Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Yuuna’s entire body ached, every nerve screaming in pain. She felt like her body was floating on the water’s surface, though stuck in an endless darkness with no discernible objects. Suddenly, her body was pulled under, but instead of suffocating, she was dropped into an empty room. A mirror stood at the center, though it provided no reflection. Not surprising. One couldn’t see their reflection in a dream. Yet stranger still, the mirror only displayed green, angry flames burning on the other side of the glass. Slowly, through those flames, a hand reached out. She felt compelled to take it…

There was a voice coming from an unknown distance away, echoing throughout the room. “As flame reduces even the stars to ash… As ice seals away even time itself… As great trees swallow even the sky… Fear not the power of darkness. Now一demonstrate your power.”

She reached out, her fingertips chilled by the glass as she touched it. The hand lunged out and grabbed onto her wrist. Even a gasp failed to escape her as she was pulled forward, falling into the rippling mirror.

“Keep steady your grip. No matter what may come…”

“Ugh, my head…” she muttered out, head head feeling like a hundred pins were prickling at her brain. Maybe if she just went back to sleep, the pain would go away. She tried to turn over, but as she did so, she came to the realization that her space was more…compact than what she was used to. Too narrow, like her movement was being limited. She could’ve easily tossed around at night to the point of wrapping herself into a blanket burrito. But when she shifted to sit up…

“Ah!” Yuuna hissed out in pain when she bumped her head, immediately lying back down to nurse her poor forehead. What the…? She finally opened her eyes, only to see…nothing. It was completely pitch black. She was groggy but she knew her room was never this dark. She lifted her hands up, feeling cold wood just above her head.

“Better hurry…a uniform…someone spots me…”

Wait… Yuuna heard a voice, muffled by whatever she had been enclosed in and the person speaking so low.

“Ugh! This lid weighs a ton!”

Lid?! Yuuna slammed her fist against the top of whatever was imprisoning her. She could feel and hear that it was wooden but she wasn’t all that interested in the intricacies of whatever was keeping her trapped. “Hey!”

“Nyahh! What was that?!”

Okay, that she could hear very clearly. Poor person on the other side sounded like they knew nothing about her presence either. But she persisted, hitting her hands against the wood to try and get their attention, most preferably their assistance. “Help!” she shouted. “Just get me out! Please!”

She couldn’t see them, but whoever was out there seemed at a loss for words at her panicked state. Yuuna didn’t bother to process anything else, really. All she knew was that she needed some sort of exit before she ran out of air. The confined space was doing her no favors either, her muscles starting to ache stuck in a singular position.

“Bah! Fine! Try this on for size!”

Hot. That was what she could feel shortly after those words were said. Blue flames curled around her vision, making her instinctively press her back against whatever she was in, the lid burned into ash. She could feel a cushion on her back. With her vision adjusting from the darkness she’d been consumed in just seconds before, Yuuna’s brain began to develop the mental capacity necessary to process the specific situation she was in. Coffins. Lots of them. And they were…floating? And she’d been crammed into one of them?! Was someone planning to bury her alive?! She would have at least liked to have some say in her eulogy! Well, guess that wasn’t an option now thanks to the help she’d received.

I should thank whoever helped me.

“Hey, so, thanks for not letting me die and一 Huh?” Yuuna looked to both sides, unable to find anyone that might’ve helped her. That was odd. Even in her stunned state, no one should’ve been able to leave the room without her at least hearing a door open.

“No one’s supposed to be awake! Now everything’s ruined!”

That was the voice! But… She looked down, seeing not a human but a cat. A cat with flaming ears and a forked tail to be exact. And when she opened her mouth, instead of repeating her thanks, she screamed.

Her screaming then triggered the creature to let out its own terrified shriek. If she wasn’t so frazzled by the ordeal, she’d be impressed by how in sync they seemed to be.

“Wait a minute! Why am I screaming when you should be the only one who’s scared?!” The cat thing stomped its feet angrily. But to Yuuna, it was actually kinda…adorable. That checked out. Cats could be assholes but turned into sweethearts when they wanted something. “Just hurry up and hand over your uniform! Or I, the Great Grim, will make you regret it.”

I take back the adorable part. This cat’s just an asshole.

With the blue flames roaring as the cat made its threats, one thing was becoming obvious. Yuuna was dreaming. Cats with fire powers? Floating coffins? None of it could possibly be real. Even the mysterious robes that she was somehow wearing despite having no memory of ever owning something this fancy. It was all just the elaborate conjurings of her deepest imagination and the power of suggestion. Maybe she should’ve taken it easy on the fantasy movies instead of binging.

“Fine, whatever.”

“I’ll scorch you to a一 Wait, what?” The cat looked shocked that she gave in so easily. But this was her dream, so he should’ve expected it. “Just… Just like that? You seriously don’t care?! A chance like this is once in a lifetime and you’re just handing it over?! Well, whatever. I ain’t complaining about the quickest solution!”

“I just need some new clothes and you can have these.” Yuuna half-expected for new clothes to just poof into existence now that she knew this was all a dream. Wasn’t that how this lucid dreaming thing worked? Maybe she didn’t have it totally under control to do that. Oh well. If this was her dream, she was bound to find clothes somewhere.

“Hey, don’t you walk away!” The cat一Grim was his name from what she recalled of his little rant一screeched, chasing after her as she casually walked out the heavy doors once she found the exit.

“How else am I supposed to find something else to wear?” she asked, now having some serious thoughts about how her mind could think up such a grumpy cat. “If you think I’m just taking these off and walking around butt naked, you might just find yourself punted across the hall. So this will be best for both our health.”

“Geez, why did I get stuck with a human like this? Maybe I should go find a new one…” And he didn’t care if he was loud about his musings either, apparently.

Turning a corner, Yuuna just decided to try the first door she could find after walking down the hall for a bit. Once she opened it, however, she was surrounded by bookshelves that reached to the ceiling; an impressive library. She honestly didn’t think her dream would involve so many books, at least ones that weren’t manga or mystery novels. Maybe then, it would truly be paradise.

“What’s the holdup, human?! If you keep stalling, I’m gonna turn ya to ash!”

And if this cat was nice, maybe didn’t talk at all.

“There you are!” A new voice carried over to her, echoing around the unoccupied space. It sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t place why. She looked around, trying to find the person addressing her. Sure enough, he appeared. But, of course, she no longer expected the ordinary. The man was dressed very sophisticated with a button down shirt covered by a vest, a neatly done tie, and a jacket with black feathers set on the shoulders. Even the top hat was indicative of a gentleman. But the strange thing was the crow mask he wore, covering nearly the entirety of his face except for his mouth. It even made his eyes look abnormal in the way they quite literally glowed yellow instead of just regular eye sockets. And now she was wondering if her mind had conquered up a masquerade ball somewhere.

“Imagine my surprise when I noticed one of the gates had been so crudely opened. You must have been quite eager to start your school life, despite it being such a blatant and disrespectful display against our traditions.” Aaand she was lost again. “Not to mention your familiar causing quite a ruckus, going so far as to nearly damage school property.”

“Like I’d ever serve a stupid human!” Grim snapped. “You should be bowing down before me! And I一 Yeow! Hey, what gives?!”

Yuuna could only stare while the crow man picked up the fire cat by the scruff of his neck. Never thought I’d be dreaming up that sentence, but here we are.

“Reprimanding you further will have to wait for now,” the man continued. “Orientation is already underway. We must return to the Mirror Chamber at once.”

He started to walk to the door, still holding onto Grim as he thrashed around, trying to escape. Yuuna, however, stayed put. “No thanks. This dream has been nice and all, if a bit weird, but I gotta get up soon. I really don’t need to get yelled at for somehow muting my alarm in my sleep. You feel me?”

The man stopped in his tracks turning back to her with what was clearly a disapproving look. “Listen here, young lady. I do not ‘feel you’. This is no time for games. Attending student orientation is crucial. So we must make haste to一” Yuuna, ready to retort, shut her mouth when t he man suddenly paused. “You… You are not a young man.”

“Um, thanks for noticing? The Y chromosome wasn’t a fan of mine, I guess.”

“This is unprecedented! The first woman even chosen by the Dark Mirror! I cannot believe I am witnessing history here at Night Raven College!”

“Night Raven what? Is that a new band?” Yuuna still was not keen on this dream dragging out this long, but she began to follow the man as he walked back to what he called the Mirror Chamber anyway. Maybe it was best to just ride this out and wait for it all to just cut off right when it got interesting. That’s how most dreams she had went anyway.

“I shall explain on the way,” the crow man tried to reassure her, “and perhaps that will send the haziness from the spatial teleportation magic away. Oh, what a generous instructor I am! Now一 What on earth are you doing?”

This wasn’t happening. This was not happening! Yuuna pinched at her arm, her thighs, her face, trying to force herself awake with any form of pain to shock her nerves so she’d finally wake up. But no matter where she pinched, she only felt that typical jolt of pain. She finally stopped once they got to their destination, from what she remembered. This was indeed the path she’d taken before going into the library. But that was much less important compared to the true reality that she was facing.

“So… So I’m not dreaming? I’m really…somewhere else…? Oh god…” She just…couldn’t believe it. Her head was going a hundred miles per hour just trying to accept this fact.  “L-Listen, Mister…uh…”

“Crowley,” he finished for her, “Dire Crowley, headmage of this prestigious school for young mages..”

“Right… Um, look, I think there’s been a big misunderstanding, or error, in your system. I’m just a normal person. I can’t even use magic. So I really shouldn’t be here.”

“Did I hear you correctly? You don’t use magic? I know kids these days like to tell tall tales, but this is ridiculous. There is no mistaking that you were chosen. The open gate you left behind is proof that you are here by the Dark Mirror’s will. You must possess some potential if you are to be a student here.”

“Well then tell your mirror that it got something wrong for once. I just…” Yuuna sighed, pressing a hand to her forehead. “I just want to go home. I don’t need to be a student here. So just point me to the nearest gate or whatever you said so I can get back.”

“You’re just giving it up?” Crowley asked, flabbergasted at the very notion that one would wish to pass on being a student here. Was it that hard to believe?

“That’s what I said!” Grim, who Yuuna had honestly forgotten was here by how quiet he’d been, piped up, finally managing to wiggle out of the headmage’s hold. “This stupid human has no idea what she’s passing up on! So let me fill in that spot! I’ll trounce all those losers in that room and then some! Myah ha ha!”

The headmage, however, did not look impressed. “It seems I might have to take more extreme measures to get this rowdy familiar of yours under control. I suggest you do so once orientation has concluded. As the truly patient headmage that I am, I will give you a chance to properly tame it instead of instantly kicking you out. Now come. You are the last one who needs to consult the Dark Mirror.”

He barely gave her a chance to speak as he waved his hand in the air towards Grim. He instantly went stiff, as if turned to stone. Okay, she had wanted him to be quiet too but that felt a little cruel… Grim was definitely still conscious throughout it, trying so hard to speak but only weird muffles coming out. Crowley picked Grim up and walked through the door. And Yuuna couldn’t do much else but follow. Maybe this magic mirror business was how she could get home. And now that she knew that this weird dream wasn’t actually a dream, she was willing enough to give it a try.

At least the headmaster was kind enough to hold the door for her while she walked in. As she passed him, she almost shrieked when he suddenly reached out and pulled her hood over her head. “Tis tradition” she could imagine him saying if their conversations up till now were any indication. Well, she wasn’t going to bother complaining at the moment. In fact, Yuuna preferred it. She could feel hundreds of eyes looking her way, and the hood was a nice excuse to not look in anyone’s general direction. The whispers were hushed, yet she could hear them clearly with how stagnant the air was.

“That small fry was causing the hold-up?”

“Hold on… Is that a girl?”

“I’m actually seeing this, right?”

“Is this a prank or a weird dream?”

That’s a mood, buddy. She anxiously kept walking, making it up to the small platform where a full body mirror stood. She recognized it almost instantly as the one from her dream. The green flames could not be mistaken. Standing before it, a face not her own appeared through the glass. She didn’t even jump at this turn of events, having gone through a whole tv series worth of weirdness already.

“State your name,” it spoke in a stern voice. Just about what she expected of this, uh, face thing.

“U-Uh…Yuuna…” She waited for a beat. Then two. All she received from the severed face was a hard stare, as if waiting for more. Oh, right. Last name. “Yuuna Palaire…”

“Yuuna Palaire,” it repeated back to her. “The nature of this one’s soul is…” Yuuna waited when it went silent. Was it assessing her? She was so sure she was a Slytherin. Some would argue Ravenclaw. Its expression twisted in surprise. Then frustration. And finally back to neutral. “It is unknown to me.”

“Impossible!” Crowley exclaimed, the sound of his voice drowning out all the hushed and frantic whispers that ensued after those words. “Are you sure?”

“I see a constellation in this one, but no clear shape. An entity with stars clouded by an unknown force. An existence completely new to the skies of Twisted Wonderland, but one that does not belong. With no magic to wield, sending this one to a dorm would not be appropriate.” The face made its exit, disappearing among the green flames, until those flickered out too. Yuuna was only left completely baffled by its cryptic speech.

“I told you!” Grim finally broke out of whatever hold Crowley had on him and landed on the floor. The man’s shock at the situation probably gave the little guy an opening. “I’ll be taking that spot! Unlike this human, I can use the best magic there is! See for yourself!” Grim, in all his hubris, began spitting out his blue flames left and right while pretending everyone around him was fireproof.

“What the hell?!”

“Ah! My robe’s on fire!”

Yuuna, despite the craziness, could only facepalm. Was this what she really had to deal with until someone was kind enough to help her find a way home?

Crowley stepped forward. “Quickly! Someone catch that rowdy weasel before it burns our precious school down!”

“I ain’t a weasel!”

Yuuna looked around, watching most of the students refusing to heed the headmage’s words and instead running for an exit. She did take note of a couple students actually taking the initiative to try and catch Grim, though.

“Allow me to rectify this situation, Headmage,” one of them spoke up, and quite confidently too. She could barely see under the hood, but she did notice the shine from a pair of glasses.

The little punk was still doing his fair share of damage, spewing his flames and disregarding anyone caught in the crossfire.

“Watch out!” Yuuna yelled, grabbing a guy’s arm and pulling him forward as one of Grim’s attacks misdirected and shot straight at him. She was just in time too, the flames only singeing his hood a little as it blasted on by and leaving the two standing toe to toe. He looked a little dazed too, but otherwise fine. “You okay?”

The guy looked shocked to see her. She didn’t think much of it, as she’d been informed that a girl showing up at this school has never occurred before. “Y-Yeah… I’m fine.”

“Good, now go.” She nudged him to the exit, not needing anyone else getting into this mess. He nodded, not saying anything else, and ran out of the room. She was lucky enough to see that two students had made it their responsibility to capture Grim, distracting him long enough for everyone else to safely get out. She couldn’t do much else but stand back and watch the little guy get cornered.

“Off With Your Head!” one of them shouted, pointing what looked like a pen at Grim. With a flash of light, a strange looking collar locked around Grim’s neck.

“MYAH!” Grim suddenly fell flat on his back from something suddenly weighing him down. “What is this?!” No matter how hard he struggled, however, it would not come off. “Get this piece of junk off me!” Once again, Yuuna witnessed Grim getting ready to start up his fire breath. But this time, every attempt ended with him just coughing out some smoke. “What gives?! I can’t use my magic!”

“Such is your punishment for disturbing order,” the one who collared him simply said. “And unless I decide otherwise, there it will stay. Or you are removed from campus.”

“No way! I ain’t getting hauled off that easily! I’m gonna make my mark on magic history here!”

As she watched from the sidelines, Yuuna couldn’t help but feel sorry for the little guy. Even if she only knew him for a good 20 minutes. And he was turning out to be nothing short of arrogant, self-centered, unapologetic… What point was I trying to make again…? Oh, right. She could see where his motivation was, even if the methods to achieve them have been very poor.

“Hold on a second, please.” She stepped in, walking towards Grim. Now that he couldn’t huff and puff his fire everywhere, she felt a little safer picking him up. Even if he tried squirming out of her hold, as per typical cat behavior. “I think you’re being just a little harsh. I know that I just met him today but I can understand what he wants. So, let me take care of him for now. Or at least let him go through some kind of training program if you have one. Because clearly I won’t be staying.” Just to be extra cautious, Yuuna covered Grim’s mouth before he started going on another tirade.

Was this course of action in her best interest? Absolutely not. She wasn’t that dumb. In fact, she was plenty aware that this could mean she’d be kicked out too with no help at all on how to get home.

“What a generous soul you are,” Crowley complimented before the other guys could speak up. The headmage giving his opinion was enough to make them back off for the time being. “Truly, someone like you will be missed. But unfortunately, I cannot allow one who does not wield magic to attend Night Raven College. As an apology, I will give your suggestion some thought. Now, face the Dark Mirror once more so it may guide you home. Simply step into the gate and visualize where you wish to go.”

Finally. Yuuna set Grim down, giving him a brief smile. In return, he just huffed and looked away. He wasn’t yelling at her immediately so she took that as a sign of friendship in its own strange way. She stepped up to the mirror as instructed, thinking of home. Home. Home… There’s no place like home

…Why couldn’t she remember what home was like? Family, friends; all of that was clear. Birthdays, special events… They were there but…blurry. She searched through her memories, trying to take in any background details. Nothing… Why? Why couldn’t she fully remember where she came from?!

“O Dark Mirror! Return this soul to where it belongs!”

She waited. He waited. Everyone who’d been dragging their feet to eavesdrop waited.

“Such a place does not exist here. This one’s home…is far beyond my reach.” The face faded away once more, leaving Yuuna and everyone else still in the room stunned at the gravity of the situation.

So that was it? She was trapped here? Her face paled, staring into the mirror as if the face would come back. That couldn’t be the end. She wanted to go home!

“I must admit that I am at a complete loss,” Crowley finally said, breaking the tense silence. “From what land do you hail? Perhaps a name may help.”

Yuuna finally looked away from the mirror, her knees still a little shaky. “U-Uh, okay. I…I’m from…” She searched her memories again. An address, a road, the name of a city she was familiar with! But everything was coming up hazy in her mind when it came to those specific details. Why? “I-I don’t remember… But I know that I’m not from here. That’s all.”

“I see… It seems that the teleportation magic did more of a number on you than I previously imagined. Possibly because you do not possess the knowledge or magic to properly go through such an experience.”

Oh crap.

Chapter Text

When Crowley had offered her and Grim a place to stay, as he was “such a generous headmage”, Yuuna should’ve expected something like this. Oh, what a fool she was. She expected something like a standard college dorm. Even if the walls were painted dirt brown, it would have still been a roof over her head. And a roof was better than nothing; she had no phone, ID, or any defining factor of her home world to show that she wasn’t crazy.

But instead of a simple room with basic necessities like a bed and nightstand, maybe a desk if she was lucky, she found herself standing at the doorstep of a big mansion that could only say “I’m totally haunted” more if there was a sign on the door that said that; in blood.

“Guess we gotta take what we can get,” she mused aloud, still staring up and assessing just how run-down this place looked on the outside alone.

“Why does it have to be ‘ we ’?!”

Oh yeah. She completely forgot that she was holding Grim in her arms. He had been oddly quiet until the boy finally took the collar off. Yuuna was at least happy about that for him. It looked kind of demeaning to wear.

“Because otherwise, you wouldn’t still be on school grounds,” she argued back. “Look, I get it. Well, I sorta don’t, because I’m from another dimension and all. But this might be better so you can actually try for getting into the school sometime down the road, right? Or at least you won’t have an immediate record of getting kicked out.”

Grim snarled at her, probably because she had a point and, as she quickly learned, he hated conceding. “Fine! I’ll allow you to be my faithful minion until I reach the status of greatest mage in the world.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

“Hurry now!” Crowley quickly called out to them. “The faster you get in, the faster I can leave一 I mean…the faster you can make yourselves comfortable.”

Yuuna walked up the steps, finally stepping through the threshold. And then she proceeded to make a face of abject horror at the state of the place. There was broken furniture, several layers of dust, and cobwebs everywhere that she turned her head. “Wow…” And definitely not a good wow. She set Grim down on the floor, letting him get his own feel of the place. She heard creaking almost everywhere he stepped. I sense a top ten list of reasons to hate the headmaster coming on… This might be number three.

“I will leave you two to get acquainted with your surroundings. It is far from perfect, but it should keep the elements at bay. And in the meantime, I will continue my research into your home world, Miss Yuuna. There is a chance of rain tonight, so best stay indoors.”

Lovely. Spending a rainy night in an abandoned mansion. That’s how every cliché horror movie starts.

Once Crowley was gone, there was not much else to be done. She was now roomies with an arrogant little fire breather while stuck in a world where magic was very much real. That was a reality she had come to accept, albeit with a bit of a defeatist attitude. She took a while to gather her bearings in this place, climbing the staircase to check out the rooms while listening to the rain start up outside. It wasn’t ideal but at least there were a few bedrooms and a bathroom. She just had to find which room was the least torn up so she could get some decent sleep.

“Nyahhh!”

“What’s wrong?!” Yuuna heard Grim’s shriek, immediately rushing back down the stairs to see what was wrong.

“The roof’s leaking! Keeping the elements at bay, my tail! These fiery ears are my trademark. I can’t let them go out!”

She looked up to see that, indeed, the roof had some holes in it that were made very apparent once the rain picked up. “Guess I’ll grab some buckets then. At least some of the bedrooms don’t have this problem, so we should be fine while we sleep.”

“Heh. At least you’re good for something . Since you can’t use any magic to fix the holes and all.”

Grim’s taunts only earned him an annoyed glare, leaving him in stunned silence for a minute as she went to get those buckets and place them under the leaks. If he was going to mock her, then she’d happily return it tenfold. He was just lucky that she was too exhausted at the moment to say or do anything worse. Once that was out of the way, at least for the night, Yuuna decided it was time for bed. She headed back up the stairs with Grim chasing after her, still looking frazzled from getting even minutely wet thanks to the leaks.

“God, this place is creepy,” Yuuna muttered to herself, making her way to the more promising bedroom she had found while exploring.

But she stopped suddenly when something zipped by from the corner of her eye. What was that? She waited for a moment, hoping to see anything, even just a fly. A few seconds passed, leaving her with nothing. Maybe it was just her freaking herself out, becoming prone to the suggestion that this decrepit place was indeed haunted.

It was only when she turned back around, seeing a small band of ghosts, that she realized the haunted theory was correct. Yuuna jumped back in shock, Grim following her lead and then immediately hiding behind her legs.

“It’s been so long since we had anyone stop by for a visit~”

“I just love new friends! Ah ha ha!”

The wheels in her head began turning while the ghosts began to circle around them, talking about wanting a new ghost friend. Earlier, Crowley had been quite eager to put them here. Not only that, he was the headmaster, so he should be well-informed about the goings-on of the buildings on campus. That little… He knew this place was haunted and just stuffed her and Grim here anyway!

Mildly pissed by her realization, Yuuna simply did not care about the ghosts. Frankly, they were shaping up to be the least shocking thing here. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she focused her attention on the chubby ghost within her line of sight. “Can we do this another night?” she asked, so casually in fact that the ghosts stopped doing their little dance to stare in disbelief. “I get it, you like scaring. But in between waking up in a coffin, meeting this fire-breathing furball一”

“Hey!”

“一and finding out that I don’t even remember where home is, you guys are the least frightening thing today. I’m not jumping for joy about living with ghosts, but I think we can at least come to an agreement. Like no hauntings after 10pm. I need a full eight hours or I will officially be labeled as a threat to everyone around me.”

No one said a word after that. Not the ghosts nor Grim. They all just looked at her like she’d gone mad. And with how tired she was after the whole ceremony fiasco earlier, Yuuna probably had indeed gone insane.

“Seriously, what is wrong with you?!” Grim’s screeching finally broke the silence, coming out from hiding to scold her, as if he had room to complain. “All humans can’t be this stupid, facing ghosts head-on!”

But something she had said seemed to work, watching the ghost group slowly break the circle and move away from them.

“I like this one,” a smaller ghost spoke up. “She reminds me of how I was back in my youth. Ah, the memories.”

“Well, looks like we ain’t scaring you anytime soon,” another said, “so we might as well take you up on your offer. Heh, maybe you can make this place lively again.”

Yuuna let herself relax once again, offering a smile. “Glad we could understand each other. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get some rest.”

She didn’t ponder her new roomies for too long once they disappeared, immediately dropping onto the bed as soon as she was in the room. The plop made some dust rise up, making her cough. And finally the thought occurred to her that she should probably clean up. At the very least, she was going to fix up the bed so she could get some rest. The rest could wait for another time. It wasn’t like there was much else to do.

She had just finished patting down the comforter when Grim entered the room, hopping onto the bed and curling up right at the center.

“I don’t think so.” She didn’t hesitate to pick him up to scoot him to one side, settling herself onto the other side.

“Hey, what gives?!” Grim screeched once he was moved.

“I cleaned it, so I’m sleeping in it,” she bluntly replied before shutting her eyes, ready to get some rest. She pointedly ignored his complaints, letting her mind clear before drifting off to a much needed sleep.

“Hey, can you even hear me?!” Grim continued yelling. He huffed loudly once he realized that he wasn’t getting through. “Stupid humans,” he grumbled, settling for curling back up on what was now his side of the bed. He didn’t like owing anything to anybody. So he was extremely irritated by this girl stepping in when he could’ve handled himself. But she did find a way to let him stay in the school, so she wasn’t completely useless. Ah, well. Now he had the chance to become the greatest mage of all time! Nothing was gonna stop him now一 “Nyahh! What now?!”

Just as he was in the middle of his internal monologue, an arm scooped him and dragged him away from his spot. Yuuna, while fast asleep, had pulled him close to her and was cuddling him like a giant plushie. He struggled and squirmed, but she had an iron grip. He finally gave up, reasoning that it was cold in the building and having the minion keep him warm wasn’t so bad. He curled up as best as he could in his position and finally found sleep.

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

The next morning, a knock came at Ramshackle’s door. Crowley greeted the two with a smile, as if he hadn’t just left them to fend for themselves against the ghosts. “Being the generous headmage that I am, I have come with breakfast for the two of you!”

“Thanks.” Yuuna grabbed the two plates of pancakes and sausage from his hands. She could see from the corner of her eye that Grim was practically drooling while staring up at it. So, after she let the headmage in, she set it down on the coffee table so Grim could hop up and eat. However that was supposed to go. Last time she checked, he didn’t have opposable thumbs. She got her answer when she witnessed him practically pile driving his face into the pancakes with one huge bite.

“Now onto the other reason I am here,” Crowley announced with that same suspicious smile that she had witnessed a good handful of times since coming here. But his thought process seemed to halt when he looked around.

Some of the ghosts appeared and disappeared, moving through the halls as Yuuna suspected they normally did while this place was left unattended. Some had even been so kind as to make an attempt to organize the furniture for her to clean later. Guess whatever ghostie powers they had allowed them to move things, even just slightly. She still appreciated the effort.

“Ah, this is a surprise,” he finally picked up. “It seems you have become good acquaintances with the ghosts that have been living here.”

“It wasn’t that hard,” she countered. “I talked with them a little this morning. It turns out they’re pretty cool. Maurice was a pretty famous chef when he was alive. And David ran a flower shop. I like hearing their stories.”

“And she’s a delight as well,” one of the ghosts commented from behind her as they moved up from under the floorboards and then floated to the second level.

“Thanks Nelson!” Yuuna called after him before turning back to Crowley. “And Grim hasn’t been so bad either.” At least not yet. That was to be emphasized. They could both still see Grim happily digging into his food and not making a peep otherwise.

“In all my years, I have never met a human who could tame a monster as well as you… I was certainly not wrong to see potential in you…”

Tame? “I guess you can say we’ve gotten along somewhat,” she sort of corrected him. “Tame” sounded weird for the two’s situation. She hadn’t taught him to keep off the couch or anything like that. In her eyes, he was simply the most annoying roommate she ever had the displeasure of bunking with.

“That aside, allow me to finish my statement from earlier.” Crowley turned from lax to more business-like. “I had given your plea at the ceremony some thought last night. And I am sorry to say that there is no way I could accept someone who hasn’t been chosen by the Dark Mirror, much less a monster, into our school. But letting you, Miss Yuuna, stay here twiddling your thumbs would not be right either, as you are not here of your own free will. And so, I have a different proposal. I will allow you two to stay in Ramshackle Dorm free of charge, but only if you are willing to help around the school.”

“You mean like putting papers through copy machines or cafeteria duty?”

“A little of both,” Crowley replied, “and more. Do not worry though. Being the charitable headmaster that I am, I will be giving you a set salary so you can pay for your basic commodities such as food and clothing, as such will not be provided.”

Yuuna paused, giving it some thought. She couldn't remember if she had a part-time job back in her own world, but the principle of it was generally the same. As long as she didn’t have to carry anything over 200 pounds with her bare hands or anything outrageous, then she felt pretty confident in her abilities. “Deal. But on the condition that you won’t expect me to complete tasks that may require magic, seeing as I have none.”

“That is a reasonable request. You have my word.”

“Yeesh! I’m sick of listening to you two!” Grim, who had finished his breakfast, even had a little syrup smeared on his fur, scurried over to where the two had been having their conversation. “That’s a bad deal if you ask me! I wanna wear one of those cool uniforms and be a student! Not clean up their trash.”

“But it is beneficial to you, as well,” the headmage explained with an unnervingly kind smile. “For instance, this solution will not get you kicked out. But if you refuse, I am left with no other choice~”

“Yeesh! I get it, I get it!” Grim began to pout, clearly unhappy with the end result of the discussion. But also, he had no leg (or paws) to stand on.

The next morning, after dragging Grim out of bed, the two were assigned their first task of the day. Crowley had given her a basic map of the place, even sectioning off areas with a pen to divide the work up reasonaly. As they agreed, he would not be giving her tasks that would end up requiring magic.

“Alright. So it looks like we should start at this place marked as Main Street.” She looked down at Grim, who was still sulking about their new jobs as the clean-up crew instead of becoming students. Getting a good look at the scenery, it was quite impressive. The gothic architecture didn’t add a gloomy feel as others might expect. But rather it all worked elegantly to give the place an air of sophistication.

“Whoa, look at all these statues!” Grim finally perked up a bit, observing Main Street and the important-looking stone statues lined up on either side of it. Even if they were inanimate, they each had a powerful presence to them, demanding respect. “But who are they?”

“There’s writing on the plaques,” Yuuna said, bending down to get a better look at the first one. Queen of Hearts… That sounded like quite the romantic title. She must’ve lived by that namesake too, considering the many heart motifs she could see etched into the woman’s stone figure. “Whoever she is, she must’ve been very accomplished to have a statue made of her.”

“You seriously don’t know the Queen of Hearts?” someone behind her asked, making Yuuna and Grim turn their heads.

She immediately noticed that he was a student here, wearing the same blazer and dress pants all the others she had passed on her way here had donned. Though the vests seemed to come in a variety of colors. The bold red heart marking right beside his left eye made her wonder if he had any association with this Queen of Hearts. But she also noticed the somewhat smug smile on his face, as if the information he held made him superior to her in some way. Yuuna crossed her arms loosely.

“I’m not from around here,” she vaguely answered. “So since she’s a queen, that must means she rules somewhere in Twisted Wonderland?”

“Well, no,” the guy explains. “Or not anymore. She ruled over a labyrinth long ago. She was someone who viewed discipline as the most important aspect of all and enforced strict rules in a country of madness. She never tolerated a single off color rose or a card soldier being out of step. As if someone broke the rules…” He grinned as sliced his thumb across his neck. “She was so awesome!”

Suddenly her neck felt a little sore… “She definitely sounds interesting.” She would’ve fled that country so fast, even if it meant sailing by tiny raft across stormy seas. “You’re a student here, right?”

“Yup!” The guy sounded so proud, even puffing out his chest a little. “The name’s Ace Trappola, a first year starting today.”

“Nice to meet you, Ace,” Yuuna said with a little smile, trying to ease up a bit. Just because she was in an unfamiliar land with no way out in sight didn’t mean she needed to take her frustrations out on other people. “I’m Yuuna, and this is Grim.”

“Yuuna…” He repeated her name, as if thinking on it. Then he had a lightbulb moment, grinning widely. “Oh wow! I shoulda guessed since you’re the first girl I’ve seen around here! You’re the one who made a big mess of orientation! I hadn’t seen a show like that in ages!”

Her lips pressed into a thin line. She had given him the benefit of the doubt much too soon.

“Man, that must be so embarrassing for you!” Ace had flipped on a dime, going from bright and cheery to demeaning without batting an eye. “You’re summoned by the Dark Mirror who says in front of everyone that you don’t have any magic! It’s probably gonna be the joke of the century!”

Her anger began to rise, not caring for Ace’s condescending attitude. Yuuna narrowed her eyes and stared at him harshly while he laughed. She could see it was working, hearing his laughter quiet down into a broken chuckle.

“Heh, not gonna lie, that’s kinda hot,” was all the ginger student had to say, even if it was mumbled lowly to himself. He coughed, realizing he was steadily losing steam. Good. She wasn’t one to go down without a few choice words. “W-Well, I feel so sorry for you. You’re just a janitor now, picking up after me and everyone else. And not to mention you gotta deal with that little pet monster of yours.”

Oh no.

“You dare call Grim, the prodigy mage, a stupid pet?!”

Yuuna stepped between Ace and Grim, trying to diffuse the situation early on. “Come on, Grim. He’s clearly not worth it. No guy who thinks he can insult someone to feel manlier ever is.”

“Huh?!” The two shouted in unison at her statement. But Grim was angry while Ace was downright offended.

Not knowing when to quit, Ace continued to poke the bear, or fire cat, with the proverbial stick. “Yeah Grimmy, listen to what your master tells you~”

“That does it!” With his short fuse, Grim was set off, spitting his blue flames in Ace’s direction without a single thought.

“Ha! That's all you got?” Ace blocked Grim’s attacks using his own magic, which she could only assume was wind by the strong breeze that kicked up in the area.

The back-and-forth continued, drawing the attention of nearby students. She could see the crowd forming but kept her eyes firmly on Grim, the one she’d said she’d try to keep in line as best she could. And her word had been broken in less than an hour! Just as Yuuna was pondering how she was going to de-escalate the situation, she was already too late. Grim split out a fireball, but it was clearly going on a bad trajectory. And Ace, instead of dodging, redirected it further with his magic.

“No!” She yelled out, just before the fire hit the queen’s statue. But she was completely helpless as the fire connected with its unintended target. “Oh dear god…”

“Cease this at once!”

The headmage’s voice ringing out only made Yuuna despair more, staring at the now charred stone statue that she was no doubt going to have to clean later. And from the terrified expressions from both Grim and Ace, neither of them was getting out of this unscathed either.

Chapter Text

In her opinion, being forced to clean a whopping one hundred windows in the school was one of the lighter punishments that the headmaster could possibly assign. Those statues on Main Street were supposedly of great historical figures, so burning one would be seen as an act of blasphemy. And it would’ve been world-ending if the burns were only surface level, able to be scrubbed off the stone with a lot of elbow grease.

While cleaning duty was far from ideal, it wasn’t something she would complain about. Because she felt a sense of accomplishment whenever she witnessed the end result of a tidied up area, sparkling bright and smelling clean. Maybe that’s why being in Ramshackle was not as unbearable as it might’ve been for others. She enjoyed a good project.

“This is torture!” Grim whined, proving her right that not everyone found enjoyment in this. “We’re not even halfway done and I’m wiped…”

“Let this be a lesson, then,” Yuuna remarked, wiping off her tenth window of the day. “You play with fire, you burn a statue.”

Grim pouted, crossing his little front paws. “I may not know much about the human world, but I’m pretty sure that’s not the saying.” He huffed loudly, looking around. “And where’s that Ace guy anyway?! He’s supposed to be dealing with this too!”

Wouldn’t be surprised if he ditched. “He did seem like a total flake,” she commented. “So I bet he ran away.” She was already considering ways to wring his neck like it was her cleaning rag; one way for each window she cleaned without him present. “But let’s wait a little longer. Just in case my first impression is wrong.”

“Grrr fine!” Grim huffed, but he also made no move to join in on her window washing journey. Instead, he just sat on one of the tables for “a break”.

Yuuna had made three more big windows shine in the time that they waited, almost half an hour already passing. At this point, she was now certain that Ace had no intention to endure his punishment alongside them. Even Grim began to notice that she was steadily getting visibly angry, no matter how hard she was trying to rein it in. This felt like group projects all over again, where she was the only responsible one saddled with all the work. Ace was nowhere to be seen and Grim had only done one window. But she could look past that since he had tiny paws and was almost quarter of her height.

“I’m sick of this now. Let’s go find him.” She stepped down from her ladder and scooped the magic cat up, storming out of the room and going down the hall. She was definitely not going to be cleaning windows practically all by herself. Gritting her teeth and getting everything done on her own wasn’t an option anymore. The pair ventured down the hallways, keeping an eye out for Ace’s features among the small percent of the student body that passed her by. Even they were very intent to steer clear of her, as if sensing she was on a warpath.

“Wait! I see him!” Grim pointed out the window into the distance.

Yuuna turned her head, straining her eyes. Sure enough, she saw that familiar red mop of hair weaving through the few students that were walking around on campus at that hour. Her eyes narrowed before she started sprinting. Grim wailed in her arms, pawing at her to hang on tight while she ran faster than he probably predicted she could. She didn’t care about courtesy at this point, sliding down the stair ramps for faster transportation. Once she got outside, Yuuna ran in the direction she saw him last, right into the building that she noticed him heading for.

“Hey!” she yelled once she caught up to him. Ace jumped at the sound of her voice, turning back in evident shock. Lucky for her, he was cocky enough to leisurely strut to his destination, thinking himself slick.

“Damnit!” Ace was quick to try and flee, heading right for one of the mirrors that were circling the room.

Normally, Yuuna would be confused as to why someone would willingly run face first into glass. But with this being a magic fairy tale land, she wasn’t going to question it. Besides, she was too upset with him to think of anything else. However, as he was doing so, another person stepped out of the mirror, completely oblivious to Ace trying to escape and leading them to smack into each other so hard that they stumbled and fell. She winced when she heard the thud that resulted from each of them kissing the very hard marble floor.

“Are you alright?” she asked, opting to aid the guy that was definitely not Ace. She felt sorry for him too, but she considered his fall a consequence of his own actions. The guilt she felt for dragging this unrelated person into the crossfire though… She held out her arm, which he gladly took and allowed her to pull him up off the floor. She noticed he also had a marking on his face, except his was jet black on the opposite eye, forming a spade.

“D-Don’t worry,” he politely said. “I’m not hurt. But thank you for your concern.”

“That’s good. Sorry for dragging you into一” She paused, seeing Ace crawling on the floor in a last ditch effort to sneak past them and to the mirror. “Oh no you don’t!” She blocked off his path, glaring down at him. “You’re going to help us whether you like it or not. There’s no way I’m washing a hundred windows by myself.”

“Washing windows?”

“But I’m not the one who scorched the Queen of Hearts’ statue!” Ace tried to argue.

“But you taunted Grim into it!”

“Wait, you burnt one of the Statues of the Seven?!” the guy exclaimed before shaking his head in obvious disappointment. “No wonder you received such a harsh punishment. No doubt the housewarden is gonna hear about that.”

Ace huffed, getting up from the floor. “Just shut up, would ya? I don’t need lecturing from a total stranger.”

“I’m Deuce,” he introduced himself. “Deuce Spade. We’re in the same class together. Our seats are even next to each other. But that’s not important right now. You should really be taking responsibility for your actions, especially for something like this.”

Yuuna nodded. “Thank you, Deuce. I’m not busting my butt for a problem that this idiot helped cause. Right Grim?” Silence was her only answer. “Grim?” She and the boys looked around, realizing that the fuzzball was nowhere in sight. “Seriously?!” That cat really needed a bell on him.

“Nya ha ha! So long, suckers!”

Ace sneered, aggravated at these new circumstances. At least he was silently acknowledging that there was no way he could ditch Yuuna. He’d only get dragged back kicking and screaming. “Great. Now we gotta be animal control too? Come on, Juice. We got a cat to catch.”

“That’s not my name!” Deuce tried to correct him, although he promptly was ignored.

“I know I can’t use magic, but I’m a pretty fast runner,” Yuuna said. She wasn’t about to sit on the sidelines of this little chase. “I can help corner him, but I need you two to find a way to stop him completely.”

It wasn’t much of a plan, but it was all they had as they chased Grim out of the mirror hall and across campus. Yuuna didn’t disappoint the boys as she was able to pick up speed and run ahead to get close to Grim. She feinted a couple times to lead him in the opposite direction and make it easier for the two to point their spells in the right direction. If she stepped to the left, Grim veered right. Thankfully he wasn’t wising up to their tactics just yet. Yuuna took a small detour to go around Grim without him noticing, using as much stamina as she could to run ahead and block the cat off from going any further.

“Myaaaah!” Grim screeched to a halt as he was cornered.

“Now! Pin him down!” Yuuna yelled to Ace and Deuce, who were catching up.

“P-Pin him?! How?!” Deuce panicked, not knowing which spell to use now they got far enough in their chase that he actually had to have a more solid strategy.

“Ugh, I’ll handle this then!” Ace ran ahead, not really having a plan but hoping to be the one to show off a little. Even if it was just catching a cat.

“W-Wait! I got it!” Deuce aimed his magical pen straight ahead. “I summon thee! Something heavy!”

Out of thin air, Yuuna watched as a cauldron dropped from the sky…and landed right on Ace, who had just dove forward to capture Grim.

“Fuck!” he cursed loudly, trapped firmly between the cauldron and the street. She winced just looking at him. He was an ass, sure, but this was not something she wished upon him. Ace turned back to Deuce, who looked incredibly flustered. “What the hell, man?!”

“I’m not that great at directing my spells, okay?!” Deuce tried to defend himself, albeit feebly.

“Oh wow! That’s too funny!” Grim exclaimed, on the edge of hysterics. “Look at you, flattened like a pancake!” The cat let it all out, doubling over as he laughed at Ace’s misery.

While Deuce attempted to help get the cauldron off the poor soul it dropped onto, Yuuna took this distraction as her chance to grab onto Grim. “Gotcha!”

“Nyaaah! No way!” Grim quickly squirmed out of her hold, pouncing up to jump off her head and run off behind her. She stumbled from the shift in gravity but caught herself before she could fall over.

With Ace free from the ground, the three continued the chas. Though when Grim shot back into the building, a sinking feeling began to grow in Yuuna’s stomach. Knowing how orientation went and how destructive Grim could be when on the fritz… She shuddered at the thought. They were led right to the dining hall, each of them looking around to find when the cat could’ve hidden to evade them.

“Up here, losers!”

Yuuna’s jaw dropped once she looked up to see Grim laughing maniacally and swinging from the chandelier. And he’s holding on for dear life… Won’t look down, won’t open his eyes一 No, no! Stop singing! This is serious!

“Grim, get down here right now!” Yuuna shouted up to him, urgency in her voice. There was already enough trouble going on around her, and she didn’t want to add to the pile.

“No way! I ain’t doing one more window!”

“You only ever did one !”

Meanwhile, Deuce and Ace pondered how they could capture the rascal from down on the ground. Neither of them had a lick of experience in flight magic.

“Maybe something to grab onto him with,” Deuce mumbled to himself, trying to come up with a solution. And then a lightbulb went off in his head. “I’ve got it!”

“Great,” Ace sighed in relief, but once he turned to Deuce, he immediately took a step back. “Whoa whoa! Hold up! Why are you pointing your pen at me?!”

“Because I’m going to lift you up and throw you to Grim. All you need to do is grab him.” Deuce, without Ace’s input, proceeded to lift him into the air.

Ace, as any normal person would, started flailing once his feet were no longer touching the ground. “Hey, I did not sign up for this! I want off this ride! Full stop!”

But the poor guy didn’t realize that Deuce’s tunnel vision prevented him from listening to his protests. “Get ready to grab hold of him. Hold steady… Aim… Go!” With that as the only warning, he hurled Ace through the air toward Grim.

Yuuna heard the cat let out a loud yelp from suddenly getting tackled by a human cannonball. And then only tragedy followed. The chandelier couldn’t hold the twos’ weight, its ceiling hook loudly snapping and forcing the fixture to plummet down to the floor. She pulled on Deuce’s jacket as she took a few steps back to avoid the shattering glass, taking him with her. A cloud of dust formed around them, making her cough violently. But possible asthma was the least of her worries as she assessed the damage right before her eyes.

“We’re doomed,” Yuuna muttered softly.

“Oops…” Deuce was also stunned by the damage his stunt had caused, leaving him at a loss for words.

“Great, just great!” Ace carefully pulled himself out of the wreckage, holding onto Grim’s collar and pulling him up. “If the headmage catches wind of this, we’re so dead!”

“He already has, Mr. Trappola.” The trio froze up, the headmaster’s voice ringing crystal clear. “To think you would act so recklessly. Damaging school property not once, but twice! Miss Palaire’s situation is different as she is not a student here, so I will need to have time to think of a more adequate punishment for this. But as for you two ,” he pointed a sharp finger at Ace and Deuce, “you are hereby expelled from Night Raven College! And don’t think I forgot about you, Grim! You will be kicked off the premises first chance I get!”

“WHAT?!” a myriad of voices screamed out.

“E-Expelled?!” Deuce’s face drained of all color, looking ready to perish on the spot. “After I got into such a famous school… What will my mom think?!” He recovered enough to follow after Crowler, who’d started to walk away after his declaration. “Please headmage, anything but that! Is there anything else I can do? I’ll pay for the damages. There must be something!”

Deuce… Yuuna’s heart went out to him. She could clearly see how determined he was to stay here. She figured that this school felt like a once in a lifetime opportunity. And to be stripped of that on the first day would be heartbreaking.

“You should’ve thought of that before you pulled such a foolish stunt,” the headmaster coldly countered, not even turning around.

“Anything, you say…” This gave Crowley pause before he finally turned around to address them. “If you are really so determined, there is but one thing you can do.” Two boys lit up at the prospect of staying at the school, no matter what they might have to do. “The chandelier is a magical item created by a renowned artisan. I can see from the damage that the magestone powering it has been cracked. The chandelier could be fixed easier with a new magestone to act as the power source. As such, I will be sending you two to Dwarfs’ Mines to retrieve a new one. Though this will prove to be difficult, it will be the only way for you to rectify this mess.”

“I’ll go too.” Yuuna stepped forward. “Grim was still my responsibility, after all. And these guys deserve to be here.” At least Deuce did. Ace, on the other hand, was bound to be voted class clown in every yearbook. “And if I help them with this near impossible task, Grim gets to stay too.”

Crowley hummed, giving the proposal some thought. “I see. Well, you have quite the knack for bargaining. If you had magic, I would’ve assumed you’d have fit in quite well in Octavinelle.” She had no idea what that meant but she didn’t feel like it was a compliment. “Very well. I yield to the request. But only if you return with results by morning light. I shall lead you to the mirror chamber. I assume these soon-to-be former students retained the information on how to use it.”

“Understood. Come on, boys. We have a magic rock to find.” She didn’t want to waste anymore time, nudging the guys along to follow Crowley.

