, solitude still remained difficult to deal with, and you could already feel melancholia settling down on you like a heavy fog.

You lay down your head on the desk, cushioning it with your arms. This was going to be a long night…

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

You raised your head and frowned. Who’s here knocking this loudly this late at night? Perhaps it was just the ghosts, but even so, you felt that it was only right that you went and chided them for getting up to mischief so late at night. Their antics would wake up Yuuken and Grim after all, which would simply not be right. Those two deserved a good night’s sleep, especially after everything that had happened.

So, you stood up, and strode down to the front door with a purpose and swung the door right open. “Alright, you lot, you can stop mucking about now– Ace?”

Instead of what you expected, which was nobody, Ace Trappola stood in front of you, with a familiar collar around his neck and a grumpy pout on his face.

“What on earth happened?” you asked. Your previous purpose had now been replaced with concern for Ace. “What are you doing here so late at night?”

“I’m never, ever going back to Heartslaybul.” Ace’s voice was loud and simmering with unbridled rage, and your worry only grew.

You heard footsteps from above, and you expected that it was Yuuken and Grim. Ace must have woken them.

“Why is that? What happened?” you asked once again, returning your attention to the more immediate concern.

Ace yelled with fury, “Starting from today, I’m joining your dorm!”

“So…you ate a tart?” You blinked. That’s it?

“Yeah, that’s it!” Ace’s frown deepened. “Three whole tarts in that fridge, and yet a single slice got me this collar! Honestly, doesn’t that guy know that getting worked up over such small stuff is bad for his health?”

Yuuken held his chin and thought, and so did Grim, and you were struck by how similar they looked in that moment.

“But you did eat it without permission, right?” said Yuuken. “You shouldn’t be stealing food.”

“Huh?!” exclaimed Ace.

Grim added, “Those pastries coulda been for some party. Like, for a birthday!”

“A birthday?” Ace looked slightly bewildered now.

“Then of course he would be mad.” Yuuken shook his head in disappointment, then stood up, and placed his hands on his hips. “Make sure you apologise tomorrow.”

“Huh? Me?” Ace pouted; a little child being told off by his mother. “Why do I gotta apologise?”

Yuuken stared Ace down. “Because it’s your fault.”

“But…”

Yuuken kept on staring, his gaze intense, piercing.

Ace quickly looked towards you. “Come on, (Y/N)!” he pleaded. “Help me out here!”

You looked at him for a moment, considering, and opened your mouth, but then you saw Yuuken give you a warning look. “(Y/N).”

“But Yuuken…”

“(Y/N).”

“…” You sighed. “You should apologise, Ace.”

“Ugh…fine…” Ace muttered. “But you’ve gotta come with me since it’s your idea!”

“I don’t mind.”

“Of course.”

“Anyway, where am I going to sleep in here?” asked Ace.

“All the rooms are dusty,” said Yuuken.

“Ugh…but I don’t wanna take the couch…”

“You’re welcome to take my room!” you chimed in quickly. “I wasn’t planning on sleeping anyway.”

“Oh, really?” Ace grinned, having gotten the jackpot. “I’ll take you up on that offer.”

Ace stood there with his hands crossed as you quickly went through the room with a duster, making sure that not a speck was left.

Ace couldn’t help but notice how quickly you moved around the room, how sharply your wrist flicked the feather duster. He felt like if he took his eyes off you for even a second you would be on the other side of the room, as if you teleported there. Not that he would, your little, speedy movements captivating him and lulling him into a trance…

“Ace?”

Ace blinked, your voice having broken his dream. “Um, yeah?”

“Is something the matter? You’ve been staring at me for quite a while now.”

“Um, uh…” Ace laughed, trying to cover up his earlier slip. “I was just wondering why you’d go through all this trouble just so I could have a place to sleep.”

You paused then, and turned towards Ace, and bit your lip a little nervously, before. “Well…I…” You took a deep breath; looked straight at him. “I owe you, Ace.”

“Huh?” Ace swallowed a little in an attempt to not seem too bewildered at your statement.

“Back at the mines, when you saved Yuuken” –You averted your gaze, and Ace felt himself relax– “I was relieved beyond words…” Your voice wavered a little. “I…I don’t know what I’d do if he were to…go. He means so much to me. He’s my…my only friend. Anything you need from me, I’ll give gladly. I’m forever indebted to you, Ace.”

The silence and the sadness crushed Ace. Quick, he had to somehow get rid of this…atmosphere, but he couldn’t mock you, no, that wouldn’t be right…

“Only friend?” Ace laughed a little, almost effortlessly easing up the gloomy atmosphere in the room. “What are Deuce and I, boiled liver?”

“…” A slow smile spread across your face, and it seemed to glow a little in the dim room. “No. Of course not.”

Chapter Text

You heard a loud knocking at the door early in the morning. Whoever was knocking was quite strong, you reasoned, since the strength of the knocks shook the whole building, making dust fall from the ceiling.

“I’m coming, you can stop knocking!” you called out, before stepping your way to the front door and opened it, to greet Deuce.

“Hi, Prefect!” he greeted you. “Sorry to bother you, it’s just that I wanted to ask if you had seen Ace. I thought he stopped by here after he stole Dorm Leader Riddle’s tart…”

“He did, actually. He’s sleeping in one of the rooms right now. Please take a seat on the couch, I’ll go up and fetch him for you.”

You quickly turned away and trotted up the stairs. You didn’t want to be too loud, because you suspected that Yuuken and Grim were still asleep, and you didn’t want them to wake up again. Good thing you were good at being quiet.

You knocked on Ace’s door softly. “Ace? Deuce is here to see you.”

Silence.

You knocked again. Again, no response.

“I’m coming in.”

You gently opened the door…

Ace was still fast asleep, the grey covers still thrown all over him. His limbs were splayed outwards on the bed, and he snored lightly.

“Ace?”

He continued snoring.

“…” Deuce was waiting downstairs, so you figured that you would have to forcefully wake him up. So, you soundlessly walked towards him and leaned over his sleeping figure, bringing your mouth to his ear, which was facing the ceiling. “Ace, wake up,” you murmured into his ear.

“Ah!” Ace jumped up, and as he did so his head collided with yours, sending you stumbling backwards.

“Ow…” You clutched your head and winced, realising that this was the second time you had hurt your head in the span of a few days.

“What was that for?” Ace demanded.

“I needed to wake you, and I didn’t want to shout,” you explained, your head still throbbing.

“But, but, you can’t just…!” Ace gestured wildly to nothing in particular. “Geez, at least give a warning!”

“But you were asleep, and…” You stopped. Thought. And spoke. “Ace, you were pretending to be sleeping, weren’t you?”

“…well, guess you caught me!” Ace laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. “Sorry.”

You said, “Well, Ace, that was very irresponsible of you.” You couldn’t help but let a smile break through as you continued, “And as a freshman of NRC, you should be striving to become the best version of yourself…as…” You sniggered a little, then chuckled. “Oh god…!” You began full out laughing. “That look on your face when we…when we…!” You slowly felt the air running out of your lungs, an unpleasant, yet pleasant feeling in this situation.

“There, see? Made you laugh!” Ace grinned, triumphant with victory. “You and I both know that your stuffy lecture doesn’t mean a single thing!”

“Ugh, alright.” You rolled your eyes playfully, letting out one last giggled “I’m letting you off this once, but only because yesterday was a long day for all of us anyways.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Ace finally came out of his bed, giving you a smirk. “Ya know, if you keep up the whole ‘letting me off’ thing, I might actually start liking you a little more~!”

You chuckled. “Don’t count on it, Ace.”

“Getting collared twice in one day serves an idiot like you right,” said Deuce.

You and Ace had gone to the lounge, to find that Yuuken and Grim had already woken up as well and were making conversation with Deuce. You supposed that there was no need to fetch them at all now.

“Shut it!” snapped Ace. “I don’t wanna hear that from you!”

“While we’re on the topic, has your Dorm Leader’s head cooled a little since last night?” you interjected.

