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“You’re a strong goldfishie!” Floyd exclaimed as all the ghosts went to wherever they were headed to for the supposed honeymoon of the newlyweds.
Riddle ignored him and looked for Cater instead. It was nearing midnight and he would love it if he didn’t break any rules despite the event that just transpired in this very room.
“Come on punch me!” Floyd begged. Jade laughed at his brother before he went to help tidy up the cafeteria just enough to look decent in the morning.
“This is not the time nor place!” Riddle shouted, already worn down by fatigue, but it wasn’t enough for the eel to stop pestering him.
“Why not?” Floyd asked, eager to know just how strong Riddle really is to fight off the earlier ghosts alone. Possibly stronger than what he is expecting, maybe bearable enough for him to take.
“I’ve got no time to waste on you.” Riddle then turned his back on him. “Cater, quicken your pace unless you want me to take your head right this instant?”
“I’m coming! I’m just helping clean things up!” Cater answered and bowed apologetically to the others before he jogged to Riddle.
“C’mon goldfishie-”
A loud smack resonated in the cafeteria. It was a blur for everyone who witnessed it that even made them wonder if that really happened. Those who wasn’t able to see were asking what made that noise.
They all got their answer when they saw Riddle massaging his fist while walking towards the exit, with Cater hot on his trails. They didn’t ask any further questions when Cater was pointing to a speechless Floyd, whose left cheek was forming a reddish mark.
You could hear a pin drop in the room, not one person moved even after Riddle and Cater left the cafeteria. They were all waiting for a reaction from Floyd, unsure if the eel would burst into a big tantrum or something else entirely.
A few moments later, Floyd was still unmoving from his spot, eyes fixated on the door where Riddle left. There was a stinging pain on his cheek but his shock made him ignore it. It was a surprise even for Floyd even if he was technically asking for it.
Mixed reactions came from everyone in the room, some in amazement, some in surprise, and some in amusement.
“Did Housewarden Rosehearts really punch Floyd in the face?”
“Hell yeah he did! I didn’t think Housewarden Riddle would do that in the first place. I respect him a little more now.”
“That’s Riddle for you, if he blows up you just hope you’re not his target.”
“Guess the Crimson Tyrant wasn’t that much of a goody-two shoes after all.”
“I have no words to describe what just happened.”
“He had it coming.”
“Now we know Rosehearts can pack a punch if needed.”
“That form when he punched was magnifique! I give it a 100 points!”
“Vil-san do you think I can do that too?”
“Do you want to? I can teach you, only if you follow everything I tell you.”
“No one would believe me if I told everyone that Riddle punched Floyd in the face, could've been perfect blackmail material. Unless... Did you get a clip of that Ortho?”
“I did! Do you want to see?”
“Oooh! I want to see! I blinked and I only saw Riddle walking away.”
“Should we waste time on trivial matters like this, Lilia-sama?”
“You should put that on magicam for fun purposes.”
They were crowding around Ortho who was replaying the scene on a wall. Suddenly there was a loud bang that startled everyone in the room. It wasn’t hard to put two and two together that it was Floyd’s doing. But they all shrugged it off and continued watching the scene while laughing their asses off.
The following afternoon, during lunch break, it was evident that Floyd was still in a sour mood. His left cheek was bruised and he had no intention to cover it up. Every student who saw were whispering that who landed a hit on Floyd must be someone stronger and wittier than him.
Everyone who was present that night couldn’t help but laugh silently in their seats. It would be a huge shock if they were to know that it was someone shorter than him with anger issues that landed a hit on Floyd square on the face.
The Heartslabyul students didn’t miss the good mood their housewarden was in. It was the first time they ever saw Riddle smiling while humming a song to himself cheerfully. Most times Riddle would finish eating as quickly as he could but today he was taking his time.
Maybe it was blissful ignorance that Riddle was eating happily. But Floyd didn’t miss the smug grin Riddle threw in his direction that just made him sink in his seat and frown.