She didn’t think she’d be staring down this mirror again; the one that spoke and basically said she was stranded in a wacky world where magic was the norm. But she was digressing slowly. So not only was it a magic sorting mirror, but also a portal that could take them just about anywhere. Everything felt a little too convenient in this world, honestly.

“Dark Mirror! Take us to the Dwarfs’ Mines!”

With Deuce’s voice echoing throughout the chamber, the mirror’s image rippled, their reflections fading away and the darkness morphing into a whole new scene right before her eyes. She could see a fairly rundown cottage deep in the woods, the night sky making it difficult to see any smaller details. But the nervousness she felt when staring into the dead of night on the other side was very obvious. Deuce stepped up to the mirror and held out his hand to her.

“Watch your step, okay?”

Yuuna couldn’t believe it. A halfway decent guy was escorting her to make her feel a little safer. Chivalry wasn’t dead after all.

She smiled and took his hand to let him guide her through the mirror. “Thank you, Deuce. At least someone’s a gentleman around here.” He smiled at that, cheeks flushed red from the flattery.

Ace shrugged, unbothered by the commentary. “I know that’s supposed to be a jab at me, but I ain’t gonna say you’re wrong.”

With that little conversation out of the way, the four of them stepped through the mirror, not even remotely prepared for the agony that awaited them.

Chapter Text

“To think this place was once one of the most active hubs in the world for mining magestones,” Deuce commented once everyone was on the other side of the mirror, kicking a stray rock. “Now it’s just…empty.”

“Pah!” Grim let out a haughty little huff. “You gotta be a real wimp if something like a forest like this scares you!” Even as he said that, standing proudly on his hind legs, Yuuna could clearly see his body trembling. He was just too proud to admit he was afraid.

But he was afraid, and rightfully so. Something about the area was just unsettling, like a lingering, suffocating presence in the air. That was the best she could explain it.

“Well, there’s a house over there.” Ace pointed over to the cottage, which looked like it needed just as much maintenance work as Ramshackle. “Maybe someone’s around here that we can ask about the magestones.”

“It’s worth a shot.” However, Yuuna doubted that there would be anyone in such a decrepit place. And she also realized the irony in her even thinking such a thing given her current living situation.

Deuce knocked on the door, only for it to slowly creak open from the light force before he could even extend some sort of greeting. Everyone else took a firm step back, a chill running up their spines.

“U-um, please excuse us…” Deuce took a timid step forward into the residence. And since nothing horrific or gruesome happened to him upon entering, the rest of the group felt safer following suit.

“Yikes. This place is like a dumpster fire.” Ace wasn’t wrong. Things were strewn about and covered in dust. The small pieces of furniture were broken and not even placed upright. The walls were cracked and a draft blew in from somewhere unseen. “All the furniture here is way too tiny! Makes it look more like a dollhouse than a cottage.”

“And it’s kind of dark in here…” Yuuna stared downward at her feet, careful not to trip over any of the recklessly abandoned objects cluttering the wooden floor. No doubt it would be even darker in a cave that no longer had any mining activity. “Ah, here’s something.” She picked up an old-fashioned lantern with a never used candle inside, holding it up to the guys. “Think one of you could light this for me?”

“Uh, sure,” Deuce said a bit hesitantly. “I can find a match or something to light it.”

“Huh?” She blinked twice, confused. “But fire magic is a thing, right? Can’t one of you just light it with your magic?”

“Well yes, but also no.” Deuce pondered for a moment to find the best explanation. “Magic isn’t all-powerful. It basically comes from imagination. You have to visualize it before you can cast it. So if you don’t have that clear image in your mind, it won’t materialize. That’s why it takes more training to learn and cast the more complex spells.”

“Ya know, the literal point of an arcane school,” Ace added. “You need a whole lot of practice before you can fire off a spell as soon as it pops into your head. Though if it’s magic you’re good at, going with your gut is usually the right way to go.”

“I see…”

It was a comforting thought, magic not being as powerful as she imagined it to be. She wouldn’t have been too happy to know that she was in a school surrounded by guys with potentially catastrophic power right at their fingertips. So magic having some limits brought her some relief.

Just as she was thinking about it, a puff of fire zipped through her line of sight, and the candle in her hand flickered gently with a blue flame.

“Myahaha!” Grim grinned wide. “That must mean I’m on my way to becoming a great mage then! Stuff like that comes to me as easy as breathing!” He puffed out a little more fire to punctuate his point.

She stared at him with a soft, fond smile. This cat was already proving to be a real pain in her rear. But there was just something about him that she couldn’t help but find endearing. Like a child learning to navigate the world and getting excited about whatever he was good at.

“Yeah, you’re gonna be an amazing mage one day.” She bent down to pet the top of his head.

“H-Hey! Don’t go treating me like some child!” He huffed and puffed but he didn’t make any move to swat her away. “With me taking the lead, we’re gonna nab a whole bunch of magestones, guaranteed!”

His bold declaration was greeted with silence, but he didn’t seem to care as he marched out the door, clearly expecting them to follow. Yuuna shrugged and motioned Ace and Deuce to follow. 

The closed mine was their best shot at finding this rare stone now.

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

The mine was possibly the most haunting place of all. Peering in, she could barely see five feet ahead. The mining lights had long since run out of power as well, meaning they would probably have to venture in the dark. Thankfully she carried the lantern with her, lifting it up to shed some light.

“Geez, even with the lantern, this mine is super creepy,” Ace commented, taking a cautious step in, standing behind Yuuna.

Deuce nodded, keeping his eyes on the cave walls in search of the magestone. “At least we have a light source, or we’d be screwed.”

As said light source, Yuuna took the lead, the four ventured into the dark and dreary cavern, their only light being the makeshift torch. Small gems stuck among the rocks sparkled softly as the light reflected off them, giving off a slightly ethereal feel to their journey.

Since Ace and Deuce were the ones who had a better understanding of how to spot a magestone, they were put on the search while Grim played scout from atop Yuuna’s shoulder just in case.

Ace and Deuce got to work, digging around the loose stones with their hands and picking up any rocks they could off the ground. But as the minutes ticked by, their agitation became more visible

“Quartz, quartz, shiny rock. We’re getting nowhere!” Ace huffled loudly, fed up even though they had only spent about eight minutes in the cave.

“Then search harder!” Deuce demanded, chipping away at the cave walls to look for more stones.

“Hey, don’t order me around!” Ace shouted back. “If it wasn’t for you throwing me through the air, I’d probably be chilling in my dorm instead of stuck here.”

“Oh, so it’s my fault?! You’re the one who tried to ditch your punishment!”

“Which I wouldn’t have had to deal with if that stupid cat didn’t burn off the Queen of Hearts’ face!”

Grim immediately started hissing. “You’re the one who tried your luck by mocking me!”

Yuuna sighed, now starting to regret offering to go with them. “Guys, seriously! This isn’t the time to be fighting一” A soft noise echoing from the back of the cave suddenly made her freeze up. It sounded like something slowly scraping against the walls. “D-Do… Do you hear that…?”

Her sudden fright made the others stop in the midst of their argument, suddenly a little more aware of their surroundings.

“Uh, no?” Ace said with a bit of hesitation. “I didn’t hear anything. This place is abandoned, remember?”

“That’s right,” Deuce agreed, more in an attempt to assure Yuuna that they were okay. “It’s probably just a bat or something.”

He was proven wrong when the sound got louder, closing in on their location. “Miiiii… Miiiiine…”

“Abandoned, huh?!” Ace, along with everyone else, started to back up as the sound grew nearer, scraping and groaning bouncing off the cave walls.

Yuuna flashed the lantern into the darkness, illuminating the horrifying sight. That was no person. It was hard to even describe. It dragged the giant pickaxe it was holding against the walls, progressing closer. Black murky slime oozed out from the cracks in its glassy head. It didn’t even have feet, moving like a slug closer and closer. It was true nightmare fuel.

“Stoooones…arrrrrre…miiiiiiiine!”

The collective screams echoing off the cave walls made her ears ring. But she was left with little time to recover as they all instinctively picked up their feet and ran in the opposite direction. The creature sped up, trying to catch them.

“What the hell is that thing?!”

“I don’t know and I’m not trying to find out!”

They just kept running, realizing a little too late that they had ventured deeper into the cave and taken more turns than they originally thought, losing themselves in a maze of gems and stone.

“Quick,” Yuuna yelped, seeing a large group of stalagmites, “over here!” She didn’t even wait, grabbing the two clowns and pulling them with her. Grim was still on her shoulders so she didn’t worry about him. Forcing them into hiding, she blew out the candle, drenching the group in darkness. “Stay quiet…”

No arguments were made, everyone holding their breath as they pressed their backs against the rocks to stay well-hidden. They listened to the sludgy noise the monster made as it dragged on to find them. Closer and closer. And then slowly fading out.

“This is insane,” Ace quietly hissed out. “We don’t stand a chance against that thing. We don’t even know what it is.”

“But did you hear what it was saying?” Deuce was the first to perk up despite their circumstances. “It was talking about stones. It might mean magestones. So there must be some around here. We won’t be expelled so long as we bring one back. If beating that thing is the key to getting one, I need to do it!”

“But you can’t be that stupid to think it’s worth risking your life for.”

“Shut up!” Deuce shouted, his demeanor shifting drastically. “You can stay here and bitch all you want but I’m not pussy enough to turn tail now!”

“You can’t face that thing head-on all by yourself,” Yuuna tried to reason so he would lower his voice. “We should at least come up with a plan to sneak around it to get the stone. Fighting might be the quickest and most reckless option, but it doesn’t have to be the only one.”

He calmed down a little, taking her words into consideration. “I suppose you’re right. But I can’t think of anything else.”

She could see and hear how much being in this school meant to Deuce. She wasn’t super clear if Ace cared just as much, but she would just assume he did for the sake of them all getting out of here alive and free from expulsion.

“Leave it to me then.” Yuuna smiled through the darkness. “I have a couple ideas in mind. But we should probably start now while that thing doesn’t know where we are. Grim, we need your fire again. Can you try to make something small?”

“Heh, who do you think you’re talking to? Grim, the master sorcerer, will be your guiding light!”

“You’re seriously going through with this.” Ace finally spoke up, baffled by their sheer persistence. “This is so stupid.”

“Sometimes being a little stupid is what it takes to be brave. Now are you coming or not?”

“Like hell I’m being left behind with that thing around.”

It was all about the waiting game from then on. Creeping out from their hiding spots, they advanced back to where they first came in contact with the monster. She encouraged them to keep their steps soft with Grim spitting out small puffs of fire once or twice a minute so the monster wouldn’t be drawn to the light. They would duck for cover whenever they’d hear the creature's familiar groans, keeping silent and still until the noises receded.

“Wooon’t…giiiiive…theeeeem…”

When Grim puffed out more fire, she noticed one of the crystals shining brighter than all the others in the light. She lightly nudged the cat to move in that direction with her foot. Without making noise, he actually followed her directions.

“Wait, is that…” Deuce broke off from the group, realizing where Yuuna was directing them, and moved closer to the shining rock. “It is! It’s the magestone!” With reckless abandon, he dug out the stone with his bare hands where one would normally use a pickaxe. The stone sparkled beautifully, a rainbow of hues swirling under the surface.  “I got it! We’re saved!”

“NOOOO!”

“Crap! It found us!” Ace yelped, hearing the creature moving through the cave tunnels.

“Giiiive it baaaaaaaack!”

“We need to go! Now!”

“Don’t need to tell us twice!”

With magestone now acquired, everyone booked it right out of the cave while the monster continued to give chase. While they were certainly outrunning the creature, it seemed to know every turn they took, every attempt they made to hide. It was like…it could sense the magestone that was on their person. But they couldn’t just toss it. They needed to bring it back with them to the school. So their only option was to just keep running until they were back at the portal where the slimy thing couldn’t follow. They had to keep going.

Still with the monster on their tail, the four finally made it out of the mines, rushing through the forest. Yuuna started to slow, her lungs burning and legs going numb. But she did her best to keep up with Ace and Deuce. At least until her foot got caught in a hole in the ground, breaking her momentum and forcing her body to lurch forward onto the ground. Grim, who had been on her head, was sent flying from the sudden stop of his little ride. Yuuna let out a silent scream when she fell, the dirt scratching her elbows and knees upon landing. She tried to get up fast, but the monster had finally caught up, raising its pickaxe in the air to strike.

“Begoooooone!”

All she could do was cross her arms over her head as if that would lessen the blow.

“ Get away from her! ”

The creature let out a gurgled scream when duo blasts of wind and water magic hit its hand in the air, forcing it to drop the pickaxe before it could hit Yuuna.

Deuce rushed forward, standing between her and the monster. Even Ace had joined the fray, pointing his magic pen at it. She couldn’t believe it. They were actually working together. And all it took was for her to have a near-death experience.

“Are you alright, Yuuna?” Deuce asked, not keeping his eyes off the creature as it took up its pickaxe again.

“Yeah…I’m fine I think,” she answered, standing back up but wincing softly when she put too much weight on the foot that had gotten caught. “Ugh, that’s gonna bruise for sure…”

“You had our backs, so now we’ve got yours.” Ace kept up a confident smirk, even if she could tell that he was kind of sweating about facing this thing.

“Hey bastard!” Deuce’s entire personality flipped again, staring down the monster with fiery rage. “You think you’re getting away with attacking a lady?! Think again! I summon thee, cauldron!”

Whoa… If this wasn’t a life or death situation, she was almost tempted to swoon a bit. But this was definitely no time for such a thing. Yuuna watched the cauldron fall straight down onto the creature just before it could attack again, pinning it to the ground.

“Myyyy stoooooone!”

“Myaah!” Grim squawked. “It’s lifting the cauldron off like it’s nothing!”

“You need to attack it now while it’s vulnerable!” Yuuna had no idea what she was saying, but even without magic, she had seen what these guys could do. “Try combining magic again. There has to be some kind of combination that’ll make your attacks stronger.”

“Here goes nothing then!”

With their combined might, Grim sent out blasts of his fire with Ace following right after. The force of his wind magic carried the flames, turning it into a fiery tornado that hit the monster directly. It let out a pained groan, attempting to attack again. But the group made sure to keep their distance. It helped that Deuce continued to summon cauldrons to pin it back down so it wouldn’t get too close.

“It’s really weak now! Hit it with everything you’ve got!”

Ace, Deuce, and Grim grinned wide, happy to go absolutely ham without a single consequence this time. They unleashed their strongest magic on the monster, leaving it completely helpless. With a final pained and gurgled scream, its glass head completely shattered. The black sludge spilled out, consuming its entire body like acid until the only remnants left of it were the pickaxe and a puddle of the weird goop.

“Is…Is it over?” Grim spoke softly, not wanting to jinx it. The air went still, as if also waiting for a big “psyche” moment.

But when nothing but silence followed, everyone was able to breathe a sigh of relief.

“You did it! You really did it!” Yuuna cheered happily, hopping on one foot as she roughly pulled the guys in for a hug, wrapping her arms around them as best she could.

Their cheeks flared red, stunned by the unexpected gesture of affection.

“U-Uh yeah,” Ace awkwardly stood there, not sure how to respond. He had just completely short-circuited. And Deuce was no better at the moment. “Well…I gotta admit it. We would’ve been sitting ducks without your plan.”

“I have to agree,” Deuce finally said, finding his voice. “Without your stealth idea or your directions about our attacks, who knows where we’d be.”

“So you’re saying…you worked as a team~?”

And the mood was ruined, Ace nudging her back. “Don’t let it get to your head. I still can’t stand the guy.”

Deuce shook his head. “The feeling is mutual.”

“Hey, what’s that on the ground?” Grim’s interjection made them all look down at the cat moving closer to the pile of sludge that was once the monster. Next to it was a stone that they had never seen before. It was pitch black, its murkiness leaving it without any shine.

“It looks a lot like a magestone. But it’s as black as coal. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one like that before.”

Grim was quiet for a minute, sniffing at it. “But… But it smells so good… Maybe it’s a special treat that it had on hand. One way to find out!” Without an ounce of shame, Grim tossed the rock that he’d just picked off the ground into his mouth, chomping down on it with a loud crunch like hard candy.

“You’re really eating that crap?!” Ace shouted, unable to comprehend the eating habits of monsters.

“I-It’s…It’s…”

“I could’ve told you that thing would taste nasty without you putting it in your mouth,” Deuce commented as well, seeing Grim go wide-eyed after swallowing it.

“But it’s so yummy!” The cat bounced around, his face lit up with unfiltered joy.

“Huh?!”

“It’s so rich and sweet, like my tongue is prancing through a giant field of flowers!” Grim licked his maw as if to catch just a little more of the fleeting taste. “It’s the best!”

Yuuna was certainly not expecting to hear a cat wax poetic about the taste of a coal rock. But it was just another oddity that was desensitizing her to this world. It looked like it would’ve tasted like black licorice to the little monster, but apparently she was wrong.

“That’s just gross…” Neither Ace nor Deuce could see the appeal of eating such a thing that was picked up from the dirt.

“We can put our game of ‘Will Grim throw up later’ on hold for now,” she said. “We got some time before morning, but it’s best we get back to campus. At least so I can lay down and sleep.”

“Oh right!” Deuce walked over to her. “How’s your foot, by the way? Does it still hurt?”

She had been on such an adrenaline rush, that she had nearly forgotten about it until she tried walking. “It’s not too bad. I think I can manage a little bit. Just might walk slower than you guys.”

“You can ride on my back if you need to,” he offered.

“Oh no, you’re probably tired from all that fighting.” She felt a tad embarrassed, but overall, she didn’t wish to push her problems onto anyone else. She could deal with the potential swelling and bruises on her own time.

“I insist.” He bent down, turning his back so she could climb on. “You did a lot for us today. This can be my way of saying thanks.”

Yuuna hesitated. A piggyback ride did sound kinda nice right now… “Alright.” She carefully adjusted herself on his back, distributing her weight enough and resting her hands on his shoulders. She felt his hands loop on the back of her knees to hold her steady as he straightened up.

“Then back to Night Raven College we go. I just wanna get rid of this stone and be done with it.” Ace quickly turned around, marching back to where the mirror portal first spit them out. Deuce followed close behind, barely slowed down by carrying her on his back. Grim kept pace, glancing up at her occasionally. She felt a little warmer knowing he was showing concern for her.

Yuuna just stared at Ace’s back, confused. What was his deal? He seemed a little grouchy all of a sudden.

Chapter Text

Once everyone had stepped through the portal, they immediately headed for the headmaster’s office. Ace knocked on the door, waiting until they could hear a faint “Come in” from the other side. Crowley looked surprised to see them, scanning them up and down, focusing on the leaves in their hair and dirt on their hands.

“Goodness gracious! What happened to you all?”

“Yuuna hurt her foot at the mines,” Deuce explained, “so we’re taking her to the infirmary after this. But we brought the magestone, just as you requested.”

Even with her on his back, he managed to pull the magestone out of his pocket and set it onto the headmaster's desk. Crowley stared at the stone in disbelief, gently picking it up to examine it. He was silent the whole time, leaving the air tense. Everyone else felt a bit awkward as they stood there.

“I can’t believe it. You all actually went down to Dwarfs’ Mine to retrieve a magestone? I didn’t expect you to seriously take my words to heart. Even less so that you would actually succeed in finding a magestone, especially one as brilliant as this.”

“Say what now?” Yuuna was the first to speak up, her eye twitching a bit.

“Are you kidding me?!” Grim screeched. “You were all ready to expel all of us while we were fighting off some goopy monster down there?!”

Crowley paused. “A monster? This is news to me.”

“It was like something out of a nightmare,” Ace added. “It was all sludgy and gross, swinging at us with a pickaxe. That’s actually how Yuuna got hurt in the first place. So we fought it off and then it sorta melted into a puddle.”

“I see… So you two worked together to protect your friend once her life was threatened. Not only that, your cooperation brought back such stunning results…”

Normally, Ace and Deuce would vehemently deny that they had worked together in any capacity. However, given the fact that the headmaster seemed impressed at this fact, they decided it best to keep their mouths shut and just bask in it. In the end, they had a common enemy and worked to take it down with their combined might.

But out of nowhere, the headmaster broke down sobbing. “Oh goodness! To think I’d live to see this day with my own eyes! Students of Night Raven College working together for a common cause! How it brings my heart such joy!”

“It’s not that big a deal…” Ace mumbled softly, practically unheard by Crowley’s sobs.

“And we won because of me anyway…” Grim threw in.

“Miss Palaire!” The girl in question jolted at the headmaster shouting her name. “My doubts about you have been allayed at this very moment. You are certainly someone quite special. You possess great talent as a beast tamer!”

She blinked, unsure how to process this information. “Uh…come again?”

“As I have explained to you earlier, Night Raven College houses exceptional students chosen by the Dark Mirror with equally exceptional potential for magic. However, great talents beget great egos.” Ain’t that the truth… “They would never dream of depending on others. But you were able to help two students join hands in fighting a common foe. Perhaps it’s because you possess no magic that you were able to motivate those who do. It’s possible that your mundane nature is exactly what is needed here!”

That definitely felt like a back-handed compliment. But she wasn’t about to spend the rest of the night arguing, so just this once did she let it slide.

“Spade, Trappola. I hereby revoke your pending expulsions!”

“Yes!” Deuce was ready to leap for joy. But when he tried to actually jump up, Yuuna shrieked and tightened her grip on his shoulders so she wouldn’t fall off. “I-I’m sorry! I got excited and forgot…”

Yuuna smiled a little, shaking her head. “It’s fine. I’m happy for you guys.”

“As for you, Miss Palaire,” Crowley continued, “I would like to extend an invitation for you to join the student body of Night Raven College.”

“H-Huh? But I can’t use any magic.”

“Correct. Under normal circumstances, a student without magic in a school for mages is, as you kids say, a no-go. However, I have found the perfect solution. Grim. You shall be joining her on this educational journey as someone who can use magic, making the curriculum easier to navigate. You will be two halves of a whole, studying together and acting as a single student. Details can be ironed out later. But one thing is certain. Miss Palaire, Grim, welcome to Night Raven College.”

“You mean…I get to be a student here?” Grim asked, his blue eyes lighting up. “Really? You mean it?!”

Yuuna smiled wide down at him. “You get to live your dream, Grim! No doubt you’ll be the best mage ever.”

“You better believe it!” He jumped around, bursting with glee. She found it so adorable.

“I will now present you with a magestone,” the headmaster finally spoke up through the celebration. “It is the standard mark of a student. So do not lose it or let it break. Especially since this one cannot be given in the form of a magical pen.” With a wave of his hand, a beautiful purple gem attached to Grim’s collar, sparkling softly.

“Woohoo! Look at me! I got a fancy magestone now!”

“Now with that sorted out, please escort Miss Palaire to the infirmary immediately. She should not attend her first day with an injury. Not to mention with Grim not accustomed to human life, she will need to keep an eye on him throughout the school year.”

“Yes, headmage. Good night.”

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

As they were walking down the hall in the middle of the night to get to the infirmary, all the information they received earlier was really sinking in.

“I can’t believe you’ll be attending school with us soon,” Ace commented. “To think you were just a cleaning lady earlier today.”

Deuce nodded. “And you know… If your dorm is just you and Grim, and you’re in charge of him, I guess that makes you the housewarden of Ramshackle.”

“A housewarden?” she asked.

“Basically the student that’s put in charge of keeping order in each dorm. But since your dorm is so small and kinda new, I guess the more official title for you would be Prefect.”

Huh. So it sounded basically like a student council president but for the dorms. “If that’s the case, I’ll make sure to do my best.”

“Looks like we’re here.” The boys stopped in front of a door with a sign above it that said “Infirmary”.

Ace opened the door, allowing Deuce to bring Yuuna in without needing to shift his weight, and then finally setting her down on one of the medical beds.

“There you go. How are you feeling?”

She rolled her foot a little. It still hurt, but not as much as earlier. “It’s getting better. Thank you both for taking me here. By the way, I wanted to ask but never got the chance. When you and Ace saved me back there, it was like you were a totally different person.”

“I-I was? I thought I was acting normally.”

“Nah.” Ace shook his head. “You sounded like a total delinquent.”

“Anyway,” Yuuna piped up again, seeing that Deuce was trying to avoid this particular subject as he was shifting in place, “you two should get some sleep. Isn’t there a curfew around here?”

“Are you sure?” Deuce asked. “I feel a little responsible for the fact you got injured.”

“I promise you that you’re not. It was dark outside and I just wasn’t watching where I was going.” She tried to reassure him with a smile. “The school nurse can take over from here. And Grim’s already passed out, see?” She pointed to the bed’s pillow where Grim was already curled up and talking in his sleep, mumbling about his upcoming entry into the school. “I’ll be okay.”

“Alright. Have a good night, Yuuna.”

“See ya soon, prefect~”

She waved to Deuce and Ace as they left. But only about 10 seconds of silence followed before she heard someone yelling from down the hall.

“You two!”

She jolted in her bed, not expecting someone to be shouting so late at night. She couldn’t see who it was, as her medical bed was positioned in a way that didn’t allow her to look out the door.

“Geez, who’s screeching this late at night…?” Grim groaned from his spot on the bed, clearly not about to get up to investigate. But then his nosiness got the best of him, making him jump down and wander over to the doorframe to peek out of it.

“What’s happening?” she asked, hoping he could relay.

“I dunno, I can’t see.”

“What do you mean?”

“Cuz their stupid backs are blocking my view.”

Oh. That made sense, since he was so small compared to your average human. But she couldn’t exactly get up and peek with him due to her bad ankle. They all sounded relatively close to the infirmary, allowing her to eavesdrop on the conversation at least without getting out of bed.

“You have violated the Queen of Hearts’ Rule 304!” Whoever’s voice it was sure knew how to echo and make its presence known. Whatever Rule 304 was must be a pretty serious offense to violate. “On the day a hedgehog sneezes, all card soldiers must gather and sing a song!”

……What?

Yuuna started to anticipate laughter or a “gotcha”, something to indicate that what was said was just one elaborate joke. But no, whoever was talking was fully serious.

“A song? For hedgehogs?” Ace and Deuce were just as confused.

“There were reports of a hedgehog sneezing at exactly 4 o’ clock today. All the card soldiers gathered except you, who had been noticeably absent! This is a serious offense! Off With Your Head!”

“Myah!” Grim rolled back into the room from the shock when the spell was fired off, hearing the loud clank of the familiar collar locking around the guys’ necks. “Hey! I recognize that stupid collar!”

“Hm?”

Yuuna heard the sound of heels clicking against the tile floor until they stopped. The person stood in the doorway, donned in a much fancier get-up than the school uniforms. The most notable things were the cape draped over one shoulder and the crown sitting upon his vibrant red hair. His eyes met hers.

“Apologies. I was unaware that anyone was in here. You must’ve been disturbed by the ruckus.”

“O-Oh, um, it’s alright.” She stared back owlishly, getting a bit of whiplash from how angry this guy sounded not even a minute ago to this gentler tone of voice.

“Not to worry. These criminals will be dealt with. Cater, Trey.” He turned his head to face people she couldn’t see. “Take those two to the dorm.”

“Yes, Housewarden,” two voices spoke in unison.

There were sounds of Ace and Deuce arguing while the ones she only knew as Cater and Trey did as Riddle said, dragging them off. She could hear the sound of their protests growing fainter as they were pulled down the hall and back to their dorm.

“That will be all.” The redhead pushed his cap back, pivoting on his heel to leave in the same direction her new friends were dragged out.

“W-Wait!” she called out, making the boy pause and look back in her direction with a sharp stare. Once again, the flip in demeanor made her freeze momentarily. “What’s going to happen to them?”

“Nothing that concerns you,” he easily replied. “This is a Heartslabyul matter.”

“I get that, but… If curfew is the problem, could you maybe show a little leniency to them? They were the ones that helped me get here. And as you can see, I couldn’t have done it on my own.” She lifted up her bruised ankle to emphasize her point.

“They will be dealt with according to the rules,” he replied. “Nothing more, nothing less. You would do well to remember that too. It is hard not to recognize you as the troublemaker from the entrance ceremony. You and your familiar should adhere to school rules if you wish not to be beheaded.”

Yuuna was starting to get annoyed at that little incident being brought up. She had a feeling she’d been labeled for life because of it. And in her mind, someone who thought this Rule 304 took precedence over a scorched statue or a broken chandelier on the list of reprimandable offenses wasn’t one to talk.

“I’ll be more careful next time,” was all she could respond, not wishing to share the intricacies of being from another world and having no idea how she got here but also no clue of where she needed to get back to.

“As you should. I wish you a speedy recovery.” He turned back around and walked down the halls, his heels clicking with every step until there was nothing but silence again.

Once he was truly gone, Yuuna laid back down in bed, staring at the beige ceiling. Grim hopped up right beside her head and curled back up, muttering angrily to himself about that guy disrespecting his obvious greatness, before quickly falling asleep. His presence here was somewhat comforting, however. For as arrogant and loud as Grim could be, he made her feel just a little less alone. She hadn’t even registered the tears falling from her eyes until she sniffled. She still felt so lost, trapped in a world unlike her own with only vague memories to cling to. 

Yuuna scooted just a little, pressing her cheek against Grim’s warm fur before closing her eyes. She had accepted the reality that when she woke up tomorrow, she would still be here. This wasn’t a dream. But the one thing that she didn’t wish that never happened was meeting those two dorks. Remembering their bickering brought a smile to her face as she finally drifted off into napping until the nurse arrived to check her foot.

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

“That really sucked,” Deuce bemoaned while walking in step with Ace down the Heartslabyul corridors. Her rubbed his neck, still feeling the soreness of when the collar had been locked firmly around it

“No kidding,” Ace agreed, looking a bit fatigued. “We seriously had to sing a song just because a hedgehog sneezed? That’s kinda crazy.” And he wasn’t thrilled about those two upperclassmen who dragged them there in the first place. Their serious expressions sent shivers up his spine.

“I guess that’s a consequence of being in this dorm. If it embodies the Queen of Hearts’ strictness, it would be best to show that by following her rules.”

“Maybe, but all of them? That little jerk’s got a screw loose. Man, and the way my brother pitched it, I thought living in this dorm was gonna be easy.” He sighed loudly, but he noticed Deuce had gone quiet, staring off into space.

“I still feel a little bad for just leaving her there,” Deuce expressed once they returned to their shared dorm room for the night.

“Would you cut that out already?” Ace practically snapped.

“What do you mean?”

“Come on. I know you were just trying to show off for a cute girl. Using giving her a piggyback ride as an excuse to get all handsy.”

“W-What?!” Deuce was physically taken aback, cheeks turned red from the accusation. “I-It’s not like that at all! She got hurt because she went with us to the mines! I just did what any other normal person would do.” Yes. That was all there was to it. Certainly not because of how she smiled at him when he offered her his hand. Or how warm she felt against his back… “I was just trying to help…”

“Yeeeah, keep telling yourself that.” Ace clearly wasn’t relenting. “Just don’t tell her I called her cute. Don’t need her holding it over my head or anything.”

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

“What did the nurse say?” Deuce asked Yuuna when they all met up at the Hall of Mirrors the next morning.

It was thankfully a weekend, so classes weren’t in session. It allowed her to more properly adjust to school life. Suddenly being accepted into a school that she never signed up for left her with extra tasks like getting a uniform, searching for textbooks, and other basic necessities of school life.

“He said I was lucky I didn’t sprain anything,” she answered with an awkward smile. “It should be all healed up pretty soon. He gave me some medicine to put on it to keep the swelling down, but that’s about it since it wasn’t that serious.”

“I’m glad,” he sighed in relief, and she could tell he still felt bad for what happened.

“Yo, Prefect!” She looked to one of the mirrors to see Ace stepping out. “You’re looking pretty chipper.”

“What can I say? I have never been one to like sitting around all day.” She needed to move around, even if that was just walking back and forth in a single room. “Besides, now that I’m a student, I have some things to do. So I was going to ask my dear friends Ace and Deuce to help me out since I’m still new to this world.”

“Friends?”

“This world?”

The two asked their questions at the same time, though they had focused on completely different words.

Yuuna decided to answer Ace first. “Well, I just thought… I figured if we fought a giant mine monster together, being friends was the next step.” Then she looked at Deuce. “You see… I know you’re not going to believe me, but when I said I wasn’t from here, I meant I wasn’t from anywhere in Twisted Wonderland. My world doesn’t even have magic.”

“I do believe you,” he responded with a kind smile. “It would actually explain a lot, since you don’t know a lot of common things like magestones or the Great Seven. And you sometimes make references that I don’t think anyone would understand.”

“Eh, I guess tagging along wouldn’t be so bad.” Ace scratched the back of his head, but she could tell that he did want to tag along. He was more simple than he liked to let on. “What do you need to do first?”

“Uniforms!” Grim spoke over Yuuna, jumping up onto her shoulder. “I won’t let my minion embarrass me by wearing just about whatever. All students have uniforms, after all!”

“What he said.”

“Hmmm. I think I remember that Professor Crewel is the one who makes the uniforms,” Deuce said. “He should be in the alchemy labs, as that’s the main class he teaches.”

“Great! Let’s get going!”

Yuuna felt her sullen mood from last night dissipate as she walked with the duo and Grim to where Professor Crewel’s office was supposed to be. She did her best to memorize the corridors and the turns that would need to be taken to get somewhere. Or at least she was trying to, since the building was massive. They each asked her questions about her home world, which she answered as best she could with her limited memories.

Yes, there really was no magic. Yes, most else was the same there including cars and cell phones and movie theaters. They just didn’t rely on magic to operate. The food was just about the same, though there were more specific foods in her world that were important to certain cultures and thus did not exist here. Sports were pretty different since no one had magical talents. Their curiosity had been more or less satiated by the time they got to the lab.

“Is Professor Crewel in?” she asked when peeking her head in.

“That would be me,” a man dressed head to toe in black and white answered. Holy shit. He looked like a front page model instead of a teacher. The fur coat would be a bit extra in most circumstances but he pulled it off stunningly. “What does a little puppy like you require of me?”

Puppy? That was a weird way to address someone but he intimidated her enough to not voice such thoughts. “Headmaster Crowley has officially made me a student here. So I need a little help with getting a uniform. There’s not really anything around here that would, um, fit me…” She didn’t specify, but she could see that Crewel saw the obvious dilemmas.

“Yes, that does look like it is a problem. I will take your measurements and send something to your dorm once it’s ready. And what about you three?” He directed his pointer at Ace, Deuce, and Grim who stood at the doorway awkwardly.

“We’re just tagging along,” Ace answered.

“And we’re helping her get around to other places after this,” Deuce added in.

The teacher stared at them suspiciously, but eventually he let it go. “Very well. You may have a seat while I work on the pup. Now spread your arms.”

She did as directed when he grabbed a tape measure. Through the process, he explained the variety of ways to wear the uniform and what was absolutely required. It was the basic “no shirt, no shoes, no service” explanation.

She wasn’t too big on slacks, really. So she asked for the possible addition of a pleated skirt to her uniform instead. That seemed to make him happy, as it gave him something completely new to work on. He did appear to enjoy the fashion aspect of making the uniforms. She opted out of the vest option, deciding it best since the dorm that she was staying in was basically an unofficial one.

“I will get to work then,” he said with finality. “Now shoo.”

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

“Alright, so now I need textbooks,” Yuuna said as she followed in the back. “But I have no idea where to even get them.”

“Oh don’t worry about that,” Ace casually responded. “Those are provided by the school.”

Yuuna stopped and stared at him, blinking in disbelief. “Seriously? I’m glad the education system hasn’t failed you here.” That would be an aspect of this place that she would definitely regret leaving behind. “Well, if that’s the case, I guess there’s not much else to do. Or nothing I can think of really.”

The redhead grinned, if a little mischievously. “Then how about you and I take a little trip into town? You said you’re not familiar with the area. Now’s your chance to look at all the shops, maybe grab some stuff since you said you came to this world with nothing but the ceremony clothes on your back. And you get the chance to move your foot so it doesn’t get worse.”

“Will there be yummy food?” was Grim’s automatic inquiry to the suggestion. Because of course it was. 

“Sure, why not? I can leave cleaning the dorm a little more for tomorrow.” And he was right that she should look into getting some basic necessities since she’d be living in this world for who knows how long. There wasn’t a solution in sight, so best to make herself comfortable until there was.

“I can tag along too,” Deuce offered. “I wanted to do a little sightseeing myself.”

“No!” Ace shouted but quickly eased back into his lazy grin. “I mean… It doesn’t really need to be a big thing, ya know? It’s just a walk around town looking for stuff.”

“Yes, but with you and me, we might be able to help Yuuna a lot easier if she ends up needing more than she can carry.” Deuce was persistent, wishing to help his new friend with whatever she needed.

“Dude, don’t ruin this for me,” Ace softly muttered out.

Yuuna could barely hear it, but it made her raise an eyebrow. What was he trying to say? Was he trying to go out with her alone? Like…a date? No. No, that was impossible. This was Ace! She was probably just reading too much into it. He probably just wanted to goof off without getting lectured. But it was a weekend. There wasn’t much ditching to do, so it wouldn’t constitute him getting chewed out. Maybe it was just an instinctive response.

“Well, I don’t mind the extra help. Though I’m probably not going to get too much. At the very least, I could use some regular clothes. I’m really tired of lost and found leftovers.” She looked down at what was supposed to be her casual clothes; pants that needed to be kept up with a belt that was on its last notch, a baggy sweater vest, a jacket with sleeves that were bunched up since her arms didn’t fit through them, and the fancy shoes that went with her ceremony robes. All of this was courtesy of Crowley, who’d dug around in the lost and found bin for her as she’d had nothing else to wear. Even Professor Crewel looked offended when he took in her appearance.

“Awesome.” Ace sighed, defeated. “Let’s get this show on the road then.”

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

They all finally stepped off the bus that they’d needed to take from Night Raven into town. Yuuna didn’t realize just how far the school was from the town until she sat through that entire bus ride where the only one making noise was Grim. He basically squirmed around on her lap like a toddler while asking the classic “Are we there yet?” a couple dozen times and cheering about getting to try all sorts of new food.

“Wow…”

Yuuna marveled at the sights around her. While her original home’s location was currently still blurry, she could confidently say that this one of the most beautiful places she’s ever laid eyes on. The scenery just made it more clear that she was in a fantasy world. Most buildings had the same color scheme, which made the more important or colorful shops and stalls stall out as they drew one’s eye. The scent of freshly baked bread carried in the air, as well as a lovely floral smell from the flower shop they had just passed.

“So this is the main town of Sage Island?”

“Yup!” Ace confirmed. “I’ve only been here once before when my family went out of their way to celebrate my brother’s graduation from Night Raven. I remember looking into the distance at the massive school and praying I’d be chosen to attend.”

Yuuna giggled softly. It was hard to imagine a younger Ace getting all sparkly-eyed about school of all things, but what she did think up was pretty darn cute.

She looked to one side, seeing her new school in the distance. It gave her perspective on just how big the school and its campus was. Then she looked to the other side, seeing a pristine white and blue building in the distance. She pointed over to it. “And what’s that place over there?” It looked a lot like a museum, with its elegant structure and inviting aura.

Ace, in turn, made a face at it. “Ugh, don’t get me started. That’s Royal Sword Academy. It’s where all the fancy, pretentious rich boys go. I can’t even stand looking at them, dressed up in those blinding white uniforms.”

“Oh right, Royal Sword’s been our rival since the dawn of time,” Deuce added as he too stared up at the building.

It made sense just by observing the two. Such opposing aesthetics gave a night and day vibe. She hadn’t met anyone from the other academy, so she couldn’t make any assumptions. After all, looks only revealed so much. So Yuuna could only shrug, shelving her judgments for a later date.

“Well, since we’re here now, we can do some window shopping,” she suggested. “I want to start with finding new clothes to wear around before I get my uniform.”

After all, Ace and Deuce were going casual, so why shouldn’t she? She wanted to wear ripped jeans and a band t-shirt like Ace. Or even the casual blazer that Deuce was pulling off. She just felt so out of place between them…

“No problem. It’s your day so if you see something you like, we’ll follow you.”

Yuuna smiled at them both, holding Grim in her arms. “Thanks guys. And I’ll make sure to pick a good place for us to have lunch too.” That last part definitely made Grim happy.

A few minutes into walking, they did in fact find a store that she wanted to peek into, the models in the display window catching her eye. Grabbing a couple things that she liked, she pressed onward to the dressing room, leaving the other boys to (hopefully) behave themselves.

“So, what do you guys think?” she asked once she stepped out, adjusting the jacket that she’d tossed on. Maybe the striped top was a bit much? Fashion wasn’t something that was high on her priority list, but she did care about looking like she fit into this world.

Ace and Deuce, who had been looking at their own leisure, turned to Yuuna when asked for their thoughts. Whatever remarks that had been planned out instantly died on their tongues, jaws dropped. They had never seen her wear a skirt before, though they only knew her for a few days. But the simple black skirt did wonders for her legs. Even the denim jacket perfectly accented her stature.

“You look like a whole new person!” Grim was the first to speak up, not at all reading the room. “Now that’s what I call minion material!”

“H-He’s right,” Deuce said once he finally found his voice. “You look really nice.”

“Thanks!” Yuuna smiled, happy to receive a couple compliments. It really did make her feel pretty.

Ace whistled. “Damn, you look hot.” Any sense of subtlety he had was thrown out the window and into oncoming traffic.

“Ace!” Deuce yelled at him.

Yuuna jolted in place, her face heating up from Ace’s words. Her thoughts were thrown for a loop and forced to halt completely. “U-Um…” She couldn’t even get the words out. She hadn’t received compliments like that often, maybe once or twice in her life. But…wow.

The shock only lasted for a few moments before the redhead let out a guttural laugh. “Well, I mean, I honestly didn’t think you could pull off looking nice. You were just fine dressing like a potato sack with those super baggy clothes. But color me surprised.”

Her eye twitched, the moment from earlier long gone. Of course. This was Ace that she was dealing with. “Fuck you,” was all she said before going back into the dressing room to try on the rest of what she picked out and planned to buy. This time, she would just decide on her own.

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

She did end up getting the first set of clothes, adding in a nice pair of black books so she could wear it around town. “I feel so much more comfortable now,” she said, stretching her arms, her shopping bags swinging gently in the air. They had made a couple other stops since then too, mostly for things like basic hygiene products and bedsheets.

“Now it’s time for lunch!” Grim exclaimed, always one to think about food.

“I know, I know. I’m getting a little hungry too, so we can sit down and eat soon.”

“By the way,” Deuce said, “how are you paying for all this? Since you’re from another world, our currency probably isn’t the same.”

Yuuna was impressed by the observation and smiled. “You’d be right about that. But the headmage and I worked out some stuff and now Grim and I have a set budget for the dorm and necessary expenses.”

Ace snorted. “Heh, I figured he would be kinda cheap.”

“He is ,” she deadpanned. “It took me forever to sort of argue him into a corner for a somewhat decent budget.” But she had to make some compromises on her end too, which she still wasn’t happy about.

“And here I was hoping you’d be buying us lunch.”

She elbowed Ace in the arm. “You wish.” She took the time to look around, trying to find a decent place without long lines as a few of the bakeries were proving to have. And that’s when she saw it; a small group of food trucks set up on one particular road. A few benches were around for anyone who wanted to sit as well. “Oh, how about there?”

Everyone agreed, pursuing the options. They were able to get something different before sitting together on a bench. Deuce gushed over his burger from the first bite while Ace casually took bites of his buffalo wings every now and then. Yuuna had settled for a little parfait that a dessert truck had been selling. Grim sat on her lap, digging into a fish taco. She warned him every few minutes to eat a little more carefully given where he was sitting. The fuzzball got pouty but he agreed in the end, leaving her to eat in relative peace.

“I know I haven’t said it yet,” she said randomly, “but thanks for coming out with me. This was fun.”

Deuce smiled, swallowing his food before replying. “Of course. Like you said, we’re friends.”

“Yup,” Ace agreed. “And it was cool to get away from the school for a bit, especially from the housewarden.” He sighed loudly, going back to eating his wings.

Yuuna, on the other hand, took a moment to contemplate. “Your housewarden, huh? Is that the guy I saw last night? The one with the red hair and crown?”

“That’s the one. And man is he bossy!” Ace did not hesitate, the words tumbling from his mouth so naturally. “He’s such a stickler for rules and whatnot. I get that our dorm is dedicated to the Queen of Hearts and all一she was a total badass who had to rule over a bunch of nutcases. But he doesn’t ease up for anything ! Just last night, he kept us collared until we sang a stupid song for some hedgehogs cuz one of them sneezed!”

Oh yeah, she remembered that. Rule 304, to be exact.

“He’s…on the stricter side, yeah.” Unlike Ace, Deuce was a bit more hesitant to form an immediate response. “But he must mean well. From what I know, the graduation rate of students from Heartslabyul has been a perfect hundred percent for years. And no one has ever transferred out either.”

“Wow.” That was certainly an impressive record to hold. “So I guess there’s some merit to what he’s doing.”

Ace clicked his tongue, setting a clean wing bone down in the slowly growing pile. “That’s one way to put it.”

Their conversation lasted long past their eaten food, wrappers and paper baskets long thrown out. The whole day felt so much more natural to Yuuna now as she laughed along with her friends as well as making note of places they passed by that she’d want to go to another time. She even had to hold Grim back from chasing a mouse that scurried across the road. For someone who claimed to not be a cat, he sure had a lot of cat-like qualities.

They took the bus back to school once the sun started to set, all of them struck with sudden fatigue that left them nodding off on the ride. The number of potholes that they hit were enough to keep them awake. Passing through the gates, Ace and Deuce bid her a good night before handing off Yuuna’s new stuff to her and heading their own way. So in her mind, she actually accomplished a lot today.

And she started to look forward to tomorrow.

Chapter Text

When Yuuna lifted her head, she was met with the sight of an elegant garden littered with delicate white roses. She stood up from the grassy terrain, dusting herself off. She wandered around the maze without much care for the direction she was heading in, admiring the flowers in bloom, until she turned a corner of the hedge maze to see a group of sentient cards slathering the roses in red paint. Their movements were frantic, spilling paint all across the grass and the bushes’ leaves.

“Hurry hurry,” they sang in harmony. “There’s still roses left to paint!”

“Hey! You shouldn’t do that!” Yuuna yelled at them, shocked by the messy state of the beautiful garden. But she was heavily ignored; they didn’t even hear her.

“E-Excuse me,” someone said behind her.

Yuuna saw a blonde girl donned in a blue dress looking just as confused as she felt at the moment. “Oh, sorry一”

But the girl just moved past her, showing no sign that Yuuna even existed. Instead, the girl approached the card people. “Why are you painting the roses red?”

“We planted the wrong color, you see,” one of them answered, never turning away from their work. “Our Queen adores roses when they’re red! So if she sees white, it’s off with our heads!”

“Goodness!”

Yuuna stared at the scene, unsure what to make of it now. So they were painting the roses to cover up a mistake they made? But why? Would their queen really not understand? She could just demand they plant the correct color instead.

It was all just too crazy to think about any deeper.