“I think so,” Deuce replied. “He seemed kinda irritated at some students who got up too late, though. They suffered the same fate Ace did.”

“He still seems super pissed!” yelled Ace.

“But you need your magic unsealed to attend classes, right?” said Deuce. “Why don’t you apologise and get it removed?”

“Nope, I’m not doing that anymore. I’m gonna wait until he’s in a better mood…”

“You won’t solve anything that way,” interjected Yuuken, in that same, stern tone he used yesterday. He grabbed your hand and Ace’s and began dragged you both away, and his grip was strong. “Come on, let’s go.”

“Okay, okay!” Ace snapped. “Lemme get my jacket…”

You swallowed as you stared at yourself in the mirror. Looked into your eyes.

It was still difficult, even after all this time.

You felt as if you looked too long, you’d drown in the eyes of your reflection. A ridiculous notion, but still, one your subconscious seemed to believe in wholeheartedly.

Honestly, despite how conceited it made you sound, you couldn’t tear your eyes away from yourself, couldn’t ignore that strange depth in your eyes that even you were surprised with, couldn’t stop looking.

You wondered if the people around felt this way when they looked at you. You wondered how you would feel if they did.

“Henchman, you scared?”

Grim looked up from the ground, voice brash and yet eyes glimmering with concern.

“No, I’m not.” You smiled, suddenly very tired indeed. “Thank you, though.”

You turned to look at Yuuken and noted his apprehension as he looked into the mirror.

“Hey.”

He raised his head to meet your eyes.

You offered him your hand.

He looked at it for a few moments, seemingly waging an internal battle with himself, before finally taking it. His hand felt warm in yours.

Deuce stepped through the mirror, and you noted how the surface seemed to ripple, like a pool.

“Come on, you two,” he said, half-way submerged. “Let’s go.”

You and Yuuken exchanged a look, and you gave him a soft smile. You thought his cheeks coloured a little, but you put it down to your imagination.

You led him into the mirror.

Chapter Text

You and Yuuken stared in wonder at the Heartslaybul dorm. It’s so…big.

“It’s so fancy!” exclaimed Grim from the ground. “Not like our dorm at all!”

“So, this is the power of home décor…” you murmured.

“Hm?” Grim looked towards the gardens. “There’s someone in there.”

Grim was right. You frowned and squinted to get a better look. Is he…painting the roses? And you thought this world couldn’t get any stranger…

“Haven’t I seen this before…?” muttered Yuuken beside you. You opened your mouth to ask him about his statement, but before you could speak, you spied something in the corner of your eye.

A bright pink hedgehog. Scuttling quickly in the grass.

Immediately, you slipped away from the group to pursue the little critter, your eyes sparkling.

So cute!

The hedgehogs were afraid.

Riddle took good care of the hedgehogs; not only were they a key part of many traditions, but they were also lovely, sweet creatures who needed and deserved to be taken good care of. And as Dorm Leader, it was Riddle’s responsibility to make sure that they got whatever they needed.

Which is why he needed to get rid of you, at once. You had obviously done something to agitate them, and he couldn’t allow that!

“(L/N)-san, what are you doing here? You are a Dorm Leader; you shouldn’t be neglecting your responsibilities to mess around in other dorms.”

“…” You were crouched on the ground, and you stared intensely at the hedgehog cage, your eyes shining and your lip trembling. You didn’t seem to hear Riddle.

“(L/N)-san!” Riddle snapped, losing whatever little patience he had in the first place.

You yelped, and tumbled onto the ground, breathing heavily, trying to crawl away from Riddle hastily. You shook your head, as if clearing something out of it, and looked at Riddle. “A-Ah…it’s just you…so sorry…”

“You should be sorry,” Riddle berated you.

“I…I’ll go…I should go…”

“Wait, don’t, I’m not finished speaking–!”

You quickly and quietly slipped away, a quiet little rabbit running away from the tyrannical queen.

Riddle sighed, then crouched down and looked the hedgehogs. There was no time. He needed to return his attention to more important things.

You watched with horror as multiple people, all with the same face, threw your four friends out of the garden gracelessly. What on earth?

The one who seemed to be the leader snapped his fingers, and the rest of the people disappearing, turning into cards. He turned away. “Don’t come back without that tart, ‘kay?” With the cards falling all around him, he didn’t look unlike a magician. “Bye byeee.”

You quickly rushed up to them. “Are you alright?!”

“Yeah, we’re absolutely great,” snorted Ace, sarcasm evident in his voice.

“What happened?”

“We’ll tell you on the way out.”

“Why…that…that…” You breathed in and out, in and out, trying to contain your rage. “The audacity…!”

“He could’ve just shown us the door, but he had the nerve to drive us off only after making us work!” Grim fumed, still resting in your arms.

“Mark my words, if I ever see him, I will be having a word with him,” you muttered darkly. “He’ll be sorry for hurting my poor wittle baby Grimmie!” You took a moment to look at Deuce, Ace and Yuuken. “And you guys too, of course,” you added, as an afterthought.

“What’s with that reaction?!” Ace spluttered.

Deuce checked the time on this phone. Eight am. “We’d better get to class,” he said.

“Oh yeah, which class are you guys in?” asked Ace.

“The headmaster said that we’re in 1-A,” Yuuken replied.

“That makes us classmates. We’ve got Alchemy first period.”

“Alchemy…” you murmured.

“Wonder if I’ll be okay without my magic…” muttered Ace to himself.

“I’ll lash those tiny brains of yours with hundreds of medicinal and poisonous herbs until you can identify them all.”

Divus Crewel. The name suited him, you decided, as you eyed his cruel smirk and painful looking whip. You’d have to keep Grim out of his sight, he would never be able to take a beating…!

“Stay!” Crewel shouted at an unfortunate student who was reaching towards a particularly unusual looking pumpkin.“Keep your paws off the equipment.”

Paws…?

“Listen up, puppies! There will be no failing whatsoever in my class. You will be trained under my firm hand.”

“I don’t even like dogs…” you mumbled quietly to yourself.

Immediately, Crewel’s gaze snapped to you, and you realised that it was the wrong thing to say. “Is something the matter, puppy?”

“…No.” You paused for a moment. “Sir.”

“Good. I won’t have any talking back in my class.”

He walked away from you, and you allowed yourself to breathe. That was a close call, (Y/N). Don’t mess up like that again.

History of Magic might be your favourite class.

Lucius looked so grumpy! You just wanted to give him a really, really affectionate squeeze, a few kisses, call him Lucy…you get the picture.

“Lucy!” you cooed as Lucius trotted onto your table. “Come on, come to (Y/–”

Lucius’s eyes widened, and he let out a loud hiss, before extending his claws and scratching you across the face. You screamed, and toppled backwards in your chair, crashing to the ground.

“Hey, leave my henchman alone!” yelled Grim, getting up from his sleeping position and extended his own claws and bared his fangs. “I’ll make you pay!” He leaped to Lucius, and the two began their battle.

“(Y/N)!” shouting Yuuken, rushing towards you. You didn’t respond, and just kept on staring at the sealing as your vision blurred with tears.

“Damn cat,” spat Ace. “Thing should be on a leash!”

“We should get you to the medical bay…!” said Deuce, alarmed.

“…no.” You sighed, a few teardrops emerging and falling from the corners of your eyes. “I’m fine. It’s fine. I’m not…hurt, and besides…It could always be worse…” Your voice wavered.

To the side, Yuuken swallowed down the lump of guilt in his throat.

Physical Education.

“Alright, you lot, we’re going to run 800 meters!” roared Vargas, your PE teacher.

Your legs were quite sore after the 20-lap warmup and the 100 push-ups, but you were quite used to pushing through the pain.

Still, you were quite surprised when you came first, outrunning even the beastmen by a long shot.

You panted a little and staggered away from the finishing line, balancing yourself by placing a hand on a nearby tree.

“Hey!”

You jumped in your spot, startled, but calmed down when you saw that it was only Vargas. “Yes, sir?”