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

A loud pounding sound echoed through the dorm, rousing her awake from her strange dream. She sat up, her head aching. “What’s that sound…?”

“Who could possibly be knocking on our door this late?” Grim complained in a groggy voice from his spot on the bed.

“Nothing better to do than check.” Still half-asleep, she hauled herself out of bed and put on her slippers to go downstairs and answer the door. She would normally ignore whoever it was thinking that knocking the hinges off a door at 3am was a good idea, but she could also use a distraction from that confusing dream.

“I’m coming!” she yelled. “Cut it out already!” She opened the door just enough to peek out, only to open it fully once she saw who it was. “Ace?! What are you doing here?” Something was off about him too… But it was only by looking him up and down a couple times did she catch it. “That collar!” She remembered it. It was the same one that boy at orientation locked around Grim’s neck.

“Hope you got room for another member in your dorm. Cuz I ain’t going back to Heartslabyul. Ever!”

“Huh?!” Grim screeched once he got down the steps, overhearing everything.

“Whoa, Ace, slow down.” She couldn’t comprehend exactly what was happening, left with very little context. “Just…get in here. Since I’m up now一thanks for that, by the way一I’ll make a drink.” She was very fortunate that she bought some groceries that morning.

“Thanks.” He stepped inside. And she noticed the physical reaction he had upon seeing the state of the dorm. “Whoa! This place is一”

“One condescending remark and you’re out,” she warned.

“Charming in its own way,” he finished with a nervous smile.

“Mhm. I’ll be right back. Find a place to sit.”

Yuuna came back several minutes later with three cups of warm apple cider, passing them around. Ace sighed softly once he took a sip, his stress slowly melting away. Grim licked his lips and practically gulped his drink down.

“So what did you do to get shackled like that anyway?” Grim asked once he finished.

“I…ate a tart,” he answered.

Yuuna blinked, unsure she heard him correctly. “You ate a tart? That’s it?”

“Exactly! That’s all I did and suddenly Mr. Uptight puts this collar on me!”

“Why do I feel like some details are missing from this?” she wondered aloud.

“Fine. I’ll tell you how it went down.”

Ace recounted his tragic tale of wandering into the dorm’s kitchen when he got a little peckish during the night, after their series of eventful days. He spotted three magnificent strawberry tarts in the refrigerator and took a slice, thinking no one would care if a small sliver was missing. That’s how Riddle caught him, halfway through munching on the delicious confection. He then went on to say something about Rule 89 before using his unique magic on Ace.

Once he finished, Yuuna crossed her arms. “Food thievery is a serious offense.”

“Oh come on!” he complained. “Aren’t we friends now? You’re supposed to agree with me on stuff like this!”

“You didn’t stop to think why there were three giant tarts in the fridge?”

“She’s right!” Grim jumped in. “They were probably for a big party with lots of people!”

Ace sat in defeat, his defense in shambles. “Yeah, I guess that’s possible. He still went overboard with this stupid collar. Sealing off a mage’s magic is like cutting off a limb.”

“I guess that is a bit much…” She at least agreed on that. She hated people touching her food without permission too, but there were other solutions. “You didn’t even say you were sorry as far as I can tell. So maybe if you apologize, he’ll take it off.”

“Huh?! Why should I have to apologize?”

“Because you’re still at fault.”

“Are you serious?” But he quickly crumbled under her hard stare. “Fine! I get it! But you’re coming with me since it was your idea.”

“That’s fair.” She’d already met the infamous Housewarden Riddle, even if it was just a very brief conversation. And while he seemed to be an immovable force, she could tell that he wasn’t beyond reason. And if she was there, Ace would be less likely to flub his apology.

“But I’m still not going back there.” He huffed, steadfast in his decision. “So you got a place for me to crash tonight?”

“Yup,” Yuuna answered and pointed to the couch. “You’re sitting on it.”

“You can’t be serious. Doesn’t this place have a bunch of rooms?”

“They’re all covered in ten layers of dust except the room Yuuna and I are sharing,” Grim explained. “So that’s your best bet unless you wanna help clean.”

Ace grinned, trying to appeal to whatever merciful nature that she had. “Awww, come on. I’m a pretty slim guy. We can share a bed no problem. I promise I’ll be good.” His smile shifted into something a little more sly. “Unless you want me to be bad~”

She rolled her eyes.  “I’ll take people sleeping on the floor for five hundred, Alex.”

“I don’t even know what that means…” Ace shook his head, realizing he wasn’t getting his way. “Fine, I get the message. I’ll make do with the couch, I guess.”

Yuuna took the cups to wash them before fetching a blanket and pillow for her surprise sleepover guest. She bid Ace good night, hearing him mumble “Who the hell is Alex?” to himself before turning to her and sticking out his tongue just before she went back upstairs to get her rest again.

She hoped the next day would be more productive.

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

“Not this again!” For the second time, a loud knocking roused Yuuna from her pillow paradise. Only this time, the daylight’s rays were streaming in through the windows. She flung her bedroom door open and yelled to the bottom of the stairs. “Ace! You get it!”

She promptly kicked out Grim as well to get dressed quickly for the first day of school. The first day of school… Those words rang in her head the whole time. It felt so unreal. She stared at herself in the mirror as she neatly tied her bow tie around her neck, feeling a little disconnected. Like she was looking at a picture of someone instead of her own reflection. But this was the truth. She was attending a school in a completely different and unfamiliar world. Yet, for some reason, Yuuna couldn’t bring herself to be too upset about it. In fact, she was elated.

There wasn’t more time to think on such things, however. She had an idiot downstairs and a visitor at the door. Smoothing out her skirt one more time, she exited her room and made her way downstairs.

“I knew you came here last night— Wait, did you sleep in your uniform?”

She heard Deuce’s voice once she reached the bottom. But also she was mildly irritated that he knocked with the same reckless abandon as Ace. They might loathe to admit it, but they were definitely two peas in a pod.

“That’s not important! Anyway… Is he still mad?”

“Not really. A few people were caught oversleeping this morning, but those people might’ve lightened how he’s perceiving your crime today.”

“That means he’s still pissed!”

“Good morning, Deuce,” she greeted as Ace was freaking out about Riddle still being on a rampage.

“Oh, good morning Yuuna.” He perked up as he greeted her. “I’m sorry for any trouble Ace caused you last night. He must’ve really tested your patience.”

“I’m standing right here, you know.”

“He wasn’t too much trouble,” she said, ignoring Ace’s background commentary. “Didn’t have to tell him not to scratch up the furniture or anything.”

Deuce appreciated the joke, laughing softly. “That’s good. Should we go now?”

“Yup!”

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

Ace was still sulking as they all made their way to the main building together. Grim kept jumping around, bragging about his acceptance and showing off his magestone collar without a single humble bone in his body. Way to take the high road, Grim, she thought to herself with a sarcastic edge. You’ve grown so much since yesterday.

“I didn’t get to say it this morning, Yuuna,” Deuce spoke up, directing the conversation away from a potential fight, “but the new uniform looks great on you. It looks like you fit right in.”

This new conversation topic caught Ace’s attention as well, leaving the fiery cat out of steam since no one was paying attention anymore. “Yeah, you look pretty good. Professor Crewel did one hell of a job.”

Well, she certainly did stick out with the way her uniform had been designed. Professor Crewel went the extra mile, adding a gold trim to an otherwise solid black skirt. He even added new colors to the armband on her unbuttoned jacket. Unlike Ace and Deuce’s, which were black and red, hers was silver and white to match with Grim’s ribbon collar. Even her gray knee high socks matched with Ramshackle’s unofficial color scheme. Of course, she kept her hair in the same twin braids that she entered this world in. Her golden star earrings dangled from her ears as well.

At first, she felt apprehensive about sticking out with a completely different look from everyone else. However, she still had her own preferences in clothing. And if she was going to be staying here for the long term, it was best that she make the most of it.

“Well, since we have some time before class, maybe the best thing to do is apologize first,” she suggested. “You said earlier that class will be tough without magic, so it’s best to get the collar off sooner rather than later.”

“This really sucks.” Ace clicked his tongue but ultimately accepted that it was indeed the best solution. “Alright. But like I said, you gotta have my back.”

“Don’t worry, I will.”

They led her to a familiar-looking building. She remembered it as the one filled with mirrors that Ace tried to escape into when he ditched her and Grim. Having more time to look at the scenery once she entered, Yuuna noticed all the mirrors in the room. Seven to be exact. Each one was uniquely decorated with a large emblem above displaying different names. Ignihyde, Savanaclaw, Pomefiore. The one that Ace and Deuce stood at said Heartslabyul, the name of their dorm.

“So, are these mirrors like the one we went through a couple days ago?” she asked, reasoning out the facts in her head.

“That’s right.” Deuce nodded. “But these mirrors are connected specifically to our dorms, unlike the Dark Mirror.” He stepped up to the mirror with cards and roses etched in stone. “Are you going to be okay?”

Aw, how sweet. He remembered how nervous she was the first time she did something like this, venturing to the other side of the mirror into a dark forest at night. But if the portal led to dorms, where tons of students studied and slept every day, it felt a lot less nerve-wracking.

“I’ll be okay,” Yuuna answered with a smile. “I guess the first time was enough to help me get used to it. So let’s get going.”

Following up behind Ace and Deuce, she and Grim ventured into the mirror. There was a brief flash of darkness and stardust. And when she blinked, she was no longer in the Mirror Chamber. Instead, she stood before an elegant castle of red and white. She gaped at the magnificent architecture. This was no mere college dorm. And now she felt a little foolish for expecting anything less than extravagant. Heart-shaped rose brushes adorned the lawn, decorated with vibrant red roses. Looking at them gave her the slightest sense of deja vu thanks to her strange dream last night. Even the entrance, which was just past a crystal blue fountain, was heart-shaped. It was definitely on-brand for a place called Heartslabyul.

“Whoa, this place rules!” Grim exclaimed, taking in the sights just as much as she was. “Our dumpster dorm doesn’t even begin to compare!”

“It’s a fixer upper,” she corrected him. But she wasn’t disagreeing with him either. “Anyway, we should start looking for Riddle.”

“I am so not looking forward to this,” Ace bemoaned as they decided to start their search in the hedge maze.

Even if they had business to attend to, Yuuna couldn’t help but slow down now and again to admire the beautiful roses on the bushes. They even emitted a pleasant scent that wasn’t overpowering. It made her feel relaxed. They took twists and turns, though it never felt like they were getting lost like when they went to the mines.

“I’m in trouble, man oh man~” she heard someone sing in a peppy tune. “Gotta paint all the roses red. If I miss a single one, it’s off with my head~”

Just around the corner, Yuuna found a guy with his back turned to them, waving a pen at the white roses and making them turn red in the blink of an eye. Paint splotches littered the grass, buckets of red ready to be used. Wow. She had heard of prophetic dreams being a thing, but witnessing something that came straight out of her dream felt way too weird.

“Um, excuse me,” she said, hoping to get his attention. Maybe he knew where the housewarden was.

“Hm?” He turned around and the first thing she noticed was the red diamond on his cheek. Now she was certain there was a theme here. “Wait a sec. You look kinda familiar… Oh, I know now!” He smiled wided, excitedly looking at the three of them. “You’re the guys that broke the rules and got in so much trouble last night!”

The duo jerked from the jab, looking mildly frightened. What exactly happened when the two had been taken back to their dorm.

“And you!” He really got into her personal space, his focus fully on her. “You’re the one from orientation, the first ever girl to get into Night Raven College! And a cute one at that. You’re, like, the talk of the whole campus right now. I gotta get in on this fleeting fame.”

Without a single word of warning, the guy grabbed Yuuna’s arm and pulled her closer. He moved his arm to wrap around her shoulders, holding up a phone with his free hand.

“Say cheese!”

She didn’t have much time to process, only gaping at the camera’s flash as he pressed his cheek against her head. He stepped back, hopping on over to Ace, Deuce, and Grim to give them a similar treatment. He pulled the three close so he could fit them all into the selfie, moving back to type away on his phone once he was satisfied.

“Great! Now lemme get your names so I can tag you guys when I post these on Magicam.”

“Deuce Spade,” the student answered, if a bit hesitant.

“Ace,” the other bluntly stated.

“I’m Grim!” he exclaimed while puffing out his chest. “And this is my loyal minion!”

Best to ignore that. “I’m Yuuna,” she introduced herself.

“Yuuna…” The guy sounded out her name as he typed, laughing while looking down at his screen. “You definitely make some cute expressions, Yuuna. And posted!”

She took a moment while he was doing that to lean towards Ace and whisper, “What’s Magicam?”

“The social media app in Twisted Wonderland,” he whispered back. “You upload pics and share ‘em with people.”

“Got it.” That sounded vaguely familiar, but once again, it was all fuzzy. She straightened herself back up when she heard the dings of the guy’s phone. “And what’s your name?”

The mystery man smiled bright at her. “Ah, yeah! I’m Cater. And I’m a junior, so that would make me an upperclassman to you guys. You can even call me Cay-Cay if you’re cray-cray. Nice to meet ya.”

“Nice to meet you too.” The guy seemed alright, if a bit superficial.

“Wait!” Cater’s sudden shout made everyone flinch. “I can’t stand around chatting all day! I got a party to prep for. If everything isn’t finished, it’s off with my head.”

“Hear that, Ace?” Grim was the first to recover from the shock. “Looks like the tart you ate was for a party! So I was right!”

“The little guy hit the nail on the head,” Cater agreed. “It was supposed to be for our traditional unbirthday party that we’re holding at the dorm in honor of the Queen’s tea parties. It’s a pretty regular thing. But since you’re freshies, you haven’t experienced one before. Welp, you can learn all about it while you help me paint these roses.”

“Why are you even painting them?” Ace asked, still very confused about the entire spectacle.

“A lot would say it’s tradition. But I say it’s super photogenic. So come on. We need this done, like, yesterday. And remember, it can’t be pink or green or aquamarine. They all have to be red.”

Yuuna didn’t understand how they all simultaneously got roped into helping Cater. But she had a paint bucket in her hand, brushing the delicate white rose petals until they were covered in red. Ace did the same, as the collar was still cutting off his magic. Meanwhile, Deuce and Grim used their own magic to assist. From her perspective, using the paint bucket was easier given how many times the two had messed up. Deuce made a few turn deep blue. Grim set a couple on fire on accident. But they slowly got the hang of their given task, transforming the roses red before her eyes. An hour had passed by the time they all finished, every rose bush now a striking red.

“It looked pretty before when they were white,” she commented, “but I gotta say that the scenery now is really beautiful too.”

“You have excellent taste then.” Cater stepped up to stand next to her as she basked in the garden scene. “But they gotta be back to white for the spring concert. That’s crucial. And every unbirthday party has to have a game of croquet with seven-colored flamingos and a hedgehog for the ball. It’s a blast just to even look at.”

“That’s…a lot.” Yuuna was unsure how else to put it. It was just a wacky set of circumstances and rules in her head. She understood that there were certain aspects of a tradition that kept it going throughout the years, but this felt really excessive.

“Riddle’s really big on keeping to all those traditions. Even if it’s a bit extra.”

“Speaking of that guy,” Ace interrupted, “where is he? I gotta talk to him and get this collar off.”

“He’s probably around here somewhere.” She noticed that Cater was hesitant to give a straight answer, scratching the back of his neck. “But are ya sure ya wanna do that? You don’t even have a replacement tart with you. Rule 53: Stolen items must be replaced.”

“Okay, that’s actually a pretty fair rule,” Grim commented from the background.

“Can’t he just apologize to Riddle first and come back with a tart later?” Yuuna suggested.

“He could try , but I can almost guarantee that he ain’t gonna take that collar off without following the rule. So I don’t recommend going that route.”

“Seriously?!” Ace shouted. “Come on, can’t you let it go this one time and let me through?”

“I could ,” Cater replied, his tone a bit hesitant.

“Great! So I’ll just一”

“But I won’t,” he finished. “Cuz if I do, I’ll get in trouble too. And I don’t want my head chopped off.” He pulled his pen out of his pocket. “In fact, I might be in trouble for just letting you stand around on the front lawn.”

“He can’t be that harsh, right?” Yuuna asked, that way of thinking feeling a bit unreasonable since Ace was still a member of the dorm and should be allowed to at least go to his room or stand around the dorm.

“Fraid so, cutie. So I’m gonna have to ask you to scoot your boots or I might have to make you.” The way he smiled made it obvious that he was not kidding. The magestone glowed, prepping his magic.

“We’re going, no need to threaten us.” Yuuna turned around and lightly pushed her friends back. “Come on, we’re not making any headway like this.”

Ace’s face twisted, upset with the idea. “But一!”

“Ace.” Her voice was firm, but not stern, trying to tell him when to back down.

“Aaargh fine! But this ain’t over!”

“It will be once you come back with a tart,” Cater called out as they started leaving the maze. “Buh-bye!”

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

“What the hell is up with that guy?!” Ace yelled out as they exited the Hall of Mirrors. Steam practically puffed out of his ears in his anger. “First he makes us do all his work, and then he kicks us out! He knew we didn’t have a tart with us and pulled all that!”

Yuuna let him shout to the sky, knowing that he needed to vent his frustrations. At least he was doing so as they were all walking back to the main building, yelling at no one in particular which was a good way to not start yet another fight on the first day.

“We don’t have much time to dwell on it now,” Deuce said, holding his phone. “It’s almost time for first period.”

“This is gonna suck !” Ace once again yelled out in complaint, gripping the collar. “But that reminds me. What class are you two in, Yuuna?”

“Oh, Crowley told us we’d be placed in Class 1-A starting today.”

Deuce smiled. “Hey, that’s our class too. We can go there together.”

Having Ace and Deuce in the same homeroom as her was reassuring. And their homeroom was led by Professor Crewel, who she had already met once before. And while he was definitely strict, he clearly had a love of teaching and was doing right by his students by making sure they passed. Attending class as a person without magic and not even from this world created a whole different challenge than those struggling to retain information that they must’ve learned in grade school. To Yuuna, she was learning everything from scratch.

Magical History with Professor Trein made her want to simply pass away, scribbling down notes until her hand started cramping. It didn’t help that she had to keep Grim from falling asleep several times during it. Although Trein’s familiar, Lucius, did an excellent job of bapping the monster’s nose with its paw without fail. Now if only he could do the same to Ace, who sat to her left and was yawning from his boredom every few minutes. At least Deuce, to her right, was attempting to be diligent. But he was struggling just as much as she was.

Not to mention the multi-tasking of keeping Grim out of trouble. He did attempt to make a run for it a couple times, but she had learned to pick him up and give him little scratches behind the ears to keep him calm long enough so she could walk to the next class in relative peace.

P.E. would be easy if flying brooms wasn’t part of the equation. Seeing students flying through the air on a cleaning supply really made her feel like she was in a true fantasy world from the books and movies. All she was missing now was the lightning scar.

“Don’t lose your grip!” Coach Vargas yelled at her as she wobbled on her broom, barely hanging on as she hovered not even two feet in the air.

Running laps right after was more her speed, requiring no magic and just pure endurance.

There was only one consolation in this mess; potionology. Though she wasn’t adept at magic by any means, Yuuna found science and mathematics to be a strong suit of hers. It was no different than chemistry except with flashy and colorful effects added in. Adding in the wrong substances for both subjects would have very explosive results.

Normally, she and her friends would have this class together. But today, half the class was separated and sent to a second classroom. Grim, of course, had to stay with her, which led him to quietly whining.

“Listen well, puppies,” Crewel commanded, making all the chattering freshmen in the room quiet down almost instantly. He walked over to open the door, letting a small group of students walk in. “Since today is the first day, I will be paying extra attention to drilling the basics into you. As such, you will be paired with a selected sophomore. They will be running through what they already know and you will be participating in a hands-on activity.”

“Nyah?! Why am I being put at a different station?!” Grim saw the list of where each freshman was to be positioned, noticing he and his minion had been separated.

“You’ll be fine, Grim,” Yuuna tried to reassure him. “In fact, this could be your chance to stand out just a little more. Just…at least try to cooperate with your partner. I really, really don’t want to get kicked out of this class.”

Grim’s obvious frustration showed in his puffy cheeks. Though he wasn’t one to simply obey, he decided to honor the request. “Grrr. Whatever. I don’t like it but if it means I might get to blow something up, I’m all for it!”

Why did she have a bad feeling about that? Nevertheless, she moved back to the cauldron she had been assigned to, looking over the assignment as she waited for her sophomore partner to arrive. She looked up from her reading when she noticed someone approaching her station.

Her eyes widened, recognizing him despite the change in clothing. That striking red hair and the silver eyes covered by safety goggles were unmistakable. He was on the shorter side, made more obvious now that he wasn’t in heels, seeing now that she was only a couple centimeters taller.

“Hi, we meet again,” she greeted him politely.

“So we have,” he responded, taking his spot by the cauldron.

“I think we should at least do proper introductions now that we have the chance. I’m Yuuna Palaire.” She held out her hand for him to shake.

He took it, having a firm grip. “Riddle Rosehearts.”

Chapter Text

“So first we need lamp grass,” she read off the list, letting Riddle set the appropriate temperature to heat the cauldron.

“Ah, I remember this recipe.” He grabbed the ingredients, plucking the bulb from the stem and dropping it into the slowly boiling water. “You should save the stems for a later step. But for now, we add the bulbs.”

Her thoughts strayed elsewhere, mindlessly stirring the cauldron at the pace that he instructed. She only snapped out of it long enough to listen to his instructions while he listed off the next steps, adding the necessary ingredients to the cauldron. Here she was with the infamous housewarden Riddle Rosehearts, who apparently didn’t have a lenient bone in his body. He’d been a little more intimidating upon their first meeting. But here, in the lab, he felt a little more subdued.

“How’s that?” She stopped stirring once the mixture turned a soft baby blue.

Riddle smiled, nodding in approval. “Excellent. I must say, for someone without magic, you are a quick study.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” She spared glances at him every now and again, not really sure how to guide this conversation. Ace was a jerk, but he was also her friend. Helping out a little couldn’t hurt, right? “So… This is the first time I’ve really spoken to you properly, but Ace and Deuce talk a bit about you.”

Riddle paused as he was grabbing a few bellroses for the next steps. But it was brief as he regained his usual composure. “I see. And what exactly do they say?”

“No bad things, if that’s what you’re thinking.” The little white lie slipped out, but she did her best to cover it up with a casual smile. “But, um, I did see the collar around Ace’s neck. And I remembered it was yours since you put it on Grim.”

The redhead worked diligently, not letting their talk interrupt their work. “Stir again,” he instructed, which she followed. “Ah, yes. That little monster who caused a mess at orientation. How could I possibly forget? He and you caused quite a stir at orientation with your blatant disregard of the rules. Ace is a similar case. He broke one of the dorm’s rules, and so he was punished.”

“Yeah, he told me about that part.” She stirred again, following the list and finally putting in the lamp grass stems as she did so, slowly and thoroughly. And she ignored the part about her, focusing on defending Ace over herself. “He even went out of his way to apologize to you before classes started.”

“Really?” Riddle’s eyes widened a slight margin, clearly surprised that Ace would take initiative. Sure, she and Deuce pushed him into it, but he still made some sort of effort. “Why is this the first time I’m hearing of such a thing?”

Yuuna shrugged. “Beats me.” She pulled the paddle out once the liquid changed color again, letting the potion simmer. “I know about the rule about replacing stolen items, but…” She shuffled her feet a little nervously under his silver gaze. “But there’s no rule saying those things have to be done at the same time, right? He can apologize first and get you the tart later.”

Riddle crossed his arms, clearly displeased with her. “If I take the collar off for a simple apology, that would give others incentive to run amok, disregarding rules and getting away with it so long as they give an apology, likely insincere.”

“Not necessarily,” she countered. “Ace can apologize and get your tart on the same day, even if not at the same time. By taking the collar off and him still bringing the tart, it shows others that someone is making an honest effort to abide by the rules. And setting a good example by following through without the only motivation being getting the collar off.”

She noticed he went quiet, seemingly contemplating her statement.

“At least let him tell you he’s sorry. It might not be enough, but it’s a start.”

“It does sound sensible.” She gave a quiet sigh of relief as Riddle considered her words. “Lunch period is the same for all grades, so I will likely see him then.”

She nodded with a smile, happy to see that a solution might be reached earlier than any of them might’ve anticipated. At least she would be hearing a little less of Ace’s whining once that collar came off.

“But I will still be expecting a tart as recompense.”

She couldn’t help but let out a snort. When he looked at her confused, she waved him off while trying to keep the smile off her face. “It’s nothing, don’t worry.” He was absolutely adorable at that moment. The little pout on his lips completely contrasted his serious remark.

Thinking about her made her lose her focus, grabbing the last ingredient to put into the potion until a hand grabbed her wrist and quickly pulled her back.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Riddle scolded her.

“H-Huh?” Yuuna regained focus of the world around her, looking down at her hand to see that she was holding what had been listed as monkshood in the textbook. “Oh god, I’m so sorry. I thought I was grabbing darkroot.”

“You mustn’t get distracted during the assignment or you will surely fail.”

“Right, right. I’m sorry. I’ll pay better attention.” Silence fell between them. She looked down where Riddle was still holding onto her wrist, feeling a little flushed at the contact. “Um… You can let go now…”

It was ironic how he just told her to pay attention and yet he was the one who lost focus of his surroundings. His cheeks turned bright red and he released Yuuna’s wrist, his hand quickly sticking to his side. “My apologies. We should finish the assignment now. And this time, make sure to use the correct ingredients.”

“Sir, yes, sir.”

“You’re,” Riddle started, pausing for a moment, “quite an odd one.”

She let that slide, his shy expression while he focused on the ingredients making it painfully obvious that he meant no harm. She laughed, nearly startling him into dropping the vial of lizard oil in his hand. “Yeah, I’ve been getting that a lot lately,” she said with a grin.

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

“Finally! Lunchtime has arrived!” Grim cheered loudly once they got to the cafeteria. Just seeing him in the same room that they broke the chandelier put her anxiety through the roof. But luckily, now that he was an official student, he could be more focused on food than causing those levels of destruction.

“Ooh, looks like they’re doing buffet style today.” Ace pointed to the line of students grabbing whatever sides they wished and asking the chefs on duty for the individual meals like pasta or ribs. Omelets, fried chicken, savory souffles; this place really had it all.

Food was Grim’s greatest motivator. He started bouncing around, looking like he was hopped up on four cans of Red Bull as he stared at the delicious meals with hearts in his eyes. But he was moving so wildly that she was worried for his safety.

“Grim, I think you need to stay still for a second.” But the suggestion fell on deaf ears while the monster looked over all the food options.

“That omelet looks so good! Oh, and get me the jelly-filled donuts too! And don’t forget the burger! Nevermind, just get me one of everythingー Mya!”

Grim was so hypnotized by the food that he failed to notice the other students moving about, leading to one nearly tripping over him. The student caught himself just in time, but sadly not everything had survived.

“Damnit!” he shouted. “My egg! The yolk on my carbonara is busted now!”

“Hey you,” his friend sneered, looking down at Grim. “You don’t mess with a man’s food. How about you be a good monster and hand over that grilled chicken to pay us back?”

“No way!” Grim argued, protecting his lunch with his life. “This is mine! It ain’t my fault you weren’t looking.”

Both pulled their pens out, ready to point their attacks toward the cat. “Maybe someone should teach you to treat your upperclassmen with respect.”

“Watch my tray,” she quickly said to Deuce, leaving the table that they found to step between Grim and the two students. “I really don’t need you fighting my friend. And it’s not the end of the world. You still have a good meal to eat, right?”

The student took a step forward into her personal space, leaning in much too closely. His breath was enough to make a whole flower bed wilt. She could see Ace and Deuce rising from their seats out of the corner of her eye, likely ready to jump into the fray.

“And what if I don’t, girlie?” he asked, looking for a challenge.

Yuuna put on her best cute face, smiling sweetly at him. “Then you’re in luck. Today’s the day a girl is finally gonna touch you in your little special place.”

While he was processing her words, confused, she took the opportunity to use their closeness to her advantage. She jerked her knee up, hard , between his legs. The guy’s face quickly paled, any emotion he was feeling earlier quickly replaced by searing pain. He buckled and fell to the floor, whimpering. She then looked up at his friend, who was equal parts terrified and nervous.

“So we don’t have a problem anymore?” she asked, reverting back to her adorable little smile.

The student scrambled to pull his friend up, gaining as much distance from her as possible. “I’m not scared of you! I-I just don’t want my lunch getting cold!” And yet he took his friend and fled without a hint of bravado left.

She sighed, picking Grim and his tray up to take them to the table, sitting down and finally getting ready to enjoy the meat skewers she had grabbed.

“Ha! They were all talk!” Grim smirked, looking triumphant, even though he had done absolutely nothing.

“That… That was brutal,” Ace finally said, still a bit stiff from witnessing what just happened. He was pretty sure everyone in the cafeteria had a visceral reaction to the spectacle as well, feeling the ghost of that guy’s pain.

“I…can’t say I disagree…” Deuce added in, now poking at his lunch as if he’d just lost his appetite.

Yuuna sighed, shaking her head. “I didn’t like doing it either. I hate resorting to violence. But I could tell that those guys weren’t backing down. They were even ready to use magic. And I don’t need more destruction on my record, thanks.”

“Well, look at that,” a familiar voice behind her laughed, “our resident cutie is also a baddie.”

She turned around, seeing Cater and another new face. With the clover mark on his cheek, she instantly knew that he was from the same dorm as the rest. And with him, the set was complete.

He noticed her staring and awkwardly pushed up his glasses. “I guess I should introduce myself. I’m Trey, a junior like Cater. And I’m guessing you’re Yuuna, the only girl at the school living in that dump一 I mean, that old building on campus.”

“Nice save,” Grim muttered, rolling his eyes.

“Do you mind if we sit with you?” Trey went on to ask.

She noticed Ace and Deuce grimace, turning their feet to stand up and move to another table, definitely still upset about earlier that morning.

“We come in peace,” Cater said, noticing their reactions as well. “So can we sit?”

“Sure. There’s some room left.” She scooted over a little, getting closer to Grim and making more space.

They sat down with their trays, each with their own delectable-looking meals.

“Thanks a bunch.” Cater smiled, pulling out his phone. “And since we’re all friends now, how about we trade digits?”

Yuuna paused, swallowing her food before speaking. “Oh, um, I don't have a phone, actually.” She was even racking her brain for some kind of excuse as to why. Not everyone in this school needed to know that she was from a different world altogether.

“Wow, I never met a technological nomad before,” he laughed, seemingly coming up with an excuse for her. “How about you and I can go on a little phone-shopping date? I know a good shop that sells good models pretty cheap.”

Ace’s eye twitched, but she didn’t really notice it.

“Sure, thanks. I just haven’t been able to get a new one, so that’ll be a big help.”

“So you’re all from that swanky Heartslabyul dorm,” Grim brought up, his mouth full of grilled chicken. “But what about the other dorms? Isn’t there one for each of the Great Seven?”

“Exactly,” Trey confirmed. “Our dorm is modeled after the Queen of Hearts. The rules of the dorm are the same as hers, as she had to rule over a lot of oddballs. So the rules helped keep people in line. While past housewardens might’ve been a little lax, Riddle takes the Queen’s rules very seriously, as you saw last night. You could say he looks up to her a lot.”

She figured by the way he was collaring people left and right. Speaking of, she finally noticed the familiar vibrant red head of hair move amongst the crowd, setting himself in line for food. She wanted to call him over, but maybe it was best to let this play out naturally.

In the meantime, she listened to Trey and Cater explain each dorm and the legendary figure they were modeled after.

They were also like their own little cliques from what Trey described. Savanaclaw was mostly filled with jocks, being one of the top dorms in all sporting events. Octavinelle struck a chord in her, as Crowley had once mentioned that she might’ve been placed there. But they were the intellectuals, their students making up a high percentage of top marks in exams. Scarabia was also full of top students who were good at fortune-telling and astrology, but were in fierce competition with Octavinelle because of it. And then there was Pomefiore, a dorm full of fashionistas basically. Not only were they dedicated to raising the beauty standard, they were also proficient in potions and curses.

She looked around, noting the armbands of each student. Her eyes finally landed on a student with a small stack of potion books next to them. Her friends’ eyes followed suit.

“Whoa, that’s one cute girl!” Grim exclaimed.

That made Deuce’s head whip their heads to the side so far that she was surprised she didn’t hear his neck snap. “W-why is a girl in an all-boys school?!”

Ace, along with Yuuna, both sighed. “Man, you two are idiots. Don’t you remember what the headmaster said? Yuuna’s the first and only girl in the school. Basically, you're ogling a dude.”

The noise they were making garnered the attention of the boy in question, looking up from his books and over to their table. Yuuna offered him a small wave, which he returned with a neutral face and quickly went back to reading.

Trey and Cater had a good laugh about the blunder before the former continued. Ignihyde was essentially full of IT experts and gamers. They excelled at anything technology-based. She looked around, trying to spot at least one blue armband as Trey has described.

“You’re not really gonna find one,” he said, noticing her search. “They’re not exactly the types to enter a crowd.”

“It’s mega rare to see them outside of classes,” Cater agreed, like he was talking about an endangered species.

Finally, there was Diasomnia, the most talented in terms of magic.

“Hey, they got a kid with ‘em!” Grim pointed to a few tables down, where a small group of guys all wearing the same black and green armband sat.

“Those are Diasomnia students, right?” she asked before taking another bite of her lunch.

“Ding ding ding!” Cater smiled. “You catch on quick.”

“But he’s not actually a child,” Trey corrected. “He’s actually in the same class as me.”

“The same class?” Ace nearly dropped his food, dumbfounded. “But that means he’s—”

“A third year!” The guy they were talking about suddenly appeared, floating above them completely upside down.

Everyone yelped at the sudden intrusion, even Yuuna. Unfortunately, she had been eating at the same time, leading to her unceremoniously choking on her food as it tried to force its way down her throat. She coughed loudly, slamming on the table with an open palm. Trey did his best to help her, patting her firmly on the back until she was able to swallow without cutting off her air.

“Yo, Lilia!” Cater greeted him with a joyful wave.

“Oh my, I did not mean to startle you that badly,” the guy named Lilia said, looking at her in shock. “My apologies. As to the rest of you and your speculations about my apparent age, it would be inaccurate to view me as a child despite my boyish good looks. Besides, we are all schoolmates, are we not? If you wished to speak to me directly, I assure you that Diasomnia welcomes you without reservation.”

They all took a collective glance back at the table where a few other Diasomnia students sat, their expressions both pensive and blank as they ate their meals in silence.

“They aren’t exactly high on the approachability scale,” Deuce muttered to himself before turning back.

“I must go now,” Lilia stated with his ever-present smile. “I do hope we meet again.”

As he walked away, all of them couldn’t help but wonder how he possibly could’ve heard them talking from about six tables down. Yuuna theorized that the pointed ears constituted for supersonic hearing; like a bat.

“I had heard that Diasomnia housed students with a great aptitude for magic,” Trey explained, staring after the boy’s retreating figure, “but this is the first time I’ve witnessed it. He’s even the vice housewarden, which also says a lot about their housewarden.”

“Yeah, Malleus Draconia,” Cater stated, nervously playing with a strand of hair. “Just hearing that name and I shudder. But I guess the same could be said about our own housewarden too. He’s a ways from Malleus, but I’d say that Riddle is remarkable in his own right. He already mastered his unique magic. That’s the collar around your neck, Ace.”

“For real?”

“What’s unique magic?” Yuuna couldn’t help but ask.

“It’s a type of special magic that’s unique to the one casting it,” Trey explained. “Its characteristics are drawn from the mage’s personality. Riddle’s magic is called Off With Your Head.” That made sense. He’d heard him yell those words a couple times now. “It seals off another person’s magic for as long as he can maintain the spell.”

Ah, perfect timing. Yuuna looked up to see Riddle stepping out of line with his tray bearing a minimalist meal. He scanned the area until his eyes landed on her. She smiled at him, silently inviting him to join their table. Hopefully Ace could get that stupid collar off today and he’d be off her couch too. Riddle nodded to her, making his way toward them.

“So there’s really no way to get this lame collar off until I bring him another tart?”

“According to Rule 53, yeah. Sorry.” The third year looked a tad guilty that Ace had to go through this debacle.

“What a little tyrant!” Ace suddenly exclaimed, making her blanche.

“Um, Ace…” Yuuna calmly spoke, trying to warn him.

“That little rule freak is obsessed!”

“Ace.”

“Getting this stupid collar over a tart? The prejudice is insane!”

“Ace!”

“What?!”

“So I’m ‘obsessed’ and ‘insane,’ is that right?” Riddle stood behind the once going off on a tirade about him, visibly upset by his narrowed eyes and deep frown.

“…Hi Riddle,” Yuuna nervously greeted, looking behind Ace.

She could see how quickly her friend’s face went pale when the housewarden’s name left her lips. He moved in slow motion when he turned around, staring wide-eyed at Riddle just behind him. “C-Crap…”

“H-Hey there, Riddle!” Cater jumped in, attempting to divert attention. “How’s it shakin’ buddy? Looks adorbs as always!”

In turn, Riddle glared in the poor man’s direction. “And I see you still enjoy running your mouth. I’d be more than happy to make you lose it alongside your head.”

Cater immediately backed off while Yuuna stared back and forth between Riddle and Ace. Her plan for them to reconcile had been crushed in a matter of hours. But something about the situation also made her feel…cold. Like she had to wrap her arms around herself to keep warm while shivering kind of cold.

The redhead crossed his arms, looking around the table. His eyes briefly fixated on her before moving back to Ace, glaring. “The headmage was far too lenient with you, pardoning you for scorching one of the Great Seven’s statues. If it were up to me, you’d be collared without any further argument!” He then grabbed Ace’s collar and yanked it forward. “I was contemplating removing this collar if you had properly reflected on your transgressions. But clearly you have not, so around your neck it will stay until I am satisfied.”

“W-What?! When will that be?!”

“Either way, at least without your magic, you will be incapable of causing the destruction you did the other day.”

She could feel his eyes on her but she had long since slammed her head onto the table as a futile way of hiding from the embarrassment of having such an idiotic friend. And this was the best way to prevent herself from kicking Ace in the throat.

“I suggest you all finish your food and be prompt about when you leave. As Rule 271 states, ‘One must leave the table within fifteen minutes of finishing their lunch.’”

“Not more rules…” Ace muttered out, hanging his head.

His offhand comment only spurred Riddle on more. “I didn’t hear you clearly. I believe you meant ‘Yes, Housewarden!’”

“Y-Yes, Housewarden!” Ace, accompanied by Deuce, exclaimed, mostly out of fear.

“Good. Yuuna.” He addressed her once more, making her finally lift her head off the table. “I hope you will use the reference books I recommended to you. I can see that you take potionology class very seriously.”

“Thanks, I will.” She finally lifted her head back up to glance at him before looking back to her lunch.

“I’ll be off. After I finish my lunch, Rule 339 states that the post-meal drink is to be lemon with sugar cubes. Thankfully, they hadn’t run out just yet when I got here.” With a final menacing look at the Heartslabyul freshmen at the table, Riddle turned on his heel and walked away, probably to find a better place to sit and read the book that was also on his tray.

“I was holding my breath for so long.” She could hear a conversation at the next table over. Yuuna noticed the same red and black armbands on their jackets. “What if he caught me? Rule 186 says no burgers on a Tuesday.”

“Are there a lot of rules involving food?” Yuuna couldn’t help but ask.

Trey nodded with a soft sigh. “That I’m aware of, yes.”

“Wow…”

“But Riddle does genuinely believe that following the Queen’s Rules to the letter will improve the dorm, so he means well,” he said, trying to defend the dorm leader. “He even got his title by the end of the week during his freshman year.”

However, Yuuna couldn’t exactly believe him fully. She could assess that much just by looking at the student body around her. The guy she overheard was still shaking a bit. All these rules were so convoluted and served no one. So what if he wanted to eat a burger today? Or what if someone didn’t like lemon tea? Ace was the only one who kind of deserved it. But also collaring people over their minor mistakes was definitely not the way to go about it. Was it really better to be feared than loved?

“People who mean well don’t go around beheading folks!” Grim screeched angrily, remembering his own experience with the collar.

“But you deserved it,” she countered, sipping from her juice.

“No one asked you to be cheeky, minion!”

“Guess I’m not getting back into the dorm without that replacement tart, huh?” Ace lamented. ”Man, I don’t wanna have to buy one.”

“And it’s gotta be the exact same size as the one you took,” Cater reminded him. “Plus, Riddle always gets giddy to eat the first slice. So it’s gotta be whole or nothin’.”

“Oh come on! I don’t got the cash for a whole-ass tart!”

“Then what about baking one?” Yuuna suggested. While this wasn’t her mess to clean up, she could still offer some support. “I’m sure there’s a simple tart recipe out there. And buying just the ingredients is cheaper.”

Cater suddenly came up behind her, setting his hands on her shoulders and giving them a soft squeeze. “Wow! You and I are on the same wavelength! I was just gonna say that Trey could lend a hand. He is the one who made the tart Acey ate, after all.”

“Whoa, really?! You made those amazing tarts? It tasted like it was made by a pro!”

“Thanks for the compliment,” Trey said, sounding quite confident despite his bashful expression.

“Sooo, you’ll do it? You’ll help me?” Ace looked at his upperclassmen with shining eyes, the kind he probably thought no one would say no to. “Or maybe lend me some cookware? Pretty please?”

“I guess I could, since I was planning to make more anyway,” Trey agreed, setting down his cup after he took a sip. Though Yuuna sensed a “but” incoming.

“Awesome!”

“But…” There it was. “I can’t exactly do it for free, you know.”

Ace’s smile dimmed and he scooted closer to Yuuna, lightly swatting Cater’s hands away before setting his arm over her shoulders. “Looks like we’re on our own, Yuuna.”

“ We ?” Yuuna parroted with a raised brow.

“Hey, you said you had my back! So that means we are we .”

“Does it now?”

Trey laughed softly. “You’re making it sound like I was about to extort money out of you. I just need you to do some of the prep work, that’s all.”

“See, Ace?” Yuuna gestured to the upperclassman. “It’s not that unreasonable a request.”

“Well, a chestnut tart is one of Riddle’s favorites. So I’m gonna need you to grab some chestnuts from the woods behind the botanical gardens.”

“I can help with that,” she offered, even if she was selfishly hoping for a small taste of freshly baked goods. “How many do you need?”

“Let’s see… Since I’ll need to make enough for the unbirthday party, I’ll need about, say, two to three hundred at least?” At least ?! “Of course, afterward, we’re going to need to peel them, heat them, and grind them into a paste. All things you will be capable of helping with.”

“Aight, Imma head out.” Grim didn’t even hesitate once he heard the number, the prospect of manual labor killing the mood.

“Same here,” Deuce agreed, equally reluctant to participate.

“Are you sure?” Trey smirked at them. “Because a chestnut tart tastes best when it’s out of the oven. That’s one of the perks of making it yourself. But it can’t be helped if you don’t want to.”

“I mean, when you put it like that… I’m all in!” The monster once again perked up, his love of a fresh tart outweighing his unwillingness to do the hard work necessary to get it.

“Alright. Plan made. We can all meet up when classes are out.”

Chapter Text

Ramshackle was an old and dusty place, but it had a lot of convenient items stored away. Yuuna walked past the botanical garden to get to the woods, two woven baskets in hand. The ghosts were kind enough to tell her about them after she informed them all of her plans to go chestnut picking.

“Whoa, look at how many there are!” Grim cheered once they arrived at the sight, seeing chestnuts up in the trees and laying on the ground. “Hoo boy, we’re gonna be living large!” Grim danced on over to where a small pile of them were situated under a tree, greedily reaching out to scoop them up.

“No, wait!”

“Ow!” Grim yelped in pain, immediately backing away and in tears. “The spines pricked my paws…”

Yuuna sighed and put down her baskets. She gently picked Grim up, rubbing at his paws to help relieve the pain. “Better?”

“I guess…” The little monster pouted, not even trying to look her in the eye.

Ace and Deuce rounded into the woods, watching the scene before them. “What happened?”

“I forgot to tell him that chestnuts come in spiky burrs,” she answered, setting Grim down once he started trying to swat her hands away.

“Ah, so it’s probably better that we don’t do this with our bare hands,” Deuce concluded.

“And we’re probably going to need more than this.” She motioned to the baskets on the ground.

“Ya think the botanical garden might have some supplies we can use?” Ace proposed. “They probably got all kinds of stuff in there with all the plants they've got.”

Yuuna nodded. “Yeah, I’ll go check. While I do that, you guys try to group the chestnuts into a pile as best you can. Since they’re in a casing, as long as you don’t crush them, it should be fine.”

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

Once inside, Yuuna stood in awe of the beautiful gardens. There were plants she’d never even seen before, growing vibrant and healthy. The flower pots hanging from above added to a very fairy tale atmosphere. Sadly, she didn’t have the time to take it all in. Maybe another time she could use it as a good study spot, or somewhere to just sit and relax if it was possible. Especially now since it was peacefully quiet without her friends around. She loved them, but they could be so loud.

“Now where do they keep their supplies…”

There had to be a place for gardening tools somewhere. She continued to walk the path, trying to find anything resembling a shed or supply room. Making sure to keep on the path so she didn’t stomp all over the plants, she walked with a subconscious feeling to keep quiet just to maintain the peaceful mood of this place.

However, as she took her next steps without looking down, she stepped onto something that made her pause. For a brief second, she wondered if she almost tripped over an unattended hose. But the painful grunt that came from the bushes made her realize that it was no inanimate object that she’d stepped on.

“Hello…?” She wearily called out toward the bushes. She approached slowly, keeping her steps quiet.

“Here I was enjoying a nice little nap,” a smooth baritone voice that sent shivers up her spine irritatedly growled at her, “and then you come along to stomp on my tail. Tch. That’s just low.”

His tail…? Once Yuuna got close enough to see who was sitting in the patch of bushes, her heart stopped for a second. God, this man was pretty. Like really pretty. His narrowed emerald eyes stared directly into her soul. Messy dark hair fell from his shoulders, two braids resting at the front. It would be a “hey, we match” moment if her heart wasn’t throbbing so loudly that she could barely hear anything else around her. He was definitely a student too, wearing the standard shirt and vest, only his was yellow instead of red like Ace and Deuce. But what really caught her off guard was the pair of cat-like ears twitching atop his head. She had seen a few people like that in the cafeteria earlier, so the shock factor was numbed at this point. The tail he had referred to laid lazily in the grass, flicking a couple times. She noticed how it looked like a lion’s tail and everything came together. He was a lion beastmen, as she remembered the term thanks to Cater.

“I-I’m really sorry,” she managed to choke out. “I didn’t think anyone was around here…”

His narrowed eyes softened just a bit, his lips turning up into a wide smirk, which made her want to turn into a puddle on the spot. A little voice in her head whispered about how pathetic she was acting. This was just a momentary lapse! Get your shit together, girl!

“Ah, so you’re the herbivore from orientation day who even the Dark Mirror can’t get a read on,” he spoke, almost patronizingly.

“Well, um, yeah…” How often was she going to have to respond to those kinds of comments? It was starting to get a tad irritating.

Yuuna hadn’t realized she had slowly been leaning down to talk to him until his hand jutted out, grabbing onto her arm and pulling her down. She yelped, unceremoniously falling right into his lap. Her brain had completely shut down on her, unable to process any of these events.

“W-What are you一?!” was all she could manage to say when this man leaned into her, sniffing at her neck while keeping his grip on her with his other hand resting at her waist to pull her closer. His messy hair tickled her cheek, feeling his nose brush against her skin. She reacted without thinking, leaning in to stabilize herself against him.

He pulled back with a self-satisfactory smirk, finally releasing his hold. His narrowed eyes held nothing but condescension. “I knew your scent was different. You're not just some really late bloomer; you got no magic at all. Heh. You’re lucky you’re a lady, or I wouldn’t be letting you off the hook so easily.” His hand moved from her waist to snag her chin, using her fingers to squeeze and make her mouth open slightly. “Usually, stepping on my tail means I take a couple teeth in return.”

And just like that, the rose-tinted lens was shattered.

“What?” he asked, noticing she had gone silent. “Your tongue tied or something? Or are you just having fun gawking?”

“Let go of me!” Yuuna suddenly yelled, shoving him back and scrambling to get back up from her position. Once she was up, she glared as best as she could at him despite her still flustered state. “I don’t know where you get off being a raging ass. I told you I was sorry and I really do mean it. I had no idea you were there, and frankly, I doubt anyone would think ‘hey, someone might be sleeping on the ground in here.’  So maybe you should consider that before you go shifting blame!” At present, she felt just a little less bad with the way he’d treated her.

Even if he narrowed his eyes back at her, lips curling in a snarl that revealed sharp canines, Yuuna stood her ground as she stepped away from his little napping stop and glared just as hard back at him.

“You think you can say all that and just walk away?”

A chill went up her whole body, feeling the validity of his threat as he began standing up, a good foot taller than her. But she held firm, not wanting to fall to his intimidation.

“Leona!” a voice called out, making the lion man finally look away from her. “I knew you’d be here! Trying to ditch your after-school classes again?”

So his name’s Leona. Should’ve been my first guess.

Leona groaned loudly, laying back down in the grass without shame. “Ugh, I don’t need you on my tail too… Buzz off, Ruggie.”

“Hey, come on. I’m not about to be in the same grade as you cuz you have to skip another year.”

She was just left to be a bystander of the conversation, the one who’d been calling for Leona focused solely on him. She sort of blocked out their conversation as she watched the ears atop the newcomer’s head move with his expressions. She was a bit tempted to reach out and pet them. Not to mention the little tail she could see as his back was turned was one of the cutest things ever.

But now wasn’t the time to even think about such things. She needed to find the supplies she needed and get back to everyone else. The sooner they gathered the chestnuts, the faster they could make a tart for Riddle. While the two were bickering, Yuuna started to back away. Normally, she didn’t like to leave conversations with this method, but it was a necessary evil.

“And where do you think you’re going?” Leona suddenly called out, looking over Ruggie’s shoulder to see her backing away.

She froze in place. Not because she was scared but because she got caught. She turned back around to meet his haughty stare, pouting. “Well I was kinda doing something before now, so I’m going on my merry way.”

At this point, she had also garnered the attention of the hyena boy, Ruggie, who was staring at her. He was likely confused as to what she had done to incur Leona’s wrath. But then he snickered, resting his hands behind his head. “Really, Leona? Picking on girls now?”

Leona sneered at that comment. “Not my fault she decided to stink up my territory first. Let’s just go already. I know you won’t stop nagging unless I do. You better watch yourself next time you wander into my territory, herbivore.”

Yuuna didn’t wait for them to start walking away first. Keeping her back straight, she walked with as much confidence as she could muster away from them, trying to find the supplies she needed.

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

“What took you so long?” Ace asked while sitting under a tree next to a pile of chestnuts they had accumulated while she was gone.

Just the memory of that jerk was enough to reignite her anger, making her slam the baskets she’d retrieved onto the grass. Who did he think he was, proclaimed the campus gardens as his ? The nerve! The guys noticed her less than happy attitude and took a step back. “I had the displeasure of meeting someone who might be the biggest jerk here. And that’s saying something considering that I know you .”

“Hey!” he shouted when she glanced in his direction.

“Are you alright?” Deuce asked. “Was he bothering you?”

Letting her rage simmer down as she handed out the gloves, all she could do now was sigh. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. It wasn’t too big of a deal.”

“Less talking, more chestnut picking!” Grim demanded, tearing out the fingers from his gloves to make something perfect for his little paws. “I’m getting real hangry for a tart!”

“Fine, we can talk while we work.”

Yuuna did just that, recounting the events that she had experienced to the guys. She, of course, left out details like the way he went about sniffing at her neck. As attractive as he was, her anger left her too prideful to say it out loud. She even mentioned the yellow vest, which she remembered to be Savanaclaw’s color.

“Sounds like you picked a fight with the wrong crowd.”

Yuuna paused in her work, looking over to Ace. “Why’s that?”

“Don’t you remember what Cater told us? Savanaclaw is full of muscle heads. They’re always itching to beef about something.”

Yeah, she remembered. She herself had called them the jocks of the college hierarchy. Thinking back on it, Leona was decently muscular from what she had seen. And by his attitude, the impression about his dorm held true. What a waste of a handsome face.

But Ruggie… He was a bit on the lankier side. But that might just be his secret weapon; being underestimated since he was a thinner guy among big buff dudes. And he had those fuzzy ears that she probably felt as soft as they looked…

No! Focus!

“I’m a big girl. I can handle it.” Mama didn’t raise no wuss. She was thankful to have the still to back herself up in this regard. Stuck in a world where she knows absolutely no one and has no idea what anyone will do with or without magic wasn’t ideal. “I think we have enough now. We should meet up with Trey in the school kitchen.”

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

“We’re here!” Yuuna called out, carrying her basket of chestnuts and setting it down on the kitchen table, with Ace and Deuce following suit.

Trey whistled, impressed by the haul. “Looks like you really hit the jackpot. Well done. Now we can get started on the tarts.”

It was at this point that Yuuna started to mildly regret stepping in to help. Her hands were so sore from cracking open the chestnuts without a single break. But a little hard work never deterred her before. And the prospect of Ace staying at Ramshackle even longer was enough of a fright to get her butt in gear to finish this. He wasn’t a bad friend, but one dork named Grim was more than enough for her to handle.

The process went a lot quicker when the three stooges made it into a competition, peeling like no tomorrow in a bout to show off their skills. Arrears, the rest was a breeze. Ace was more dexterous with his hands, so he took on the brunt of the chestnut peeling once they were boiled. Grim did the stirring to mix the peeled chestnuts with milk and sugar. Lastly, shr helped Deuce puree the mixture into a fine paste.

Trey took over from there. “Now to the chestnut paste, we need to add sugar, butter, and my secret ingredient; oyster sauce.”

“Huh?!” Everyone in the room shouted, stunned.

“All the best bakers use Walrus-brand Oyster Sauce. It adds a deep, rich flavor to a lot of dishes.”

“But wouldn’t that make it kind of salty?” Deuce asked.

“I heard some people use chocolate in their curry,” Ace said, trying to make sense of a nonsensical ingredient. “Maybe it’s the same idea?”

But Yuuna wasn’t fooled, spotting the smirk that Trey attempted to hide as Ace and Deuce were swayed by this “fun fact.”

“You’re messing with us,” she pointed out, crossing her arms.

In turn, Trey let the façade fall as he laughed. “Yeah, I’m totally lying. No sane person would add something like that to their pastry. Couldn’t fool you, huh?”

“I don’t believe everything I hear. But you did sound convincing enough. What’s next?”

“Right, right. So the next part would be to fold in the cream, but…” The bespectacled student paused, staring at the overabundance of chestnut paste. “It looks like we might’ve gone overboard. So we need to get more whipping cream to get a good ratio.”

“I can go get some,” Deuce offered. “I think the school store has some.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Trey softly laughed. “They sell just about anything there. And while you’re there, I need you to get a few other things. One second.” Trey left the kitchen for a moment, coming back with a piece of scrap paper and a pen. He began to write a grocery list from what she could see before handing it to Deuce. “Here. This’ll be everything you need.”

Deuce scanned over the list and nodded. “This is a lot though. I don’t think I can carry it on my own.”

“Oh, I can go with you.” Yuuna hopped off the counter where she was sitting. “I was gonna grab a couple things from there after this, so it works out.” She’d been there a couple times to get some necessities, so she could also help Deuce find what he needed to get.

“Perfect.” Deuce smiled, prompting her to return it.

“I could go too,” Ace jumped in; literally. He moved between the two of them, acting as if it was just something normal people did.

“Actually, I need you here with me, Ace.” Trey shut him down quickly. “Since this is your apology tart, after all. We can do a little prep work while they get the ingredients.”

“Then I’ll go!” Grim exclaimed, instantly attaching himself to her leg to hitch a free ride. “I’m tired of mixing! So I’m going on break with you!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll bring you back a snack or something.” Yuuna patted Ace on the back and left him to pout.

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

“Wow,” Deuce gasped once he entered the store. “There’s so much stuff here. Crystal skulls, tarot cards, grimoires… I can’t even tell what creature that thing on the wall is supposed to be.”

Yuuna couldn’t help but laugh at his reaction, which made him flush. She didn’t blame him. She had the same reaction when she and Grim first set foot in here.

“If anyone’s got cream among all this weird stuff, it’s that guy,” Grim muttered.

“Welcome to Mr. S’s Mystery Shop!” The owner popped out from nowhere, startling them. Oh god, she forgot he liked to do that. She turned around to see Sam’s usual grin, tipping his hat to greet them.

“H-Hey there, Sam,” Yuuna greeted, getting her poor frightened heart under control.

“Ah, starry imp! What can I get for you today from my humble selection? A charm from a secluded land? The mummified hand of a legendary king? A key to a mysterious box? Or are you looking for something more mundane? Whatever it is, it’s in stock now!”

“While I’m here, I’ll pick up the bedsheets and furniture polish I asked you about yesterday. And I brought a friend along.” She nudged Deuce with her elbow, urging him to speak.

“A-Ah! Right! Um… I need the things on this list, sir.” Deuce handed over the list, nervously swaying in place.

She reached out, gently placing her hand atop his to reassure him. And hopefully calm him down. He looked over to her and gave her an awkward smile, trying to be appreciative of her gesture.

“Let’s see… Eggs, cream, milk, canned fruit… Quite the list! And everything here is definitely available. So let me go grab all these things for you.”

“And throw in a few cans of tuna too!” Grim exclaimed as the store owner started walking to the back.

“Already did.” Yuuna shook Grim off her leg, letting him take a soft tumble. “And you ain’t getting more.”

“R-Really?!” Grim stared up at her, starry-eyed. But he quickly caught himself and crossed his arms, returning to his haughty demeanor. “I mean… As expected of my loyal minion!”

“And here we are!” Sam dropped a few heavy looking bags filled with Deuce’s order and a smaller bag with her own. “And the sale on our 1/100th size flying saucers still stands; perfect for carrying all these!”

“We’ll pass, thank you,” Deuce quickly refused, not even allowing Grim to get any ideas.

“Yeah, we’ll be fine,” she agreed, letting Grim grumble about never being allowed to have any fun. “See you later.”

She practically had to drag Grim out as she and Deuce carried their bags out of the store and on their way back to the school building. She didn’t realize just how heavy the cans they got actually were, struggling to lift the bag more than two feet off the ground. Deuce must’ve noticed her wheezing while trying to drag everything she was carrying, because he put his hand over hers to move the bag out of her hand.

“Here, let me help with that,” he urged, taking it once she slowly released her grip.

She wiggled her fingers a few times, realizing just how sore they were from carrying their bags for no more than five minutes.

“There’s a trick to handling heavy bags like this. See?” She watched with full focus as he showed her what he meant, letting the bag hang from his wrist before twisting the handles together and lifting the bag like it had a sturdy handle. “It helps distribute the weight in your hand and prevents either of the handles from breaking when carrying heavy things.”

“That’s pretty amazing,” she commented. “You must be quite the power shopper to know all these things.”

He sighed softly, but a fond smile was on his face. “Yeah. My mom liked to really stock up during big sales, so all her bags would get ridiculously heavy. And as the only man in the house, I took on the responsibility of all that heavy lifting. Not to mention一 Oh, I’m sorry, I must be boring you.” He turned to her, but his breath was caught in his throat when he finally noticed her smiling up at him, completely enraptured by his little monologue.

“You’re not. I like hearing this. You care about your mom, and I think that’s sweet. I don’t think I ever did these kinds of things for my family.”

His shoulders sagged slightly. “Oh, right. You don’t remember much about your life back home, do you?”

Yuuna went quiet, trying to process her thoughts and feelings. “Yeah, but… I do remember my family, sort of. Enough to know what they were like.” It was everything else that became so blurry the moment she tried thinking about them. But remembered just enough…

“Sweetie, I think it’s time you started using your time on something more…productive.”

“Oh… Okay.”

“But it’s okay,” she said, pushing away those memories. “It’s a bit disorienting, but at least I remember the important people in my life, right? So I’m sure your mom is very lucky to have someone like you in her life; someone who cares so much for her.”

“Well…” Deuce paused, looking away. “It hasn’t been like that all the time… This truth is, I一 Ack!”

Just as they were rounding the corner, another pair of students were coming in the opposite direction. One of them bumped into Deuce, causing him to stumble back and drop the bags he was holding on the ground. She heard the crunching sound from the bag housing the eggs, yellow yolk starting to seep out.

“No!” Grim screeched. “The eggs! Man, one of the cartons got smashed!”

“Hey! Watch where you’re一 Oh Seven, not you again!” The student snarled at them. She recognized him from the cafeteria earlier that day. “First you break my yolk and now this?! I’m getting real sick of you.”

Was he still not over that? She was petty too sometimes, but that was just a stupid thing to hold a grudge over. It wasn’t like anyone stole his lunch or anything.

“We didn’t mean to,” Yuuna tried to reason, standing her ground. “Neither of us were looking ahead. We should just go, Deuce.” She didn’t turn around, but the silence from Deuce’s end was starting to become slightly unnerving. “Deuce…?”

“You’re the ones who came out of nowhere,” the blue-haired student growled, making her and the other two stiffen. “And you were the ones who tried picking a fight over something that was still edible.”

The temperature suddenly dropped when Deuce lifted his head, aqua eyes darkened as he glared furiously at the other students.

“Deuce, wait一” She tried to stop him, setting a hand on his shoulder to stop a fight from breaking out. But he shrugged it off, approaching the delinquents while cracking his knuckles.

“And now you destroyed six of our eggs! So you better pay us for those eggs! And apologize to the chickens while you’re at it!”

Do what now? What on earth was Deuce talking about?

“Yeah!” Grim cheered him on. “He’s right! I think.” Even he didn’t understand the chicken commentary. But she was more upset that he was egging Deuce on, no pun intended.

“As if,” one of them scoffed. “In fact, why aren’t you thanking us? We made the work easier for you. Now you don’t have to crack em.”

Why?! Why were they poking the bear?!

“That’s not funny,” Deuce muttered, the dark aura around him increasing.

“Huh?”

Deuce took one step forward and gripped onto the guy’s collar, lifting him up. “I said, that ain’t funny! ” He roared in his face before punching him with a mean right hook, making him fly back and fall to the ground.

And while he did deserve it, Yuuna jumped in and grabbed onto his hand that delivered the punch. “Deuce, stop! It’s not worth it anymore! I don’t want you getting in trouble!”

“They need to pay!” he yelled. “Those eggs were for the tart. Instead of growing up to be chicks, we were going to turn them into a dessert.” Huh? “So they owe us six eggs. And they’ll be getting one bruise for each one they broke!”

Before he could deliver another punch, Yuuna swiftly moved in front of him, keeping her grip on his fist so he couldn’t actually hit her despite blocking his way.

She turned to the two students who now looked ready to collapse to the ground with wobbly knees. “Leave,” she hissed, scaring them enough to send them running. The fact they’d been frightened by Deuce also helped, as they scampered awhile while crying out apologies to hypothetical chickens.

Once they were out of sight, she looked Deuce in the eye, refusing to back down. “Deuce… You need to calm down. Please.”

Her soft words and touch seemed to snap him out of it, the fury completely erased from his eyes and replaced with pure self-loathing. He hung his head from shame, clenching his fist tighter.

“I did it again,” he mumbled softly. “I can’t believe it. I thought I’d really turn myself around this time… I’m really sorry. I almost hurt you.”

“Deep breaths, Deuce,” she advised. “It’s okay, really. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

“Thank you… I just… I wasn’t the best kid way back in middle school. I guess you could say I was a little punk. It even carried over to high school. I’d cut class and get into fights pretty often. I was disrespectful to the teachers, hung out with the bullies, and even bleached my hair. I’d do all kinds of dangerous stunts on my blastcycle. I flaunted my magic to kids who didn’t have any. I was a textbook delinquent, through and through.”

She didn’t say anything, keeping a steady grip on his hand. Perhaps it was enough to ground him as he relived this pain he’d put himself through.

“But one night, I heard my mom on the phone with my grandma. It was the first time that I heard her cry too. She… She was sobbing and asking herself where she went wrong. She called herself a terrible mom, thinking she must be if I turned out this way. And I was so disgusted with myself. None of it was her fault. It was all me . I made those choices. I never considered how she felt up until that moment. And then the day came that I was selected to attend Night Raven College. She was smiling so bright and told me how proud she was.  I made a decision right then that I would never make her cry again. I’d become someone she’d always be proud of.”

“So I was right,” she spoke up, making Deuce look up at her.

“H-Huh?”

“I was right when I said your mom is lucky to have you in her life. You obviously care about her. Sure, you went down a pretty bad road at some point, but I think everyone has made some bad choices in their life. It doesn’t make you any less of a person.”

“And standing up to jerks like that is what a good student does!” Grim chimed in.

“He’s right. You truly are someone that your mom is lucky to have. You’ve proven that. It’s not easy to bounce back from old habits, but at least you’re putting in an effort to change. I’m sure she’d be proud of you.”

“Thank you… I think I really needed to hear that.”

She smiled softly, letting the comfortable silence wash over them. He returned her smile, his cheeks flushed as he still felt her small, soft hands keep their grip on his.

“Hey!” Grim shouted. “Stop making googly eyes at each other! We got a tart to make!”

They finally let go, stepping back. With red faces, they shouted at Grim, “W-We’re not!”

“Still…” Deuce spoke up as they started to walk again toward the building. “I hope those chicks can rest in peace.”

She bit her lip, unsure how to really approach the topic. “About that…”

“What is it?”

“Those eggs are unfertilized. They were never going to hatch in the first place. That’s exactly why they’re used as food.”

“ Whaaaat?! ”

She felt a little bad. She could see in his eyes that his dreams were thoroughly crushed and stomped on. But really, how did he possibly believe for this long that people cooked baby chicks into their pies and whatnot?

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

“Geez, what took you so long?” Ace complained once they returned. “And what’s up with him?” He pointed to Deuce, who looked to be in a dazed state.

“Let’s just say he learned something new,” she vaguely replied, not wishing to witness Ace make fun of Deuce. “Oh, and I got this for you.” She reached into her own shopping bag and tossed something over to him.

“No way!” Ace grinned. “They really had the teriyaki jerky?”

“I did say I’d bring you back something. And now we have everything we need to finish the tart.”

She couldn’t remember the last time she had this much fun. Baking wasn’t her forte, but she remembered participating in it a few times to distract herself from a bad day. The kitchen was encapsulated in a scrumptious chestnut smell as the tart baked. She helped Trey prep the cream, following his instructions to the letter so she wouldn’t mess up.

This wasn’t just a tart they were going to eat together, after all. They were making one for Riddle. To her, she didn’t want to do it just to get Ace back into his rightful dorm. She earnestly wanted to see Riddle smile. He wasn’t a bad guy like Ace had been painting him as. He was helpful and smart. His kindness was shown in a completely unorthodox way, but that didn’t mean it didn’t exist. So if she could bring him a little happiness, then she was more than happy to make this tart for him.

“And now they’re perfect,” Trey complimented once he put some powdered sugar on top of the two new tarts.

“They look and smell so good,” she said, lost in a dreamy state by just looking at the finished product.

“Yeah, perfect,” Deuce muttered out. Poor thing was still in shock, she realized.

“I didn’t know baking took so much work.” Ace sighed, leaning against the counter. “I’m beat!”

“They do say baking is a science for a reason,” she commented. “There’s a lot of things that go into it.”

“How do you do, fellow kids?” Cater smiled wide as he entered the kitchen, conveniently when the hard part was over. “You all look wiped. That must mean the tarts are done, right? Man, they even look amazing! I gotta snap a pic of this!”

“Oh, sure, now you decide to show up.” Ace shook his head once Cater snapped a few pictures of the tarts from different angles.

“Aw, come on, don’t be like that. I just wanted to check up on the newbies. Gotta make sure you’re doing alright.”

“Why don’t you all have a taste of your hard work?” Trey pulled one of the tarts aside, fanning it a bit to cool it down.

He precisely cut each slice, putting them on enough plates for everyone. They each took a plate, though Grim was stingy and actually tried to fight for the first piece. They sat down together, ready to dig in. Yuuna observed the scene with a mix of joy and pain. It felt like friends gathered around the table for a meal and lighthearted conversation. It was a wonderful feeling, but at the same time, she couldn’t remember the last time she was able to be a part of something like this. It was a lonely feeling that she couldn’t quite shake off.

But she hid it well once she took her first bite of the tart. “Oh my god!” she exclaimed, letting the dessert melt on her tongue. “This is amazing!”

“Ten outta ten!” Cater exclaimed. “If I could like and subscribe in real life, I would.”

It also helped Deuce recover from his shock, his face lighting up once he lifted his fork and took a bite. “This is like something out of a fancy bakery.”

“Whoa, slow down,” Ace laughed when he noticed Yuuna shoveling down her tart without reservation. “You really got a sweet tooth, don’t you?”

She pouted, sending a mock glare his way. “Listen, you. I’ll eat my sweets as I please. I haven’t had something this great in a while.”

She blinked when a camera flashed from the corner of her eye. She turned, wide-eyed to see Cater with his phone pointed right at her.

“Sorry, sorry. You just looked so adorable that I had to get a pic. I’ll delete it if you don’t want me to post it.”

“Uh, no, it’s fine. It just caught me off guard.”

“Hey Trey! Show her the thing!” He waved over to Trey, who was halfway through his tart.

“The thing?” she asked, confused.

“You’re gonna love it! But I need everyone to say their favorite food first!”

“Definitely cherry pie,” Ace went first.

“Canned tuna!” Grim showed no hesitation in his answer.

Deuce gave it some thought before answering. “Omelet rice, I guess.”

“And what about you, Yuuna?” Cater asked, leaning in as if he were getting an exclusive interview.

Wow. That was actually a tough question. What was her favorite food? There were a lot of things that she liked to eat, at least that she remembered. “I think…iced coffee.”

Ace raised a brow. "That's not a food."

"It is to me."

“And mine’s lamb chop with diablo sauce! Now come on, Trey!”

“Alright, alright. No need to get impatient.” The bespectacled student took his magic pen out of his front pocket, pointing it at their tart slice. “And now… Paint the Roses!” Their slices emitted a soft green glow before it faded away. “Okay, try your slices now.”

Yuuna was the first, picking up a piece with her fork and slowly putting it into her mouth. She sat there, stunned, as she chewed. “It really tastes like an iced coffee!”

“No way.” Ace was next, tasting his and almost dropping his fork. “It’s just like a cherry pie now!”

“This is so cool!” Grim chowed down, disregarding his manners completely. “My delicious canned tuna… It’s like heaven in a single slice!”

“Awesome, right?” the ginger piped up with a grin. “It’s Trey's unique magic. It’d be a real hit with the ladies, if you ask me.” He gently nudged Yuuna, who looked up at him just as he interrupted her sweet piece of paradise.

“Huh? Oh, yeah, it’s pretty incredible. Anyone would be impressed, I think. How exactly does it work?”

Trey smiled. “Well, my spell has the power to overwrite certain characteristics. It’s not just taste. I can change the color, smell, etcetera. But, of course, magic does have its limits. I can only keep it up for so long.”

So that’s why it was called Paint the Roses. It was like those cards in Uno that you could write on.

“If I had magic like that, I’d be living large on everything tasting like canned tuna!” Grim had finished his slice, laying on the table with a full belly. “It’s way better than that mean old Riddle's unique magic.”

“No way,” Trey denied. “My magic is just some childish prestidigitation compared to something like Riddle’s. He’s on a completely different level.”

“Is that what the collars are? Riddle’s unique magic?”

Trey nodded. “Exactly. His magic creates a collar that blocks off the wearer’s magic. To a mage, losing your magic is like running around headless. That’s why it’s called Off With Your Head.”

Cater got up from the table, his plate empty as well. “And speaking of Riddle, tomorrow is the unbirthday party. You can give him the tart then! He might be in a good mood once he sees a perfect unbirthday party. You’ll likely be off the hook then, as long as you’re not late.”

“Fantastic.” Ace rolled his eyes, leaning on the table and pushing away his empty plate. “I gotta keep this on for another day. But just you wait, Housewarden! I’m gonna get this stupid thing removed!” He then looked over to her with pleading eyes. “Mind if I crash with you one more night? Sounds like I’ll be locked out of the dorm again.”

“No way!” Grim yelled at him. “You gotta pay rent at this point! Ten cans of tuna sounds about right.”

“Not really,” Yuuna said, waving the monster off. “I don’t mind. But you’re still getting the couch unless you wanna clean up your own guest room.”

“Bleh. Pass.” He stuck out his tongue at her, making her laugh. “The couch ain’t that bad anymore. But a bed would be nicer.”

“Well ain’t you shameless,” Cater commented with a sigh.

“I’ll stay over too,” Deuce offered. “It’s not right of Ace to keep mooching off you, Yuuna. And after everything you’ve done for me, I want to help you.”

“It’s decided then,” Trey said, collecting all the empty plates. “And as Vice Housewarden, I can issue you an official pass to sleep over at Ramshackle. Riddle probably won’t mind with advanced notice. And there’s no Queen’s Rule against it.”

“That sounds like fun. Then I’ll come too and make it a big slumber party! ” Cater jumped up, moving to capture Yuuna in his arms, but she easily side-stepped him with a smug grin.

“No pass for you,” Trey shot him down.

“Aw man. Womp womp wooomp.”

“I hope you don’t mind, Yuuna. I feel a little guilty dumping them on you.”

“I really don’t mind, Trey.” Though she wouldn't say it, having Ace and now Deuce over made her feel just a little less lonely at night. They gave her something to occupy her mind so it wouldn’t wander. “Ace, Deuce, you can head there first. I need to grab a few things from the library first.”

“Ew, books.” Grim moved away from Yuuna. “I’m heading back too then!”

“Fine, fine. Just don’t blow anything up while I’m gone. I’ll even ask the ghosts what you were up to if I have to.” She didn’t completely trust them not to do anything stupid, but she had just enough faith that they wouldn’t destroy the only place she had to stay in.

She grabbed her bookbag and headed out of the kitchen first, heading down the now empty halls as the sun started to go down. Luckily, it wasn’t curfew hours yet, so she had plenty of time. Tomorrow will be a new day , she thought. She didn’t want to look at the worst case scenarios, so she did her best to have hope. And she hoped Riddle would like the tart too.

Chapter Text

“So Trey,” Cater said as they crossed the mirror into the Heartslabyul dorm and walked up the path, “what do you think of the new girl?”

“Hm?” Trey looked over, confused by this line of questioning. “Why do you ask?”

“Just curious. And she seemed to know Riddle. You saw how he talked to her at lunch.”

“I did ask him about that. Turns out he was paired with her for a potionology assignment. He gave her pretty high praise too, calling her diligent and insightful. I’ve never seen him like that. It felt like he wanted to say more but didn’t.”

“Aw, that’s so cute.” Cater grinned wide. “Sounds like our little housewarden’s got a crush. I don’t blame him, though. She is quite the cutie; like a little bunny hopping around everywhere. She’s even got the other two wrapped around her finger.”

“The other two?”

“Really? You didn’t notice? Ace and Deuce were practically making eyes at her the whole time we were there! She must be really good at hiding her feelings or way too oblivious to notice it.”

“Well, I don’t think you’re wrong,” Trey relented. “Ace and I were talking while she and Deuce went to the store to pick up some ingredients. I have to admit I was curious about the person the Dark Mirror couldn’t read too. And Ace was just like Riddle, calling her smart and quick on her feet. Of course, he also threw annoying and snarky into the mix.”

Cater laughed loudly, letting the sound ring through the air. “That’s hilarious. That definitely means he likes her. I can tell you now that he’s totally the type to tease the girl he likes.”

“You’d know better than me. She’s not a bad person, that’s for sure. I’m just saying there’s still a lot we don’t know.”

Upon entering the dorm lounge, a panicked student immediately rushed at them. “Trey! Cater! Thank the Seven you’re here!”

“What happened?” Trey spoke calmly to better get a grasp of the situation. It was then that he looked past the guy to see a few others around, all with collars on their necks.

He caught Cater staring at them all with a troubled expression. And frankly, he felt the same.

“They were all caught breaking Rule 256, ‘No drinking honey-sweetened lemonade after 8pm.’ I… I can’t take it anymore! How is anyone supposed to live like this?! Everything we do violates one rule or another. I want to transfer out! I heard that freshman Ace was planning to, so I’m gonna do the same!” The guy broke down, tears in his eyes as he started sobbing.

“It’ll be okay,” Trey tried to reassure him. “I’ll talk to the Housewarden, alright? Just go back to your rooms and try to get some sleep.”

“But he’s not here,” the student said, his cries dying down to whimpers.

“What do you mean?”

“Last I saw him, he was mumbling to himself about some books before leaving the dorm. I think he’s going to the library before curfew hits.”

Oh no. Trey and Cater looked at each other, realizing what that might mean. To make him leave, Trey calmly told everyone to go to their rooms and rest, and hopefully Riddle would take off their collars in the morning. They waited until the students left, out of sight and earshot.

“Yuuna said she’d be going to the library,” Trey finally said after the silence became a little too tense.

“Riddle’s probably in a bad mood too,” Cater added, nodding. “So she might not be in for a fun time.”

“Let’s just hope they don’t cross paths this time. I might not know her that well, but I don't want her getting hurt.”

“Same. I guess I should go make some herbal tea. Showing deference to the Queen and all that jazz.” He fiddled with a strand of hair, a common tell of his to show that his mood had dampened. But being him, he had to try and lighten the air from how suffocating it had gotten. “But maybe you can give me that sleepover pass now so I can go and comfort her~?”

“Denied.”

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

Riddle handed the books to the librarian, letting out a soft sigh of relief. He had needed those reference books up to the very last second. If he had waited until the next day, they would’ve been late. And that would’ve been a blight against the Queen of Hearts herself. Punctuality was everything in her kingdom. And he was already in a sour mood thanks to that gaggle of rule-breakers.

But in the meantime, he needed to procure the new books he needed for Trein’s class and return to the dorm before curfew. He walked along the aisles of books, running his finger over each spine as he observed the precise, alphabetical order they were all in. Just as he was about to turn down the next aisle, he noticed something at one of the study tables.

The braided hair was unmistakable.

Riddle slowly approached Yuuna, seeing that her head was down. It was only when he got closer that he noticed her eyes were closed, her breathing soft and steady. She was asleep. With his bad mood still in play, he was ready to scold her for blatantly sleeping in the library, but something about the scene caught his eyes. On the table were books of many subjects; history, alchemy, and even the art of flight. All of them were opened to various pages. He even saw some of the books he recommended to her. And under her sleeping form was her notebook, every margin crammed with lengthy notes. Had she been studying all this time?

Nevertheless, he simply couldn’t allow her to stay in this position. He placed a hand on her shoulder, shaking her. “It’s rude to sleep in an open space like this,” he said, just loud enough to jostle her from sleep while respecting the library’s volume policy.

“Wha…” Yuuna muttered in a groggy voice, finally lifting her head. She blinked to bring the world into clear view. That’s how she finally noticed the person standing next to her. “Riddle!” she squeaked out. “Oh god, that’s embarrassing…” She wiped her face to make sure there was no drool. “How long was I out?”

“Why are you sleeping in the library?” he inquired, ignoring her initial question and taking the seat next to her.

“I have no idea,” she answered honestly, trying to organize all her books as best she could. “I just remember deciding to get some studying done alone, but next thing I knew, I was feeling really sleepy. And then I was…” She motioned to the table to punctuate how Riddle found her. “I need some caffeine.”

“You are overworking yourself,” Riddle stated. “I admire your dedication to memorizing all the material; I do the same on a regular basis. But…Trey sometimes tells me that the way I study could be overwhelming to others if they employed the same methods.”

“I just…” She sighed softly, staring down at her plethora of notes. Would Riddle believe her? He wasn’t bad, she reminded herself. He might think her crazy, but he wasn’t the type to scoff at her. “I’m not from this world,” she clarified. “You heard what the Dark Mirror said. I’m not someone that belongs here. All this material isn’t new to you. Most of this is probably a refresher course; stuff you learned in grade school. But for me…it’s all completely new. I don’t know anything. I have to learn from scratch… But I’m trying. I don’t want Grim to get kicked out. He wanted to get into this school so badly. And I… I want to feel like I belong here, even if it’s temporary.”

She didn’t want to feel so alone anymore.

A sense of belonging… Riddle stared at her, listening as she dove into a rant. She was someone that he couldn’t wrap his head around. When she first appeared at orientation, he considered her to be just another wreckless rule-breaker. But she stood up for herself, even went so far as to defend the little monster that broke in. He learned that she was intelligent, a hard-worker who aimed to get the best results. She offered a perspective that he’d never considered before but one that still made sense to his rule-abiding nature.

“Then I will help you,” he spoke aloud. He realized what he’d just said when she raised her head from staring at all the books and looked over at him.

“Really?”

“Yes,” Riddle confirmed, following through when he saw the hope in her eyes. Yuuna was someone that had proven herself to be worthy of respect. “So we will start with the basics. Since you’re a freshman, all your classes will revolve around magic theory over practice. These books will be best for that.”

Yuuna eased into her chair, letting Riddle take the lead in their little impromptu study session. She listened carefully, turning to a fresh page in her notebook and writing down almost everything he highlighted as important material. He spoke in a way that helped her retain the information she needed, helping her feel like this wasn’t new stuff anymore. Sometimes, she would ask him to elaborate on certain topics and, with a content smile, he gladly did so. He seemed to like teaching, she observed. An hour passed by quickly, the two engrossed in their conversations.

“I don’t get it,” she suddenly said as they went over the different types of mandrakes.

“Then find another way to understand,” Riddle said, pointing to the diagram. “If you一”

“No, no,” she interrupted. “Not about the mandrakes. I, um… Do you mind if I ask you an unrelated question?”

“Go ahead.”

She took a breath, not wanting her words to be taken the wrong way. “Why do you so strictly follow the Queen of Hearts’s rules?”

By his eye twitching when he set the book down, she realized that they probably were taken the wrong way anyway. “What are you trying to imply? Are you saying the rules are not to be followed?”

Yuuna pouted, not looking away from him. “You don’t need to twist my words. I just wanted to ask from an objective point of view. I’m not part of Heartslabyul, so I don’t know everything that goes on in the dorm. And… To be honest, I’m curious about you.”

“M-Me?” Riddle jolted in his seat, his face red. But this time, it wasn’t in anger. “I-If…” He cleared his throat. It was rude to stutter. “If you are set in your question, I will tell you. Rules are what have built a perfect kingdom. The Queen of Hearts is an excellent model for this. In her time, she had to rule over a land of insanity. By following her rules to the utmost extent, I am maintaining order and securing the well-being of those around me. For what better rules are there than those that have quelled chaos?”

“But it’s no longer her time, is it?” she debated. “I’m not saying she wasn’t an excellent ruler. Like I said, I’m not from this world, so I don’t know its history. But what I do know is that the world keeps turning. And rules should continue benefiting the people they were made to protect. They don’t have to stay the same forever if they end up making everyone unhappy. Rather, they can be amended to fit the current times while keeping the root of why the rule was made in place.” She stared down at the many books still in front of her, unfamiliar material staring right back at her.

“And what exactly do you base this opinion on?” Riddle crossed his arms, his silver eyes burning into her.

It was obvious he wasn’t happy, but somehow she felt grateful that he wasn’t immediately yelling at her. But wow, that was a heavy question. How was she supposed to answer that without sounding pretentious or pitiful?

“Experience,” she finally answered. “Rules are important. My parents set a lot of rules for me as their daughter. Don’t stay out past a certain hour. Be on time to important events. But also…” Learn piano. Practice ballet. Study until you get the best scores. Don’t waste time on useless hobbies. “I just felt so…suffocated. I followed their rules, but I didn’t feel like myself anymore.”

She laughed softly, shaking her head. But it wasn’t an amused laugh. Why did she suddenly feel sorry for herself? “I’m sorry. I’m not making sense anymore. I think I’m trying to say that the world we live in and its people will keep on changing and evolving. And the rules should evolve with them. They can still ensure everyone’s safety and happiness while taking into account the new generations and what they want most from their kingdom.

“Honoring the Queen you admire so much isn’t a horrible thing. That’s why it’s a tradition in Heartslabyul. And that’s why honoring her should come with the same strictness that she had in her day, but the kind of strictness that fits today’s rulings. They are no longer the law of the land, but rather the old traditions of a broader history. Ace and Deuce are a bit debatable, but not everyone in your dorm is a total loon like back then, right?”

It was probably the late hour that was making her feel like this. She hasn’t been very good at containing her emotions since she got here. And it only got worse in the evening hours.

“I think I should go now,” Yuuna finally said, shutting her history book. She looked up at the clock, seeing just how late it had gotten, the sun tucked into its bed under the horizon. “I don’t need Grim burning anything down. He’s still my responsibility.”

“I see.” Riddle stood up as well, gathering the books he needed to take back with him. His thoughts were muddled, trying to take her words into account. But, of course, he found it difficult to do so.

“Thanks, Riddle,” she said, making him look up in surprise to see her smiling softly. “I liked spending time with you. Have a good night.”

“Wait!” he suddenly yelled, making him turn red and cover his mouth. She whipped around in shock, staring wide-eyed but waiting for him to say something. Riddle swallowed the lump in his throat, staring down at the ground and then back at her, trying to regain his regal composure. “Heartslabyul will be holding an unbirthday party tomorrow afternoon,” he finally said, straightening his back. “And I…would like to formally invite you to join us.”

Yuuna blinked, wondering if she heard correctly. She had planned to join since Ace and Deuce were going, and she still promised to have Ace’s back. But to have Riddle officially inviting her made her feel warm, like he was offering her a place to go. She regained her smile, slinging her bookbag over her shoulder. “I’d love to,” she answered. “I’ll be there tomorrow.”

Riddle’s heart skipped a beat as she walked out, leaving him to fumble with his books and return to his dorm, no doubt with his dormmates left baffled at how their housewarden could come back in a slightly better mood than when he left.

And yet… Their little debate left a bitter taste in his mouth. For a multitude of reasons. When she said she had experience with many rules, her expression became somber, like she was trying to hide away despite looking right at him. He couldn’t understand her or her point of view.

“Happiness? Oh, my sweet Riddle. That’s what the rules are for. I do this for you.”

That’s right. Rules would make others happy. He will never forget that. They didn’t understand now, but he would continue to maintain order for them. He couldn’t yield now, no matter how much one person wished to sway him. No matter how much he thought about seeing her smile again.

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

She walked back to the dorm, her steps slow so she could have a little more time to be alone with her thoughts. She was happy to have spent time with Riddle but worried she might’ve upset him with her line of thinking. Not that she was ever going to take back her words. She meant them wholeheartedly. There was no reason to retract her statement for the sake of pleasing another.

She just faintly remembered the dream she had before Riddle woke her up…

Yuuna found herself laying in the grass once more. Only this time, she was on her stomach and hidden in some nearby bushes. She tried to crawl out so she could stand properly, but a heel as red as the roses stomped onto the grass, frightening her into receding back into hiding. Looking up, she was faced with a woman of elegant stature. In her hand was a rose bush that had been completely uprooted. She waved it around like a woman, screaming loudly at the card soldiers.

This was the Queen they were talking about last time; the one the cards were so terrified of that they tried to paint the roses instead of owning up to their mistake. She certainly looked the part, donned with a red and black gown that puffed out around her, which added to her powerful demeanor. The crown resting atop her neatly tied hair certainly drove the point home that she was someone in charge.

“How dare you try to deceive me and paint my roses red!” she yelled, her booming voice making her subject cower in fear. “Mark my words, someone will lose their head!”

“Your Grace,” a spade card pleaded, “it was the Ace!”

“It was not me!” the heart card argued. “Blame the Three!”

“So it was you!” the Queen yelled, her frightening magnitude was felt by even Yuuna, who was not even the subject of her wrath.

The diamond card didn’t take the accusation lightly , pointing the finger elsewhere. “I’ll tell you who! It was the Two!”

“Enough!” she finally yelled, directing more soldiers to carry off all the cards that had been painting the roses. “Off with all your heads!” And as they were being dragged away, the Queen cruelly cackled upon watching them be sentenced to their doom. “Those fools will receive a fitting end. Everyone knows my roses must be red.”

And just for a brief moment, she thought she heard Riddle’s voice speak those final words instead of the Queen’s.

Maybe that’s why she felt the need to ask him those questions. She was worried about her dream becoming a reality, just like the first one she had. Riddle was a force to be reckoned with. That much was obvious, even without her witnessing the full extent of his magic. But he also had no right to wildly punish those as he saw fit. She shook her head, not wanting to think about it any longer. Instead, she focused on turning the corner through Ramshackle’s gates.

“I’m back!” Yuuna called out when she stepped into her dorm. She noticed Ace, Deuce, and Grim sitting around the coffee table with a deck of playing cards.

“Heya!” Ace called out to her. “You were gone for a while.”

“And I thank you for not destroying my house,” she retorted, setting her bookbag on the couch. “So what are you guys playing?”

“Go Fish,” Deuce responded, picking up a card from the deck. “I think Ace is cheating.”

“I am not!” Ace denied. “You just suck!”

“Boys, boys, you’re both pretty. So no fighting.” Yuuna sat on the floor with them next to Grim, who did his best to hold his cards in his little paws. “I didn’t think about it before, but where are you going to sleep, Deuce?”

“Ace mentioned how all the rooms beside yours are dusty from years of not being used,” he mentioned, setting his cards face down so Ace couldn’t see them, “so I decided to spend the time you were out cleaning one up a little. So I’ll be sleeping in there tonight.”

“Finally, someone who isn’t allergic to hard work,” she joked, ignoring the glare that Ace sent her way. “Then you have a good night’s rest in a comfy, if a bit old, bed ahead of you.” Sadly, she noticed, they’d be sleeping in their uniforms.

Maybe she could do the same in solidarity…

Nah.

She didn’t feel even a little bad for changing into her pajamas and coming back down, her hair free from their braids and her earrings sitting pretty on her nightstand. “Deal me in, boys.”

It was a relaxing way to pass the time before bed, and a good way to ignore the knots in her stomach that she felt when thinking about tomorrow. She was happy that Riddle was kind enough to give her an official invite. She’d feel a lot less awkward when she’d show up; a Ramshackle student among Heartslabyul colors. She’d definitely still stand out, but at least she had a reason to be there. The tension slowly melted away, leaving only a fuzzy feeling from having a little down time with her friends. She even had to smack Ace with one of the couch cushions when she caught him cheating.

Tomorrow is a new day , she had to remind herself. Things can get better.

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

“Looks like you all had fun,” Cater commented when he arrived at the dorm, seeing the blankets on the floor and cards scattered around the coffee table. “I wish I could’ve bonded over pillow fights and card games too. I’m a little jelly.”

“It wasn’t as glamorous as you make it sound,” Ace sighed, fixing his uniform tie. “I could hear Grim from all the way down here. That cat snores like a busted engine.”

“I do not!” Grim shouted. “And I’m not a cat!”

“Do we still have enough time to bring the tart to the party?” Yuuna asked as she descended the stairs in her own uniform.

Cater nodded with a cheery smile. “Don’t sweat it! You’ve got plenty of time. And it’ll be better to come early. We’ve been a little short-handed so prep work isn’t completely done. If it’s not done, well…” He sliced his thumb across his neck to get the message across.

“Alright.” Yuuna stood next to Cater, looking back at the boys. “Ace, you get the tart out of the fridge. I’ll go ahead with Cater and talk to Riddle a bit.”

“Huh?” Ace questioned, confused. “Why would you do that?”

“Do you want a hypewoman or not?” She set her hands on her hips, straightening her posture. “The way I see it, if he’s in a slightly better mood by the time you bring the tart, he’ll likely ease up on you.”

“She has a point,” Deuce agreed. “Housewarden Riddle is probably still upset about what you said at lunch.”

“Ugh! Fine, fine! Just don’t come crying if he gets mad at you too.”

“Great!” Cater jumped in, setting his hands on Yuuna’s shoulders. “I’ll make sure the bunny doesn’t get her head chopped off.” Even if he was smiling, she could feel the tension in his body from the way he held onto her. “Off we go!”

“Bunny?” She couldn’t even get another word in as he pushed her out the door and into the open world, strutting along the path to the Hall of Mirrors.

“Hey! Wait for me!” Grim bounded toward them, but Yuuna stopped him.

“You should go with them too, Grim.”

“Huh?! Why?!”

She bent down to his level, lifting him up gently so they could meet eye to eye. Literally. “For starters, you did cause enough of a commotion at orientation that he might still be thinking about that. And because I need you to trust me on this.”

Grim, left without an argument, had no choice to relent. “You better come back in one piece then! I can’t have a minion down within the week!” He hopped down from her hold and went back to join the other Heartslabyul students.

“Are you sure you wanna do this?” Cater asked as they traveled down the pathway, watching the female student stride confidently onward. “Riddle can be pretty brutal when he’s in a bad mood.”

“I trust him,” she spoke without hesitation, forcing him to pause and lag behind.

He started to walk a few paces behind her. “Really? But you’ve only known him for a few days. How can you be so sure?”

Once they reached the door to the Hall of Mirrors, she stopped and looked back at him with a grin. “He’s never given me a reason to doubt,” was her answer before she entered the building and left him outside, baffled by her proclamation. But he picked up his feet to lead her through the Heartslabyul mirror.

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

“Hey there, me!”

Yuuna shrieked and jumped back, falling right into Cater who’d stepped through the mirror right after her. Or, well, the other Cater. Cater was in front of her and behind her? What was this duplication bullshit?!

“Whoa, careful there~” Cater smiled wide and caught her before she could stumble onto the ground and hurt herself.

“Welcome home, darlings!”

“Ah, the cutie’s here too!”

“Too… Too many…” Yuuna mumbled out, seeing even more Caters coming her way. Was she having a stroke? Was she finally going crazy and starting to hallucinate?