“That was some great running back there, sprout!” He slapped you heartily on the back, a little too hard for your liking. “You going to take any clubs this year? If so, then the Track and Field will be happy to have you!”

“…thank you,” you said softly, not quite looking at Vargas. “I’ll see if I have the time.”

He walked off, and soon enough, Yuuken, Deuce, Ace and Grim caught up to you.

“Whoa!” Deuce’s eyes glowed with admiration. “You were so fast! How do you do it? Do you have any tips?”

You smiled a little, and chuckled. “Ah, nothing special…I just run like the devil’s after me.”

“I want all of it!” drooled Grim in the cafeteria.

“Not all of it,” you said sternly. “Pick and choose, I don’t want my poor Grimmie Wimmie to get a tummy ache.”

“Aww, pleaaassee?”

“…well–”

“No,” said Yuuken. “Grim, we’re only getting what you can eat.”

“You’re no fun!”

After getting your food, you searched for a table to sit at. There must be somewhere…

You spotted an empty table and began drifting over to it, calling out, “There’s a place there!”

But you froze on the spot when you realised that it was not, in fact, empty.

It’s them!

Chapter Text

“An empty seat?” Deuce walked up to you, platter in hand. “That’s great! I’ll jus–” He stopped in his tracks when he saw the people in the ‘empty’ table. “D-Diamond-senpai? It’s okay!” He quickly turned around. “I’ll look elsewhere!”

However, ‘Diamond’ simply put his arm around Deuce, tugging him closer. “It’s alright, you can sit with us! The current Cate-kun’s waaaaay too nice to his underclassmen. How’s it hangin’, Deuce-chan?”

The ‘current’ Cate? You wondered what he meant by that.

But then, you quickly remembered yourself. “Excuse me,” you began, stepping up to the orange haired boy. “If my assumptions are correct, you are Cater Diamond, yes?”

“The one and only~” He gave you a radiant smile.

You wondered if now was a good time to give him that telling-off that you had prepared in advance when he had hurt your friends, but you realised that it would be a surefire way to lose your seats.

So, you swallowed your pride, and smiled back. “Thank you so much.”

“How’s life in your dorm?” asked Trey Clover, a green-haired boy with a clover painted under his left eye and black-rimmed glasses. “It’s so tra–” Trey coughed, catching his words. “It has to be inconvenient sometimes with how old it is…”

“We make do,” you said serenely, taking a look at Yuuken, who was sitting next to you. “And it isn’t so bad, once you get used to the ghosts, the creaking, the holes, the leaks, the cockroaches, the stink, the dust, the cold…” You trailed off, counting off your list on your fingers. “…well…maybe it is inconvenient…still. It could always be worse.”

“I expect that our troublemaking juniors haven’t been making your load any easier,” said Trey. “I’m sorry for any extra work they’ve caused you.”

“We should put that aside and make up by exchanging numbers!” chirped Cater.

“Our phones don’t work here, though,” you said. “We can’t get a signal.”

“Huh?! No signal?! That’s crazy!” Cater exclaimed. “I can’t ever imagine living like that!” He visibly shuddered with fear.

“Hey…” Cater leaned across the table and grabbed your hand with his, giving you another brilliant smile. “I know a place to get the newest models for cheap~ How about we go on a date to choose one?”

“…”

Your breath caught in your throat, as you registered his words, his touch.

Speak, (Y/N)…use your words…!

You opened your mouth. Nothing came out. You closed it. Opened it again.

“No need to be shy!” Cater beamed.

Close. Open. No, no, no, no, no, NO–

"(Y/N) is pretty busy this week, so it's a no," interjected Yuuken.

"Ah..." Cater blinked. "No biggie~"

You sighed with relief at his dismissive tone, and you allowed yourself to relax, allowing guilt to flood into the spaces in your heart that the fear had left behind.

Yuuken protected me…

Again…

When would the time come where you would be able to protect yourself?

When would the time come where you would be able to help the people you loved?

When would the time come where you would stop being a burden?

When, when, when…

Maybe when wasn’t in this life. Maybe it wasn’t in any life.

No, (Y/N), stop thinking about that. You’ll only feel worse if you think about that. Thinking about that won’t help you…

“Hey,” piped up Grim, breaking the ice that had formed in the table, “your dorm was like a freakin’ castle! Are all the others just as cool as yours?”

Trey responded, “You could say that every dorm’s got its unique style…”

“You’ve seen the statues of the Great Seven, right?” Cater chirped. “The dorms are modelled after them.”

They proceeded to explain the seven dorms and their traits.

“Diasomnia is full of guys that are good at magic in general,” said Cater.

Ace frowned. “Huh? There’s a kid over there.” He gestured to a boy sitting in the Diasomnia table, who had hair streaked with purple, slits for pupils, pointed ears, and fangs.

“That’s no kid. We’re in the same class,” said Trey.

“Which would mean…”

Said boy popped up between Ace and Deuce. “I’m a third year,” he chimed in, with a closed eye grin.

“Oh, hey Lilia-chan!” chirped Cater, giving the boy a wave.

“That guy just teleported!” yelped Grim, Yuuken’s eyes also a little wide with shock.

“Well, now,” said Lilia, chuckling a little. “Curious about my age?”

“Well, not particularly,” you said as he took a piece of food away from Ace’s plate. “Besides, isn’t it rude to eavesdrop?”

Lilia froze at the sound of your voice. The smile melted off his face. He slowly turned his head so that his eyes met with yours. He swallowed. And stared.

You frowned. “Is something the matter?”

“N-no…” Lilia smiled once again. “Well, I’ll have to take my leave now! Feel free to stop by at Diasomnia any time, we’ll be sure to welcome you with open arms!”

And he was gone again.

You frowned, staring at now-tiny form all the way over at the other side of the dining hall. What a strange boy.

“Diasomnia are…an unusual bunch,” said Trey, looking at your bewildered expression.

“Their dorm leader, Malleus-kun is wicked amazing, though,” Cater mentioned.

“He’s known as one of the five best magicians in the world,” agreed Trey. “But Riddle’s magic is pretty remarkable too, even though he’s a long way away from Malleus. His Unique Magic, ‘Off With Your Head,’ can seal another person’s magic for a limited time.”

“Losing your magic in a school like this must be awful,” Yuuken remarked.

“Yes,” you responded. “I’d imagine it’d be rather like losing a limb.”

“So…” muttered Ace. “There’s no way to get this collar off unless I come back with a tart like the rules say?”

“According to the rules: yeah.”

“Dammit!” seethed Ace. “When all did to get collared was eat a single piece?!”

You felt the blood drain from your face as you saw a familiar figure behind Ace. You began wildly gesturing to Ace to shut his mouth, but slumped in your seat with defeat when he continued, “The prejudice here is really freakin’ insane!”

“Oh, really,” said Riddle, arms crossed.

Ace turned around, and upon spotting Riddle, paled.

“Just how insane would you say I am?”

Chapter Text

“Oh, Riddle-kun!” Cater chirped nervously. “You’re looking super-duper cute today!”

“Cater,” said Riddle. “Run your mouth and your head will roll.”

“Whoa, whoa! Gimme a break!” Cater held up his hands defensively.

Riddle returned his attention to Ace and glared at him. “…Apparently, you were pardoned from scorching the statue. The headmaster is far too lenient. If he keeps on overlooking disciplinary violations, eventually, the whole school will come crashing down.”

A dark look overcame Riddle’s face. “If it were up to me, I’d deal with the issue and behead everyone who defied me.”

“…” You took a sip out of your drink, then set it down on the table. “Rosehearts-san.”

“Yes?” His piercing gaze went to you, and his eyes narrowed further at your use of ‘san.’

“I appreciate your…concern,” you said primly, “but everyone involved in the incident, including Ace and my own dorm, has served their punishment for defacing the Queen of Heart’s statue. We certainly didn’t get off lightly, as you seem to think. You were there yourself. You saw the monster we had to fight.”

“It was barely a threat,” scoffed Riddle.

“You say that,” Yuuken said. “But it was about to kill (Y/N).”