“I guess I should’ve warned you,” Cater said apologetically. “This is my unique magic, Split Card! I can make copies of myself. But don’t worry. You’re in the arms of the OG Cater. I needed a few copies to help with the work we gotta do, but it gets exhausting after a while. Alright me’s! Back to work! I’ll take the little bunny to Riddle.”

“Sure thing!”

“Aye-aye!”

Meanwhile, Yuuna’s head was still spinning, not even having enough strength to step back from Cater’s hold on her. She thought she had gotten used to the concept of fantastical magic in this world, but she was proven wrong yet again. She straightened herself out, needing to focus. With Cater taking the lead, she walked down the path to the dorm, looking around at all the Heartslabyul students running around to get things done. There was a bit more of a fancy air to the scenery, as if the atmosphere itself was prepping for the party.

“Right this way!” Cater opened the door, making her laugh.

“Thank you, kind gentleman,” she teased with a curtsy.

Once she entered, however, she was completely gobsmacked. The scene inside was wackier than the outside. The stairs and walkways twisted around, suspended in the air. The geometric differences in wallpapers and floor tiles gave a single hallway more of a funhouse vibe to it. Paintings were purposefully tilted and everything was arranged in a way that breathed organized chaos. It was a bit ironic for a strict ruler to be surrounded by such chaotic decor.

She followed further in, arriving at what felt to be a common area. True to the dorm, a bouquet of red and white roses sat as the centerpiece on the table. And sitting in the plush heart-shaped seat was the housewarden himself, tapping his heel against the ground and staring at a pocketwatch.

“Hey there, Riddle!” Cater piped up. “There’s someone here to see you~!”

The redhead’s face contorted in frustration. “There is an unbirthday party to be held soon. What could possibly be important than一” His silver eyes went widened and he immediately straightened his posture to look more presentable. “Ah, you came.”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” she replied with a smile.

“I’ll let you two chat it up,” Cater spoke up, taking steps back to leave the room. “Cay-Cay still has some roses to paint.”

“I didn’t expect you to arrive early.” Riddle stood once Cater had left for the hedge maze, his heels softly clicking against the floor as he approached. “But there is one issue; your state of dress.”

“My… Huh?” She looked down, seeing that her uniform was nice and neat, or rather as neat as she preferred it to be. There weren't any loose threads or a lot of lint. “What’s wrong with my uniform?”

“If you are to be attending an unbirthday party, you must dress the part. Since you are not an official Heartslabyul student and do not have a uniform, something similar should suffice.”

In a flash of light, Riddle conjured a scepter into his hand. He showed no hesitation in pointing it at her, his face twisting in absolute concentration. Magic gathered at the tip of the scepter, but Yuuna stood still and braced herself for whatever was to come.

If it didn’t happen right in front of her while she was wide awake, she wouldn’t have believed this to be real. Her school uniform was gone in a flash, replaced with a beautiful dress of red, white, and black. The skirt was decorated in hearts and diamonds while the comfortable corset had a pattern of clovers and spades. At the hip was a rose that looked like it was in the midst of being painted red. The stockings accentuated the chaotic design of Heartslabyul; one with a black diamond pattern and the other displaying hearts. While looking down, she noticed her loafers were replaced with beautiful red heels. Even the heart shaped buckles on them matched with the outfit’s theme. Raising her hand, she could feel the black bow atop her head as well as the dangling rose earrings.

“Wow…” Yuuna gasped in awe, staring down at herself, more specifically her new clothes. It was a lot to take in, and yet her heart was pounding with excitement. “Riddle, this is amazing! Am I really allowed to wear this?”

“Applied magic is a specialty of mine,” Riddle explained with a casual smile, feeling in a slightly better mood at present. “And yes. It’s yours to keep too, should you ever wish to attend another unbirthday party.”

She laughed, twirling in her dress for a bit of extra flair. “Thinking that far ahead already~?” Seeing his cheeks flush made teasing him very much worth it. He’s cute when he isn’t ready to pop a blood vessel. “Oh yeah. I came early because there’s also something I wanted to talk to you about.”

The housewarden looked at her in surprise. “Really? What is it?”

“Will you allow Ace into the dorm for the party?” she asked. “I promise he has an apology tart all ready for you. I saw it myself.”

“Then it will certainly be no trouble.” If Ace was following through with Rule 53, then he would be welcomed into the Unbirthday Party.

“Good!” She smiled again, resting her hands behind her back. “Everyone worked hard to make it. It was fun to see the process too, since I can’t remember how long it’s been since I last baked.”

“You… You made the tart too?” That was something he did not expect. And…it made him look forward to trying the first slice.

“Mhm. Why?” Oh no, was that another crazy rule? But it shouldn’t be. “Was… Was Ace only supposed to make it?”

“Not at all,” Riddle swiftly replied, calming her fears. “The process of making the tart is not what’s important. It is the fact that it's been made as a replacement for stolen goods is what matters. Now…”

Riddle held out his hand, glancing at her and then out the window. She turned to see what he was looking at, recognizing groups of students in similar outfits heading to the hedge maze. Riddle’s was the only one whose attire stood out, excluding her. Guess that’s expected with the whole dorm leader situation.

“The Unbirthday Party will be starting. We can’t be late.”

“Right!” She set her hand in his, letting him lead her out of the lounge and outside. She did her best to swallow the lump in her throat. She wanted things to return to normal. But this itchy feeling just wouldn’t go away…

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

“All hail our leader,” a student at the front of a long cloth-covered table announced loudly, “the red sovereign himself… Housewarden Riddle!” However, when he turned to gesture to the one in question, he noticed Yuuna walking alongside him. “A-And…a guest.”

This made everyone pause in their usual salute, turning their heads in surprise to stare at her. She could see Ace, Deuce, and Grim at one of the small round tables together, their jaws hanging low in disbelief. She fidgeted, feeling a little awkward with everyone’s eyes on her. Why couldn’t she have been normal and just went ahead to find her friends?

Now she was being escorted by the housewarden himself to this somewhat grand affair. She wasn’t gonna lie, though. She was feeling just a little bit like royalty at the moment. She just wished she had the energy to bask in it. 

Riddle noticed her discomfort but didn’t say a word. He stared at the students expectantly, his silver gaze stern.

“W-We salute you, Housewarden Riddle!” they finally exclaimed in unison before finally turning away.

“The roses are red and the tablecloths are white. It’s a proper unbirthday indeed.” The redhead looked around at the scenery, pleased. “Trey, is there a dormouse asleep in the teapot?”

“Of course,” Trey responded with a tip of his hat. “And there’s jam to spread on its nose should we need to?”

Dormouse? Jam? What the hell? As she listened to Riddle list off all the insane requirements of running this party, she had to acknowledge that the insanity of this dorm didn’t stop at the design choices or food rules. Right down to their parties, everything was so backwards that it was almost funny.

He finally released Yuuna’s hand and she let it fall to her side. “I’m gonna go talk to my friends for a bit. But be ready to have your mind blown with a perfect tart.”

“I will look forward to it.” He retreated to his own seat; the throne-like chair at the very front. It was fitting seeing as the housewarden represented the Queen of Hearts.

Her friends were still staring at her when she made it over to the table they were sitting at. She didn’t feel fazed by it, opting to casually sit in the only empty chair. “Look at all these cakes!” With her sweet tooth taking over her brain, she looked around gluttonously at all the treats that had been prepared.

“Really?!” Ace finally spoke up. “You come out here on our housewarden’s arm dressed in fancy duds after we were out here painting roses by the dozens before this and that’s all you have to say to us?!”

“Oh, right. Hi.”

“Hi? That’s it? Deuce, help me out here.”

“The Heartslabyul colors really suit you,” was all he said, a kind smile adorning his face.

“Useless. Completely useless.” Ace let out an irritated sigh, resting his chin on his palm.

“Thanks. You guys look pretty snazzy too. It’s kinda cool to get a look at what you look like in your dorm outfits. And you too, Grim.” She wanted to just pick him up and hug him after seeing him decked out in a cool red and black bow that perfectly went with the dorm’s theme.

“Who gave you those anyway?” Ace went on to ask, not done with this particular topic.

“Riddle did.”

“Tch. Way to upstage a guy…” He got up, bringing the tart up from its place on his lap.

The gentle tapping of a spoon against porcelain gained everyone’s attention. They all looked to where Riddle sat, raising his teacup. “I propose a toast before the croquet tournament. Everyone, raise your teacups.”

Yuuna followed the example of everyone else around her, raising up her currently empty teacup to the sky.

“On this most significantly unauspicious of days, I bid all in attendance…a very merry unbirthday!”

Everyone cheered in unison, clinking teacups with those around them. “To a very merry unbirthday! Cheers!”

“Now that that’s done, time to get this stupid collar off.”

“If it stops you from raiding my fridge at night, I wish you good luck,” Yuuna gently teased, throwing him two thumbs up.

“Don’t patronize me.” Pouting, Ace got up from his seat and went over to the housewarden. Everyone at the table tuned in, just close enough to Riddle’s seat that they could hear the conversation.

“Hey there, Housewarden, sir,” he greeted, though the “sir” part sounded like an afterthought.

“Ah, it’s you.” Riddle neatly set down the teacup he was holding as he regarded the tart thief. “Ace Trappola.”

“Y-Yup, that’s me.” Ace laughed a bit, still another forced expression. “So, uh, I wanted to properly apologize for eating the tart last time. So I brought a homemade one to replace it.”

“Yes, I heard. You and your friends were hard at work. Well, we only have so much time before the croquet tournament. I would like to try a piece.”

Now everyone that was enjoying the party had gone quiet, staring at Riddle and Ace as they interacted. But they were more stunned by how calm, almost mellow, their housewarden was acting in the face of a rule-breaker. Yuuna noticed the excitement that rose in his voice when he mentioned trying the tart. Good. He was accepting the apology.

“Glad to hear it! I now present to you one chestnut tart! And we weren’t stingy with the chestnuts either. So dig in.” Ace grinned wide as he presented the tart to Riddle, setting it in front of him.

However, no one got the reaction that he was hoping for. Silver eyes went wide in horror as Riddle stared down at the tart, backing into his chair as if the dessert had physically hurt him. The temperature in the air dropped and Yuuna could feel a chill right down to her bones.

“A chestnut tart…?”

Uh oh.

“Rule 562 says ‘Never bring a chestnut tart to an unbirthday tea party!’ This is an even more flagrant rule violation than before! You have ruined an otherwise perfect unbirthday party!”

Of course nothing was ever that easy!

Chapter Text

He couldn’t be serious! “How many rules are there?!” The words tumbled from her mouth before she could realize she was speaking aloud.

Riddle looked her way, his arms crossed in frustration. “There are 810 rules in total. As Housewarden, it is only natural that I have memorized and recited every single one.”

That… That was insane! Who the hell had the memory for 810 crazy rules? She would need to carry around a rulebook all day if there were 810 abnormal rules she needed to follow.

“As one who represents a dorm established to honor the Queen of Hearts’s rigor, I cannot look over this grave offense!” Riddle abruptly stood from his seat, mouthing to Ace and the others. “Destroy the offending tart immediately! And throw these rule-breakers out!”

“What?!”

“Riddle, wait一” She stood from her chair, hoping to negotiate with him. Everyone worked so hard together! Trey confirmed that he liked chestnut tarts. What was the problem here?

“Silence!” The boom in his voice made her shrink back. For the first time since meeting him, she felt a wave of fear just by looking at him. “If you had informed me that it was going to be a chestnut tart beforehand, I never would’ve allowed it to be brought to light at an unbirthday party!”

“Oh, so it’s my fault now?!” she shouted back, her fear replaced with an anger that bubbled in her stomach. “I told you that I wasn’t from here! Did you think I’d just magically knew every rule?! Why can’t we just put it in the dorm’s fridge instead?”

“She’s right!” Grim backed her up. “At least let me eat it instead of throwing it in the trash!” Not the best defense but she’d take it.

“Housewarden, it’s my fault,” Trey tried to reason amidst the chaos. “I was the one who suggested the tart. I’m the one to blame.”

“M-Me too!” Cater piled on, hoping that another junior being responsible for this transgression would lighten the punishment. “Neither of us knew that rule. And we’re third-years! These guys are freshies, so they’ve only been here a few days.”

“Making the tart isn’t the issue,” Riddle countered. “It was the audacity of bringing it here , today of all days, that is the real issue.”

“Come on, Riddle!” Yuuna pleaded. “Everyone worked hard on this tart. There has to be another way.”

“I told you to be silent!”

“Hey, don’t talk to her like that!” Deuce exclaimed.

But his knight in shining armor moment was quickly overshadowed by Ace, who stood before Riddle with his brows knitted in anger.

“If anything, you should be the one to shut up. You’ve been going on and on about this rule and that rule. But they’re all totally bizarre. And this whole thing is stupid!”

The air went stiff, a dreadful silence now hanging over what was a colorful event just moments before. Riddle stood at the center of this darkened mood, clenching his fists and glaring at the one who dared go against him. “Did you just dare to call the great rules of the Queen of Hearts stupid?”

“This might be a good stopping point!” Cater butted in. “We should just chill out. You really don’t wanna go there, Acey”

“No way,” Ace countered. “I’ve already gone there. I’m sure everyone who worked on that tart is mad that it’s getting tossed out all for some insane rule.”

“Ace is right,” Deuce agreed. “I do understand that rules need to be followed, but this is going too far.”

Riddle glared at the two, stiffly standing in place. “So you are trying to debate me as well. You are bolder than I gave you credit for. But by breaking even the smallest rule, you are opening a dangerous door that will only invite anarchy.”

“That’s so stupid!” Yuuna finally found her voice again. She stared hard at the dorm leader, who’d been taken aback by her sudden shouting.

But it was only momentary as his glare was now directed at her. “What did you say?”

“I said, this is stupid. You said that the Queen of Hearts once ruled in a place of madness, right? But look around you! Do these people look crazy to you? Does it look like they’re ready to flip tables and go nuts just because a chestnut tart made its way onto the scene? No!”

Everyone present at the party fixed their eyes onto the girl that was standing up to Riddle; a girl who stood tall with a fury and beauty that the Queen herself would look at with great pride. “But what I do see is that they’re all miserable, getting harshly punished for even the smallest mistake! Are you really going to disregard the hard work of others for a rule that was made a long time ago?!”

“She… She has a point…”

“We’re not like those lunatics from back then…”

Ace caught everyone staring and muttering amongst themselves, using the opportunity to say what was on his mind. “You guys are all afraid of getting your magic sealed, but you gotta know this is messed up, right?”

Riddle, who’d been stunned speechless by Yuuna’s bold declaration, finally found his voice and pointed his anger at those in attendance. “Well? Do you have anything you wish to say about this?”

“N-Not at all, Housewarden!” one student exclaimed with a shriek, shrinking down into his chair.

“W-We trust your judgment without question!”

They were all cowards. They did have every right to feel afraid in the face of their Housewarden’s wrath, but what was the point of having a voice if they were never able to speak up for themselves?

“In the year I became a housewarden, Heartslabyul has been more prosperous than ever.” The Housewarden moved away from his table, taking a few steps forward as a way to intimidate everyone in objection to his methods. “Not a single student has dropped out or transferred. No other dorm has achieved such a feat. That puts me in the right! I am the most powerful mage in the dorm and hold the best grades in the school. You must obey my orders without question, then you will never be wrong!” Riddle’s grip on his staff tightened, his eyes burning with a strange conflicted resolution. “I do not behead because I enjoy doing so. You are the ones at fault for breaking the rules. And if you think those rules and be easily trifled with, then I will have your heads!”

“A-Alright now.” Unlike Trey, who remained silent, Cater cut through the arguing with enthusiastic defeat, though it was clearly a forced reaction. “Let’s all just take a breather and say ‘Yes, Housewarden.’”

“Y-Yes, Housewarden!” All the students declared, but everything was fake. Fake cheer, fake smiles, fake words.

The only ones who refused were Ace, Deuce, Grim, and Yuuna. They had formed their own rebellion in the heat of the moment, unable to concede to Riddle’s demands.

“I don’t bow down to obnoxious little tyrants,” Ace snapped.

Deuce nodded, crossing his arms to stand firm. “I’m sorry, but I will not bow.”

She agreed with Ace, despite the harsh wording. To lead with the contentment of striking fear into his subjects’ hearts so they would obey and having no regard for their desires was the definition of a tyrant.

“What did you call me?” Riddle’s voice went low, his body tense as he summoned his scepter into his hand.

“He called you a tyrant for throwing a big fat tantrum!” Grim reiterated, throwing his own flair onto Ace’s initial wording.

“ Off With Your Heads! ” The tiny tyrant screamed in anger, pointing his scepter straight ahead without a second thought.

In a quick flash of light, magical collars locked around Deuce and Grim, forcing them to join Ace in his misery. They yelped at the sudden weight around their necks, feebly attempting to pull them off.

“Not this again!” Grim yelled.

“Stop it, Riddle!” Yuuna shouted above everyone else, trying to get through to him one last time.

But all she received for it was his scepter pointed in her direction. “And you! I’ve had enough of you trying to shake me, to sway me to think differently! My word is law. Why do you resist obeying my rules?  I don’t wish to do this to you, but your unruly attitude will be the true source of your unhappiness.”

His words felt like ice in her veins, a terror she hadn’t experienced for quite a while. Suddenly, she wasn’t in Twisted Wonderland anymore. She wasn’t standing in a hedge maze or challenging Riddle’s rules. She only saw her mother, staring down at her with disappointment in her eyes and spewing similar shit at her.

The anger she felt before slammed its way back up to the surface, a fire lighting in her belly and burning in her eyes. Everyone who saw her recoiled at the sight. And out of her mouth spewed words that probably weren’t meant for Riddle, but were said all the same.

“Go ahead,” she growled, forcing the housewarden to pause. “I dare you. What good is that thing on me anyway? I don’t have magic, remember? If you collar me, you’re only proving our point. You’re just displaying your power against anyone who doesn’t think the same way as you. You’d rather pretend their suffering will be worth it than admit you’re wrong!”

And for a moment, Riddle hesitated. He gripped his scepter tightly, but his hand began to tremble. Eventually, he slammed the scepter against the grass, making his decision. “Trey! Cater! Eject them from the dorm!”

“…Yes, Housewarden,” the upperclassmen responded, soft and dejected yet still following orders.

Great. They were getting stabbed in the back so easily. So much for being their mentors.

“Sorry about this, cutie,” Cater tried to console her with a plastic smile, resting his hand on her shoulder, “but we can’t go against the housewarden’s orders.”

She’d had about enough of this now. His attempt at being kind felt much more painful, the knife being twisted in her gut. In her frustration, she employed the only solution she could think of. She slammed her heel into Cater’s foot, making him cry out in pain. When he instinctively bent over, she elbowed him in the stomach to knock him back. Now free from his hold, she scooped up Grim and bolted for the only exit in sight.

“Don’t just stand there! Come on!”

Deuce froze for a few seconds but followed her command. “R-Right!”

“Screw you guys!” Ace yelled as his goodbye, running after Yuuna and Deuce as they escaped the mad tea party through the hedge maze.

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

“I didn’t expect her to hit that hard,” Cater muttered, nursing his injuries. Luckily, she hadn’t done a severe number on him; just enough to get away.

“Are you alright?” Trey asked, reaching out a hand to help his friend up.

“I’ll live.” He didn’t hesitate to grab his hand, pulling himself up off the ground. “I should’ve seen it coming TBH.” He clearly remembered that painful kick she gave the last guy who messed with her.

“We need to get this party back on track,” Riddle declared once the group of troublemakers were far out of sight. “We should have the croquet tournament soon. Thanks to them, we’re fifteen minutes behind schedule!”

“Are you really okay with all this, Trey?” Cater murmured softly.

But Trey only shook his head, attempting to hide his face. “What do you expect me to do about it?”

Riddle went quiet, staring into his teacup and watching his reflection in the sweet brownish liquid. Her expressions were an echo in his mind, haunting him. When he was ready to use his magic on her, he saw something that left him frozen in place.

She had been afraid of him.

The girl who smiled so freely and thanked him for her unbirthday party attire earlier looked at him like he was something to fear. Normally, he wouldn’t care so much about what others thought about him and how he upheld the rules. Their fear was what kept them on the right track. But… She was someone who he did not wish would feel scared around him.

He just…had to make her understand. His methods were the right ones. He would uphold the rules and keep a tight grip on everything so that there would be nothing left to fear or hate. And maybe then…she would accept it. Accept him .

“You’d rather pretend their suffering will be worth it than admit you’re wrong!”

Utter nonsense.

As he sat there, hesitantly sipping his tea, patches of dark ink collected slowly, painting a vibrant red gem black…

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

“Does that little megalomaniac think he’s the Queen of Hearts or something?!” Once their group had made it to the dorm’s entrance, Ace finally let his frustrations out.

Deuce, on the other hand, slumped over. “To be banished from my own dorm… My dreams of being an honor student look like they’re slipping further and further away…”

“I hate this collar,” Grim grumbled. “It’s way too tight…”

“I’m really sorry,” Yuuna apologized. “I got really angry and said all those things. I just provoked him in the end and now you all got collared.”

“It’s not your fault,” Deuce reassured her. “I feel like he was going to use his magic whether you said anything or not.”

A low whistle cut through their little sulking session. “Wow. You’re really racking up those collars. It’s like a whole collection!”

When they turned around, a floating head with cat ears greeted them, grinning wide.

“AHHH!” They all screamed in unison, jumping back a few paces.

“Ghost head! Ghost head!” Grim trembled, clinging to Yuuna’s leg.

“Hm?” The head looked down, then laughed. “Whoops. Sorry. Looks like I’m not all here.” Without explanation, the head conjured up the rest of its body out of thin air. “There we go~!”

Once she got over the initial shock of a floating head appearing out of nowhere, she took a few moments to observe the sudden addition to their little pity party. Obviously, the purple cat ears and tail were the most notable, reminding her of the beastmen she’d seen like Leona, Ruggie, and a few others in passing. But the biggest contrast was the oversized white button-up shirt, a color that was practically unseen in the school outside of the Heartslabyul uniforms. Instead of the traditional, white, black, and red, this guy wore a mess of colors, especially with the plentiful patches on his jeans.

“W-who… Who are you?” Deuce choked out, still not fully processing everything yet.

“The name’s Artemiy Artemiyevich Pinker,” the guy introduced himself with his large grin never leaving his face to the point it almost frightened her. The inflection in his voice almost made it sound like he was meowing. “Am I a cat? Am I a purrson? Either way, I’m a magically mysterious individual.”

“Look, Arte… Artem… Run that name by me again?” Ace babbled endlessly, his tongue getting twisted trying to pronounce his name.

“ Artemiy Artemiyevich Pinker,” she parroted with shocking clarity.

“Whoa,” the cat man gasped, also surprised. He was right in front of her, clasping her hands in his own. “You’re the fourth person ever to say my full name, parents included. But you can call me Chenya.”

“Okay Chenya,” she said, subtly slipping her hands out. “Are you a Heartslabyul student too? You don’t exactly…look like it.”

“Astute observation, my dear,” Chenya replied. “You could say…I’m not from the other side of the looking glass.”

“Are you from another dorm or something?” Grim asked. “Oh wait, I know! You got ears and a tail, so you’re from that Savanaclaw place!”

Chenya made a buzzer sound and laughed. “I am indeed a cat, but not like those who live in the setting sun.”

“You’re a very peculiar cat, aren’t you?”

In response, Chechnya winked at her. “You really think so? Well, I’m no madder than anyone else around here. But if you think about it, we’re all mad here.”

She crossed her arms with a huff. “Well, I’m a different brand of crazy.”

“I can see that. Why else would you still be here?”

“Listen you!” Ace raged, really getting tired of one crazy person after another. “I just suffered indignity at the hands of a teapot tyrant, so I’m not in the mood for this! Get lost!”

“Teapot tyrant, you say,” the cat man repeated, once again grinning wide despite just being told to buzz off. “You must mean Riddle. I dunno about him being a tyrant, but he’s always been really strict. Both with others and himself.”

“So you know him?” Deuce asked.

Chenya snickered, resting his hands behind his head. “Perhaps there are things I know, and perhaps there are things that I don’t.”

“How is that an answer?” Grim huffed.

“Then maybe you can tell us what made him turn out to be such a control freak,” Ace inquired, clearly just wanting to get to the root of things and be done with it.

“I believe his four-eyed friend will have the answers you seek,” Chenya quickly answered, holding up his fingers to his eyes to mime glasses.

“Four-eyed… You mean Trey, right?” she asked.

“Ding ding! Trey, Riddle, and I grew up together! We've known each other since we were little tykes. If you want to know more, then you should start your quest there.”

Now it started to make sense. From an outsider’s perspective, Trey and Riddle didn’t seem as close as childhood friends would be. But there were those subtleties that made the notion more believable. Trey was the one who most often tried to convince others to be more understanding of Riddle. He tried to justify Riddle’s methods the most.

Those kinds of things would be what someone who’s known a person for a long time would do. “But I know why they do these things,” they would say. People who were close would more often try to turn a blind eye to each other’s negative qualities. But what good did that really do in the end?

“Welp, time to skedaddle! Buh-bye~!” Chenya grinned as his body began to fade into the background, leaving only his head visible until that too had vanished. The sound of him humming a little tune rang out in the empty air before all went silent.

“No one in this place makes any sense!” Grim said, shaking his head.

“Well, guess we have no choice,” she relented. “We should go find Trey, though we probably shouldn’t stay here any longer.”

“During school hours might be best,” Deuce suggested.

Ace, on the other hand, crossed his arms tightly with displeasure in his eyes. “If he tells me to apologize to that little tyrant, I’m done.”

“Fair enough. I think I have an idea.”

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

“Looks like she was right on the money.”

Trey turned around when he heard the voice behind him, recognizing Ace and Deuce along with Yuuna and Grim behind them.

“I figured he’d return the cookbook that we used when we made the tarts,” she reasoned, seeing that her deduction was correct.

“You guys were looking for me?” Trey decided to ask, even if he had a vague idea of what they wanted.

“You probably know this by now,” Ace went on to say, “but we got a serious problem with the way Housewarden Riddle runs things.”

The bespectacled student sighed softly, his shoulders slumping. “Yeah… I figured that was the case… And I can’t really blame you for that.”

“Then don’t hold back. What do you think about Riddle? You seriously can’t let us think you’ve been letting him boss you around ever since you were kids.”

“Huh?!” Trey jolted, clearly not expecting that line. “Who told you that?”

“Chenya, I think his name was,” Deuce answered.

“Chenya… That explains a lot.” The furrow in his brow was a clear sign that he was a tad irritated at this new information.

Grim jumped in, having some words of his own to say. “Then why haven’t you told him off yet? You’re the older one! Aren’t the older kids supposed to be the responsible ones or something?”

“I…” Trey paused, as if trying to find the words. He didn’t even have the courage to look any of them in the eye. “I talk to him when necessary, yes. But…I just don’t have the heart to scold him.”

“And why not?!”

Trey’s expression turned more somber, pushing up his glasses slightly. “Because Riddle’s entire life was built on a foundation of strict rules,” he explained. “Both of his parents are exceptional medical mages in the Queendom of Roses, his mother moreso. And she was determined to make Riddle exceptional too. To create a legacy, I guess.

“Down to the very minute, his whole life was planned for him. What he ate, what he wore, even who he associated himself with. All these details followed the guidelines that his mother had created.”

“What kind of lame life is that?” Yuuna covered Grim’s mouth, urging him not to say more.

But she agreed, and she could sympathize… The memories were still fresh in her mind. What she saw when Riddle shouted at her. But that didn’t mean she’d just let this go.

Trey continued. “Riddle obediently followed every rule and completed every task in hopes of pleasing her. He even mastered his unique magic when he turned ten, and had been at the top of his class since middle school. I can’t imagine how rough that was on him…”

“So it all started with his mom, then?” she quietly asked.

At first, she didn’t know whether Trey had heard her or not, but his nod was the confirmation she needed.

“Yeah. So now he sees enforcing the rules as something that will also benefit his peers. To him, being bound by rigid rules will result in great progress, and to break those rules is absolutely evil. That’s how it worked for him, anyway. I know Riddle can be a bit much, and that you will disapprove of how he does things… But I can’t bring myself to hold it against him.”

Wow. She had no idea. But with everything Trey said, it made sense with the way Riddle had acted. And while she had thought she’d been breaking down his walls, he still held firm to those rules. However, one thing continued to bug her. “What a load of bullshit,” Yuuna finally piped up, shocking everyone present for the second time today.

“W-What?” Trey blurted out, stunned by her sudden vulgarity.

“I understand that you feel bad for what he’s been through, but enabling him like this is only going to make things worse. It already has. You’re keeping him trapped in a vicious cycle.”

“Yeah,” Ace agreed. “You’re just as responsible for how messed up Riddle is now. Kids don’t choose their parents, but you still knew what his mom did to him was wrong, don’t you?”

“Well, yes…” Trey didn’t even attempt to disagree. How could he, when he had just explained that he knew why Riddle was the way that he was.

“And yet you’re just carrying on letting him make the same mistakes as his parents.”

Yuuna looked away, Ace’s words carrying just as much weight to her as they likely did for Trey. To repeat a parent’s mistakes… The feeling gnawing at her from this conversation was doing nothing to improve her mood.

“You think it’s okay to go easy on him since he had a rough time as a kid? Yuuna’s right, you know. This mess happened because you let him have his way too many times. You basically let him turn himself into a pariah! Everyone resents him because they fear what he’ll do to them.”

“Ace,” Deuce tried to interrupt, “you don’t need to go that far.”

However, Ace kept going, uncaring of Trey’s feelings. “Are you afraid to lose your head too if you try to talk sense into him? Are you just like the others; a coward?! You’re pathetic! You call yourself his friend, but a real friend wouldn’t let his buddy go through all this!”

Yuuna tried to pull Ace back, not in a mood to make things escalate even further even though these were all things Trey needed to hear. “Ace, knock it off!”

“ You there! ” a voice loudly shouted in the library, the sound echoing off the walls and making them flinch. At least it stopped the argument from getting more heated. “ This is a library! Keep your voices down! ”

“Aren’t you the one yelling the loudest though?” Grim deadpanned, looking towards Headmaster Crowley as he approached.

“O-Oh…” Not wanting to acknowledge his mistake further, Crowley cleared his throat and continued as if nothing happened. “We should be striving to preserve the quiet peace of the library. What is all this ruckus about then?”

“Well…”

Deuce spoke for the group, recounting all the events leading up to now. It really hit home when he pointed to the collars around their neck, a clear mark of Riddle’s actions towards them. Ace didn’t openly express his resentment for their treatment, but his furrowed brows and tight lips spoke volumes.

“I see,” Crowley spoke after letting Deuce finish. “So you are resistant to the idea of apologizing, but that leaves no alternative methods to having your collars removed. This is quite the predicament.”

“That’s the gist,” Ace confirmed.

“Well, if you and your housewarden will forever be at odds like this, then you could always transfer to another dorm. This may get the collar off, but transferring is a process within itself, requiring a large amount of paperwork and a new ritual. After all, this was the dorm that the Dark Mirror determined for you based on the very essence of your soul.”

“No way.” Ace crossed his arms again, showing obvious refusal. “If I do that, I’m just running away with my tail between my legs. The dorm isn’t the problem. It’s how that little tyrant runs it.”

“Then there is only one solution left. You may reserve the right to challenge Mr. Rosehearts to a duel for the housewarden position.”

“WHAT?” everyone shouted, stunned by the very notion of legitimately fighting Riddle.

“Lower your voices!” the headmaster reprimanded.

“Are you crazy?!” Yuuna yelled in a hushed tone.

“There is nothing ‘crazy’ about it, Miss Palaire. That is also how Mr. Rosehearts secured his position as housewarden in his freshman year. Besides a previous housewarden appointing someone to take over the position, one can obtain the status by challenging the acting housewarden and winning. There are a few other ways, but dueling is the most commonly used method.”

So to earn the top spot in the dorm, either the previous leader had to name a successor, or someone could duke it out with them for the title. That would be information she’d store for later.

“But I thought personal magic battles were prohibited.”

“They certainly are,” Crowley confirmed for Ace, “but in the case of minor gripes. Duels, on the other hand, are much more official. It is a formal procedure conducted in the presence of the headmage.”

“And things like handicaps aren’t allowed,” Trey added as he adjusted his glasses. “So it’s one way to make him take off the collar without apologizing…”

“So I get this stupid collar off and get a shot at the housewarden seat?” Ace grinning, the prospect far too tantalizing for him to pass up.

Crowley nodded. “Indeed. Every student has the right to challenge their housewarden from the moment they set foot on campus.”

“Alright! Then let’s duel!”

“What?” Yuuna blinked, shocked but not surprised. “Are you sure about this, Ace? No offense, but Riddle is really strong. You could get knocked on your ass again.”

“Yeah I’m sure!” He puffed out his chest, brimming with overabundant confidence. “Besides, we won’t know until we try! And just you watch, Yuuna! I’ll be sitting pretty on that throne, crown on my head. And then Riddle will be the one sobbing for forgiveness.”

Somehow she doubted that.

“Then I’ll join too!” Deuce jumped at the opportunity. “I’ll take on Housewarden Riddle!”

“Me three!”

“Ah, my apologies, Grim,” the headmaster attempted to console him, “but even though any student at Night Raven College reserves the right to challenge a housewarden to a duel, the students fighting for the seat must be in the same dorm.”

“Huh?! Then how will I get this stupid thing off?!”

“Don’t worry, Grim,” Ace perked up. “When I’m the housewarden, I’ll make Riddle take it off. Easy-peasy.”

“But no one will see how strong I am that way! This stinks!”

“That cat was right,” she muttered under her breath. “We’re all mad here…” She then turned to Deuce, who she didn’t expect to jump into the fray just like that. “Really? You too? Ace is the one with the vendetta, not you.”

“That may be true,” he answered, more confidently than she expected, “but I think every man needs to make a move for a chance at glory at least once in his lifetime. And if we’re gonna team up, you better believe I’m running this show!”

“Of course you do…” All she could really do was shake her head. Given his delinquent past and old habits dying hard, she honestly should’ve expected this. “The inner machinations of men’s minds are an enigma.”

“Ooh, looks like Delinquent Deuce is coming out to play,” Ace teased, seeing Deuce get fired up enough to emit the aura of a delinquent.

“N-No he’s not!” Deuce immediately slackened his posture, sticking his hands to his sides.

“Then I will start the paperwork!” Crowley announced a little too happily.

“I’m still not fully on board with this,” Yuuna clarified. “Riddle’s power is no joke. You guys have the collars around your necks to prove it. So there better be some sort of plan in place if you’re going to face him seriously.”

“Well, do you have a plan?” Ace asked expectantly.

She glared at him, knowing he damn well knew the answer. “No…”

“If we can’t beat Riddle with straightforward magic, a left hook might do the trick,” Deuce suggested with a devious grin.

“Out of the question!” the headmaster shouted, startling them once again. “It is a strict rule that a duel will be fought with pure magic. Physical violence is absolutely prohibited.”

“Damn…”

“The duel will be scheduled accordingly. As soon as the paperwork is filed, I will be informing the housewarden of your decision and setting the date.” Crowley bowed with great flourish, happily leaving the students in the library to figure everything else out for themselves.

“I’m sure I’ll figure something out!” Ace regained his swagger, although by the twitch in his lip, he was trying to hide his nervousness.

“You better!” Grim shouted at him. “My head’s on the line, so don’t ruin this for us!”

“You guys go on ahead,” Yuuna said, her eyes moving back to Trey as he stood away from the group. She didn’t know how he was feeling, especially with Ace going on yet another rant about never living under Riddle’s thumb again. “I got something to do here.”

“Again?!” Grim exclaimed. “That’s the second time this week!”

“It’s not unheard of. Now shoo.”

“You better be these so I can have a cheerleader for when I win!” the redhead called to her as he walked with Deuce out of the library. Grim trailed after them, likely going back to the dorm again.

She didn’t respond, waiting for them to leave before she approached Trey. “Hey.”

“Hi…” His response was belated, unsure of what she wanted. “Do you have more to say to me?”

“A little, but I’m also not Ace, so I won’t be yelling at you.” She sat down at one of the tables and motioned to the seat next to her.

Trey relented and took up the seat. But she could see that he was avoiding looking her in the eye.

“I’m not going to tell you that you’re pathetic or stupid for what you’ve been doing,” she started off, not wanting this conversation to be counter-productive. “But you’re not right either. Ace was right about you knowing what Riddle’s mom was doing and knowing it was hard on him. But you’re still letting him walk the same path as her.

“Instead of helping him break from the cycle so he can try to live life by what he wants, you never reprimanding him has led to him always justifying his mother’s actions. He is still set on believing that his and everyone else’s happiness needs to be sacrificed if it leads to success. Just like his mom taught him.”

“Heh. I didn’t think you’d be this wise.”

“It comes with life experience, I guess.” She fidgeted with her fingers, feeling her stomach flop around just talking about it. “I understand a little bit. Having strict parents, I mean. They wanted me to succeed, even if it meant sacrificing everything I would’ve wanted for it. And, just like Riddle, I followed their every command in order to receive their praise and love.

“But…unlike Riddle, I had someone who never stopped encouraging me to pursue what made me happy, not them.” Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed him flinch. “So I guess the moral of the story is this: you still have time with him. Be that person who encourages him. Push him towards the things he wants. Don’t let him walk in his mother’s footsteps knowing how miserable he is doing so.”

“That…” He was at a loss for words, taking everything she said in. “Maybe that’s what I’ve been thinking this whole time. I just never found the courage to say it for myself.” She leaned his elbows on the tables, cupping his hands and laying his chin on top. “I don’t know why I never said it. I want to always be there for him, but I thought it was a kindness to be on his side in whatever he did knowing what he’s been through.”

She gently laid her hand on his shoulder, giving it a soft squeeze. “And you still do that. But being on a friend’s side also means knowing when to tell someone you care about that they’re in the wrong. Because despite everything, Riddle’s a good person. He just needs better guidance than his own mother, as sad as it is to say that out loud.”

“You’re right.” He finally stood up, his expression a little more resolute than what it previously was. “I know he’s upset now after…”

He trailed off, but she knew what he was going to say. “Yeah, I know.” Taking one of her braids into her hand, she started fidgeting with it. “I said a lot of things in the heat of the moment, and I know I could’ve worded it better.”

“No, no.” Trey shook his head, disagreeing. “You’re a lot braver than I am. I could tell that you were just saying how you were feeling. And that’s not the worst thing in the world.”

Yeah, she did. But they were things that she’d bottled up for a long time. Things that weren’t meant for Riddle but were directed toward him all the same…

“But maybe I’ll get the chance soon.”

“They stand no chance,” she suddenly said. It wasn’t just a guess. It was a fact.

“Yeah, they really don’t. Riddle might’ve been put through hell perfecting his magic, but it’s made him the strongest member of our dorm. And Ace and Deuce… Well, they’re ambitious but not big on strategy. But maybe the end of the duel will give me the opening I need.”

“Let’s hope so.”

Chapter Text

Yuuna sat in a giant courtroom among various suits of card soldiers. It was a shocking change from the rose gardens that had appeared in her previous dreams. She had a front row seat to the events unfolding. The blonde girl that she’d seen in all her other dreams stood in the defendant’s stand. But she wasn’t the same size that she was before, her head hitting against the ceiling.

“As for you, Your Majesty,” the girl boldly spoke to the Queen sitting in the judge’s seat, “Hmph, ‘Your Majesty,’ indeed. Why, you’re nothing but a…a…fat, pompous, bad-tempered old…t-tyrant…” With each adjective she spewed, she gradually shrunk in size until she was back to her original height. And once she realized that fact, her voice went down to a little whisper.

The Queen looked down at her with wicked glee. Yuuna already recognized that look from what she sentenced the card soldier to their beheading. “Mhm~ What were you saying, my dear?”

A cat with purple and pink stripes, reminding her of someone she couldn’t put her finger on, faded into view atop the Queen’s head. His large grin made it no secret that he was ready to cause mischief. “Oh, she just said you were a fat, pompous, bad-tempered old tyrant!”

As fast as he came, he was gone, leaving a furious queen in his wake.

“OFF WITH HER HEAD!” she screamed, pointing the finger at the little girl who just received a horrible verdict. More cold soldiers flooded in, and the ones that were standing as the gallery marched in to heed the Queen’s verdict. Yuuna was thrown around as they completely ignored her and aimed for the girl on trial instead.

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

“Come on, wake up already!”

Ace’s voice was grating in her ears once she lifted her head, her head foggy from her latest wild dream. Most of the details were as fuzzy as all the other ones, but one thing was certain. The Queen’s situation with her reign was a little too similar to Riddle’s in her eyes.

“I’m up, I’m up…” She managed to crawl out of bed, seeing that Ace was still in his dorm attire. Deuce was probably the same way, but he was enough of a nice person to not barge into a lady’s room. Unlike some people.

“Stop glaring at me like that and get ready. We got a duel against a little tyrant to win.”

“Well, you don’t lack confidence, I’ll give you that,” she said, trying to smooth out her hair with her hands. “And maybe I could get ready if you weren’t standing in my room.”

“Why? Not like there’s much to see in the first place.”

“Get out or I’ll chop off your actual head!” she yelled, punching him in the back.

“Alright, alright! I’m going! Geez, you’re violent in the morning…”

Once Ace exited the room, Grim followed. But only because he was used to the routine by now. Now with a moment of quiet, she set herself to getting dressed. A lot of thoughts buzzed in her head. From her conversation yesterday with Trey to Ace actually taking the leap and challenging Riddle to this duel. Those two were her friends一she would never refute that after what they’d been through together一but she wasn’t going to lie to herself.

Those boys were way in over their heads. She may not understand magic, but she had witnessed both Riddle’s magical strength and intelligence. He had them beat in both of those categories, especially the latter. She just hoped that Trey could break through to Riddle. But the feeling that there was something ominous in the air just wouldn’t go away. Perhaps it was her natural pessimism, but she tried to have hope for this duel. Maybe not for her friends winning, but for Riddle to take the first steps toward a different path.

“Alright, I’m here.” She descended the stairs, meeting the guys at the entrance.

“Great! Let’s do this thing!”

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

She heard some of the Heartslabyul students that had gathered onto the duel grounds chatting once she and the guys stepped through the mirror to arrive at the dorm. Her eyes wandered to them, seeing Trey and Cater amongst them.

“Someone seriously challenged Housewarden Riddle?”

“Bet you twenty thaumarks that they get decapitated in five seconds.”

“I’m kinda stoked to see this. No one’s challenged the housewarden since he took the position.”

Cater noticed her staring and smiled at her as best he could. She just looked away.

Riddle came out to the grounds, joined by Crowley. The two separated to take their positions. Looking away from Ace and Deuce, who had foolishly challenged him to this duel, he noticed the familiar figures standings on the sidelines. Yuuna held the collared Grim in her arms, her eyes never leaving her two freshmen friends. It didn’t matter to him. This was the easiest chance he would get to assert his position as housewarden and prove to her that with his way of doing things, she could indeed feel reassured.

“We will now commence the two challenges that will take place for the position of Heartslabyul Housewarden,” Crowley announced like he was narrating a boxing match. “The first challenger will be Ace Trappola. Following him will be Deuce Spade. They will be going up against the current housewarden, Riddle Rosehearts. As per the rules, Mr. Rosehearts, please remove the magic-sealing collars on the challengers.”

“Very well, Headmage.” With a wave of his scepter, the collars unlocked and disappeared in a puff of stardust.

Ace let out a loud sigh, swiveling his neck now that it was free of the constricting collar. “Phew, that’s a load off! My shoulders are hella stiff from having to sleep in that.”

“Enjoy this brief moment of freedom. Expect them to be on again in a matter of moments.”

“We’ll just see about that!” Ace exclaimed, taking a defiant stance.

“Then I must once again confirm. You are certain we wish to do this?”

“No doubt about it!”

“I would never propose a duel if I wasn’t serious,” Deuce confirmed, readying himself for the eventual fight.

“Have it your way. Let’s get this over with. I have better things to do today.” Riddle didn’t move into a fighting stance, standing confidently with his back straight. Despite being shorter than his opponents, it certainly felt like Riddle was looking down at them. “Cater. Have my tea ready at 4pm sharp.”

“But it’s already 3:30…” Cater said hesitantly.

“Did I stutter? I have no intention of being late. And for this reason, I will gladly take on both challengers at once.”

“Knock ‘em dead, sir!” one of the students cheered with obviously strained enthusiasm.

“Put ‘em in their place, Housewarden!”

“Tbh, still giant cowards,” Deuce sneered lowly.

“You got this, guys!” Yuuna cheered on, despite not being all that sure that could indeed win.

“The duel will commence with the mirror I am holding shatters,” the headmaster instructed, raising his hand holding the mirror high in the air. “Ready…” All eyes were trained on it as it was thrown to the ground.

As soon as the glass shattered, Riddle pointed his scepter at the two. “Off With Your Head!”

The duo barely get their magical pens out as the collars were once again locked around their necks. The force of the spell hitting knocked them back, their rears hitting the grass simultaneously with a loud yell.

Yuuna could only look at the two in the grass, defeated before she could blink. “Did they just…”

Crowley raised his arm up to signify the end of the match. “Victory goes to the current housewarden, Riddle Rosehearts!”

“They lost in nothing flat!” Grim yelled, also confirming that what she just witnessed was indeed real.

“I didn’t even have time to finish my spell!” Ace complained, hitting the ground with his fist.

“Visualization is the key to spell-casting,” Crowley explained. “The better you are at visualizing your spell and its effect, the stronger and more precise it will be when cast. Mr. Rosehearts has indeed honed this principle down to an art form.”

“Heh,” Riddle softly laughed, looking down at them with a smug grin. “You didn’t even last five seconds, as I expected. I can only imagine how humiliated you must feel, having the stupidity to challenge me without even the most basic grasp of magic principles.

“My mother was right. A man who doesn’t understand the rules is a man who will never achieve anything. In this dorm, I am the rules. My word is law!”

Yuuna looked to Trey, begging him to step up. They had just talked about this. This was the opening he needed. But she could only watch as he took a single step back, confirming that he was just going to stand there and do nothing. He was still too afraid.

“You can’t just use the rules to do whatever you want!” she yelled at Riddle. If Trey wouldn’t step up, she would.

Riddle’s eyes fixated on her. He still couldn’t understand. Why was she still resistant? She just saw her friends eat his metaphorical dust. He was the one who came out on top. The anger that settled in his stomach at seeing her still defy him became to bubble, poisoning his tongue.

“As if you’re one to talk!” he retorted. “You are not even from this world. But I can guess that you received a very pitiful education. Otherwise, why are you so incapable of following such simple rules?”

He could see her eyes widen, staring at him while frozen in place. What the hell was he doing? But he couldn’t bring himself to cut off his venomous words, staring at her with a condescending grin.

“Clearly you were born to parents who had very little concern for you, if they failed to give you structure. It’s quite sad, really. You lack the basic education and magical ability to attend this school.” Stop it , he begged himself. But he didn’t. “You’re just a stupid girl who doesn’t belong here.”

All sound cut off in that moment, everyone’s eyes fixed on Riddle and Yuuna. Riddle himself couldn’t keep his eyes off of her. Even as that first tear slipped down her cheek, her eyes staring at him like she regretted ever knowing him. Regretted confiding in him…

“You little…” Deuce proceeded to stand, staring at the housewarden menacingly.

“ Shut the hell up !” Ace was up fast, his fist connecting with Riddle’s cheek and sending him stumbling back. He fell to the ground, his crown knocked off his head and rolled in the grass.

“Riddle!”

He immediately heard Trey and Cater call out his name. Riddle slowly rose up, onto his knees. He held his cheek softly, feeling the sting at the slightest touch. The two were immediately at his side, fussing over him. Silver eyes finally looked up to his attacker. Whatever curse that had been placed on him vanished, leaving only the shock of physical pain. “Y-You… You hit me…!”

“Bam!” Grim cried out with a laugh. “Right across the face too!”

“A-Ace?!” Deuce was at Yuuna’s side in an attempt to comfort her, but he just couldn’t after seeing Ace boldly use physical violence against another.

“Forget this,” Ace spoke in an oddly calm voice. “The duel, being leader… Who the fuck cares anymore?” But that tone didn’t last long before he started shouting again. “You don’t get to talk to my friend like that and walk away! You have no idea how great she is!”

Once the ball started rolling, he refused to stop. “And you know what else? You of all people don’t get to talk about others’ parents! Kids aren’t trophies for their parents to flaunt whenever they want. A child’s accomplishments shouldn’t be determined by the worth of their parents either. It’s not your mom’s fault that you turned into a little asshole. That’s more than clear now.

“You’ve been here a whole year, and yet you’ve never made a single friend that’ll tell you when you’ve screwed up. Hell, even I’ve got that and I haven’t even been here for a full week.” He looked back to where Deuce and Yuuna were, seeing the latter wiping her tears away with her sleeve. He turned back, glaring at Riddle. “So that’s on you.”

“What…are you talking about?” Riddle was left at a loss for words, not completely sure where the freshman’s speech was even going.

“I get it. You had a helicopter-mom looking over your shoulder every second of the day, telling you exactly what to do and how to do it. But is that all you wanna be? An extension of her? You may have powerful magic, but other than that, you’re just a baby!”

Silence fell over the crowd, likely to try and anticipate what Riddle would do in response.

“Me? A baby…?” Riddle’s anger began to rise again, fed up with where this conversation was heading. “You know nothing about me! You don’t know anything !”

“Nope, sure don’t,” Ace readily agreed. “Not like I need to either. Your attitude is telling me everything I need to know. You’re such a spoiled brat!”

“Shut up…” Riddle growled. “Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! My mother was always right! So that means I’m undeniably right too! I am 一”

Something hurled at the back of Riddle’s head, resonating with a sickening crack, and made him cut himself off in shock. He reached up to feel it, pulling his hands back to see egg yolk and shells on his gloves.

“Who threw that?!” he quickly demanded as he whipped around, his ire instantly shooting back up to a hundred.

“H-He’s right!” one of the students yelled. “There’s way too many stupid rules!”

“Do you think we’re all like those loons from the past?!”

“Just cuz you’ve got strong magic doesn’t mean you can boss us around whenever you feel like it!”

The crowd’s volume only increased, the oppressed students of Heartslabyul finally finding their voices amidst the conflict. They took hold of the spark that Ace had ignited, and a revolution had begun. But it was getting much too intense much too quickly. All of them grabbed more, albeit nonlethal, items lying around and hurled them at Riddle. They didn’t let up, their voices a cacophony of complaints.

“We don’t want to obey you anymore!”

“We want to eat what we want!”

“We hate singing!”

“So what if you’re a little stronger?! You’re not the boss of us!”

“Stop this at once!” Crowley shouted, but his voice was drowned out too easily.

“SILENCE!” Riddle’s voice cut through the noise, his anger rising higher until his face turned red. “You wish to keep breaking the rules no matter how many times you lose your heads! You only care for what you want! If that’s what you want, I’ll pass judgment on all of you !”

“Riddle, stop!” Trey called out to his friend, but he was too late.

“OFF WITH YOUR HEADS!” Collars locked around all the students who had shouted at him, their chorus of protests now cries of terror. They quickly began to scatter, the extent of Riddle’s wrath too much for them to bear. They plead for their lives, losing their courage instantaneously.

Riddle, in the midst of all the chaos, laughed wickedly. “What happened to your little revolt, hm? That’s right. I just squashed it! None of you can lay a finger on me! In the end, only I, who upholds all the rules, am the only one in the right!”

“Mr. Rosehearts!” Crowley admonished. “Stop this at once!”

“Uh-oh,” Yuuna heard Cater gasp. “If he keeps this up, it’s gonna get really ugly really fast!”

“Why is that?” Yuuna butted in, too panicked to really care about any grudges she might’ve held.

“There’s no time to explain,” Trey just responded, never taking his eyes off of Riddle. “Riddle, you need to stop! You’re using too much magic!”

“See, what did I tell you?” Ace, having no sense of caution, went back to his little tirade, continuing to poke at an already furious Riddle. “You just keep expecting things to go your way! And now that it’s not, you’re throwing a hissy fit! You’re just proving you’re a big baby!”

“Ace!” she shouted at him. “I don’t think this is the time!” That ominous feeling from this morning was back, boiling over in the pit of her stomach.

“It’s the best time! And I’m not saying anything that shouldn’t be said!”

Riddle was oddly quiet for a moment, but then he slowly turned his head to face Ace. Yuuna choked on her breath, the sight nothing short of terrifying. An inky black liquid dripped from the top of Riddle’s head, running down his face. He stared at her freshman friend, his eyes full of malice.

“W-What is that stuff?!” Deuce shouted.

“That liquid… It can’t be…”

Yuuna glanced over to Crowley, who looked just as shocked and more concerned. If Riddle’s state was causing that sort of reaction, she had been right to be worried about this entire ordeal.

“Take it back… Take it back this instant!” The housewarden screamed loudly, his wrath seeping onto the scenery. Roses began to quickly wilt and the sky around the dorm turned dark. Roses bushes were pulled from the earth, roots and all, and hovered in the air menacingly. The air itself became suffocating to the point Yuuna physically felt like choking. There was a force that was so insistent on pushing her down to the ground that she fought just to stand up straight. The dark ooze even began to pool at Riddle’s feet, crawling up his boots. “Take it back before I skewer you!”

Ace, not sensing the potential danger, crossed his arms and huffed. “Over my dead body.”

Riddle stomped his heel into the grass and a wave of magic crackled in the air. The ground began to shake, and almost all the rose bushes surrounding them were uprooted. Thorny vines shot up from the dirt.

Everyone was left in fearful shock, especially Ace, who stared at the bushes with wide eyes. He started to step back. But Riddle’s eyes were trained on him, a mad smile stretched across his cheeks.

“Very well. If that’s how you feel, then I will happily run you through!”

“Ace!” Yuuna shouted his name in a panic. “Run!”

“Rise, mighty roses! Tear this troublemaker limb from limb!”

Ace’s body was caught by the vines, forced to bow to the ground; the very position one would be in when facing the guillotine. He grunted from the pain, unable to fight back, especially with the collar around his neck. He shut his eyes tight, bracing his body for horrific brutalization.

“No!” She screamed out, but she was completely helpless. Riddle’s magic was too much. She couldn’t even move one foot in front of the other.

“Paint the Roses!”

With a wave of Trey’s pen, the rose bushes transformed into dozens of playing cards before they could hit their mark. After momentary shock, Ace moved away from the scene of his almost-execution. He was just happy to still be alive. He gasped for breath, the collar around his neck even turning to cards. Everyone’s attention moved to Trey, in pure disbelief of what he had just done.

“This is Trey’s unique magic?!” Cater cried out in awe and shock. “How’s this even possible?!”

“I told you before, Paint the Roses is essentially a spell that can overwrite elements of anything I choose,” the student in question clarified. “So I overwrote Riddle’s magic with my own. But it won’t last long.”

“Damn, that’s a crazy loophole.”

“No…No…” Riddle’s frustration grew as things were starting to slip out of his control. “Off With Your Heads!” He tried to summon more collars after the previous ones had been turned into cards, but only more playing cards were summoned. “I said, off with their heads! Why won’t it work?! This is my dorm! I’m in control!”

“Riddle, I’m not asking you to stop,” Trey said firmly. “I’m telling you. Look at the damage you’re causing. This can’t go on.”

“H-He…He was really gonna k-kill a freshman…” one of the students in hiding whimpered.

“He’s out of control…”

“This… This doesn’t make sense.” Riddle’s hands began trembling, the dark liquid running down his face at a faster rate. “It’s not possible. Your magic is overwriting mine? Does that mean your magic surpasses my own…?”

“Of course not,” Trey denied. “My magic could never outdo yours, Riddle. But please. I need you to take a deep breath and listen to me.”

“You…think I’m wrong too, Trey?” Riddle stared at his childhood friend in disbelief, but even in the calmness, the tension was still boiling over in the background. “I can’t be wrong! I’ve upheld the rules so well all this time!” The housewarden cried out, the slightest shift in his world view causing him a great deal of distress, especially coming from someone who’d enabled him for so long. “I’ve been so good all this time! And I gave up so much!” The dark ooze ran like tears down his cheeks, only emphasizing his agony. The puddle under his feet grew larger, threatening to swallow him whole. There was just too much of it!

“Mr. Rosehearts!” Crowley tried to call out to him again. “You must stop at once! You mustn’t use any more magic!”

But his words fell on deaf ears. “I won’t believe it… I’m the one who’s right! I’ve always been right! And I will always be in the right!”

In the midst of his shouting, Riddle stopped short, his hand flying up to clutch at his chest. The dark ooze fell faster until it appeared to gain sentience and lashed out. Riddle yelled out as the liquid shot up and encased him like a cocoon. Everyone could only stare in horror as the darkness surrounded him, personifying his rage, his denial. And when he emerged from the black ooze, his form had completely changed.

His delicate pale complexion was replaced by a sickly gray. The dorm attire that he wore so proudly had melted away into a torn up black and red dress with ink-stained roses around the waist and black playing cards splayed out. His arms were drenched in ink, looking like gloves but fused to the skin. He hovered above the ground, staring at everything around him with dull ruby hues. Just looking at them made her miss that precious silver that they were before.

A sick laughter resonated, the housewarden’s voice distorted by evil. “This power welling up inside me… It feels magnificent!”

But the most terrifying thing wasn’t what was on him. It was the giant monster that also emerged from the darkness, looming over them with a heart-shaped glass dome full of black sludge for a head and holding a giant rose bush like a weapon. That thing wore a crown and pretty much the same tattered red and black dress, copying Riddle’s every movement.

“Fools who defy me are not welcome in my world!”

This wasn’t the Riddle she knew. But she could see that it was still a piece of him. It was his anguish and his suffering. That didn’t mean she could just stand around and do nothing.

“In this world, I am the law! The only words I will hear are ‘Yes, Lord Riddle!’ Those who defy me will lose their heads!” Riddle laughed once more, the echo of his distorted voice sending a wave of fear through all around him.

“Oh dear…” Crowley bemoaned. “To think I’ve allowed a student to overblot in my presence! What have I done?”

“Care to elaborate?!” Yuuna demanded, still not sure what the hell an overblot was. She did in terms of seeing it happen right in front of her, but she didn’t know how it got to this point.

“Overblot is an extremely dangerous condition that all mages must avoid at all costs. This phenomenon is said to occur when a mage loses control of their magic and their emotions. Using magic leaves a negative residue known as blot. When a caster uses more magic than they or their magestone can handle, blot spills out at easts away at the mage. Pair that with the intensity of their emotions and it will threaten to consume them completely as they wreak havoc.”

“TL;DR he’s gone into evil berserk mode,” Cater explained more simply.

“If this keeps up,” Trey added, “we’ll be looking at more than a few casualties一him included.”

“O-Oh no…” She stared at Riddle as he continued to wreak havoc, students fleeing in all directions while yelling about a monster.

“We must make an attempt to bring Mr. Rosehearts back to his senses!” the headmaster announced. “But for now, the safety of the students is top priority. I shall evacuate the students while you go and retrieve all housewardens and faculty.”

“Order in the court!”

Riddle’s voice rang out while the monster swung the giant rose bush right at them. Crowley stepped forward and lifted his cane, casting a barrier to protect them from any flying debris. But the damage otherwise was immense, a large crater in the ground where the bush had been strung. The power of Riddle and that monster were on a completely level now! Survival was looking mighty slim now.

The onslaught continued, Riddle’s demonic cackling resonating up to the darkened skies. Debris floated around, the monster swinging its weapon repeatedly at the ground, aiming for students still running from the chaos. Crowley was surprisingly swift, erecting barriers again and again to stop any serious harm from the rampage from befalling them.

“Yes! Yes ! Bow before me!”

“All students evacuated to the Hall of Mirrors!” Crowley ordered, extending his magic barrier further out to protect all the students that obeyed and scrambled to leave their dorm and the tyrant looking to behead them all.

Trey and Cater got up as well, ready to make their escape. But Cater turned around when he realized Ace, Deuce, and Yuuna weren’t following behind.

“We gotta go, freshies! Shake a leg!”

“HIYAAAAH!”

Ace didn’t listen to Cater, instead pulling out his magic pen and sprinting forward, aiming his wind magic right at Riddle.

“What the?!”

And right after Ace, Deuce came in swinging. “I summon thee, cauldron!”

Grim followed up with a wave of his blue fire, attacking Riddle with all he had.

The upperclassmen were too stunned to speak, seeing the three stooges further provoking Riddle who was in no state of mind to look at them rationally.

But Cater was the first to regain his words, using them for something not entirely helpful. “Uh hello?! 911? We’ve got an idiot emergency!”

“Good start, but we need more power!” Yuuna called out, realizing what he was trying to do. While she couldn’t use magic, she could try and find another way to help.

“More power? You got it! I ain’t giving up until I heard him say ‘I’m sorry, I was wrong!’ So I’m gonna swing at him till he snaps out of it!”

“I won’t be able to sleep at night if the worst case happens to our housewarden,” Deuce tacked on. “So I’ll give it everything I’ve got!”

“Come on, Yuuna!” Ace called out to her. “You did it once before! We’ll follow your lead again!”

“As my minion, I order you not to screw up!”

Yuuna nodded, seeing her friends ready to fight until they couldn’t anymore, if it meant bringing Riddle to his senses. And while she did feel powerless without magic, especially in these circumstances, she had no intention of running away. She was going to help bring him back. All she needed to do was observe and find a weakness to exploit.

“Trey, Cater!” The two shifted their attention to her. “We need your help too. Try to distract Riddle as much as you can. Keep him from seriously hurting anyone.”

Trey nodded, his expression the most serious that she’s ever seen. “Alright. I can keep overwriting his magic, but it won’t last forever. Use that time wisely.

“This is incredibly dangerous!” Crowley yelled at all of them.

“But it’s the only chance we’ve got,” she stated. 

“Seriously, you too, Trey?!” Cater shouted. “There’s no way you can beat Riddle like this!”

“Pah!” Ace scoffed. “So you only get in fights you know you can win? That’s loser talk right there!”

Deuce stood beside Ace, readying for another attack. “We need to snap him out of this, and fast. Right now, it’s the only way we can think of.”

Trey gripped his pen tighter. “I’m not going to lose him. Not with so many things left unsaid.”

“Please Cater,” Yuuna pleaded with him. “We need all the help we can get right now. I know that you’re not satisfied leaving things like this.”

Cater grit his teeth, his eyes flitting to Riddle and then back at her. He angrily ruffled his hair. “I did not like and subscribe to this mess,” he complained, “but fine, I’m on it! I can keep his attention in all directions.”

“You fools think you can challenge me?!” Riddle sneered. “I’ll take all your heads!”

In the meantime, Crowley stayed on the sidelines to assist the dorm members caught in this crossfire. “I will evacuate the remainder of students and return to assist! Please be sure to hold on until then!”

With Crowley gone, it was just her and the guys against a raging, overblotted Riddle. She watched the monster smack the rose bush against the ground harshly, as if to taunt them. She stayed back for a minute, just to watch its every move.

“You all,” Riddle growled, “filthy troublemakers! I will behead each and every one of you!”

He lifted his hand, shaping the blot to his will. From the ooze rose giants spears with different card suits on the end. He pointed at them, and the spear went flying to skewer them.

“Bring it on!” Ace tightened his hold on his pen and waved it through the air, summoning his wind magic. “Extra large gust!” The blades of wind slashed through the spears, snapping them in half. But the victory was short-lived, the goopy weapons only reshaping themselves from their split parts. “You gotta be kidding me!” Now faced with double original onslaught, Ace picked up his feet and ran to dodge the spears coming for his head. “GAH!” But he winced when one of them scraped his shoulder, causing him to stumble a bit.

“Ace!” Yuuna witnessed the attack, then began to notice that the grass around the spears that missed and implanted into the ground had quickly wilted. “Watch out! They’re poisoning everything they touch!”

“No shit!”

“MYAH!” Yuuna grabbed Grim and yanked him back before a collection of spears could get the opportunity to trap him, but they veered off course and aimed straight for her.

“Paint the Roses!”

Before they could hit their mark, they all scattered into playing cards. She let out a breath of relief.

“Thanks Trey!”

“Don’t mention it! Keep focused!”

“I got your back!” Deuce nudged her behind him, running forward to attack in tandem with Trey, but he cried out when his foot got caught in one of the cracks, losing his grip on his magic pen. With his foot trapped, he had no escape as more spears were summoned and flew his way.

“Deuce, no!” She ran to him next, trying to help him get his foot unstuck.

“What are you doing?!” he cried, but tried to grab his foot as well to get out faster. “You’ll get hurt!”

I don’t care, I’m not leaving you like this!” She tugged at his leg, hoping to at least get it out of his shoe if necessary. With one more yank, she finally helped release his foot from the crack. Unfortunately, they didn’t have enough time to run. A heart spear sped their way, aiming right for Yuuna. Deuce grabbed her and attempted to shield her body with his to take the brunt of the attack.

But it ended up skewering another. Cater let his own body become the target. Yuuna choked on her breath, her heart stopping for a brief moment. She could only stare horrified at the spear piercing right through his abdomen.

“Get going, Deuce. This is your chance.” He noticed Yuuna staring and gave her a weak wink. “Don’t cry, cutie. I got my hero moment.” Then suddenly, there was a large puff of smoke, Cater disappearing from sight. “Tada!” He appeared behind them. “The real me has arrived.” And so did many of his clones. “Don’t worry, Trey and I got this. We’ll take defense.”

“Hey, Riddle!” one of Cater’s many clones called out. “Over here! Bet you can’t hit me!”

“Hey, Riddle, I’m over here!”

“Find the real Cay-Cay, Riddle!”

“Insolence! I’ll crush you all!”

This was their chance. “Let’s take offense then!”

With Riddle focused on the clones, Ace, Deuce and Grim unleashed their attacks, aiming for any potential weak point. Water, wind, and fire shot through the air towards their target, landing on the arms and its back. The monster and Riddle yelled in perfect sync, the monster swinging the rose bush with a wave of its captive’s hand.

“Grim, Ace, Deuce! Aim for its weapon!”

“Take this!” Grim followed her command, summoning up a powerful blast of fire magic toward the rose bush in an attempt to burn it.

But it was futile. The monster moved the bush like a baseball ball, winging at the blast and knocking it back at them.

Yuuna shrieked and ducked to the ground before the redirected magic could turn her to ash.

“Yuuna!” her friends called in worry.

“I’m fine!” She was back to her feet quickly. “Just keep going!”

“Stop resisting me!” Riddle screamed at her. “Your fate has been decided!”

I…I can’t be wrong…

Huh?

If I’m wrong then… Mama… What was it all for…?

Yuuna looked at Riddle when she heard his soft, weak voice. But the Riddle in front of her had said nothing, his black-painted lips curled in a sneer. What…had she just heard…?

“Gale force!” Ace used his wind magic to keep Riddle’s attention away from her again. But when the monster blocked the attack, she noticed something. When the wind magic hit, the monster moved its arms up to protect its glass head with Riddle copying its actions.

“The head…” That was it. “Guys! Aim for the head! You need to break it!”

“The head? Got it!” Deuce held out his pen, pointing upward. “I summon thee, cauldron!”

The cauldron fell from the sky, but the blot monster dodged just enough for it to hit the shoulder instead. Both it and Riddle cried out in pain and stumbled back.

“Riddle’s body can’t take much more of this!” Trey warned, keeping his magic active. “We need to end this now!”

Ace stood defiantly in the face of the monster. “You got it! We know what to do! Ready?”

“Ready!” Grim and Deuce resonated together.

“Trey, Cater, you gotta give it all you got too!”

Just like with the last creature they faced, the three freshmen combined their might to send a multi-magic blast towards the blot monster’s head. Cater and Trey joined in, using their own wind and water to propel the initial attack forward. The beast let out an unholy scream and it tried to block the assault.

“I will not let you keep defying me!”

Riddle yelled and moved his arms in time with the monster, dispelling the magic might of the combined attack. But it wasn’t in vain, seeing the glass on its head start to form large cracks. It still held up, but it was weakened.

Running out of options, Yuuna looked around the garden, trying to find anything that would help. She found a large branch from one of the rose bushes that had been torn apart in the carnage. She made a grab for it, holding it like a sword. It was a risky move, especially since she had limited upper body strength. But it was all she had left.

She jumped out of the bushes that she’d been using for cover while the others fought, holding out the branch challengingly. “Riddle!”

Her calling his name got his attention, turning to her with madness in his eyes.

“Whoa, Yuuna! What are you doing?!”

“You have to get back! You can’t fight Riddle!”

“I know you can hear me, Riddle,” she continued, ignoring her friends’ objections to this dangerous stunt. “I can’t say I know you that well, but I know that this isn’t how you want it to end. There’s people waiting to say things to you, Riddle. So you’re coming back with us!”

“You!” he sneered. “You are the one who has defied me the most! I demand your respect! And I’ll have it once I take your head!”

“Finishing my trial without a verdict, huh?”

“Sentence first, verdict afterward!”

She tightened her grip on her new weapon, seeing the monster and Riddle getting ready to charge at her. Moving her feet into position, she moved the branch back over her shoulder, visualizing the monster’s head as the ball. Riddle reached out to grab her neck, but she dodged just enough to get away with a small cut on her cheek. And then, she attacked. She swung the branch as hard as she could right at the monster’s head, effectively shattering it thanks to its weakened state.

Riddle and the blot monster let out agonized wails, ink spilling from the head and raining down like a waterfall of sludge. Right down onto her and Riddle.

“Riddle!” Her hand moved faster than her brain, reaching out to grab his wrist. She pulled him into her, trying to get them away from whatever the hell was showering down, threatening to drown them both. But it was too late, the two consumed by pitch black.

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

“Yuuna!” Her friends yelled her name, seeing her and now normal-looking Riddle covered in dark ink and laying on the ground, unconscious. She was still holding onto him, keeping a tight grip.

“Wait!” Trey held out his arms to stop the boys from getting closer. “It’s still dangerous!”

“I don’t give a shit!” Deuce argued, pushing Trey’s arm away. “She’s our friend and he’s still our housewarden. We have to help them!”

“No, you don’t get it.” Cater got in their way too, blocking their path to get to her. “That gross black stuff is pure blot. Who knows what’ll happen if you touch it. Or go anywhere near it.”

“If we’re right, the blot should dissipate on its own once the host regains control of themselves.” Trey looked back at the two fainted students, worried. “You said Yuuna’s a capable person. I don’t know how myself, but I trust her to bring Riddle back.” She cared enough about him to get up close and personal with a giant blot monster to break its final line of defense. He doubted she’d do that for just anybody.

“If something happens to her一”

“I know.” Trey cut Ace off, knowing a threat when he heard it. “If they don’t make it out of this, I’ll take any punishment you deem fit.”

“I feel so helpless…” Deuce stared at the two of them, the puddle of blot under their bodies looking as if it was ready to pull them down into an inky abyss.

Chapter Text

Yuuna opened her eyes, greeted with nothing but white space. An empty void. Where am I…? She looked around for anything familiar, something to ground her and make her feel a little less like she was floating.

“But the rules…are never wrong…”

“Riddle?!” That was his voice! But he was not in any direction she looked.

She followed the voice as best she could, coming up to something in the distance. It was a cutout of a room, painted in grayscale. It looked like someone’s house, although she couldn’t determine whose. When she walked onto the scene, it felt like she broke through some sort of barrier, stepping into a painting.

When Yuuna opened the door leading out of the room, she was met with a middle-aged woman and a young boy sitting at a table together. Even without color, she could instantly tell that it was Riddle when he was young. But how was she seeing any of this? When she reached out to touch his shoulder, a shock ran through her body, making her hand instinctively move back.

Okay, no touching. Got it.

“Happy eighth birthday, my sweet little Riddle!” the woman cheered with a bright smile. “And here’s your birthday cake; a low-sugar recipe made with nuts and lecithin-rich soy flour, perfect for your cerebral function.”

That was the grossest description of a cake she had ever heard. The little boy seemed to agree with the forced smile he gave her. “Thank you, mama.”

So…this was Riddle’s mom. Somehow, she looked just as bitchy as Yuuna imagined her to be. She walked around the table, as she couldn’t do much else but watch.

“B-But…” Riddle fidgeted in his seat, avoiding his mother’s gaze, “maybe…since it’s my birthday…  Do you think I could have a tart instead? The ones with those fresh red strawberries. J-Just a little slice would be fine…”

His mother’s expression instantly turned sour. “Don’t be ridiculous! Do you know how unhealthy those things are? Just one bite would mean I failed you as a mother! I would never feed my son poison.”

Riddle went quiet, staring down at his hands tightly cupped together on his lap. “Yes, mama… I’m sorry…”

Seeing her son shrink in front of her seemed to bring that loving smile back. “Good. Now then, dinner tonight will be a wonderful tuna sauté rich in DHA and omega-3 fatty acids. And now that you’re eight, make sure you don’t eat any more than 100 grams of it.”

Yikes. She really was the monster that Trey described her to be. Some renowned doctor. She was really out here starving her kid and stunting his growth, all while being proud of herself for it. But Yuuna couldn’t exactly yell at her. In their little world, she didn’t exist. So the best she could do was flip this lady her middle finger and continue her search for the older Riddle.

“All I wanted…was to try a tart from the cake shop that we passed by every week… Those bright-red strawberries were the jewels of forbidden dreams…”

She could hear his voice echoing in her head, but that meant she could no longer pinpoint where he was. She opened the door to go to the next room, wandering down a long hallway. The house was still in shades of gray, but even with that factored in, it all felt so…cold. Without love or joy. Trophies and awards lined the walls and shelves, all with the Rosehearts name. Because that was all this family ever needed, apparently; to be accomplished people. Her heart ached for Riddle growing up in this kind of environment.

Yuuna heard a soft noise in another room close by. When she opened the door, younger Riddle sat at a desk with various books piled up around him. He wrote meticulous notes as his mother droned on about things she didn’t really care about.

“That concludes our magic theory lesson. Your homework will be to read the first fifty pages of your Philosophies of Magic book and twenty pages of your Advanced Magical Engineering book.”

“Yes, mama.”

Yuuna slipped into the room just as Riddle’s mother walked out, stopping at the doorway. “Excellent. You have an hour of self-study now while I go run some quick errands. Once I get back, we’ll continue where we left off in your potionology lesson. Be a good boy now~”

The door shut, leaving Riddle all alone in silence. And all she could do was watch. If she tried to comfort him, any words she tried to speak would fall on deaf ears. She could only lean against the wall and observe Riddle as he stared out the window and the children playing in a park across the street. His small hand touched the glass, as if wanting to push the window open and jump out. But he didn’t, turning away and going back to the desk.

“This…was my ‘normal’. Every subject I ever learned was scheduled down to the minute. And if I didn’t understand something…”

When she blinked, she was still in the same room, but his mother was back, scolding him. Outside the window, the moon was already high in the sky, shining its dull light into the house.

“What don’t you understand about this?!” she admonished him, pointing to the book in front of him. “The last test’s score won’t do at all! How do you expect to be a successful doctor if you can’t even tell the difference between two simple things?!”

“I-I’m sorry,” Riddle whimpered, his head down. “I did my best, I promise.”

“Then your ‘best’ isn’t acceptable. At this rate, you’ll end up a failure of the Rosehearts name. And I don’t want that for you. You are not leaving this seat until it’s done correctly. Full marks, nothing less.”

“Y-Yes, mama…”

Heartless bitch. She didn’t even care anymore about watching her profanity. This woman deserved every word. Riddle’s mother faded away as she exited the room, the moon disappearing with her and replaced with the bright sun of the daytime. Riddle was still at the desk, reading yet another thick textbook. At least until the sound of something hitting the windows started to echo in the room.

When Riddle got up to investigate, Yuuna joined him, looking out the window. She noticed two children throwing pebbles at the window. Her eyes instantly fell on the boy with a clover sweatshirt and glasses. It was a younger Trey. And next to him was definitely Chenya, his cat ears twitching gleefully as his signature large grin sat on his face.

“Oh! He heard us!” a younger Trey cheered, seeing that Riddle had opened the window to investigate the noise.

“Hey there, kid!” a little Chenya greeted. “Come play with us! Three people makes croquet way more fun!”

“Croquet…?” Riddle asked.

“Yeah, catch!” Chenya threw something to Riddle.

The little redhead fumbled a bit, but he finally managed to get a grasp on whatever it was. When he was able to get a good look, a little hedgehog greeted him, staring at him with big eyes. His eyes went wide, sparkling with amazement. This was the first time she ever saw him this happy.

“Oooh, he likes you! He wants to play too!”

“B-But…” Riddle looked back, seeing all of his books and the homework he needed to do. “I have self-study now… I can’t…”

“That means you get to study what you want, right?” Chenya asked. “My grandpa likes to say that playing is a form of learning. So it should be okay!”

“Want to come out and join us for a bit?” Trey held out his hand to Riddle. “I’m Trey, by the way! What’s your name?”

Riddle was hesitant, but reached out and shook Trey’s hand. “I’m Riddle. Riddle Rosehearts…” Not wanting to leave out the front door, Riddle decided it best to climb out the window. “J-Just for a little bit though!”

Yuuna gasped, not expecting Riddle of all people to have pulled such a stunt. But then again, a wish for freedom will make a kid do just about anything.

The memories moved by like scenes of a short film. She couldn’t help but smile as she watched Riddle smile and live so carefree, even if it was just for a single hour of the day. His mother would prattle on in the day, and he would sneak out of the house in the afternoon. She watched as Chenya taught him how to handle a flamingo mallet for croquet. Little Riddle learned to climb trees and play Old Maid. This was the time that he started to look forward to in the day and it really showed in a glow that a child seemed to have when they were truly experiencing the euphoria of true joy.

The scenes stopped at a time when the three boys were laying in the grass together. Or rather, Riddle sat on a bench to leave no evidence that he had ever been outside. His stomach started rumbling, making him shriek and curl up into a ball, as if hiding his stomach would muffle the sound.

Chenya laughed, poking Riddle’s cheek. “Sounds like someone’s hungry!”

“We can have lunch at my family’s cake shop,” Trey suggested. “It’s just down the street.”

Riddle lit up. “Y-You mean the one with the green roof? With all the treats on display?”

“Yup, that’s the one!”

“I know! I know! Let’s have a tart! Clover family tarts are the cat’s meow!”

Riddle’s smile started to fade, making him look away. “But…my mother says that even one bite is like eating poison…”

“Well…it is really unhealthy to eat sweets all the time,” the green-haired boy admitted. “But one slice every once in a while won’t kill anyone.”

“Riddle can have one slice! I’ll be taking a whole tart please and thank you~”

“Don’t be like Chenya, and you’ll be fine, Riddle.”

“Hey!”

Riddle paused, thinking of the delicious sweet strawberries that he’d been coveting for so long… “O-Okay! Let’s go!”

“That’s the spirit!”

Yuuna followed them all the way to the cake shop, though it only took a few steps since this world wasn’t completely real and the scenes could change like pictures on those viewfinder toys. Following them in wasn’t hard, the rest of the world’s inhabitants disregarding her. Trey laid a plate down in front of Riddle, a beautiful slice of strawberry tart resting on it. Riddle couldn’t take his eyes off of it, slowly lifting the fork and cutting a piece off.

And when he placed it into his mouth, his eyes sparkled like he had witnessed heaven itself. He happily helped himself to another bite. And another. And another. He held back his tears of joy, just happy to be indulging in something he’d been dreaming of for a while. All while Chenya and Trey smiled with him and ate their own slices.

“The first bite…was so sweet and delicious. Like nothing I’d ever tasted before… And with every bite, I became more and more entranced… And I lost track of time.”

Oh no. The sound of something shattering rang in her ears. The scene around her paused and faded quickly to black. And in its place was Riddle’s mother standing over a crying Riddle.

“I can’t believe this! Not only did you sneak out of the house and abandon your study time, but then I find you stuffing your face with sugar?!”

“I-I’m sorry, mama!” Riddle apologized, grabbing fistfuls of her blazer. “I won’t do it again! Please!”

“You’re right. You won’t. Because I’ll see to it that you’ll have no more association with those two. They’ve poisoned your mind with silly notions of laziness and disrespect.”

Riddle held onto her tightly as she tried to walk away. “No! No! Mama, please! Don’t do this!”

His mother responded by shoving him back, making him stumble and fall to the floor. “Be quiet! From now on, I’ll be keeping watch over you every minute of every day. You only have yourself to blame, Riddle. My rules are law in this house. If you hadn’t broken them, this wouldn’t be happening.”

No matter how much Riddle begged his mother to reconsider, he was only met with a cold stare as she closed the door to his little study, having locked the window so he couldn’t escape.

“I lost everything…because I broke my mother’s rules. I lost my friends and my days filled with fun. All I could do was look out the window and watch them walk away. So I vowed, to stop myself from losing anything else, that I would always follow my mother’s rules.

“She must always be correct, as she’s the most accomplished person in our town, if not the country. But… Why? Why couldn’t I eat a tart for my birthday? Why couldn’t I make lots of friends to play with? Why couldn’t I go outside and play in the sun all day long?”

“Mama… Mama… What rule do I need to follow…to make this pain in my heart go away…?”

Wait. That voice was no longer an echo, but close by. Yuuna rushed back into the room, the person inside surrounded by mountains of books letting out a small gasp when he saw her. It was no longer the young Riddle she’d been seeing in these little scenes. It was Riddle as he was now…but in his overblot form.

“Riddle…” She slowly approached, walking to the middle of the room.

Riddle’s eyes were wide as he stared at her. It was a great contrast to see him so mellowed out when he’d been tearing through the garden when she last saw him like this. “What… How are you here…?”

“I can’t really explain that,” she answered, rubbing the back of her neck. “But I know why I’m here.” She held out her hand to him. “I’m here to take you back. There’s people who are worried about you. Including me.”

Riddle stared at her with deep red eyes, silent like he was thinking. But then tears welled up in his eyes. “I… I thought if everyone followed the rules like I did…they wouldn’t lose anything. I thought I’d finally be happy… But I ended up all alone. No one wanted to come near me… They were scared of me… And even you…”

“I know.”

“I really messed up, didn’t I?”

“Yes, Riddle.” She nodded. “But it’s not too late to make amends. So let’s get out of here.”

He slowly reached out his blackened fingertips brushing against her hand. However, both gasped when the floor beneath them began to crumble.

“Yuuna!”

Riddle grabbed onto her, pulling her toward him just like she did when she tried to get him out of the blot. They fell together into a rabbit hole of darkness, the books tumbling down after and threatening to crush them beneath pages of various subjects. Riddle protected her from the brunt of her, the books falling on him instead.

“Are you okay?” he asked once they fell to the bottom.

“I think so.”

She noticed a light shining ahead of them. Looking ahead, she saw a door. Something told her that it was the way out. Even if she struggled a bit, Yuuna managed to wiggle her way out from under all the books. But when she turned to Riddle, she noticed him struggling. She held out her hand with a soft smile.

“Let’s go, Riddle. For real, this time.”

He didn’t hesitate to grab onto her hand tightly, allowing her to help pull him out from the book avalanche. He didn’t let go once, letting her lead him to the door. And when her hand touched the knob and opened it, all the books and blackness turned into stardust, the blot melting off his body and the layout changing to a beautiful park with luscious green grass, blooming rose bushes, and the sun shining down on him.

It was truly everything he’d wanted as a child, and he hoped that he would see again. Particularly with his childhood friends and the girl whose hand felt warm and soothing within his own…

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

“一up! Come on, you gotta wake up!”

Yuuna slowly opened her eyes, greeting the wreckage of Riddle’s overblot state once again. Grim sat on her stomach, doing what she could only assume was his version of CPR. “Huh…?”

“She’s awake!” she heard Deuce shout.

Ow. Okay. That didn’t go over well. She had a killer headache that would not let up. But she pushed it aside for now as she slowly sat up.

Ace immediately cornered her, squatting down to grip her shoulders and shake her. “You idiot! I can’t believe you did something so stupid!”

“Ow! Ow! Okay, Ace, I get it!” She swatted his hands away. “Like you’re one to talk!”

“Riddle!” Trey’s voice cut through and she looked over to where he was next to an unconscious Riddle, gripping his hand.

Without thinking, she scrambled from where she’d been laying and over to the two. She was just in time too, seeing Riddle’s eyes open with a soft gasp. They returned to their shining silver, looking up at both of them.

“Trey… Yuuna…”

She couldn’t stop the tears from welling up in her eyes as she stood over Riddle. All the memories of what they’d just experienced came rushing back. And all the pain in Riddle’s heart. “You’re okay… Thank god you’re okay.”

“We were just about losing our heads worrying,” Cater began but blanched at the word choice. “Uh, sorry, figure of speech.”

“What…happened…?” Riddle tried to sit up but flinched and held his head. “Ugh…”

“You overblotted, Riddle,” Trey said without trying to be gentle about it.

The redhead gasped loudly at those words. “I…I what…?” He looked around, seeing the aftermath of his rampage, of his suffering and agony bubbling to the surface until it boiled over and spilled. “What…did I do…?”

“We can explain everything later,” Trey assured. “But it’s more important that you rest and regain your strength. I’m sure it took a lot out of you.”

“Seriously?!” Ace yelled. “That kind of coddling is what got us here in the first place! He went evil berserker mode the second someone raised his voice at him! We almost died!”

“Ace.” Yuuna’s voice was gentle but firm. “Give them a minute. There’s a lot they need to say to each other.

“I mean,” Deuce interjected, “he’s got a point. It was definitely a close one.”

“He’s right!” Grim jumped in. “He almost scorched this beautiful fur coat! All cuz he bottled up his stress!”

“Come on guys, let’s all chill out,” Cater tried to pacify them. “We’re all alive and that’s what matters.”

She wasn’t sure what type of concern this fell under, and maybe she would never understand.

“I-I…” Riddle choked on his words for a moment, looking at Ace. “I really wanted it…”

“Huh?”

“I wanted to eat it,” he said a bit louder. “I really wanted to eat that chestnut tart when I heard you all made it. And…” He bit his lip, stretching his arm over his arms as a snuffle rippled through his tone. “I don’t care. I don’t care if all the roses aren’t red or if people are wearing pink when tending to the flamingos.

I like honey in my tea instead of sugar cubes. I’m more fond of milk tea than lemon. A-And I… I want to sit with my friends and talk to them long after a meal… And… A-And I kept wishing to play with Trey and Chenya more! I-I wanted to stay friends!” Riddle sniffled again as the first tear fell, no longer able to hold back the tears. He let out his sadness right then, sobbing loudly for the entire dorm to see.

“Are we really starting with the crocodile tears? That’s not gonna make us forgive you that easily.”

Deuce elbowed him, also seeing that this clearly wasn’t the time. “Shut up. Just let him have this for a minute.”

“I’m so sorry, Riddle.” Trey took a breath, finally having the courage to say everything he needed to. “You were suffering so much, and I just pretended not to notice. I thought that reprimanding you would only make you feel worse. But now I’ll say what I needed to all along. You were wrong, Riddle. You hurt a lot of people. And you owe all of them an apology.”

Riddle sniffled, his sobs slowly coming down. He finally sat up, only to fall into a low bow. The tears came back in full force as he uttered the words that he’d once rather die than admit. “I-I’m sorry. I'm so sorry. I’m sorry I put you through so much. I’m sorry I hurt Yuuna. I didn’t mean what I said.”

“Wow,” Ace muttered. “I know I wanted to hear him say he was sorry, but now that I have…” He folded his arms, brow furrowed in frustration. “No way one stupid sorry like this is gonna cut it! I sure as hell ain’t letting this go!”

“W-Whoa!” Cater, who was closest to him, jumped back from his yelling. “Geez, dude! Way to be a capital-J jerk!”

“Like I care! Look around you! He nearly killed us! One little apology isn’t gonna undo all the damage around here! And he threw out the tart we worked so hard on!”

“Yeesh,” Grim groaned softly. “And I thought I held grudges for a long time.”

“Ace, seriously.” Yuuna stared at him, exasperated. “You can’t find a better time to do this?”

“So you’re gonna forgive him just like that?! He was really nasty to you too!” Ace set his hands on his hips, futilely trying to glare at her.

“I didn’t say that,” she retorted. “I said this is a conversation for another time. We should get Riddle to the infirmary first. We can still hold him responsible, but we can afford to at least let him heal from the, um, overblot I think it was called.”

“W-Wait.” Riddle leaned against Trey, who helped him stand. He stared at Ace, almost pleading. “What should I do? How can I make up for this?”

“Alright, now we’re talking.” He knew he wasn’t safe from Yuuna’s irritated state, but he’d take the chance all the same. “Well, I don’t have a birthday coming up. Don’t think anyone else does either.”

“H-Huh?”

“So I demand we redo the unbirthday party,” Ace declared, “to make up for the one I was kicked out of. And this time, you gotta make the tart. That means no help from Trey either. You’re gonna experience the effort everyone went through to please your ungrateful ass.”

“So you just want to eat another tart, huh?” Yuuna smiled softly, seeing that dear old Ace was more of a softie than she realized.

“I wasn’t talking to the peanut gallery.” He quickly hid his kindness away once again. “So, you just gotta do that and maybe, just maybe , I might forgive you. You got that?”

Riddle was quiet for a minute, still looking like he needed to catch his breath. But he nodded. “Alright. You have a deal.”

“I’ll take Riddle to the infirmary now,” Trey announced, helping the housewarden stay on his feet. The overblot seriously drained him of his strength.

“We’ll start with clean-up while you do that!” Cater cheered, attempting to put a little sunshine back into this somber scene. “And our lovely freshies will be happy to help too!”

“Whaaaat?!” Ace and Deuce yelled, surprised by the fact they’d be cleaning up after putting their lives on the line.

“Ugh, I hate cleaning,” Grim complained. “We do enough of that back at Ramshackle and一” He stopped, sniffing the air. “Wait. I smell something yummy.”

“Huh?” She raised a brow. “But there’s no food around here. Everything’s kinda been trashed.”

“I’m telling ya! This nose is never wrong!” Grim started acting like a real animal as he got down on all fours to sniff at the ground, following an invisible trail to some nearby singed bushes. “There you are, my sweet little treat!” He hopped into the bushes, emerging with a familiar-looking stone seconds later.

“Isn’t that the same stone we found at the mines?” Deuce asked, recalling their first near-death experience. “How did it end up all the way out here?”

“Grim, don’t you dare,” Yuuna warned.

“No way! After that first one, I’m starving for more! Down the hatch you go!” Grim shamelessly stuck the whole rock into his mouth, biting down with the same loud crunch as before. “Mm mm!”

“Grimmy, have some self-respect, my guy,” Cater commented. “That’s literally garbage.”

But he wasn’t the only one stunned by these events. Ace, Deuce, and Yuuna also cringed at witnessing Grim swallow an entire rock. The second time did not make it any less weird.

“Sure doesn’t taste like trash! It’s so rich and sweet. But it has a subtle bitter aftertaste that rounds it all out!”

“Guess this is a thing now,” she said while shaking her head in disapproval. “But if you throw up on the carpets I just cleaned, you’ll be bunking somewhere else.”

“There was a bit of grass in there too!” Grim cheered without any manners to speak of. “You Heartslabyul folks sure know how to treat it so it’s just right; nice and crispy!”

“Hey! Don’t go eating our lawn!” Deuce scolded him as if that would do anything, running to scoop him up off the ground.

Cater watched from the sidelines, seeing things return to somewhat normal despite the destroyed surroundings. “Thanks guys, for everything,” he whispered.

Yuuna turned to him, tilting her head. “Sorry, I didn’t catch that.”

The ginger smiled wide once again, shaking his head. “It ain’t that important. Now let’s get to cleaning!”

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

“Be careful.” Trey gently set Riddle down on the infirmary bed, careful of any possible injuries that he couldn’t see.

“Trey,” Riddle whimpered. “I’m so sorry.”

“I know, Riddle. I’m sorry too. Try to get some rest. We can talk more when you’re better.”

Once his friend was comfortable laying down, Trey found somewhere to sit so he could stay until the nurse showed up. After what they’d been through, he didn’t want to leave him alone right now.

“Trey,” Riddle softly spoke, focusing his gaze out the infirmary window.

“Yes, Riddle?”

“When I said those things to her一those awful, horrible things一it hurt so much to see her cry.” He bit his lip, taking a pause. “I don't wish to see her like that ever again. I don't want her to feel sad or lonely.”

“I want to feel like I belong here, even if it’s temporary.”

“I want to give her a place at Heartslabyul; somewhere she can feel welcomed.”

Trey looked at him with a knowing smile. Riddle might not be fully aware of his feelings, as he had sadly never been allowed to experience the joys and pains of falling in love nor seen such things for himself, but he'd let his friend sort that out on his own. Yuuna really was something special. He deserved someone like her.

“If anyone can do it, it's you. Just get some rest for now. You can iron out the details later.”

“Okay…” Riddle closed his eyes. For a minute, he was afraid. He was afraid that this was all just a dream and when he opened his eyes again, he’d be lost in the blot once more. That his madness would consume him.

But he vividly recalled that last little scene before going through the door; the beautiful park that he wished to spend many days in as a child. And he remembered the girl who held his hand and didn’t let go. The girl who shed tears for him once he awoke. Maybe now, he could have a few happy dreams.

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

“There.” Yuuna secured the Heartslabyul bow around Grim’s neck. “Now we’re ready.”

She was thankful she didn’t throw away the outfit that Riddle gave her out of anger like she might’ve in the past. She happily took it out of the closet and smoothed out any wrinkles, ready to attend the redo Unbirthday Party that had been planned the next day.

“What’s your hurry?” Grim complained. “Isn’t Riddle getting better at this rules stuff?”

“Yeah, but even without those rules, it’s still rude to be late to something that you’re invited to. Now come on.”

She slipped on her heels at the doorway, leading Grim out. The ghosts would take care of the place while they were away.

“I can’t believe you walked the whole way in those,” her little monster friend commented once they got to the Hall of Mirrors, pointing at her heels. “Those things don’t look like they were made for long-distance.”