There was a brief silence at the table.

“Well, regardless, you obviously feel no remorse whatsoever,” Riddle said to Ace. “So, I’ll have you stay like this a little longer.”

“Huh?!” Ace exclaimed.

“You’ll be fine. You’re a first year, so your classes will be more lecture-oriented for now. Now, enough prattling on and on. Hurry up and get ready for your next class. By the decrees of the Queen of Hearts, Article 271: ‘One must rise from the table within fifteen minutes of eating.’ I trust you understand the consequences?”

Ace sighed, then mumbled, “Another stupid rule…”

Riddle’s eye twitched with irritation, then shouted, “Your reply should be ‘Yes, Dorm Leader!’”

“Yes, Dorm Leader!” Ace and Deuce shouted in unison, standing straight in attention.

“Excellent.”

“Now, now, Riddle,” Trey said. “I’ll be sure to keep an eye on them.”

“Trey, much like the entrance ceremony, aren’t you being too soft on our newcomers? You’re the Vice Dorm Leader. Cease the chatter and act like it.”

Riddle checked his watch. “Right. Two minutes have already gone by during our discussion. Make sure to rise from your seats within thirteen minutes. I, for one, will be going to the campus store in order to abide by Article 339 of her decrees: ‘An after-meal drink must be lemon tea with two sugar cubes.’”

And so, Riddle stalked away from your table with a decisive stride.

As soon as Riddle was out of earshot, the buzz of conversation returned to your and the surrounding tables.

“Whew! That was scary!” Cater remarked.

“Man, that guy’s nasty!” said Grim.

“Hey, don’t be rude!” scolded Deuce.

“…” You frowned to yourself. You felt like you were forgetting something…

Ah! I forgot to thank him for saving me!

You stood up from the table. “Yuuken, I’m going to go after Rosehearts-san. I need to thank him.”

“Do you want me to go with you?”

“No, I’ll be fine.” You smiled at him. “Have fun here with the others. Oh, and make sure Grim doesn’t get into trouble, will you?”

Before Yuuken could say another word, you quickly walked away, your footsteps barely making a sound.

Who did they think they were?

Were the rules a joke to them?

Trey, the headmaster…they never did anything. Never.

Which meant it was up to Riddle.

“I’ll show them all the right path!” Riddle raged to himself.

“Excuse me, Rosehearts-san.”

Riddle stopped in his tracks and turned around.

And saw you. 

“Ah, it’s you. What are you doing here?” asked Riddle.

“I was just wondering if I could have a moment of your time to talk to you.”

“I need to get to the campus store. I cannot be late.”

“If that’s so, I’ll be happy to walk and talk. If you’re alright with it, of course.”

“I have no problem with it, so long as you’re quick.”

“So,” said Riddle, as you began to walk together, “what do you want from me?”

“I’m here for two things. One, to thank you for saving me from the monster.”

“I didn’t do it to save you. If those two had stayed there any longer, they wouldn’t have been able to sing to the hedgehogs.”

“I suppose that’s true. However, you did spare my friends from having to see my dead body, it’s only right that I should thank you.”

“In that case, you’re welcome.”

“Two, to apologise for the incident with the hedgehogs.” You looked towards your feet. “I frightened them. It was wrong. I’m sorry.”

“It was wrong.” Riddle felt his temper rise as he remembered the incident. “I must say, (L/N), that your demeanour is completely unbefitting that of a Dorm Leader. You are far too lenient on your dorm.

“Your behaviour, as well…loitering around in another Dorm’s garden is not appropriate at all! Not to mention your attire! All-black outfits are not uniform-compliant!”

By this point, he had raised his voice to the point of yelling. “Are you even taking your position seriously, (L/N)?!”

“…” You were silent for a moment, your face carefully neutral. Then when you spoke, your voice was cool, calm and even. “Rosehearts-san. Do you think the way you’re addressing me is appropriate?”

“You’re–”

“Don’t interrupt me,” you said sharply. “This is your first and last warning.

 “I would like to remind you that despite my magicless status, I am a Dorm Leader. That means, for all intents and purposes, I am equal to you, Rosehearts. You do not have the right to speak to me in that manner.

“Additionally, I am the Ramshackle Prefect. Not you. How I conduct my dorm and myself is none of your business. Borrowing from your own words, it is a Ramshackle matter.”

You narrowed your eyes slightly. “I would also like to tell you right now that I won’t stand for you punishing anyone from my dorm without my input. If they transgress one of your ‘rules,’ then simply bring the matter to me, and I will deal with it as I see fit. Do you understand me, Rosehearts?”

“…” Riddle clenched his fist. “And who says I must? What rules say that I have to respect you?”

You tilted your head to the side. “Well, strictly speaking, there aren't any. But any breach of the unspoken rules on your part is going to reflect badly on you and you alone.”

“…” He felt himself tremble with rage. How are you so calm, (L/N)?!

You stopped walking. “Ah, we’ve reached the campus store. This is where I’ll have to leave you, Rosehearts-san. I need to get to class, after all.”

You began walking in the opposite direction, but you stopped, and turned to look at Riddle again. “One last thing, regarding your comment about my attire. Where I come from, it’s a custom to wear black whilst in mourning.

"And as it so happens, both of my parents recently died in an accident last week. So, if the school uniform rules make an exception for mourning clothes, I believe that my attire is appropriate. But if they don’t…then I have no intention of changing.”

And like that, you finally left Riddle, who stood dumbly as he thought about how quiet your footsteps were.

Chapter Text

“So, we’re here to collect chestnuts?”

You crossed your arms and observed the botanical garden with a scrutinizing eye, noting the sheer amount of plants. You wondered if you were allowed to take any for yourself. It would be good to have a plant or two in the dorm, it would brighten up the place a little.

“Don’t chestnuts, like, fall on the ground?” Ace asked. “I heard that they were around here somewhere…”

“Let’s split up and look,” suggested Deuce. “You guys can head further into the gardens.”

“Got it,” answered Yuuken.

Fragrant flowers, lush leaves, massive trees, ripe fruit, and soft sunlight filtering in from the glass ceiling.

Your breath caught in your throat.

“There are so many plants I’ve never seen before…” Yuuken’s face was full of wonder, and you couldn’t help but smile at the sight.

“It’s beautiful,” you murmured with agreement.

“There’s all sortsa fruits growin’ here!” Grim cheered. “One bite–”

“Don’t pull an Ace,” replied Yuuken, immediately shutting him down. “We came here to search for chestnuts.”

“I think I see a tree there,” you said, and pointed in said direction.

Yuuken turned around the corner, and as he stepped forward, you both heard a loud “Ouch!”

“Did you both hear that?” Your eyes widened, and you said urgently, “Someone’s been hurt, we should go hel–”

“Hey.” A deep, menacing voice. “You’ve got a load of nerve to trespass and step on a guy’s tail.”

Your breath caught in your throat again.

“I was having a pretty damn good nap. Right up until you ruined it.”

The three of you turned around.

“This sucks.”

Your eyes widened.

They went to the man’s tail.

His fangs.

Those two little, rounded ears on top of his head.

He’s…

So…

Cute!

You kept your thoughts to yourself, though: you had the slight inkling from the glare on the beastman’s face that he might not appreciate being called ‘cute.’ (Even though he very much was.)

Yuuken immediately bowed to the beastman. “Sorry about that. I didn’t mean it.”

You bowed with him, opting to keep silent, because you were sure if you let yourself speak you would end up calling the beastman ‘Mr. Kitty-Witty,’ ‘My Little-Widdle Cutie-Pie,’ or some other disastrous pet name that would end up in the three of you being beat up.

“You are…oh yeah. The herbivores who can’t use any magic.” A smirk formed on the beastman’s face as he said those words, and he leaned in and began sniffing the two of you. Perhaps it’s the ‘beastly’ side of him? you wondered, trying to drown out your slight anger at his obvious lack of respect of Yuuken’s boundaries.