“They aren’t,” she confirmed, already feeling how sore her poor feet were going to be at the end of the day. “But beauty is pain and they’re part of the outfit.”

“Well, well, look who’s here.”

Yuuna did a 180 turn to see who the owner of the intruding voice was. That’s when she saw Leona and Ruggie trotting in and heading to the Savanaclaw mirror.

She crossed her arms, still not in a good mood seeing him after the stunt he pulled when they first met. “Not for long. We have somewhere to go.”

“I can see that.” He looked her up and down, making her fidget a bit under his intense gaze. “Looks like those tea nerds are having another party. Didn’t think they’d invite outsiders to their fancy little shindig.”

“Man, now I’m jealous,” Ruggie commented from behind Leona. “Makes me wish that Savanaclaw had traditions that involved big feasts. Maybe you should think on it, Leona.”

“Can it.” Leona glanced back to him for a brief moment before fixing his gaze back on her. “Hmph. Thinking about them sitting around stuffing their faces with cake and guzzling tea… Makes me sick.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she snarked, getting sick of this conversation, “cuz you weren’t invited anyway.”

“Daaaamn~” Ruggie snickered behind his hand.

Leona snarled at her for a moment, but his expression shifted into that insufferable smirk. “Quite the mouth you got on you. You’re pretty gutsy for an herbivore.”

“So I’ve been told.” She picked Grim up, cradling him in her arms. “We’ll be leaving now..”

Yuuna turned away, not letting him say much else. She was going to be late.

She stepped through the mirror to Heartslabyul, now able to do so all by herself. It wasn’t much in regards to this world, but it was something she was personally proud of. The hedge maze was easier to navigate through to get to the party, listening to Grim chant about food as she walked. When she finally got to the garden, she immediately spotted Ace and Deuce and went to sit with them.

“Hey,” she greeted. “Did I make it?”

“Yup,” Ace confirmed. “Should be starting any minute.”

Just as he said that, trumpets sounded off. The student from the last party took to the front. “All hail our leader, the rose-red ruler… Housewarden Riddle!”

“We salute you, Housewarden Riddle!” Everyone cheered, this time with a little more genuine enthusiasm in their voices. It made the atmosphere significantly different than the last time.

Riddle stepped out onto the scene, looking around. “Mhm. Red roses and white tablecloths. This is a proper unbirthday party indeed. And the dormouse in the teapot一” He stopped himself, shaking his head. “Well, maybe it’s alright if there isn’t. We should still have the jam though. It’s absolutely delicious.”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself,” Trey agreed, standing next to him. “Not everything needs to change so fast. Some things can just be done a slightly different way. I’ll make sure to spread some jam on a scone for you.”

“You’re right. And thank you.”

Yuuna smiled softly, seeing Riddle smiling and putting in an effort to be more himself. Meanwhile, Ace groaned and rolled his shoulders.

“This would be more fun if we hadn’t been stuck cleaning up the garden and prepping it all over again. My arms hurt.”

Deuce laughed softly, not someone foreign to hard labor. “At least our housewarden recovered without complications, and pretty quickly too. He’s definitely resilient.”

The flash of a camera brought their attention away, looking to Cater who snapped a picture of the group. “Perfect!” he sang. “The garden is back to #nofilter gorgeousness. And it’s all thanks to our freshies.”

“Wait a minute!” Riddle’s shout broke the atmosphere, his hands slamming on the table, adding sudden tension to a festive atmosphere. They all looked to him to see the fuss. “Are those white roses on that bush…?”

“What?! How did we miss some?!” Ace and Deuce looked ready to duck under the table to avoid Riddle’s wrath again.

“You mean you didn’t double-check?!” Cater equally looked like he had the fear of god put in him, frantically thinking of something to say to calm Riddle down.

“H-He’s gonna chop off our heads again…” she heard someone close by mutter in fear as he saw Riddle’s magestone glow, all the other students quaking as well.

“Well, it’s an easy fix,” the housewarden said with a smile. He waved his scepter toward the rose bush, turning all the roses red in a flash. “There we go. Nothing to worry about. Now we can start the toast.”

A wave of relief washed over the dorm members, seeing that Riddle was no longer ready to collar people for a single little mistake. Though he was still a perfectionist thanks to his upbringing, at least he was trying to live a little more freely.

He lifted his teacup, raising it high. “A toast! To a very merry unbirthday!”

“A very merry unbirthday!” everyone exclaimed together, clinking teacups with those around them.

“Great, now we can eat!” Grim happily dug into the little cakes and treats, a happy grin on his face.

“Speaking of eating,” Ace addressed Riddle, “what about that tart you had to make?”

“Right here.” Riddle took a box and opened it, revealing a slightly misshapen tart. The crust had uneven grooves and some of the cream was dripping off the sides. There was an attempt to neatly place the strawberries in a symmetrical pattern; keyword attempt. “It’s a strawberry tart made by my hand. I made sure to follow the instructions to the letter, as this was my first time making one.”

“It’s a solid eight out of ten, to be honest,” Trey complemented, examining Riddle’s work. “The glaze looks excellent, though the tart itself is a bit on the lumpy side. Overall, it looks delicious.”

“Enough judging, let’s just eat!”

“One sec!” Cater moved to the front, phone in hand, taking a picture of the homemade tart. “There. Now we can dig in.”

Everyone took a fork, cutting out a small piece of tart. Yuuna marveled at it. The inside looked just as delicious, if a bit chunky. But as she was looking at it, the guys eagerly ate their pieces. Suddenly, their faces scrunched up, Ace going so far as to spit his out.

“Why the hell is it so salty?!” he shouted.

“Huh?!” Riddle jolted, confused.

Cater coughed loudly, taking his tea and downing half the cup. “Wow. That was a trip.”

She took her chances, tasting her piece. And just as the others, her face twisted into discomfort. She took a napkin, politely spitting it out. “Did you add salt instead of sugar by accident?”

“N-No!” Riddle shook his head vigorously. “I made sure to measure all the ingredients as the recipe said. And then I added the oyster sauce that Trey mentioned.”

“You actually used the oyster sauce that Trey joked about?!” Deuce forcefully swallowed his bite, not wanting to be wasteful. But the shudder that went up his body didn’t go unnoticed.

“He… He was joking ? But he always told me that it was just an unlisted secret ingredient and essential for a good tart. H-He looked so serious when he said that.”

“You actually fell for that?!” Ace yelled.

She sent him a mock glare. “Please, like you’re one to say that.”

“He never told me how much to put in as an off the record ingredient.” His face flushed red, embarrassment setting in. “I-I couldn’t measure it properly because of tha. AndI just ended up using half of the jar.”

Wow. That explained it. She felt like her mouth was ready to dry up from just one lick.

Trey, from the sidelines, started to laugh. “Haha! I didn’t think I’d ever see the day someone actually fell for the oyster sauce prank. Hahaha!”

Riddle smiled, his friend’s laugh infectious to him. “Haha! You’re right. I’m such a fool.” The two laughed together, much more freely, as if they’d returned to that sweet innocent past.

“It’s not too bad, actually,” Cater commented, tasting another small bite.

“Yeah, you said it!” Grim agreed and followed his lead.

Deuce blanched. “If your taste is on par with Grim’s, I might have to start judging.”

“Rude!”

“I figured you’d like it, if only a little,” Trey piped up, “since you’re not really a fan of sweet things.”

It took a moment for the bespectacled student’s words to sink in as Yuuna saw the gears start to turn in Cater’s head, his easygoing smile frozen on his face right before the lightbulb moment made it morph into disbelief. “Eh?! How did you know?!”

“You think I didn’t notice? You always casually bring up my Paint the Roses spells right before eating sweets. And the foods you always bring up are always savory or spicy.”

“I’m busted! Seriously, man, you have this awful habit of keeping your thoughts to yourself. It cannot be healthy.” He bashfully played with a strand of hair. “Well, if you know, then maybe a Magicam-worthy quiche is in the cards for the next party?”

Trey smiled wide and nodded. “Yeah. I’ll see what I can do.”

Behind them, a piece of tart floated in the air, then disappeared. She noticed it out of the corner of her eye, turning to see a familiar cat head fading into view with a soft hum.

“For a first-timer, this tart ain’t half bad.” Chenya let his body appear as well, his signature Cheshire grin on his face. He rested his arms atop Riddle’s head. “Good on you!”

“Chenya?!” Riddle exclaimed, turning to see his childhood friend, before swatting at him to get him off. “What are you doing here?”

“I stopped by to wish you a very merry unbirthday! And I really wanted to celebrate too!”

“Chenya,” Riddle’s voice dropped softly, taking a scolding tone, “the Unbirthday Party is a tradition for Heartslabyul members only. You know this.”

“Oh really~?” he purred then pointed to Yuuna. “And what about the little lady~? She looks the part though.”

Riddle’s cheeks turned pink, avoiding Chenya’s golden gaze. “She’s a special guest here. Honorary members are always welcome.”

“Hmmm~?” Chenya leaned closer, making Riddle flinch. “Ohhhh, I see what’s going on here~ Hehe, Riddle’s all grown up now.”

“E-Enough!” Riddle stepped back, not tolerating Chenya’s teasing. Chenya laughed in response and swiped Riddle’s crown, setting it atop his own head and floating in the air to stop any attempts the housewarden made to retrieve it.

“If he’s not from here,” Grim stated, “then which dorm is he in?”

“None,” Trey answered. “Chenya actually goes to Royal Sword Academy on the other side of the island.”

Yuuna turned to Ace, remembering him saying that name before. “Didn’t you say that Royal Sword was this school’s long-time rival?”

“I did. Can’t believe this guy goes to a totally different school! And our rival no less!”

“Royal Sword?” one student overhearing them asked, looking in their direction.

“Hey, they’re right!”

“We’ll skin that cat alive!”

“Oopsies.” Chenya snickered and set Riddle's crown back on his head, his body slowly fading from sight. “That’s my cue. Hope we can play again, Riddle! See ya, Trey!” And then he was gone, easily sneaking away from the chaos.

“Pipe down!” Riddle yelled, making everyone who turned bloodthirsty suddenly stop in place. “An unbirthday party is no place for chaos. This is meant to be a celebration. We still have our croquet tournament, after all. So be ready.”

“Looks like I’m sitting this one out,” she said, having no experience in croquet. Not to mention she probably wouldn’t do well with flamingo mallets.

“Nonsense,” Riddle countered. “You are an honored guest. Therefore, taking part in the traditions of Heartslabyul is highly encouraged. If there is something you don’t understand, I will happily teach you.”

“Show-off,” she heard Ace mutter behind her.

“Alright. Guess I’m playing then!”

That was one of her better decisions. The game wasn’t complex or anything. Riddle and Trey explained the basics to her while students hustled around her to get the flamingos and hedgehogs that would be the mallets and balls. She even got to pet one of the hedgehogs; a little orange one named Wiggles. Riddle straightened her flamingo and put his hands over hers to show her how to properly hold it. He started stuttering at certain points but she understood him well enough.

She didn’t come close to winning but it was definitely fun. She let the handlers take back the animals, not wishing to do anything that might upset them.

“Yuuna.” The girl in question looked over to Riddle. “I’d like to speak to you, if that’s alright.”

“Okay.”

She followed him back into the maze, stopping when he did at a small secluded spot where the voices of the other students had faded. “I… I wanted to tell you I’m sorry.” She didn’t speak, seeing he had more to say. “The way I treated you… You didn’t deserve it. I said those harsh things, but none of them are true. You are a wonderful person. You’re smart and kind; everything worthy of respect.”

She smiled softly, hearing his sincerity. “Thank you, Riddle. And I forgive you.”

“I’d also like you to have this too.” Riddle dug into his pocket and held out his hand. She reached out and a red and black armband dropped from his grip into her hands.

“This…”

“It’s a token of my appreciation. And a sign that you are always welcome here at Heartslabyul. There will always be a place for you here. Because you do belong here.”

Ah crap. Now she felt like crying again. “Thank you, Riddle.” She held the armband close to her heart. “This makes me really happy.”

“And,” he continued, “if you’ll let me, I’d like to learn more about you.”

Her warm smile made his heart flutter. “Sure. What did you wanna know?”

“U-Um…” Riddle fumbled over his words, quickly looking away from her to calm his rapidly beating heart. “You said you had experience in following strict rules…and that you didn’t feel like yourself… What did you mean by that?”

“Ah…” Yuuna’s smile dipped, thinking back on days of the past. “Well, not everything is super clear, as my memories have still been pretty bland. But from what I remember, my brother was my parents’ golden child. But they still held me and him to high standards. They didn’t see us as their children. We were their trophies. Our accomplishments were theirs.

“But…we were seen in different regards. They trained my brother to take over some kind of family business, and me… All I would ever amount to in their eyes was someone’s wife in a tactical marriage. They wanted me to accomplish just enough so that I’d marry well. But I was never allowed to do things that might’ve been seen as useless or lazy.

“I started to resent them when I saved up enough money to buy my first skateboard, only for my mom to break it in half a month later and tell me that I should stop wasting my time.” She stopped, his fingers gripping the bottom of her dress tightly as she was forced to remember these events. “I hated what they were doing to me. But most of all, I hated myself. Because I realized that the real me wasn’t their ideal. But it’s still who I wanted to be. So I felt like a failure just by existing.”

“I didn’t realize that you had been through so much,” Riddle admitted softly, taking her hand. “You know this by now, but I understand what that feels like. And I一ah!”

He gasped loudly when she pulled him in, wrapping her arms around him tightly in a hug. “Sorry. I just thought we could both use one.”

He didn’t say anything for a minute, but he gradually looped his arms around her to hug her back. “It’s okay… And thank you…”

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

“Are you gonna sulk like that all day?” Ruggie asked, seeing Leona lazing around on his bed. When he made it a clear point to face away from the door, he was always upset about something. “Heh. Didn’t think the words of a girl would get to you like this.”

“Shut up.” Leona sat up. “You know that’s not why I called you here.”

“Oh, I know.” Ruggie cackled behind his hand. “I’ve got it all covered. All the preparations are done. All that’s left is to give the signal.”

“Excellent.”

Leona smirked wide, staring out his window. He could picture the Heartslabyul snobs and that girl having a grand old time at a prissy little tea party. He’d wipe the grins off their faces. Even that damned Malleus would fall to his knees. A chuckle bubbled in his throat, escalated to a sinister laugh.

The hunt would begin very soon…

Chapter Text

“You called for me?” Yuuna stepped into Crowley’s office during break, wondering what sort of shabby deal he had lined up for her this time.

“Yes indeed! Please, come on in!” His smile was joyous, she could see. Nothing mischievous about it. Would this actually be good news? “I wished to speak with you about a certain aspect of our school. Namely, club activities.”

“What about them?”

“At Night Raven College, every student is required to join one club. This will be a club that they wish to stick with for the rest of the school year. There are occasional transfers, but they are few and far between. Anyway, I’d like you to use your free period today to look into the various clubs and pick one that you and Grim will take up as part of your curriculum. Once you’ve made a decision, report back to me so I may make note of it.”

“Alright,” she agreed.

That didn’t sound so bad. It would be a tough choice, but it was something doable for someone like her. Unless the clubs involved magic of some kind. But according to their deal, he was not to force her to do anything that required magical abilities to succeed. Perhaps these clubs would be like the ones back in her home world.

She had told Grim about this once she returned to the cafeteria and he reacted as expected, huffing and puffing about extra work. He suggested forming a club of their own, but honestly, she wanted to see the ones already available.

“How about checking out Basketball Club later?” Ace offered. “Gotta warn you though. One of the guys on the team is absolutely brutal. He has these random mood swings and throws basketballs at us like he thinks they’re made of foam.”

“Yikes. Maybe that won’t be for me then. My anger issues could never.”

“Then how about Track Club?” Deuce asked. “We go on jogs around the school when we don’t have official meets. And I think you’d fit right in.” He was likely thinking back to the strength she’d exerted when she kicked that one guy in the nuts.

“Probably not.” She shook her head with an apologetic smile. “I’m not all that athletic. The most I ever did was taekwondo. And that’s only because my dad wanted me to be able to ‘fight off the unworthy scum that try getting too close.’ His words.” She was no black belt either, so there was nothing to brag about.

“Wow.”

“I’m sure you’ll find something,” Deuce assured her.

It was after lunch and a few other classes that her little mission had begun. Grim walked right next to her around campus, going out to explore the options. She decided to start in the great outdoors. Even if sports teams weren’t really her thing, it would be nice to familiarize herself with all the clubs in the school.

“I didn’t know we had stables here,” she said, seeing the building in the distance.

She couldn’t remember if she had been able to see a lot of horses, so her curiosity took hold and guided her there. The fields were spacious and lush, a grand contrast to the gothic architecture of the school itself. If she wasn’t able to see the various school facilities behind her, she would think she stepped off campus.

While she was lost in thought, she didn’t notice the horse speeding her way.

“Hey, look out!” Grim suddenly shouted, making her aware of her surroundings again.

She stumbled back to get out of the way, getting just a few feet away so she wouldn’t get trampled. The horse came to a halt when the rider pulled on the reins. The majestic creature let out a snort, tapping its feet against the ground.

“Human!” the one on the horse’s shouted at her. She looked up to see a guy with spiky green hard staring down at her with narrowed light green eyes. “Watch where you’re stepping! This is no place to be taking a mindless stroll!”

“I’m fine, thanks for asking,” she bit out sarcastically, not appreciating being reprimanded so quickly and to be addressed as just a human. She could acknowledge that she made a mistake, but geez.

“I did not ask!” he argued, clearly not understanding the concept of sarcasm. Or he was just so upset that the context flew right over his spiky head.

“What are you doing, Sebek?” Another horse trotted up, a silver-haired gentleman at the reins. His violet hues looked down at her in her slightly disheveled state from almost getting run over. He almost looked exactly like a prince as he sat atop his horse. “I’m sorry about him. He has a tendency to get a bit worked up.” He then turned to his clubmate, glaring. “Sebek, I’ve told you this before. You should correct your behavior before it taints both Diasomnia’s name and our master’s.”

Master? What was next, lords and dukes? Actually, scratch that. That seemed entirely possible.

“And I continue to refuse being lectured by you, Silver!” he shouted, the sound ringing in her ears by the sheer boom of his voice. “I was informing this human about the dangers of not paying attention!”

“I-It’s okay, really,” she spoke up, just wanting to leave already. “And he’s right. I should’ve been more careful. I was just here to check out the clubs.”

“You haven’t signed up for one yet?” the one she learned whose name was Silver asked her. “Normally, all freshmen must sign up for a club just after orientation.”

She gave an awkward laugh, shrugging. “I’m a special case, I guess.”

“What’s all this commotion?” A familiar face trotted up, looking very elegant on horseback. Once he saw her, his tense stance slackened. “Ah, hello, Yuuna.”

“Hey, Riddle.” She smiled and waved hello. “Don’t mind me. I’m just looking around at the clubs.”

“Wait!” Sebek suddenly interrupted. “Do you know this human, sir?!”

Riddle sighed, Sebek’s booming voice souring the mood. “Yes. She has helped me and my dorm greatly. So I’m telling you now that she is someone important to both me and all of Heartslabyul, and she deserves just as much respect.”

Wow, what an intro. It made her a bit flustered, hearing him praise her so highly like she was a super important person. She shifted in place, pink dusting her cheeks from being put on the spot.

“It wasn’t that big a deal, really,” she said. She only did what she felt needed to be done. She cared about Riddle enough to take that leap of faith for him.

Riddle’s lips turned upward in a gentle smile. “No need to be so humble. I only state the truth.” He then decided to change topics, noticing her eyes shifting to the stables. “So you wished to join the Equestrian Club?” He even seemed excited at the prospect of having her join.

But she shook her head. “Not really. I’m not exactly athletic, so I’ll probably fall off more times than I’d be able to count. I just wanted to get familiar with all the clubs that are here.”

Riddle’s heart-shaped strands of hair seemed to wilt as his shoulders slumped. But he straightened himself right back up. “I see. I wish you luck. There are quite a few clubs you might be interested in.”

“Our young master runs his own club!” Sebek suddenly shouted, startling her.

“I-Is that right?” She subtly started taking steps back, wishing to be given an exit. But Sebek’s face, grinning proudly like someone he knew just won a big award, was enough to stop her for a little bit.

“Yes! If you can find him around campus, I implore you to consider joining. However ! You are to be nothing but respectful to him and address him properly!”

“While it is good to be respectful,” Silver added in, “I think he will appreciate someone taking an interest in his club. So don’t be afraid to approach him about it.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” With Grim on her heel, she finally turned to leave, waving at her friend and the other two. “See you around, Riddle. And it was nice meeting you two.”

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

She and Grim decided to go back into the school to see what indoor clubs they could possibly find. The other buildings and the field mainly housed the sports clubs anyway. Track, basketball, even something called spelldrive. But considering it sounded like a magic-related sport, she gave it a firm pass. The botanical gardens would often house the science club, but past experiences made her not wish to go there.

Yuuna found herself peering into an almost empty classroom, seeing a familiar face among the small group hanging out in it. Was this a club too?

“Hey there.” She knocked on the door to get their attention, three pairs of eyes turning her way.

“Hey there, bunny!” Cater greeted with his usual peace sign and smile. “What brings you here?”

“I’m just checking out the clubs around here,” she answered. “So what’s going on in here?”

She figured it would be a club considering Crowley said all students needed to be in one. And given this was club time, there shouldn’t be anyone besides her and Grim wandering around.

“Welcome to the Light Music Club!” the phone addict cheered, sitting with the back of his chair facing forward.

“So we meet again,” Lilia said with a smile. “Please, scope out our club to your heart’s content.”

“Hey, I know you!” the only one she didn’t know exclaimed, almost making his chair fall when he suddenly stood up and rushed to her. He gripped her hands in his own, a wide and friendly smile on his face as he regarded her. “You’re the girl from orientation! You saved me from getting roasted!”

Really? It took a moment but looking into his ruby eyes, the memory came rushing back. “Oh yeah! It was no problem. And now that I’m looking after Grim, I should say sorry on his behalf. He has a lot to learn.”

“Hey!” Grim protested. “A minion shouldn’t be saying that!”

She looked down at him with a glare. “Get back to me on that when you learn this thing called proper aim.”

The guy heartily laughed, squeezing her hands. “Haha! You two are funny! We’d love to have people like you in the club. Ah, I’m Kalim, by the way. Looks like you know Cater and Lilia already. The more friends, the merrier!”

“Thanks.” She looked around, not really seeing anything that would equate to a music club. The three of them were just sitting around a table that was littered with all kinds of snacks. “So… What exactly do you guys do?”

“Mostly sit around, chat, and eat snacks,” Cater answered, even as he avoided her gaze.

“But we do play sometimes for events and stuff!” Kalim tried to defend them. “Lilia’s really good on bass! He even has one customized just for him to play.”

“You flatter me,” Lilia said before turning to her. “What about you? Do you play?”

“I’m sure I can master any instrument you put in front of me!” Grim responded before Yuuna could open her mouth.

“I played piano for a while,” she answered. “But it wasn’t something I loved doing so I kinda slowly stopped. I think I can still play a few songs though.”

“Ooh, so someone with actual musical expertise might be joining our club.” Cater happily got up, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her in.

She laughed, ducking out of his arms. It was then that she noticed just how many people were in the room during what was supposed to be club time: Cater, Kalim, and Lilia. And that was it.

Cater noticed her moving eyes and played with a strand of hair as he slouched back into his seat. “I know, I know. Right now, the club’s occupied by the most laid-back people here. We did have more members but…”

“They all transferred out for other clubs,” Lilia continued for him, “stating their reason as ‘creative differences.’” His eyes set on her made it seem like he expected her to understand.

Which she did. And he would definitely notice by the way she cringed. “Oh, yikes.”

“Yikes, indeed,” he concurred with a solemn expression.

“I’ll definitely think about it then. I just want to look at all the options first. But this is probably the closest I’ve gotten to finding something I like.”

“Even if you’re not in the club, feel free to stop by!” Kalim exclaimed with his perpetual kind grin. “It’s always fun to have more people to sit around and chat with.”

“Sure thing, Kalim.”

She didn’t have much time, leaving the interaction to hop over to other clubs in her search for one. But she made sure to keep those three in mind. She came across the film club in the courtyard, watching a few club members setting up props in the area.

“I like this one already!” Grim cheered. “They can capture my great image as the main character I am! Everyone will wanna make a movie about me!”

“Way to stay humble, DiCaprio.”

“Who?”

“No one.” She decided to cut it off there, knowing Grim didn’t understand any of her home world’s pop culture references. She approached one of the students, waving as she approached to get his attention. “Excuse me. This is the film club?”

“It is,” the student confirmed. He looked to be from Pomefiore, if she remembered correctly, the vivid purple armband dangling on his sleeve. “Our president is currently not here, but he should be back in a few minutes. If you wish to join, you’ll have to audition for him first.”

“Audition?!” Grim screeched, not down for a club that didn’t have automatic entry. “You guys should be begging me to join!”

The student didn’t take kindly to that declaration, crossing his arms defensively. “A creature like you would sooner be a stagehand than a star.”

“What did you say?!”

“Okay, that’s enough!” Yuuna scooped Grim up into her arms to hold him back before he could burn another precious piece of the school like last time. “We’ll just find another club.” She really didn’t want to deal with pompous assholes in clubs as well as during school hours.

She left before Grim could wiggle out of her arms and scratch the guy’s face off, leaving the club president to return to the aftermath of the exchange, watching the female student storm off.

“What happened while I was gone?” he asked.

“Nothing of note, sir,” the student politely answered. “Just that student’s familiar complaining about needing to audition to get into the club.”

There weren’t too many clubs in this place, Yuuna realized. And most of them had caught neither Grim’s nor her own interest. It was during her musings that she came upon another classroom. Unlike the Light Music Club, this one had a decent amount of people in it. And it looked like they were all playing games. Now this looked like something more her speed. She had not a single inkling about the games in this world, but she did remember a few fun ones that she liked to play back home.

“Excuse me, but do you need something?” She turned her head to see who had regarded her, meeting dark grayish eyes. “We are in the middle of a club meeting.” The guy sitting across from him didn’t even turn around to look at her, seemingly shrinking in his seat.

Holy shit, was his hair made of fire?! The ankle-length waves of cool blue flames harmlessly swayed down his back, leaving her just a little curious to touch it. After all, it wasn’t setting anything around him on fire, so it couldn’t be that hot. That’s when she also noticed someone sitting right next to him with the same situation atop his head, only his was much shorter. And he didn’t look like he was wearing a uniform… It looked like a pristine white android costume.

“Uh yeah.” She had set Grim down, walking a little more into the room. “I’m just looking around at the clubs since I need to pick one to join. So I’m just observing.”

There was silence on his end for a moment as she watched him push his glasses up, analyzing her through his silver bangs. And then he lit up, but not in the friendly way that Kalim had. It even made her take a small step back, instantly feeling weary.

“Ah, so it’s you,” the guy said with odd glee. “I remember you from orientation. My, what a mess you made. And I even went to great lengths to help restrain your little monster pet.”

“I ain’t a pet! And she’s the servant here!” Grim complained, but Yuuna said nothing to back him up.

Instead, she contemplated his words. Now that he mentioned it, she did remember seeing the shine of a pair of glasses from under one of the two guys’ hoods that fateful night. And now that she knew that one of them was Riddle, this guy was almost certainly the other one.

“But let’s not dwell on the past.” He stood straight, puffing out his chest in a show of great confidence. “Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Azul Ashengrotto, and should you ever find yourself in a bind, I would be more than happy to lend a helping hand. For a price, of course.”

“I’ll take my chances then,” she politely declined, not wanting to get entangled with someone like him.

The guy with flaming hair sighed loudly, shaking his head. “Classic Azul behavior,” he muttered to himself, keeping his back turned while the console in his hands continued to play a very catchy 8-bit tune. It sounded very sci-fi to her ears. “Always trying to make a profit one way or another. It’s exhausting just watching extroverts strut their stuff…”

Azul turned away from her, glaring at his clubmate. “I really don’t think you of all people should be commenting on my way of doing business, Idia.”

Idia definitely seemed like someone worth getting to know. She walked up behind him, peering over his shoulder to see the game he was playing. It looked to be a 2D dungeon crawler, the character moving swiftly and effectively slashing through enemies.

“That looks cool,” she finally said after watching him for a minute straight. “What’s it called?”

She didn’t expect him to yell and jump in his seat when he finally acknowledged her presence, startling her just as much as making her take a step back. “Sorry, sorry! I didn’t mean to sneak up on you.”

“U-Uh… Um…!” He stammered out a few more noises before turning away from her and grabbing a tablet, rapidly typing something out and then holding it in front of him as he turned back to her.

“Hi,” the robotic voice sounded off from the device. “You can just ignore me. Treat me like dirt if you have to.”

She blinked, staring at him and then down at the tablet. His golden eyes stared elsewhere to avoid her gaze.

“Don’t mind him,” Azul said behind her. “He can’t speak to women, or anyone for that matter, without using a medium like that tablet. And if he does, it’s quite rare.” Idia glared at him for his commentary, a small scowl exposing his pointy teeth. His fingers looked like they were itching to type out a plethora of colorful words to direct at him, but he was trying to keep things family-friendly.

“Hey, dude, I get it,” she reassured him, waving off Azul. “If it can be said in a text message, don’t call me, you psycho.”

Her joke got a better reaction out of Idia, his lips turning up into a little smile. “Heh. See, you get it. You’re a friend of introverts.”

“I like your makeup.” Yuuna hadn’t met too many guys that could pull off wearing a bold color of lipstick. “What shade is that?”

She wasn’t sure why she heard Azul snort behind her, or why the tips of Idia’s hair were turning pink along with his cheeks.

“I-I’m not一!” he squeaked out before choking up again. He started typing furiously onto his keyboard again, the robotic voice coming through once again. “I don’t wear makeup. I know it’s weird, so you don’t have to say it.”

She was thinking the complete opposite. Damn. Rocking the natural Coral Blue Number Five.

“My brother’s just naturally cool like that!” the boy beside him cheered, making Idia pull his hood up to try and hide his face. “And I’m Ortho Shroud! It’s nice to meet you.”

“Hey there, Ortho,” she greeted with a smile. “I’m Yuuna.” Same hair. Same eyes. Even the same pale skin. It was hard to look at them and not think they were family. “So which club is this?”

“You’re in the Board Game Club! I know I’m not enrolled here, but I like to hang out with my brother during club time sometimes.”

She smiled, getting that sweet warm and fuzzy feeling from seeing the sibling bond between them. She wanted to ask more questions, but she was on a time crunch. “So what are you playing?”

The wholesome atmosphere turned to dust as Idia looked at her like she just showed him a bad report card and then turned back to his game. He shook his head, letting out a disappointed sigh while muttering to himself. She could just barely catch it as the game’s music once again played up, his fingers mashing the controls to guide his character. “Total normie question. Doesn’t even know an absolute classic like Planet Jump. Casuals ruin everything…”

“Just because I don’t know doesn’t mean I don’t want to learn,” she stated, resting her hands on her hips. “I mean, didn’t you not know about these games at some point? But you learned. And I want to do the same. Maybe you could teach me a few things since you’re really good at this stuff, it looks like.”

Idia fumbled with the console, gripping it tightly in his hands so it wouldn’t drop onto the floor. His hair flared up a little, the tips returning to pink.

Ortho hurried, or rather floated, to his side. “Brother! Are you feeling okay? My scanners are detecting that your body heat has risen by several degrees and your heart rate has increased by ten percent!”

Yuuna backed up a bit, unsure how to take Ortho being that medically accurate for some reason or the fact that Idia was suddenly feeling unwell.

“Well, I have to go report in with the headmage now. But I’ll give the Board Game Club some thought. C’mon Grim!” She waved goodbye to the Shroud brothers, or rather Ortho since Idia was hiding his face once more. Grim followed her out, trotting at her side as she made her way back up to Crowley’s office.

She knocked on the door, waiting to hear “Enter” from the other side of the door before stepping into the room.

“Ah, Miss Yuuna and Grim,” the crow man remarked with delight. “I assume you’re reporting in to tell me your designated club?”

“Well, yeah, but…” She trailed off, not sure how to break the news. She and Grim officially had no club that they wished to join. To her, Light Music Club and Board Game Club were the closest she got, but nothing truly called out to her.

“Before we get to that, I forgot to give you a special gift to commemorate your first day here! It’s a bit late but I am still quite generous and wish to give it to you.”

She and Grim watched as Crowley opened one of the drawers at his desk and took out a very old-fashioned camera. He stood from his seat, walked around his desk, and held it out to her. She took it carefully in her grasp, not wanting to risk breaking such a precious-looking camera.

“This is a Ghost Camera,” he explained. “While we do live in a modern era filled with smart phones and hi-tech cameras, a camera like this is special. And not just because they are now very rare. A photo taken by this device will capture the very soul of a moment, allowing you to see and feel that point in time that it was taken. Like a moving picture, but much shorter.”

Oh, now she got it. It was like a gif but one that could be printed as a photo. She felt like she’d seen something like that in a movie at some point.

“And I would like you to task you with recording the world around you with these photos! To capture the essence of this school and the world that you have been brought into.”

“And then what?” she asked, examining the camera and its few buttons. “Will they be compiled into a yearbook or something?”

There was a pause, making her look up to see him contemplating something. “Tell me something,” he finally said. “What is a yearbook?”

“…Seriously?”

Now that was truly baffling. A world full of tech and monsters and magic, and oddly enough, a yearbook was something that had not advanced themselves enough to create.

“It’s basically a book filled with a list of names for all the students and faculty that were at the school during a specific school year. Ace and Deuce would be under freshmen while Trey and Cater would be under juniors for this year. It’s also filled with a lot of photos taken around campus, at school events and competitions, and just generally anything that gives you a sense of what your typical day at the school is like.”

“I see… What a wonderful idea! The first yearbook committee of Night Raven College! And with the first girl of the school as the president no less!”

“Wait, what?!” When did she sign up for that?

“It is truly exciting. I believe you should take the helm as one with extensive knowledge on this topic. But do not worry, for I am a benevolent headmage who will spread word of the committee so others may consider joining. However, you will be the only one to use the Ghost Camera. So make the photos that you take count the most.”

“This is great!” Grim exclaimed, bouncing on his feet around her legs. “With this, we can go wherever we want to take photos! And don’t forget to get pictures of this handsome face while you do!”

It wasn’t such a bad idea, now that she was thinking about it. Besides Grim’s thoughts on it, of course. The other clubs felt like there was something missing for her to join them. But a yearbook committee would be something she would be leading. It would establish her existence at this school. And it would allow her to record any memories she made here, hopefully allowing her to take one of the yearbooks back home with her when the day came that she had to leave.

“Alright, Headmaster. You have your committee’s president.”

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

The next day, the idea of taking a bunch of photos weighed on her mind. And it also made her realize that she still had no other means of communication in this world. While she did like talking to her friends, sometimes she just wanted to sit around at the dorm and text them instead. And it would be a hell of a lot easier to make plans. So she decided to leave Grim with the ghosts and pay a little visit to someone she thought might help.

“I’d like to take you up on that date offer.”

Yuuna’s greeting toward Cater had everything happening in the lounge come to a sudden halt, those present looking at her like she was loonier than the Queen’s subjects. Riddle nearly choked on his tea, using a handkerchief to wipe his mouth while feigning calm. Trey, who was sitting across from Riddle, got up to lightly pat his back. Although, by his expression, he hadn’t expected Yuuna to say such a thing either.

Even Cater was shocked by this sudden declaration. “I-I mean… I’m never one to turn down a date with a cute girl, but…”

She rolled her eyes. “I meant what you said a few days ago. You said you knew a good store in town that sold phone models for cheap. I have a feeling I’m going to need one if I’m going to be staying at this school. And you know that stuff better than I do, clearly.” She pointed to his phone, seeing as it was practically glued to his hand every second of the day.

“Oh! Right, right.” Cater played with a strand of hair, still trying to recollect himself after being through off guard. “I don’t have anything lined up for today. So let’s do it.”

“Cool. I’ll meet you at the bus stop in an hour. Sound good?”

“You got it!” He flashed her the cheeriest smile he could muster in light of still being caught off guard. “See ya there, bunny.”

“Awesome. See ya.” She waved to Riddle and Trey as a brief hello before turning to leave.

Riddle could only wave back in acknowledgement, anything he wished to say before her statement dead on his tongue. He said nothing until she left, casting a glare Cater’s way as if his silver gaze alone would lock a collar around the guy’s neck. Cater noticed it too, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Hey, no need to give me the death stare,” he said, using his hands to block his face. “It’s just a friend helping a friend, ya know? Nothing else going on.”

“It better stay that way,” the housewarden stated. “I will not have you giving her trouble. Or…giving the dorm a bad reputation.”

Yeah right. Your jealousy is totes showing.

“Yes sir. I’ll be as gentlemanly as they come. It’ll be like she’s spending a day with Trey, but more fun.”

“I’m not sure how to respond to that,” Trey awkwardly chuckled, taking it as both a compliment and an insult.

“Well, I’d love to stay and chat, but I got a phone date with a pretty lady. And you know how we Heartslabyul folks are about being punctual~ Text you all the deets later.”

Okay, maybe he shouldn’t have added the word date in there, because Riddle looked about ready to pop a blood vessel when he was leaving the lounge to hurry up to his room to change. The weekend was the only time they were permitted to go around town in something other than their uniforms. It was a pretty sweet deal. Besides, dates and date-like activities were always a hot topic on Magicam. He could get a bunch of likes in one fell swoop with this date. Or, well, it wasn’t officially a date. Maybe it was better that way. It was just him following through with an offer he gave her earlier in the week. There was absolutely nothing special about it. No attachments involved.

He waited at the bus stop just after changing and leaving the dorm, his phone firmly in his hands while mindlessly scrolling through his feed. He thought about snapping a pic of him waiting and captioning something like “Waiting for my hot date” or something to that effect, but he knew he’d feel kinda scummy for labeling their outing something it wasn’t just for likes. He was a trend-chaser, sure, but he wasn’t desperate.

“I’m here.”

Her voice carried over to him, making him look up from his phone, seeing her walk about in jeans and a cowl neck sweater. It was simple but the kind that people fawned over. The natural look.

“Were you waiting long?” she asked, now standing next to him as they waited for the bus slowly coming up the hill.

“Nah. But even if I was, you’re totes worth waiting years for,” he jokingly flirted.

She laughed, shaking her head. “I wouldn’t wait years for anyone ,” she quipped back. “Too much standing in place. I’d get bored and go home.”

Cater laughed and slid closer to her, holding up his phone with the Magicam app still open, ready to snap a picture to add to his account. “Come on, let’s get a quick pic before we go! It’s not every day I get to go somewhere with a cute girl.”

Yuuna rolled her eyes with a slight smirk on her lips. “Flattery ain’t gonna get you far with me. But I’ll let you have your fun.”

She stepped closer to get into the camera’s view, making a shy little peace sign, the kind where her fingers were just about poking out of her long sleeves. It was definitely an adorable gesture that would get a ton of likes. Cater wasted no time to lean against her, arm touching arm, and smiled wide as he listened to the camera click when he pressed the button.

He pulled back, even if there was brief hesitation on his part. But he hid whatever he was feeling with his carefree smile as he tapped away on his phone.

“Taking bunny out for a walk,” he spoke aloud as he captioned the photo. “#outonthetown #sunnyday #NRCdayoff. And posted!”

“Good cuz the bus is coming.”

She smiled briefly and stepped up onto the bus once it opened its doors. He followed up right behind her, finding them a couple seats to sit next to each other. Once they were both seated, she leaned in just a little bit to watch as he expertly moved through his feed on his Magicam account, keeping an eye on the photo they just took as the number of likes steadily rose.

Cater shifted his hand enough to give her a better view. “Interested? Do they have stuff like this where you’re from? Or are phones kind of a new concept?”

Yuuna shook her head. “Nah, stuff like this definitely exists. I think there’s enough people that could give your social media addiction a run for its money too. I was just never big on following trends or anything. I just followed accounts I found cool, liked nice art or memes, and just generally only posted things I felt like sharing. The numbers of followers I had didn’t even come close to you.” Peering at his screen, she noticed that his follower account was well into the thousands.

“If you think that’s impressive, you should see Vil’s account,” he commented, lazily replying to a couple comments pouring in with some emojis.

“Who’s Vil?”

Cater looked up from his phone, finally pocketing it. “Oh yeah, you probably don’t know him. He’s a junior like me and the housewarden at Pomefiore. And he’s a pretty famous actor and model. The guy’s got five million followers on Magicam.”

She gaped at this new information. Sure, celebrities had big numbers, but it was still a shock for anyone to hear that someone you went to school with was the million follower kind of famous.

Hanging out with Cater was already turning out to be a good time. Ace and Deuce were truly her best friends, but right now she felt a lot more relaxed. Like she didn’t have to worry about anything. That might’ve been in part by seeing that Cater wasn’t the type to swan dive into mischief without realizing possible consequences. Plus, she was learning a lot more about the world in a way she could understand better than any textbook. Maybe it was his generic internet lingo that helped, bridging a gap between their worlds and making it feel less like a completely new experience.

“Next stop, Main Street,” the automatic voice called over the bus speakers, signaling to Yuuna and Cater that their stop was coming up.

“We can continue when we get off,” she suggested, standing up from her seat. “I really wanna know more about the Shaftlands.”

“Only if you tell me about all the hit trends on that one app you were talking about.”

“If I remember more, I will.”

They got off one after the other. Yuuna looked around, recalling the first time she came here with her friends. Navigating the place was slightly easier, but there was still a lot of unexplored territory. But familiarizing herself with the town helped her feel a little more comfortable, not like a lost child that didn’t know what would be around the next corner in a strange world different from her own.

“Hey, let’s get another quick pic in!” Cater suggested, snapping her out of her thoughts. “The town is way more photogenic.”

She shook her head with a soft huff and a smile. “You really love to take a lot of photos, don’t you?”

“You could say that. But I’ve gotten really good at it. Now get over here!”

Yuuna stepped closer, standing at his side once more. This time, she could see a pretty fountain behind them as she looked at her image on his phone’s screen. People walked in and out of the shot, but it wasn’t too crowded for a weekend. She geared up her best smile, waiting for the camera’s shutter to click, and almost laughed when he stuck out his tongue in a cutesy way. Cater went back to his usual behavior, leaving her to glance over as he rapidly typed out a caption with a few hashtags and hit the post button. Personally, it felt like too much work.

“Speaking of pics,” she piped up as Cater led the way to the store, the main destination of their little trip, “Crowley made me the head of the yearbook committee.”

“Really?” His green eyes widened as he looked at her. “NRC has never had a yearbook before now. What changed?”

“Turns out, Crowley just didn’t know what one was,” she answered with a smirk. “I never really believed him when he said he was, and I quote, ‘hip with the kids.’” She even punctuated the phrase with very exaggerated air quotes, making Cater laugh.

“Wow, Bunny, you’re just hopping around left and right. Too bad I’m in the Light Music Club, or I totally would’ve joined.”

She felt like he wouldn’t. It didn’t feel like he took photos near constantly simply because he enjoyed doing so. All the talk about things being photogenic, cute, or trendy just made it all feel…not real. It was just a feeling that she didn’t have a clear word for, nor would she say something like that out loud.

“Why do you call me that?” Yuuna asked instead. “I notice you’ve been calling me Bunny.”

Cater twirled a strand of his hair, a tick of his that she began to find pretty endearing. “Because you’re cute and bunnies are cute, so it kinda fits.” She didn’t believe that was the full reason. “And you kinda remind me of the old tale from the Queendom of Roses.”

There it is.

“There was a white rabbit that was the queen’s most loyal attendant. He’s described to be a jack of all trades, capable of many things in order to help tend to everyone in the kingdom. He was a pretty beloved figure, after the Queen of course. The rabbit went just about anywhere to help others out. The Queen even gave him a special pocket watch so he could have everything done down to the second. He was big on being punctual.”

“So you think I’m punctual?” She didn’t understand what he was trying to say.

“I just think you’ve been going out of your way to help people, especially people like Riddle and ADeuce. And you’re cute, like I said before.” He winked at her, but she rolled her eyes at his weak flirtation.

She’d accept that answer.

A glance to her left made her look at her reflection in a small shop’s window. And just beyond that reflection were walls decorated in skateboards of all shapes and colors. Her feet stopped, no longer following Cater. She stood there, marveling at everything in that shop from the outside.

“And there’s a crepe shop nearby if you’re up for,” Cater paused when he noticed that the girl he was conversing with as now longer around, “it?” He looked around, wondering where she could’ve gone. His eyes finally landed on her still form with her face almost pressed up against the shop’s window. He quietly made his way over to see what she was looking at.

A girl as cute as her must’ve found a nice boutique or something, he reasoned out. But to his surprise, he saw all the skateboards when he peered through the glass. “You got an interest in skateboards?”

“Not just an interest,” she replied, finally taking her eyes off the shop. “I used to have one before I came here. I loved to practice on it. Even painted it myself.”

“And you couldn’t take it with you here?”

He regretted bringing it up, seeing the soft joy suddenly drain from her as she stared back into the store. “Sorta… It broke.”

Oh. “Well, maybe we can come back and get you one!” he suggested, putting a bright smile back on his face in order to cheer her up.

“H-Huh?! No, no, you really don't have to do that!” Skateboards were expensive, as far as she remembered. Not to mention she had absolutely none of the things she’d need to keep up proper maintenance on it. It was a nice gesture, but she was sure she’d feel like crap if he did something so extravagant for her.

“It’s no big deal, I promise,” Cater tried to reassure her, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Consider it an early birthday gift. Or late birthday. Whichever it is. And we could even go to a skate park together or something. You just gotta let me get pics of you catching air.”

His method worked, her smile returning. It was brighter than before, the prospect of doing tricks like old times making her feel genuinely happy. And it really showed in the way she looked up at him with excitement for that day to come. “You got a deal!”

Cater suddenly felt a little flustered, not fully expecting that sort of joyful expression. He was glad to have chased away the solemn mood but now he had a whole new issue on his hands. So he just decided to ignore those feelings and focus on why they were out here in the first place.

His hand moved down her arm to hold her own hand, tugging her along back in the direction they were originally heading.

“So I don’t lose you in the crowd,” he reasoned, even if his heart did a little flip when she tightened her grip and nodded. “As I was saying, there’s this crepe shop we can visit when we’re done looking for a phone. They got some sweet new flavors that are totally trending.” When he looked her way to see what she thought of the idea, he was met with a confused stare. “What?”

“But you don’t like sweet things,” Yuuna said. “I remember Trey saying that at the Unbirthday Party.”

“Well, yeah… But that’s a small price to pay for some good, cammable pics.”

She looked a little hesitant, staring away at random stores they passed. But then her eyes met his own. “Or maybe I can get a savory flavor, and once you’re done taking pics, we can switch,” she offered. “Or we can go to this confectionery in town that has this chocolate with chili in it. It should be right up your alley to eat and also cute enough to look at. It checks all the boxes.”

Where have you been all my life, was what he had the sudden urge to blurt out. But he didn’t, part of him unsure how to take in this level of genuine consideration for the things he liked. First the skateboards and now offering up solutions that would get him both good Magicam pics and food he could actually stomach? Just who was this girl?