“Huh. You really don’t even have a hint of magic on you,” he commented. “I’m not into taking on helpless opponents.” Grim and you shivered at his words.

“Though, I gotta say,” the beastman’s eyes landed on you, and your eyes widened slightly when they met his own, piercing green ones, “you smell rancid. I could smell your stink in my sleep. Do you sleep with a carcass or something?”

You pursed your lips together with irritation. “I’ll have you know,” you said sharply, “that my bedroom is perfectly clean and tidy. It doesn’t even have a speck of dust.” Mainly because I don’t sleep in it.

“You didn’t answer the question, herbivore.”

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t call me that. Not only is that not my name, but it is also scientifically incorrect, since humans, are in fact, omnivorous,” you said primly.

“Herbivore, omnivore, it makes no difference.” The beastman’s fangs glinted in the sunlight. “You’re all prey to me.”

“…it’s very bold of you to assume you’d ever be able to hunt me down. I’m rather fast, and I have plenty of stamina,” you responded, with a hint of pride.

“So, you’re saying you wanna play chase, Carcass?” The beastman laughed loudly, mockingly. “Well, being woken from my nap has gotten me all pissed. I’ll give you five seconds to start running.”

He took a step “Four. Three. Two. O–”

“Leona-saaan!”

The beastman you now knew as Leona turned his head towards the sound of the voice. “…yeah?”

“I knew you’d be in here,” said the boy, who seemed to be another beastman. This one had sandy-blond hair, wide, blue-grey eyes and two large ears which matched the colour of his hair. “It’s time for your remedial lessons.” The beastman groaned. “If you end up having to repeat again, we’ll seriously be classmates next year!”

“Haah…” sighed Leona, scratching the back of his head. “All you ever do is yap.”

“It’s not like I enjoy all the nagging!”

“We should leave now, Yuuken,” you whispered, and you quickly began pulling him away.

“Hey.”

You paused at Leona’s voice.

“You better watch your backs the next time you find yourself in my territory, herbivores.”

“…”

After the two left, you turned to Yuuken. “He should eat some vegetables,” you said seriously. “They might help his attitude.”

“He should.” Yuuken nodded in agreement. “Vegetables are an essential part of any diet.”

“Speaking of, you eat far too much junk food, Grim. First thing after we get home, I shall make you some salad.”

“You should lay off the tuna for a while too, Grim.”

“Whaaa?! Not my tuna!”

“Sorry, Grim-sweetie, but we’re living paycheck to paycheck…I’ll try get you some premium tuna as soon as one of us brings home the bacon…”

“Heey!”

You turned around to see Ace. “Yes, Trappola-kun?”

“We found a spot where there’s chesnuts!”

“Oh yeah!” Grim exclaimed. “The chesnuts!”

“Let’s go help out,” said Yuuken.

Chapter Text

“Ugh, my arms ache from all this peeling,” groaned Ace from beside you as he stared at his large pile of unpeeled chestnuts, and comparatively smaller pile of peeled ones. “Whoa, Prefect, you’ve already finished! How?”

“It’s an acquired skill,” you answered, whilst effortlessly peeling your last chestnut and adding it to the pile, finished in time despite Ace sneaking his own chestnuts into your pile. “Would you like me to help you?”

“Yes please! You’re a godsend, Prefect!”

You chuckled. “No need to flatter me, I’ve already agreed.”

“Nah, I’m serious, you’re actually amazing. I’m pretty lucky to be friends with someone like you!”

“Ace, are you sure you’re not just complimenting me because you want to copy my work later?”

“Well, no, but if you’re offering…”

You laughed in response. “Alright, but you mustn’t tell Yuuken, understand?”

Ace made a zipping motion across his mouth and grinned. “My lips are sealed!”

“The marron paste looks lovely!” you complimented Trey. “It makes my mouth water just looking at it!”

“Your mouth will be watering more when I add the butter, sugar, and oyster sauce,” Trey responded.

“Oyster sauce?!” exclaimed Ace and Deuce.

“Yep. The umami of the oyster sauce adds depth and richness to the cream,” Trey confirmed. “Here’s young oyster sauce with the walrus’ seal of excellence.”

Trey presented the bottle of oyster sauce with a flourish, and the two boys leaned in to look a little closer at said bottle.

“Seriously…that’s a pretty salty sauce,” muttered Deuce.

“Even chocolate gets in curry all the time,” Ace reasoned, albeit still slightly unsure. “It might be good.”

“…Clover-san, it’s rather mean-spirited to trick your underclassmen,” you said curtly. “You and I both know that oyster sauce has absolutely no place in a mont blanc, let alone any sort of sweet.”

“Huh?” said the two in unison.

Trey burst into laughter. “Well, if they took a second to think about it they would have figured it out on their own!” He wiped a tear from his eye. “They should learn to believe things with a healthy dose of scepticism.”

“Screw you!” fumed Ace. “You said it with such a straight face!”

“He looks nice, but he’s pretty good at lying,” Grim noted.

“Next, take the whipped cream…ah!” Trey’s eyes widened. “We made way too much chestnut paste. Now we’re out of whipped cream to mix it with.”

“I’ll go and buy it,” Deuce offered. “Do they sell it at the campus store?”

“Yeah. They’ve got just about everything. And could you get some other stuff while you’re at it too?”

Trey began listing off ingredients, and Deuce muttered, “I’m not sure I can carry all that alone…”

“I would be glad to accompany you,” you immediately offered. “I’ve been meaning to go and check out the store for a while now, this is a good opportunity.”

“Take me with ya!” exclaimed Grim. “I’m sick and tired of mixing stuff!”

“Sorry, Grimu, but no. I don’t know if animals are allowed…it would be best if you stayed here…”

“Aww…” Grim sulked and stared at the bowl of paste he was mixing.

“You’ll keep an eye on him while I’m gone, Yuuken?” you asked.

“Of course.” Yuuken nodded firmly. “You can trust me.”

“Excuse me!” called out Deuce as he entered the store.

“Is it just me, or does this place feel oddly cramped?” you murmured. The shadows seem to be closing in on me…

“Hey!” someone exclaimed, and the two of you jumped in your spots.

Seemingly out of nowhere, a man with pink eyes and a large top hat had appeared. He winked and raised a white-gloved hand in greeting. “Welcome to Mr. S’s Mystery Shop. What is it you seek, my little imps?

“A talisman from some unknown land? The mummy of an ancient king? Maybe some cursed tarot cards? Anything and everything is in stock now!”

You had to admit, some of items he listed off were rather peculiar, but you simply brushed it off as another oddity of this world.

“Everything’s in stock? That’s wonderful!” You beamed with delight. “Deuce and I were just here to pick up some groceries.”

“I’ve got a list.” Deuce handed over said list, and the shopkeeper looked at it with a scruitinizing eye. Finally, he proclaimed, “That’s one sweet line-up! And…it’s all in stock!”

Didn’t he just say that everything is in stock? You once again decided to just brush it off. It was becoming a habit.

“How about this flying saucer for carrying your bags?” A miniature UFO flew in, and began spinning around your head. “Buy this 1/100 scale UFO and I’ll give you 30% off.”

“Oh, you drive a hard bargain, but I’ll have to refuse.” You swatted away the UFO away from your head, and chuckled. “We’re on a budget, I’m afraid. Maybe next time.”

The three of you proceeded to the checkout, and when Mr. S handed over the receipt, you glanced at the price, and frowned. “…Excuse me, has there been some sort of mistake? The price seems to be far too low…”

“A discount, for a first-time customer!” Mr. S gave you a grin.

“Oh, thank you very much!” You smiled, and picked up two of the bags, as did Deuce.

“Let’s get back to Trey, (Y/N).”

“Of course. We can’t keep them waiting any longer.”

As soon as the door closed behind the two of you, Mr. S allowed the smile to fall off his face, and he stared sombrely at the closed door of the shop.

“That poor imp…” he muttered.

“I must say, Deuce, those bags look rather heavy,” you remarked. “And yet you carry them without even breaking a sweat…”

“I used to go with my mom to limited sales to stock up on stuff, and I kinda developed a knack for carrying stuff like this,” Deuce told you, his gaze wandering far off. “Our bags were always so hefty, and since I’m the man of the house, all the heavy lifting falls on me…”

Deuce seemed to suddenly remember himself. “Ah, sorry. For rambling, I mean.”

“Oh, don’t be.” You smiled. “It’s lovely to see how much you love your mother.”

“No. That’s not it at all.” Deuce’s gaze once again became distant. “Me and my mom are–”

Deuce didn’t get to finish his sentence, because at that moment, he collided with two boys, and fell to the ground, the bag he was carrying falling with him.

You quickly rushed over to him, set down your bags and helped Deuce back up to his feet. “Deuce, are you alright?”

“I’m fine, but the eggs…”

“That hurt!” snapped one of the two boys Deuce had crashed into. “Watch where you’re going, dude!”

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t speak to my friend that way,” you retorted hotly. “I’d think you were blind, the way you barged into our path…!”

“Huh? You sayin’ it’s all my fault?”

“We are,” said Deuce, facing the boy down. “You were the ones who jumped in front of me. Now, reimburse me for those eggs, and then apologize to the chickens.”

“Haaah?” snorted the boy. “A buncha chickens ain’t worth fightin’ over.”

A dark look overcame Deuce’s face at the boy’s words.“…what?”

You took a step back; your mind went back to that time in the cave, when Deuce had run right in without regard for his own safety. “This isn’t going to end well…” you muttered, your arms crossing together protectively.

The boy patted Deuce on the shoulder and grinned, seemingly oblivious to the change in Deuce’s demeanour. “They didn’t even splat or anything, so they’re still edible, right?” He laughed. “We just saved you the trouble of crackin’ ‘em is all!”

Suddenly, Deuce grabbed the boy’s collar with both hands, hoisted him into the air, and yelled, “DO YOU SEE ME LAUGHIN’, HUHH?!”

It seemed you were right again.

Chapter Text

“It ain’t your place to decide what’s a big deal or not!” Deuce shouted. “Those eggs…instead of growin’ up to be chicks, they were ‘sposed to become a delicious tart! If you aren’t gonna get me six eggs…”

Deuce punched his fist into his palm.

“I’LL HAFTA SLUG YOU SIX TIMES INSTEAD!”

The boy laughed, though you could detect a touch of fear in his eyes. “You’re gonna slug me?” He raised his fist and struck. “We’ll see about that!”

Deuce deftly slid out of the way and grabbed the boy by his collar once more. “Grit those damn teeth!” he shouted, and threw him to the ground, then grabbed his collar again and shouted, “Next time you’re eating eggs, apologise to them a hundred times first!”

As Deuce prepared to strike once more, you remembered yourself, and shouted, “Deuce, stop!”

“…” Deuce paused. Turned to look at you.

“If you start another fight, you’ll be expelled!” you warned him. “Crowley will be sure to expel you!”

Deuce dropped the boy, the boy scrambled to his feet, and along with his friend, ran off, shouting, “We’re sorry for everything, chicks!”

“Ah…” Deuce ran a hand through his hair, a look of pure despair on his face. “I…I did it again…” He trembled, and clenched a fist, bringing it to his heart. “I was gonna be an honour student for sure this time…!”

“What do you mean?” you asked.

And Deuce explained.

His delinquent years.

His mother’s tears.

His guilt.

His oath to never make his mother cry again.

When he had finished telling his tale, he fell to the floor and slammed the ground with both fists, crying out, “Despite that, I still…goddammit!” Raw.

You stood there, looking at him for a few seconds. Before gently sinking to the ground yourself and putting a hand on Deuce shoulder. “…Being an honour student doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t take abuse lying down.”

“…huh?” Deuce looked up at you.

“It’s only natural that you should defend yourself. Though, you’ll need to learn to use methods other than violence to settle matters.”

“I know…”

“But,” you said, “I know for certain that you can do it.”

Deuce’s eyes widened.

“You work so hard in class so you can get a good grade, and you’ve always tried your best to be respectful to your teachers and seniors. You always want to help out, and you try your best to do the right thing.”

You…thought Deuce was hardworking? You thought he was helpful?

You smiled gently at him, and Deuce’s heart almost melted at how warm your smile was, like a hug in the middle of the night, like a bowl of omurice on a cold day.

“I can’t say that you can erase your past mistakes, but what you can do is take on every day, one by one, until one day you find that you’ve risen above your past and achieved your goal. And…if it means anything…”

Deuce stared into your eyes, and he was drowning. By god, he was drowning. “I’ll do everything I can to make sure you become the honour student you want to be,” you finished.

“…” Deuce reached out and pulled you into a hug. You returned his embrace, putting a hand on his back, and Deuce buried his head in your shoulder and whispered, “Thank you.”

“Of course,” you whispered back.

After the moment had passed, the two of you separated and stood up. Deuce walked over to the carton of eggs, all broken now.

He took a look at you, before crouching and reverently picking up a single, broken eggshell. “The chicks…their souls are gonna rest in peace now, right?”

You seemed to fight an internal battle for a moment, before smiling gently and saying, “I’m sure they will.”

“It’s such a gorgeous tart!” you exclaimed, beaming. “Trey, you’re a miracle worker!”

“Aww, I’m just a normal guy, no need to flatter me.” Trey laughed a little bashfully.

“‘Sup guys!” Cater popped his head from behind the door with a wink. “Everybody working hard?”

“We’re just finishing up, actually.”

“Whoa, it looks so tasty!” Cater brought out his phone eagerly. “Can I put this up on my Magicam?”

Trey gestured to some slices of the tart. “These are for you guys. Help yourselves.”

“Woohooo!” shouted out Grim and Cater in unison.

“Convenient of you to show up just to taste test…” Ace grumbled, as he sat down at the table.

You took a bite. Chewed. Swallowed. It’s…it’s delicious!

You could understand why Ace stole them now…

You caught your reflection in the spoon, marred by the frosting and crumbs and the concave of the metal. You stared at it for a few seconds, looking right into your own eyes, before moving the spoon and scooping up another bite.

“…You alright?” Yuuken asked you softly.

You nodded, and kept on eating, though Yuuken spent a few minutes staring at you, before remembering his own food and going back to eating.

“Okay!” announced Trey. “We’re having the Unbirthday Party tomorrow. You’d better not be late.”

“Tomorrow at last, this collar’s coming off for sure!” Ace exclaimed.

“…so, like, (Y/N), could I stay the night again?” asked Ace, with a pleading smile.

“Of course! You’re welcome anytime.”

“Thanks, (Y/N)! You’re the best!”

“Mmhmm.” You chuckled.

…

THAT NIGHT AT RAMSHACKLE

…

As Ace shuffled in your covers, trying to sleep, his eyes suddenly caught on you, and he jumped. He hadn’t noticed you enter the room.

“Prefect, what’re you doing here?” he groaned, annoyed. “I’m trying to sleep, y’know.”

You averted your gaze apologetically, and Ace couldn’t help but note how ghostly the moonlight made you seem. “I was just…oh, this is going to sound awfully strange, but I…was quite lonely. I promised myself that I’d just pop in for a minute, nothing more. I’m so, so sorry…”

And you looked so guilty, and it made Ace feel guilty as well, somehow, so he said, “You can stay if you want,” and he meant it.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to impose or anything, and–”

“Nah, it’s fine.” He gave you a grin. “I was getting pretty lonely too, not gonna lie.”

“Alright, then…”

You sat down at your chair and watched Ace, discreetly. He watched you too, discreetly, stared into your eyes full of something eternal, endless, all-encompassing, and soon enough he was asleep.

That night, he dreamt of you.

Chapter Text

“You have a nice rest?” you asked Yuuken.

It was morning, and the five of you were all in the lounge. You had considered getting some breakfast, but you reasoned there was no need to, since you would all eat at the tea party (besides, there was nothing you could give them. The pantry was all empty).

“…well…” Yuuken averted his gaze. “I had a strange dream.”

“A nightmare?”

“No, no. It was just…strange. I’ve been having them for a while now…but I had no idea what they’re supposed to mean…”

“Well, how about you tell me about it after the party?” you suggested.

“Yeah.”

You still had the feeling that there was something Yuuken wasn’t saying, but you decided not to press him about it.

“Ace, you’ve wrapped up the tart, haven’t you?” you called out.

“Yeah, I…well…I…”

“You forgot.”

“Hey, I was really tired!”

“How could you?” said Deuce. “Now we’re going to be late for the Unbirthday party!”

“You forgot as well!”

“It’s alright.” You smiled, and produced a gift box, beautifully wrapped up. “I saw you’d forgotten, so I just did it myself.”

“Gosh, thanks Prefect!” Ace eagerly took the tart from you. “You’re a lifesaver!”

“Careful, careful,” you chuckled. “Don’t want to squash all our hard work, Ace.”

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

“I’ll get it,” you said, and walked over to the door, opening it. There, standing on your doorstep, was none other than Cater Diamond.

“Hi~ I’m just here to get our cute freshmen.”

“Yes, yes, of course.” You turned around, and called out, “Everyone, Diamond-san’s here!”

Time to get going, you supposed.

You tried to remember the last time you went to a party, but then you quickly realised that you had never been invited to any. This only served to make the tea party seem even more bright, even more grand in your eyes.

But, still, there was something that was bothering you…

“Why are there so many collared people?” you wondered.

“It’s a looong story,” Cater replied.

You weren’t sure if you liked the sound of that.

The sound of a trumpet. “All hail our leader…the rose-red ruler! His Grace, His Excellency: Dorm Leader Riddle!”

And there, at the entrance to the garden, stood Riddle himself. Despite your distaste for him, you had to admit that he looked rather grand.

He passed you as he walked there, and you inclined your head towards him. “Dorm Leader Rosehearts.”

He stopped, and after a moment’s compilation, did the same to you. “Dorm Leader (L/N).”

“I trust that today’s Unbirthday party will be enjoyable.”

“It will,” he replied, and then, he walked over to his seat.

You took a seat as well, looking into your teacup and aimlessly swirling around the liquid, warping your reflection.

Swirl.

Swirl.

Swirl.

Swirl.

Swir–

Yuuken nudged you, and you were back in the present again.

“In celebration of someone’s very merry Unbirthday Party,” Riddle called out. “Cheers!”

You stood up, along with everyone else. “Cheers!”

And you toasted the ‘someone’ whom you would never know.

“Now’s your chance, Ace-chan,” Cater whispered to Ace, who took the gift in his hand, determined.

“Here goes.”

“Good luck,” you whispered to him, giving Ace a smile.

“Umm…Dorm Leader.”

Riddle looked from his tea at Ace.

“I wanted to apologise for eating that tart the other day by baking a new one.”

“Did you, now? What sort of tart, exactly?”

With a flourish, Ace opened the box, revealing the tart in all its glory. “Feast your eyes on this! It’s a Mont Blanc, made with tons of freshly picked chestnuts!”

Riddle looked down on the tart. “Mont Blanc, you say…?!”

Yes, this was it! Ace would finally get his collar off!

“Unbelievable!”

What?

“By the decrees of the Queen of Hearts, Article 562: ‘One musn’t take a Mont Blanc to an Unbirthday party’!”

Riddle slammed his hand down on the table. “This is a serious rule violation!” He glared at Ace. “See what you’ve done?! You ruined our perfectly ideal Unbirthday Party!”

“A-Article 562?” stammered Deuce. “How many are there?”

“Eight hundred and ten,” answered Riddle. “And I’ve memorized every single one of them.”

“Wh– eight hundred and ten?!” exclaimed Yuuken and Grim in unison. You simply pressed your lips together as you frowned, retreating further into yourself.

“Discard that Mont Blanc this instant!” ordered Riddle.

“That’s a joke, right?!” Ace’s eyes and mouth were wide open with shock. “Hold up! You’re making zero sense here!”

“He’s right!” Grim fumed. “So lemme eat it if you’re gonna toss it!”

“Dorm Leader! My apologies.” Trey tried to placate Riddle. “I’m the one who suggested he bring that pastry.”

“Who knew there’d be a rule like that, am I right?” Cater added nervously.

“That it wasn’t made wasn’t important,” Riddle said to Ace. “That you brought it here, today, that is the source of the problem!”

“Do we really need to follow that rule?” said Yuuken, and everyone fell silent.

Yuuken…! You looked at him in desperation, willing him to stop speaking, but no, he continued, saying, “No one seems bothered by the Mont Blanc’s presence or anything…”

“Literally,” said Ace, “Anyone following this system has to be a complete idiot.”

Your hopes of somehow salvaging the situation quickly faded away.

“Complete…idiot…?” Riddle’s fist clenched.

“Stop!” Cater shouted. “That kind of language is off-limits!”

“Yeah, no,” Ace scoffed. “Bringing some stupid tart is a rule violation? You are full of it.”

“I’m with Ace,” Deuce agreed. “Rules are clearly meant to be followed, but…this is getting way out of hand.”

Oh god, oh god, oh god…This party was quickly and surely becoming a trainwreck. And with trainwrecks come casualties.

Ace addressed the crowd of bystanders, “I know you guys are scared of the guillotine, but you’ve got to know that this is nuts, right?!”

“N-No…we just…”

Riddle sent the crowd a glare. “Oh, really?”

“Far from it, Dorm Leader!” they responded, in perfect unison. “Everyone relies on your impeccable judgement!”

“Look at these cowards.” Ace sighed. “Talk about lame.”

“In the year since I became Dorm Leader, not a single one of the Heartslabyul students has repeated a year nor suffered expulsion. That makes me in the right!” Riddle reasoned. “Not only am I the best in the dorm, but I am also the strongest! All you have to do is follow me without protest!”

His hand reached towards his sceptre, and you instinctively flinched. “It’s not like I want to send all your heads rolling…you rulebreakers are the ones in the wrong.

“Deliberately disobey me…

“And it’s off with all your heads!”

“Just go with the flow guys, and say ‘Yes, Dorm Leader’!” said Cater desperately, and you wanted to cry out the same thing.

“…I don’t think so,” said Deuce.

“Same here,” agreed Yuuken.

“No way am I gonna kneel before this self-absorbed tyrant!” finished Ace.

“…what…did you just say?” A shadow fell over Riddle’s face.

Don’t say anything, don’t say anything, don’t say anything–

“That you’re a selfish, grumpy lil’ tyrant who’s gonna waste all this food!” Grim chimed in.

That did it.

“Off with your head!”

Clack!

Clack!

Clack!

“Trey! Cater! I want them thrown off the premises this instant!” Riddle screamed.

“…Yes, Dorm Leader.”

You began trembling, as all of your friends were dragged away, and just before they were taken out of sight, your eyes caught Yuuken’s.

His mouth formed the word ‘(Y/N).’

I…I couldn’t do anything…

I was completely useless…

Cater and Trey returned, having finished their task, and though you knew that they didn’t want to do it, you couldn’t help but hate them a little.

“(L/N)-san,” said Riddle, calmer after your friends had been dragged away, “Since you yourself have not broken any rules, you’re welcome to stay for the rest of the party and take part in the croquet match later.” And he smiled.

“…” If you agreed, then that would mean you would stay in Riddle’s (somewhat) good graces, and it would in turn mean less trouble for you. Making an enemy of the Heartslabyul Dorm Leader would not be a good thing.

But then again, what would be the use, if you had nothing left to lose?

“…It’s true that I never heard of the Queen of Hearts before coming to NRC,” you said. “But back where I come from, there are countless stories of people just like her…leaders, who ruled with fear and without care for their people. If I remember correctly, a good many of them were assassinated. Mostly because their subjects became tired of them.”

The silence stayed, though you could hear a few sharp breaths at your words. You raised your cup of tea and took a sip.

“You’re Queen today, Rosehearts, but sometime in the future, your subjects will become tired of you, you and your reign of terror. And when that happens…”

You made a slicing motion across your neck with your other hand.

“It’ll be off with your head.”

Riddle opened his mouth to speak, but you cut him off, saying, “Before you say it, there’s no need to get those two to throw me out, because I’m going to leave all by myself. I’ve no wish to play nice with a tyrant. Goodbye, Riddle Rosehearts, and have fun with your silly little croquet tournament. I’ll pray that someone will grieve your loss when your head inevitably goes rolling.”

You threw away the teacup, and it shattered, falling onto the ground.

And then you left.

Chapter Text

“He vanished?!”

Deuce’s familiar voice rang out in the open space, and you quickly rushed over to it.

“Everyone!” you called out, and they turned to face you.

“(Y/N)?”

“(Y/N)-san?”

“You?”

You slowed to a stop. “Oh, my goodness…!” You quickly scooped Grim off the floor and inspected him for any injuries, and you heaved a sigh of relief to see he was in somewhat good shape.

Ace shook his head. “Of course, you check on him firs– Hey!”

You had grabbed Ace by the wrist and pulled him toward you, taking his face in your hands and bringing it close to yours, looking for any major bruises or cuts on his face. Ace’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and he quickly batted you away. “What was that for?”

“You’re very weak and scrawny, so I was worried that you would have broken a bone somewhere, but it looks like you’re fine!” You beamed. “I’m so glad!”

“Pft!” Grim sniggered. “Weak and scrawny!”

“Hey, I am not weak!” retorted Ace.

“Oh, sorry…!” A look of mortification slowly descended onto your face. “I forgot to think before speaking!”

“I mean, it’s not like you said anything which wasn’t true,” said Yuuken.

“Hey!”

“Everyone, we need to go find Trey-senpai,” said Deuce. “Otherwise, we’ll never find out why our dorm leader’s the way he is.”

“I’m sorry?” You frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Don’t worry,” Deuce began walking, and you quickly caught up in step with him, “I’ll explain on the way…”

You didn’t like being here.

In the night, the library was empty, and every footstep echoed out into the dark. The hallways seemed much larger than they were in day, and you felt like there was something just lurking around every corner, waiting to pounce. You wanted to run, run as fast as you could, but you stayed, and it paid off, because eventually, there you saw him.

Trey Clover.

“Clover-senpai,” Deuce called out. Trey was tracing his fingers along the spines of various cookbooks, considering, but when he heard Deuce’s voice, he stopped right in his tracks.

“You guys…”

“We figured you’d come to the library to return a cook-book and waited here,” Deuce explained, slowly walking up to him along with the rest of the group.

“Listen,” said Ace. “We don’t buy into our dorm leader’s approach.”

“…I can imagine.” Trey’s voice was a careful monotone, not betraying any of his thoughts.

“You guys are childhood friends, right? Soo, did the blatant ass-kissing start ages ago or what?”

Trey’s eyes widened, and he stiffened with shock. “Who told you that?”

“Some guy named Chenya,” said Deuce.

“Chenya…” An air of gloom settled about Trey. “You don’t say.”

So, they really are childhood friends…

“I mean, ain’tcha a year older than Riddle?” asked Ace. “Just go ape ‘n let ‘im have it.”

“I’m always ready to do what I have to. But that…” It almost pained Trey to say his next words, you could tell. “That I can’t do. I can’t be the one to scold him.”

“Why?!”

“Because his everything was ‘created’ under a very strict regiment,” sighed Trey.

And he began telling Riddle’s story…

As he talked, you raised a hand to your slightly open mouth, and felt tears prick at your eyes. I can’t believe he went through so much…

And I said such horrible things to him…!

“I get why you think Riddle’s a tyrant. That his way of doing things isn’t right.” The anguish within Trey was plain to see, and your heart couldn’t help but bleed for him, him and Riddle. “But I…I still can’t force myself to correct him!”

“…that’s some past,” mumbled Deuce.

“…” Ace shut his eyes, thought for a bit, then opened them again. “Ok, I totally get it now.”

He stepped forward, and poked Trey, right in the middle of his chest. “Riddle’s like this all because of you!”

“Wha?!”

“Ace!” you yelled. “You can’t just say that!”

Regardless of everyone’s shock, Ace carried on, berating Trey. Telling him that he should have been a better friend. That he should have put Riddle on the right track.

And he was right.

“Talk about spineless!” Ace snapped. “Some childhood friend. That’s the last thing you are.”

He was right, but still, your pity for Trey only grew.

“Now, now, you all! There will be no talking in the library!” came a voice from behind you, and you screamed, and jumped away from the sound, raising your hands and cowering, with your eyes shut and your body trembling.

“…(L/N)-san, what on earth are you doing?” Crowley raised an eyebrow.

“…a-ah…so…sorry…” You straightened, looking away. “You just…frightened me. That’s all.”

“Gosh, Henchman, you’re such a scaredy-cat,” scoffed Grim. “You screamed loud enough to wake up a dead person!”

“Well, will one of you care to explain this little get-together?” Crowley asked.

You said, “Of course, this is what we were talking about…”

“Ah.” After your summary, Crowley nodded, then turned to Ace. “Why not apply you for a dorm transfer, if Rosehearts-kun rubs you the wrong way?”

“Transfer, huh.” Ace rubbed the back of his head. “Giving up and running in defeat? How about no.”

“Hmm.” Crowley considered for a moment. “Then what would you say to challenging him and becoming the dorm leader yourself?”

“Become the Dorm Leader?!”

You jumped again at the sudden shout, and you felt yourself wobble a little. You quickly grabbed Yuuken’s and Deuce’s arms in order to balance yourself and sighed.

Deuce looked at you from the corner of his eye, and unbeknownst to him, a slight flush made its way onto his cheeks.

Yuuken looked at you as well. His eyes just held concern.

Crowley continued, “With myself as your witness, you can duel Rosehearts-kun for the title of Dorm Leader. It’s how he got his title as well.”

Trey added, “When the duel starts, you’ll have to face each other on equal terms. In other words, you can get your collar removed without an apology.”

A grin appeared on Ace’s face. “You’re telling I can get off scot-free and snatch his spot?”

“Essentially, yes,” Crowley replied. “What say you, Trappola-kun? Will you make an attempt?”

“Alright!” cheered Ace. “Here goes nothing!”

“Ace, are you sure?!” you exclaimed. “You can get seriously hurt!”

“You’re getting way over your head!” added Trey.

“Won’t know unless I try, right?” Ace shrugged. “I’ll make him apologise, like, ‘I’m sooo sorry, I was in the wrong’, when I’m Dorm Leader!”

“Count me in too!” Deuce shouted, to your despair. “I’ve always wanted to aim for the top.” He cracked his fists.

“Don’t forget­­–”

“You will not duel Rosehearts!” you snapped. “You’ll watch Deuce and Ace fight him from the side-lines, where you’ll be safe!”

“But I wanna fight that stuck up prig!” Grim whined.

“I said no!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll get Riddle to take off your collar when I’m boss!” Ace reassured Grim.

“So, what’re your odds looking like?” asked Yuuken.

“Our opponent’s way better with magic,” Ace admitted.

“Maybe we can settle this with our fists,” Deuce suggested with a grin.

“He does look real puny,” sniggered Grim.

Crowley thought for a moment. “Oh. I forgot to mention: any and all non-magical attacks are forbidden in this duel.”

A moment of silence. The realisation dawned on everyone.

You buried your face in your hands and sighed. “Ace, Deuce, please tell me what flowers you would like in your funeral…”

“Huh?! We haven’t died yet!” exclaimed Deuce.

“Come on, Prefect, we’ll manage!” Ace nudged you a little and laughed. “Don’t worry so much, you’re gonna send yourself to an early grave. Tell you what, soon as I become Dorm Leader, I’m gonna host a party just for you. You’ll have to relax at a party!”

“Ace…”

As you left with the others, you took a glance at Trey. The look on his face did nothing to ease your worries.