She was dangerous for him, that much he knew.

They finally rounded up to the store sitting on a corner street, the green neon sign for the store brightly lit up even in the day.

“Wow,” she breathed out, a bit amazed by the spectacle. It definitely didn’t look like a place that sold things for cheap.

“This is it,” Cater stated. “So what kind of phone plan do you have? That might make looking for a specific model a little easier.

Yuuna went quiet, her face twisting into one of abject horror and utter embarrassment. Her hand slipped from his when she did a double facepalm. Fuck. “I completely forgot.” How the hell did she forget the most basic part of owning a phone? She could blame it on her fuzzy memories but that would be a cheap justification at best.

She wanted to fall to her knees and accept her fate. She wasn’t going to be a phone fanatic like Cater, but it would’ve been nice to text her friends whenever and have a notes app or something. This world’s social media wasn’t something she felt like getting involved in anyway.

“I’m so sorry,” she apologized. “I dragged you all the way out here for nothing.” She would have to work something out with Crowley if she wanted a phone. And knowing how cheap that bird was, she wasn’t going to expect much from him.

“Not for nothing,” he corrected, holding up his phone. “I got some great pics for my Magicam,” he paused just to watch her pout, “and that crepe shop is a couple blocks away from here.”

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

“Smile!”

Yuuna did exactly that, holding up her chicken pesto crepe with a wide smile, Cater sitting next to her with a super sweet concoction that she couldn’t catch the full name of. She was used to the sound of his camera’s shutter by now, having taken a ton of photos while they walked all the way to the crepe shop. It was a sign to her that she was feeling more comfortable around Cater at his antics. At least his antics didn’t lead in sudden fires or fist fights; just a bad photo or two.

“Now gimme.” As promised, she took the sugary sweet crepe out of his hands and handed the savory one off to him.

He gratefully took it, taking a nonchalant bit as he once again went about adding filters and hashtagging the hell out of their photos. “Mm, this is good! No wonder they’ve got such a good rep.”

“I’m just glad you’re eating something you like,” she said, proceeding to take a bite of her own crepe and grimacing. But she quickly hid it. “Oof, that’s a lot of sugar.” And as a person who loved sweets, that really said something. Cater would’ve definitely despised this as someone who enjoyed the savory spectrum more.

Cater laughed at her changing expressions, leaning back in his seat and finally putting his phone away. He got enough pics to get him plenty of likes for the day. It was hard to keep his eyes off of her anyway. He had to admit that it was nice to actually eat something from the places he visited and actually wanting to finish it over taking a few pics and only stomaching about half of the treats before tossing them out.

He took another bite, enjoying the comfortable atmosphere between them. It was the first time he felt like he could be just a little more real. Conversation between them flowed easily, and Yuuna kept things light. But she wasn’t afraid to talk a little more seriously either. She trusted him enough to talk about her home world. Besides, it was kind of a widely known fact after the Dark Mirror kinda totally exposed her at orientation. But he felt like her diving deep into her returning memories with him was a huge honor.

They eventually had to leave once they finished their crepes, not wanting to loiter too much. But once they stepped outside, the sky had gone gray and rain drizzled down onto the city. He hadn’t even noticed that the sun was no longer shining, too engrossed in his time with Yuuna.

“Huh, that’s weird.” He looked down at the street, watching the droplets of water delicately stain the pavement. “The weather didn’t say there’d be rain.”

“That’s okay. We can wait it out here.”

Cater stood under the awning with Yuuna, watching her stare up at the crying gray sky with a look that he could only describe as absolute peace. She looked so…free, left unbothered by the world around her in that very moment. He yearned to know what the world looked like in her eyes, to experience those small moments of joys alongside her and have more moments like this with her… Oh.

Oh.

Oh no.

This was so not good.

He felt like running and freezing in place at the same time. Crushes were so not his thing. They were the concepts of sappy romance movies and books. Besides, for someone like him, those kinds of things were bound to never last long.

“Cater?” Yuuna’s voice made the spiraling thoughts cease, glancing her way with his usual, if forced, chipper smile.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

Her raised brow was a clear sign that she didn’t believe him. “Are you okay? You were looking a little dazed.”

“Yup, totally fine,” he answered a little too quickly. “Just random thoughts. I get those sometimes.”

“Alright.” She let the subject go, holding her hand out to feel the rain on her skin. “If you feel like sharing, I don’t mind listening.”

But that’s the problem. He twirled a strand of loose hair, watching the sky as the rain slowly lightened up, nearing its completion as the clouds rolled. She had meant those words genuinely, he knew. She was just concerned for him, like someone who wanted to be his friend. And honestly, he wasn’t sure how to deal with all these sudden feelings.

Especially when Yuuna deserved way better. She should have someone more genuine, someone who knew exactly who they were and would stick around to be there for her. He wasn’t exactly well-known for those things. She went out of her way to save Riddle and stand up for her friends, standing proud like the Queen of Hearts reincarnated. He had easily bowed his head to his housewarden’s tyranny.

But it was fine. Everything would be just fine. Crushes were temporary about ninety percent of the time anyway. Even as they were finally able to leave the awning as the rain stopped and take the bus back to campus, Cater absolutely refused to dwell on it any further. He felt kinda bad for staying silent the whole time, but she didn’t push. Because she was just good like that.

They went their separate ways, letting him breathe a little easier once he was back in the dorm. He felt kinda wired for that final stretch, but he didn’t exactly hate it completely. Even now, he had the urge to relive the day, something he wasn’t used to feeling. But he could probably brush all of this off with a good night’s sleep.

Besides, it’s not like he’d be lying awake at night thinking about her.

Right?

Chapter Text

“Grim, stop squirming,” Yuuna groaned slowly, feeling the cat’s tiny paws kick at her hip under the sheets. She turned over on her side, trying to get away from him.

“Nyaah, I can’t sleep,” he grumbled. “I don’t know why. This is killing me!”

She sighed quietly, sitting up and pulling back the covers to see Grim wiggling around and trying to find a comfortable spot.

“Come here.”

She wasn’t met with too much resistance, just a bit of grumbling, when she picked him up and moved him onto her lap. Gently stroking his fur, she started humming a soft tune.

“What’s that…?”

“A lullaby I remember,” she answered, keeping to her rhythmic, soothing movements. “Your oh-so-loyal servant is going to help you sleep.”

“Cast away your worries my dear.

For tomorrow comes a new day.

Hold to me, you’ve nothing to fear.

For your dreams are not far away…”

“Sounds…lame…” Grim mumbled with much less bite than usual, drifting in and out of sleep.

She continued her song, letting her soft voice fill the room. As she continued to stroke her admittedly soft fur, she could feel his chest rise and fall steadily beneath her hand. By the time her song ended, the fiery furball was fast asleep, unconsciously snuggling up to her. It was kinda cute.

“Sleep tight, Grim,” she whispered.

She glanced out the window, looking out at the moonlight shining in through her window. The night felt much more peaceful than the chaotic hubbub of the day. Even in a different world, the stillness of night brought her a sense of ease. Looking out the window, she noticed strange lights floating around just outside the dorm. Even from up on the second floor and with how distant they were, she could clearly see a bright green glow, softly flickering.

Maybe that’s what fireflies were like in this world…

With a yawn, she finally settled down into bed, careful to not shift too much and wake Grim. She was fine with him sleeping on her stomach for now. She just wanted to sleep…

Yuuna stood among hundreds of wild animals, all stomping their feet and crying out to the heavens above. She tried to navigate around them, careful not to get too close in fear of getting trampled. The feeling that she was having felt so familiar, like when she saw that Queen.

But even with her lucidity, this dream would not change to her random whims. Everything played out so specifically.

The sky was covered in puffy white clouds, a gentle breeze rushing across the scenery and blowing her braids in wild directions. She moved as she was compelled, making her way closer and closer to a huge cliffside. A mandrill slowly moved forward to the cliff’s edge, two majestic lions following just behind. But it didn’t look like they were ready to eat the primate or corner it to fall off the cliff. They looked more like a king and queen ready to address their people.

It felt kind of silly to think that way, as she was sure that the animal kingdom didn’t exactly work like that, no matter what her kid self might’ve wanted to think.

The cloud’s began to part, a beam of sunlight gracing the land exactly where the mandrill held a lion cub up to the sky. The animal roared, their calls resounding throughout the grassy land, like they were celebrating. In a giant wave, they all lowered to the ground, bowing their heads.

Maybe the animal kingdom was actually a kingdom in this scenario.

When she finally awoke from her strange dream, Grim was still laying on her stomach, happily snoozing. At least he got some sleep last night. But now he was getting heavy.

“Grim.” She nudged him, trying to gently wake him up.

“Mmm… Myahh…” But all he did was grumble in his sleep, a toothy grin starting to spread on his face. “Take that. And that… That’s what you get…for defying Grim the Great…”

Fascinating. He’s obnoxious even in his sleep.

By this point, she’d had enough. Giving him no warning, Yuuna quickly sat up, making Grim unceremoniously roll off of her. The sudden jolt was enough to wake him, leaving him scrambling and blinking between reality and dreams.

“Nyaaa! You’ll pay for that youー! Oh.” She watched him become more aware of his surroundings, then slump back onto the bed. “Aw man. It was just getting to the good part.”

“Mhm, sure. Now fix that bedhead,” or was it bed fur, “and let’s go.”

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

“I can’t believe you slept through class!” Yuuna complained as she, Grim, and her two Heartslabyul friends walked into the cafeteria for lunch. “As if I wasn’t already on thin ice with Professor Trein.”

History and magical theory were clearly not her best subjects, as her grades suggested. Maybe she should just swallow her pride and ask him for more reference material. Even if she was from another world, he wasn’t going easy on her in the slightest.

“It’s not my fault!” the monster cat tried to argue. “He must’ve used some sort of sleep spell on me. It took everything I had to resist it.”

“As if,” Deuce countered from behind him. “You were slumped in your seat not even three minutes in.”

“Can we talk about Grim’s bad sleeping habits another time?” Ace asked, looking towards all the goodies lined up for the students to grab. “It’s time to eat! And today’s Bakery Day! So I’m definitely gonna grab some premium grub.”

Ah, so that’s why the students were swarming the food like ravenous beasts. She had heard some groups of students talking about today’s lunch in the hall. Apparently, there was a well-renowned bakery in town that sometimes contributed food to the school cafeteria. And like anything of the sort, they’d be in limited supply. So it was first come, first serve.

It was no wonder they were all drooling over the food. She could see the tables lined with all sorts of delicious-looking selections. There were hot sandwiches, pies, tarts, brownies, and just about all the pastries you could expect a bakery to have. She really, really wanted some, but she wasn’t ready to body check people to get it.

“Guess we better get in line,” she suggested, “before everything’s gone.”

“Definitely,” Deuce agreed. “I’m sure Grim’s gonna want to stuff everything here down his gullet.” When he received no retort for the insult, he looked down at the ground, only to find the monster had already gone off to cut in line to swipe his desired delicacy. “How’d he get over there so fast?!”

“What the hell?!”

“Stupid cat! I was here first!”

“Hey, paws off my bagel!”

“Grim! No! Bad cat!” Yuuna rushed over, pulling him by the collar to get him away from the students that looked ready to throw punches.

“Nyaaaah! What’s the big idea?! Cut it out!” He resisted, digging his claws into the counter as Yuuna tugged at him, his eyes transfixed on a deluxe katsudon sandwich.

“Come here, you little glutton!”

“Uh…we’re just gonna go…” Seeing that the cat was facing a wrath far worse than their own, the students that were ready to fight him for cutting in line slowly backed away with the food they managed to snag already. It seemed he was already in for a fitting punishment.

By the time she finally managed to pry him away from the line, he had managed to snag the last katsudon sandwich, a cronut, and a bear claw. Meanwhile, the cafeteria ghosts pitied her and handed her a couple of fresh pizza bagels. She also grabbed a fudgy brownie for a treat. Their little group convened at one of the tables, their treats displaying whatever else they snagged.

“This roast beef smells so good,” Ace praised, practically salivating as he picked his sandwich up.

“Oh yeah, time to dig in!” Grim happily exclaimed, going to town on the cronut.

“Gross,” she grumbled. “If you eat that fast, you’re gonna choke. And I’m not giving you my iced tea.” She emphasized her point by taking a big sip from the straw, the taste of sweet raspberries hitting her tongue.

“Yeah, yeah, keep your stupid tea.” Cronut crumbs littered his maw. But he didn’t care as he now eyed his grand prize, the katsudon sandwich. “Come to Grim, you delicious meaty morsel!”

Before he could stuff his face once more, someone approached their table. “Hey there! Looks like you got yourself a deluxe katsudon sandwich.”

“Yeah, so?!” Grim looked ready to defend it like it was his child, his fur standing on end.

“No need to be so hostile, friend,” he tried to appease.

As this was going on, Yuuna stared at him, feeling a sense of familiarity. His fuzzy ears twitched atop his head, bluish-gray eyes holding a spark of mischief. It took a second before it clicked. “Hey, I know you. You’re the one that was with Leona that one time.”

“Huh?” Ace and Deuce shot her confused looks, not having heard this information before. Frankly, she thought it was irrelevant at the time, so she didn’t say anything.

“Hm?” He looked away from Grim, focusing on her. He grinned, resting his hands behind his neck casually. “Ah, yeah! You’re the girl who gave Leona a good old kick in the pants.”

“He deserved it,” she justified. She rarely said things that she didn’t mean, and Leona had it coming for the stunt he pulled at the greenhouse.

He held his hands up in defense. “Hey, I ain’t judging ya. Getting a front row seat to that silver spoon hot shot getting knocked down a peg? Sign me up.”

“Uh-huh.” At least he wasn’t like Leona, at least from what she was witnessing so far. There was a village worth of arrogance in that guy alone. “Uh, sorry, I don’t remember your name. I’m Yuuna.”

The hyena sighed, shrugging his shoulders. “Wow, so you remember Leona, but not me? That’s just cold. But it makes sense. I haven’t seen you around too often. The name’s Ruggie.”

“Ruggie. Got it. And don’t take this the wrong way, but Leona is kinda hard to forget,” and with a roll of her eyes added, “no matter how hard I try.”

Ruggie cackled softly. “Shyeheehee, you’re funny. Anyway, onto why I’m here.” He regarded Grim again, who miraculously didn’t use the opportunity to down the sandwich. “I really, really wanted that sandwich, but I was just a few seconds late. So how about a trade?” In his hand, he held a hot dog bun. Not even a whole hot dog, just a plain bun. “Your deluxe katsudon sandwich for this nice, fresh bun.”

“Keep dreaming!” Grim argued, too much of a food-hungry gremlin to take the obviously unfair deal. “These are the spoils of war!”

A bit dramatic, but not completely inaccurate. This whole interaction made her feel skeptical for some reason, eyeing the hyena as he tried to convince Grim to make the trade.

“Aw, come on, please? Won’t you help a poor guy out here?”

The monster yelped as his body jerked forward, taking the plate with the sandwich into his paws and lifting it up for Ruggie to take. “Wh-What the?! What in the name of tuna is happening?!”

Everyone watched this incredibly strange interaction, but Ace noticed that Yuuna was glancing out the window a couple times. “Whatcha lookin’ at?”

“Just making sure pigs aren't gonna fly by,” she quickly answered before returning her sights to the little trade.

Something didn’t feel right. And not just because Grim was never one to share food with anyone for any reason. She eyed Ruggie with a sense of skepticism, wondering what he could’ve done to convince the cat to take him up on his unfair offer.

The hyena grinned widely, taking the plate and swapping it out for the hot dog bun. “Wow, thanks chum! You’re a swell guy! I’d stay and join your little group, but I gotta run.”

Once he was gone, Grim finally let his outstretched paws fall limply to his side, tears gathering in his eyes at the loss of his glorious meaty meal. “What just happened?! That so wasn’t fair!”

“Then why did you trade with him?” Deuce asked, having witnessed Grim giving away his food for something less than mediocre.

“I didn’t!” Grim tried to argue. “I mean, I did , but I didn’t mean to! It was like I didn’t have any control over my body anymore! Next thing I know, he’s making off with my sandwich. Grrrr! This stinks! Just let me carry on and eat my feelings!”

“Don’t you dare.” She used her arm to block his path to her food, already dealing with his food snatching back at their dorm. “Just eat so we can see Crowley after this.”

“Oh yeah,” Ace said, “the headmage did say he wanted to talk to us. We haven't broken any school rules since the chandelier…I think. Great, now I’m getting nervous.” He shook his head, taking another bite of his roast beef.

“Most likely it’s about what happened to our housewarden,” Deuce stated thoughtfully. “We and most of the dorm were there to witness it. But all of us here were actually the ones to get him back to his senses.”

Yuuna had stopped listening, tuning out the world to focus once again on the events of just a few minutes ago. Grim willingly giving food away was odd enough. The only time she got some food from him was when she had to practically fight him for it. It was best to watch herself around Ruggie. She had a feeling that his sly demeanor ran deeper than she initially witnessed.

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

“Wakey wakey, Leona! It’s lunch time!” Ruggie stood by a familiar patch of the botanical garden, looking down at the lion who lazed about on the ground.

Leona yawned, exposing his sharp fangs for a few seconds. He sat up, running a hand through his thick mane to shake out any blades of grass. “Noon already?”

“Yup, now chow down! I went through a whole lot of trouble to get you this; one deluxe katsudon sandwich and an iced tea.” He handed the plate over to his housewarden, the sandwich atop it still warm and gooey. “Seriously, why do you always have to make demands for the popular items on the menu during this time?”

“Ain’t that obvious?” he retorted. “It being popular only makes me want it more.”

“Yeah, whatever.” Ruggie shook his head, unable to comprehend Leona’s line of thinking. “I’ll never understand you. Me? I’ll eat anything so long as it’s moldy or spoiled. But I doubt you’d relate, Your Highness .”

“I’m basically a commoner at this stage. I’m second in line, so the chances of inheriting the throne are low.”

The sandy blonde clicked his tongue, still not one to comprehend royal life. All that he understood was that those silver spoon folks got five star meals on the daily and the finest silks in their clothes. “This just reminds me of the time you mistook a picture of my family’s home for a doghouse.”

Leona paused when he took a bite of the sandwich. He swallowed, silent for a few seconds. “Did I…really do that?”

“You sure did! Man, I wish my perspective on life was as warped as yours. Guess that’s what a life of luxury will do to you.”

“Nah.” The lion turned his back to the hyena, taking an irritated sip of his tea. “Royal life stinks. Hard work? Talent? That stuff means nothing in the end. Our food chain is basically our order of birth. That’s it.”

Well, when he put it that way… “Yeah, that does kinda sound like it would suck.” But before he could turn to leave, a thought suddenly popped up. “Oh right! You still have that housewarden meeting today about the upcoming tournament. I’m serious, Leona. You better be there.”

Leona’s tail thumped harshly against the ground. “Tch. Nothing but a headache.”

“Come on. You gotta at least do a few things that come with the job. Since you get perks like having the biggest dorm room all to yourself.”

“I get it. So stop barking in my ear.” He set the now empty plate and glass aside, leaning back to lie against the grass once more, turning on his side to avoid the rays of sunlight beaming through the glass roof from getting in his eyes. “Wake me up when lunch break is over. I’m going back to sleep.”

“Are you serious? You were just snoozing the whole morning.” But Ruggie couldn’t get another word in, noticing that Leona was already down for the count. He sighed, deciding to leave and grab his own food before everything was gone.

And hopefully when he got there, that girl and her friends would be gone.

He noticed the way she was staring him down, like she was trying to make sense of what exactly he was capable of. That was honestly an admirable trait in his book. Always keep an eye on those around you to determine if they’re predatory or prey. Her gaze was definitely not that of a naive little kid who only wished to see the best in everyone. But her possibly figuring him out could lead to a lot of trouble if things were going to proceed as planned. If that’s how she wanted to play, he’d be keeping his eye on her too.

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

“We’re here, Headmage,” Deuce announced before they all stepped into Crowley’s office.

“Welcome,” Crowley greeted. “You are right on time. I know you are all curious, so I will get to the point. With the chaotic matter of Heartslabyul now wrapped up, I believe I should give a more detailed explanation to those at the forefront of the situation; you all. Not to mention, it’s important for you to fully understand the gravity of what befell the housewarden.”

“You said he ‘overblotted,’” Yuuna quoted, still unsure about what exactly that menat. But from what they had gone through, it clearly wasn’t a light matter. “And that it was the result of using too much magic paired with negative emotions.”

He stood from his seat, rounding the desk to stand at the front. He leaned against it, his arms crossed. “Right you are. ‘Blot,’ in basic terms, is a form of waste that is created as a byproduct of magic. Think of it like a car. They run on gasoline, but using it also results in expelling harmful gas into the atmosphere. By this logic, as you consume magical energy to cast spells, blot is expelled in equal amounts.”

Wow , she thought. So magic can’t be used in excess. At least that’s a grounding factor. If these guys could use intense magic willy-nilly… She shuddered at the thought.

“Research into blot has existed since the dawn of time,” the headmaster continued. “However, we still have very few answers. But we do know that it’s a toxic existence that will wreak havoc on a mage’s body and mind.”

“And here I thought my folks were just telling me not to overdo my magic so I wouldn’t break another lamp…”

“Great consequences will always exist with great power. Blot is an unavoidable substance, so even the most talented of mages are careful with their magic. In order to grasp it more thoroughly, I’ve prepared an interactive method.” With a snap of his fingers, a couple ghosts floated up from the floor. “Now prepare yourselves. My generous soul has set this up just for you!”

“This day just keeps getting worse!” Grim complained, readying himself for another fight.

Thankfully, it didn’t last long. All it took was a few hits of magic and the ghosts yielded. After dealing with Riddle’s overblot, fights like these, even if all she did was watch from the sidelines, seemed a hell of a lot easier.

“That’s enough for now,” Crowley announced. “Now, direct your attention to your magestones.”

The three did as directed, all of their faces collectively paling at whatever they saw.

“What is it?”she asked from her spot against the wall.

“There’s some gross black stuff on my precious stone!” the little monster shrieked, rubbing at the gem with his paws. “It’s not coming off!”

“He’s right!” Deuce exclaimed, looking at the inky stains on his once glittering red magestone.

“ That is blot. It receives its name from its inky blackness that looks to stain a magestone.

“So it just…doesn’t come off?” she asked, standing next to Ace and seeing the blot on his magestone too.

“It will,” Crowley assured. “With proper rest to recharge your magical energy back to healthy levels, the blot will dissipate. But this is also why magestones are so vital. They act as a lightning rod for magic, redirecting the blot into the stone rather than letting it fester in the body.”

“So even people who are total pros at magic need to ease up once in a while,” Ace acknowledged, understanding the gist. “Seems simple.”

“Correct,” the headmaster confirmed. “But it’s nothing that mages at your level need to worry about.” He grinned as he added, “You’re very fortunate in that way.”

“I feel like we should be insulted,” Deuce muttered.

“I think I get it now,” Grim said. “Basically, use magic, get blot. Blot bad. Sleep and eat good food, blot goes away. But is that really all it took for Riddle to go berserk?”

“Normally, no. But the speed at which blot accumulates is also tied into a mage’s mental state. Anger, fear, sorrow, pain. All of these negative energies hastens blot’s accumulation by a significant degree. And with too much, it will lead to an overblot.

Do you remember the monstrous shadow behind Rosehearts?”

How could she forget? The image haunted her dreams when she first closed her eyes after that fight, its inky arms threatening to drag her into a dark pond of sludge and pull her under. “Yeah. And it looked like it was moving in sync with Riddle. Is that supposed to mean it was his negative feelings given a physical form?”

“Very astute of you, Miss Yuuna. That monster was indeed a creation of the blot absorbing Roseheart’s negative energies from his mental distress. But that’s about all we know of the matter. After all, there aren’t too many opportunities to observe and research the phenomenon.”

“And let’s hope it stays that way!” Ace snarked, crossing his arms. She could agree that she didn’t want to deal with that much chaos again.

“To all of you, I am truly grateful that you were able to snap Rosehearts out of that state before it could escalate any further.” His sincerity left the students in genuine shock, never seeing him give thanks. “Because if it continued… AAAH!” The shock gave way to fright when it suddenly yelled at the top of his lungs. “The prospect is too horrifying to think about!”

Grim jumped back, ducking behind her leg. “Dude, not so loud!”

“Ahem… Forgive me. I lost my composure for a moment. In conclusion, using magic of any kind will always come with a degree of risk. And it is your responsibility to make sure those risks don’t become too great. Is that understood?”

“Yes, sir,” they all spoke in sync.

“Excellent! That concludes the special lesson from your very generous headmage! Back to class with you now.”

“While I’m here,” she stepped forward, “did you make any progress on sending me back home, preferably with my memories intact?”

“A-Ah, yes, that…” Crowley nervously glanced around the room, already giving her the answer. “Well, you see! That is exactly where the conundrum lies! Your missing memories have proven to be an obstacle in knowing exactly where to send you. Magic that makes people just between worlds is unheard of, after all. It’s very lengthy work! But rest assured, I have been very diligent about it!”

Her intense stare was enough to tell him that she wasn’t convinced. “And besides, with the interdorm spelldrive tournament coming up, my mind has otherwise been preoccupied. In fact, there will be a housewarden meeting to discuss the tournament just after this exchange.”

“I’ve heard about it since there’s a sports club for it,” she said thoughtfully. “But I have no idea what it is.”

“Me neither,” Grim concurred.

“They seriously don’t have spelldrive in your world?!” Ace exclaimed. “Man, you’re missing out.”

“It’s a world-famous sport,” Deuce explained. “There are even pro leagues and a world championship for it.”

“It’s basically a sport played by two teams, each with seven people. They battle for control of a disc which they then try to launch into the enemy’s team goal. And whichever team scored more points when time runs out wins.”

“I think I get it,” she said, searching through her clearer memories. “It kinda sounds like soccer but with a frisbee.”

“Soccer?” Deuce asked. “What’s that?”

“It’s a sport that I have a few memories of. It has teams fighting to kick a ball into the opponent’s goal. It’s called a few other names in different parts of the world.”

Crowley nodded, noting this piece of information. “Soccer… I see. Perhaps researching that topic could give me a clue as to where your home is.”

“Now that I think about it,” Ace said, “I don’t think you’d be able to play, Yuuna.”

“Huh? Why’s that?” The only reason she could think of was…oh. “You play with magic, don’t you?”

“Bingo.”

Deuce nodded. “You use magic to control the disc, defend and attack, and basically everything. I guess it’s implied in the name.”

“The flashier, the better! Every spelldrive player wants to stand out to the audience.”

“Indeed!” Crowley piled onto the excitement, no doubt grateful for the shift in conversation. “And Night Raven College is known throughout the world as one of the top leaders in the sport! Not a year goes by that one of our students isn’t recruited to become a pro player!”

He realized he was getting a little too excited, clearing his throat and returning to a decent volume level. “Anyway, this is the importance of the interdorm spelldrive tournament. Pro league recruiters and those looking for hopeful candidates always flood the stands. That’s why there is an entire event centered around it, with students running various kiosks to sell food and merchandise to visitors. Not to mention that the game itself will be broadcasted live.”

Hm, okay. So it sounded like most of the sports events in her world. She could vaguely remember a friend taking her to one, the memory of her chowing down on an obscenely overstuffed dessert hot dog becoming clearer in her mind. “You’re right. That’s pretty amazing.”

“Broadcasted all over the world, you say,” Grim muttered, slowly moving out from behind her leg. “So if I were to play in that tournament一of course, I’d win too一then all of Twisted Wonderland would see it?!”

Oh great , she sighed. She could see where this was going.

Deuce laughed softly, imagining Grim running around on the field. “In your case, you're bound to turn a lot of heads. There’s never been a monster playing spelldrive before.”

The headmaster beamed. “Of course. Players who exhibit great skill and show off their abilities at the tournament will undoubtedly attract attention.”

“Woohoo! Then count me in! Grim the Great is in it to win it. I’m gonna win that tournament and everyone around the world will be cheering my name!”

“Unfortunately, Grim, you are not allowed to enter.”

That’s when Yuuna could pinpoint the second that Grim’s heart ripped in half. His smug and energized grin slumped down into shock and despair, tears in his eyes at his dreams getting stomped on.

“What?! But why?!”

“As I said, this is an interdorm tournament,” Crowley clarified, “and Ramshackle has not been recognized as an official dorm, seeing as there are only two people in it. And two people cannot make a team.”

“But… But… It’s not fair…” He plopped his furry bottom right on the floor to sulk.

“Cheer up, Grim,” the headmaster tried to console. “There are many other things you could do. You and Miss Yuuna could sell food or drinks, perhaps even help with the prep work.”

“No way!” the cat instantly denied, still teary-eyed. “I wanna be on tv!”

Seriously, it was like dealing with a toddler, listening to him throw a tantrum and insisting he play so the crowds would praise his skills. But he only heard of the sport today, so she didn’t know what “skills” he was talking about.

“It’s not the end of the world, Grim,” she said. “I’m sure there will be tons of opportunities to annoy your way into your own tv segment. This is just not one of those times.”

“Anyway, I am a very busy man, so I must be off. But before I do, this conversation has reminded me what I needed to discuss with you, Miss Yuuna. I would like you to accompany me to the housewarden meeting.”

“Huh?!” Everyone in the room once again gasped in surprise hearing the headmaster’s decision.

“But, um, why?” she had to ask. “You just said Ramshackle can’t participate in the tournament.” Her title was Prefect, and the only other person in the dorm was a gluttonous, fire-breathing monster.

“Though you may not be an official housewarden of one of the main dorms, you have still assumed the responsibilities of one. Therefore, it is important that you stay in-the-know about many of these events.”

Mhm. The way his eyes shifted a couple times left her unconvinced that those were the real reasons. He probably just wanted an extra set of hands to pile work onto. But she wouldn’t squander this opportunity. Less chances to be left disoriented and confused in this new world would be beneficial. And it would leave Crowley with slowly diminishing excuses as to not finding ways to send her home.

“Alright, I’ll go.”

“Hey!” Grim shouted. “What about me?! Why can’t I be Housewarden? I’m the real boss here!”

Ace sighed, shaking his head. “Because Yuuna’s got both the title and opposable thumbs.”

Deuce nodded. “I don’t think they’ll be in an uproar to put a monster in a housewarden seat so fast.”

And to steamroll over Grim’s spirits even further, Crowley added, “And this is a meeting that only Miss Yuuna is permitted to attend. So you will have to return to your dorm in the meantime.”

“Ace, Deuce, do you mind watching out for him?” she asked pleadingly. “I’ll come get him as soon as the meeting’s over.”

“No prob. Go do your thing. Let’s go, Grim. I’m sure we can hang out at our dorm for a while.”

Grim did follow the duo, but he dragged his feet while muttering softly. “Way to crush my dreams over and over today…”

Maybe she would stop by the store and get him some tuna to cheer him up a little… Poor guy looked destroyed.

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

She followed Crowley into the mirror chamber, seeing that a round table was set up, the Dark Mirror hovering right in the center. Most of the seats were filled except for two. And she smiled when she recognized a couple faces.

“I have arrived,” the headmaster announced. “And I have brought along the newest addition, Miss Yuuna. She will be attending the meetings from now on. I will give you all a few moments to adjust to this change and then we shall begin.”

She straightened up her spine, hands folded at the front. She didn’t attempt to appear delicate, but just strong enough to stand next to these people. It was important to exude confidence when in a leadership position like this. No doubt they would have their eyes fixated on her, judging every move she makes in her new position.

“I didn’t expect you to be joining us, Yuuna,” Riddle spoke up, standing from his seat and walking over to her with a sweet smile that made her smile back. “Though I suppose I probably should have.”

“It’s a sudden arrangement for me too,” she reassured. “But I’ll do my best with the job I’ve been given.”

“Good. It’s important to have the right attitude when taking on the responsibilities of a housewarden. Even if the only member of your dorm is an unruly cat.”

She laughed, the truth of the statement making it funnier.

“Yuuna’s here? That’s awesome!” Kalim cheered, jumping up from his seat and rounding the table to give her an unexpected hug.

“Whoa, okay!” She stumbled a little, but quickly regained her balance and patted Kalim’s arms that were wrapped around her shoulders. “Good to see you too. I feel welcome already.”

“I see you’ve already met Kalim,” Riddle said.

“Yup!” The white-haired student grinned wide, finally letting go of her. “She came to check out the Light Music Club, but last I heard, she was head of the yearbook committee.” His smile turned brighter when he regarded her again. “I guess I should introduce myself better. I’m Kalim Al-Asim, Scarabia’s housewarden. And if you ever wanna come over to our dorm, I’ll be ready to throw a parade in your honor!”

“That…won’t be necessary…” She smiled politely as she rejected the offer, not wanting to be treated so extravagantly for no reason.

“Oh, wait!” Kalim scanned the room, searching for something. “There’s only enough seats for the seven housewardens. Where will you sit?”

“Oh, it’s fine.” She waved her hand, not wanting to trouble it. “I can just stand.”

“No way! A lady should be given a seat whenever possible! That’s what my dad taught me.”

“Really, it’s okay. I don’t mind. But if it makes you feel better, I’m sure I’ll get a place to sit next time.”

“What the heck?!” a familiar voice resonated from the seat occupied by an equally familiar floating tablet. “I’m gone for two minutes and I come back to everyone chatting it up like they’re old pals. Is the world ending?”

She smiled, waving just in case the tablet had a camera to see the room with, like any proper video chat. “Hey there, Idia. I didn’t know you were a housewarden too.”

“Eek!” His heightened pitch rang out, making her flinch. “Y-You! It’s you! Whyー?! Why are you here?!”

“Were you not listening at all?” Riddle admonished, crossing his arms. “Yuuna will be joining these meetings for the foreseeable future. Perhaps you should follow her example and show a readiness to participate. Maybe even come out of your hovel to discuss these meetings in person and properly represent Ignihyde as its housewarden.”

“Hey, I don’t judge your life choices,” she heard Idia mutter out before going quiet.

“I believe it’s only fair we all extend our greetings,” the only unfamiliar face in the room stated, standing from his seat and walking over to her.

She couldn’t help but be captivated by his presence alone. He was absolutely beautiful. The light makeup he wore perfectly accentuated the most important features of his absurdly flawless complexion and the light purple at the end of his blond locks really helped frame his face. She also noticed the purple and red armband, displaying Pomefiore’s emblem.

“I am Vil Schoenheit, housewarden of Pomefiore,” he introduced himself. “I’m sure you’ve heard of me.”

No, she hadn’t. Or, well, she had. This was the guy Cater told her had a whopping five million followers on social media, making him a bona fide celebrity. But she didn’t say any of that, still caught staring because how the hell was this guy prettier than any girl she’d ever met?

Vil noticed her staring and smirked. “Ah, I see you have been captivated by my beauty as well. Though I won’t rebuke you for it. It’s a natural reaction.”

Good feeling gone. Well, Crowley did warn her from the start that a lot of these guys would have major egos. She had set the bar too high; that was on her.

“Right… It’s nice to meet you.”

“Damn. The meeting hasn’t even started and it’s already too noisy.”

Uh-oh. She recognized that baritone voice, growling out each word with clear annoyance. She looked toward the door to see Leona walking in, his mouth open wide as he let out a guttural yawn. His sharp fangs glinted in the light, but she was no longer intimidated by such things. As he finally focused on the room, his forest green gaze landed right on her. He lifted an eyebrow and pointed his gloved hand in her direction.

“What’s that herbivore doing here?”

Riddle stepped in front of Yuuna as if to shield her from Leona. “If you weren’t late, you would already know. She is now to be a regular attendant of these meetings. It was the headmage’s decision.”

“Of course it was.” He rolled his eyes, speaking as if this was a common occurrence for someone like Crowley. And she would believe it. “Whatever. Let’s just get this over with.” He only regarded her for a moment, glancing her way as he passed her and then lazily dropping down into his seat. His lax posture was an outlier among the rest. Aside from the literal floating tablet Idia was using anyway.

“Now that that’s out of the way,” Crowley finally said, “I now call this meeting regarding the October Spelldrive tournament to order. The head of the tournament planning committee, Mr. Ashengrotto, will give his report first.”

“One moment.” Riddle stood from his seat, gesturing to the only empty chair. “We should have all housewardens be seated first. And seeing as Malleus will not be joining us, it would be only courteous to give Yuuna the seat.”

All attention was on her, making her nervous as she stood in place. “I guess, but… Is that alright? ” She didn’t know if there was an assigned seat policy, but it didn’t seem so.

“Just sit,” Leona directed, motioning to the empty seat right next to him. “I don’t wanna be here any more than I have to. I doubt most of us feel any different.”

He was really pissing her off. But she kept her composure, smiling at him with a bit of sharp edge as she walked over to sit. “How very thoughtful.”

“Are we free to continue?” the one she remembered as Azul, asked. But it felt rhetorical. “Good. As I was about to say, I am Azul Ashengrotto, and it is with great honor that I lead the planning committee.

She noticed Riddle shake his head with a silent sigh from across the table. But she did her best to pay attention to Azul and make mental notes of all the important points.

“First of all, we have officially booked the grounds surrounding the coliseum for this event. That means all the kiosk spaces for both internal and external business have been filled. And quite rapidly too.”

“That’s great!” Kalim cheered. “That means we’ll be welcoming Yuuna to the school with a super lively event this year!”

The silver-haired housewarden looked mildly annoyed by the interruption, but the expression was quickly replaced with a business-like smile. “Indeed. All invitations to various royalty have been sent out, and public tickets are nearly sold out. And much like last year, various news and media outlets have been bombarding us with requests to film the tournament.”

“That means the whole world’s gonna be watching,” Scarabia’s housewarden whispered to her. “Even before I came here, getting the VIP ticket to the event was a highlight of the year.”

VIP? Did that mean Kalim was from a really important family?

“Did you feel the same, Leona?” Kalim asked, his excitement in full gear. “Since you’re royalty and all, we could’ve bumped into each other when we were kids! I’m sure your family also got those box seats reserved for special guests. Wouldn’t it be funny if we’d been sitting right next to each other one year and didn’t realize it?”

Leona didn’t share the sentiment, slouching further into his seat. “Who knows? But also, who cares?”

Meanwhile, her mind geared to a quick halt as this sudden fact came to light. Leona and royalty weren’t exactly two words she thought would be in the same sentence. Sure, he gave off an air of someone who had lived his life without the most common struggles, but she had assumed he came from a rich family or something. She didn’t guess that he was actually prince material. Never judge a book by its cover, I guess.

Leona seemed to notice her shock, his lips turned down in a scowl, eyes narrowing. “What? Didn’t expect me to be part of royalty, even if I’m second born? Hmph. Sorry I’m not the prince charming you might’ve imagined.”

“That’s enough, Leona,” Riddle tried to defend, but she just held a hand up.

“It’s okay, Riddle,” she said with an oddly calm smile. Then she turned to Leona, not letting her smile fall. “Apology accepted.”

Leona glared at her for just a second long before it melted into a wide smirk. “Heh. This one’s cheeky too.”

“I’ll have to work extra hard this year,” Vil commented. “I must make sure my makeup is at its finest so I’ll even be glowing on the new Ultravision displays. Touching up will be near constant with all the exertion.”

“Only Pomefiore would call regular timeouts to fix their hair and makeup,” Riddle mumbled, but she was certain that if she could hear that, so could Vil.

“I really don’t get any of you,” Idia’s voice resonated from his tablet. “Just the thought of all those cameras on me makes me wanna throw up.”

“Guess the limelight isn’t for everyone,” she said with a soft laugh.

“If we may continue,” Azul interrupted once more, pushing up his glasses. “Now, as soon as your dorm’s player rosters are settled, I’ll need the registration documents as soon as possible. And if any dorm is a single day late一”

“Will be disqualified,” Riddle finished. “We know.”

“Nothing of the sort,” Azul retorted. “They’ll be charged a small handling fee as compensation for the rushing process.”

Now she was really grateful that she hadn’t considered making a deal with Azul when he offered it. He sounded like he would scam her out of a house and home.

“Changing the rules to fit your own greed. How distasteful.”

“Well I’m pretty grateful for it!” Kalim was less opposed to the idea, leaning back in his seat as if relieved to hear this change.

“Now onto another topic, as it still relates to the tournament,” Crowley announced. “I have a small proposal to make for the tournament bracket. It concerns the currently absent Diasomnia housewarden.”

She heard Leona mumble “ah fuck” just after Crowley mentioned the dorm. It was natural, she supposed, as she was aware that these houses weren’t exactly best friends. It was an unspoken rivalry.

“I suggest we induct Mr. Draconia into the hall of fame to keep him off the field entirely. He has already agreed to this idea.”

Everyone around the table, including herself, was left stunned by this proposal. She wasn’t sure how most of this worked, but at least she was sure that only super talented and skilled people ever got into a hall of fame for just about any sport or activity.

Leona recovered first, sneering at Crowley. “What are you yapping about now?”

“Ever since Mr. Draconia enrolled, Diasomnia has crushed its competition in every tournament. Their opponents have never scored a single point against them. And their housewarden is the one to score about ninety percent of their points every game, which always exceeds a hundred.”

One hundred?! That wasn’t just talent. It was inhuman skill. “That’s…That’s insane!”

“Insane is right,” Kalim agreed. “It felt hopeless when we went up against him last year. We were beaten to a pulp.”

“It’s like he’s got cheat codes at the ready,” Idia added. “He’s a game-breaking character for sure.”

“And as you know, this tournament is for more than just amusement. It is also an opportunity for spectators to discover talented new mages. However, that’s just the problem. With Mr. Draconia on the field, not a single mage from both his and the opposing team have been able to cast a single spell. There is no way to scope out potential talents if mages are unable to show their skills.”

“I’m all for it,” Idia said. “I can’t say getting trampled by him is our idea of fun either. So it’s just less hassle in the end.”

“And I’m certain you’ll agree too, Mr. Kingscholar.” Leona's ears flattened against his head when he was addressed. “I know there are many members of Savanaclaw that aspire to make it into the Spelldrive pro league. And they have never ranked below third place in the tournaments in the history of this school. But in recent years, you’ve been eliminated within the first round once you’ve matched with Diasomina. The prospects of impressing recruiters are quite low if that happens again.”

Watching the exchange, she could clearly see that this was a sore subject for Leona, his sour expression not letting up even once. But she could see why it felt a bit unfair.

“I disagree,” she spoke up, deciding to give her input. “I don’t think he should be placed in the hall of fame. Not yet, anyway.”

She had garnered the housewardens’ and headmasters’ attention with her statement, the opposing voice among those that wished to push this Malleus guy out of the game. “Oh?” Crowley questioned. “And why do you say that?”

“Well, from an objective point of view, it all seems a little sketchy. To give him this kind of honor right before the tournament will look like you’re trying to put a team at a disadvantage by taking away one of their best players. Or you’re just saying that Diasomnia already won, so what’s the point of even coming to watch the tournament if the results have already been decided?”

She didn’t realize she had risen from his seat until she realized that she was looking down at all the housewardens, who were still sitting. She cleared her throat and sat back down, suddenly feeling embarrassed for acting so boldly.

“It certainly brings me no pleasure in making this decision,” the headmaster justified, “but the facts speak for themselves. If Mr. Draconia is allowed to continue playing in the tournaments, no one will have a chance to stand out.”

“But she’s got a point.” Yuuna was stunned that Leona of all people would defend her point, but there he was. “Or are you saying you think we’ll look like a bunch of fools on the field this year too?”

“Regardless, if everyone here agrees to it, then the motion will be passed.”

“Then don’t expect my vote,” she said, leaning back in her seat.

“Me neither,” Leona agreed. “But lemme add one thing. I don’t appreciate you thinking we need this stupid handicap. Ain’t nothing I hate more than someone saying ‘you can’t win’ before a fight even starts. Spelldrive isn’t just a game about power. It’s about strategy, cunning.” The smirk she saw on his face was almost chilling, like there was more to his word than he was revealing.

“I don’t think any strategy my brain comes up with would beat Malleus,” Kalim lamented, making Leona chuckle.

“Well, yeah, not you. But I’m a different story. If this was just a game of brute force, he’d wipe out everyone. What if it’s a battle of wits instead? That’ll change things. The King of Beasts won his throne through cunning and persistence. The real challenge in this will be to find that winning strategy to dethrone the great Malleus. And once you find that…the rest is a piece of cake.”

Leona was right. Even if he was being real smug about it, he was right. Some games needed to be played using different angles. Taking a straightforward approach only did so much good.

“When you put it like that, it makes more sense,” the Pomefiore housewarden agreed, standing from his seat. “This plan is ludicrous. These two have valid points. Not to method, it will look like you’re showing blatant favoritism.”

“I also must oppose this ruling.” Riddle joined in, rising from his chair as well. “I refuse to go down without a fight, especially as one of the foremost mages here.”

“And who here doesn't wanna see the day where that smug, stuck-up jerk is on his knees, sobbing in defeat?” Leona’s smile turned a little more wicked. “Doesn’t just the thought make you wanna give it your all?”

“That’s a little much…” she tried to reason, but went ignored.

“That would certainly boost ratings,” Azul concurred, his smile devious and sharp. “If Malleus’s defeat was broadcast to the whole world…it would make headlines for months.”

“It’s not time to give up just yet!” Kalim was also on their side, if for more innocent reasons.

Now the only one with an opposing view was Ignihyde’s housewarden. “Seriously? You’re all just suddenly gonna rally around the worst option here?”

“See?” Leona said, facing Crowley. “Looks like we’re all against the idea. Malleus ain’t getting a free ride to the hall of fame just yet.”

These were a few moments of silence, the headmaster a little upset at this turn of events. But he sighed and crossed his arms. “Fine, I will rescind the proposal. But on one condition. If this tournament ends up as a repeat of previous years, then Malleus will be inducted without argument.”

“Then I just gotta make sure it doesn’t.”

“Then that wraps up the itinerary for today’s meeting,” Azul concluded. “Every dorm except Ramshackle will be expected to turn in their registration in the coming days. But please, take all the time you need… Heh heh heh.” His soft chuckle at the end was not that of someone who sincerely meant that.

“Now that he’s the topic of discussion,” Vil brought up, “can I assume that no one remembered to invite him again?”

The room went silent once more. But the expressions that Yuuna noticed when glancing around the room gave her the answer to that inquiry. Poor guy.  

“A-Anyway! This meeting is now adjourned!” Crowley motioned for everyone to leave, clearly not wishing to acknowledge his mistake upfront.

The housewardens and Yuuna did as instructed, leaving the mirror chamber one by one. They all went their separate ways, likely going back to their dorms now that classes were wrapping up. I should go grab Grim from Heartslabyul. Thinking about it, maybe she should’ve gone with Riddle to make the trip easier.

“Hey, herbivore.”

“Huh?” She turned around, hearing the voice that she could somehow tell was addressing her. Leona stood a few paces behind her. “What’s up?” If he tried to bark at her for what she said to him, then she was prepared to just walk away.

“I gotta say, I respect what you did back there.”

That…was not the direction she saw this conversation going. But she’d take it. “I just said what I felt about the situation. Even if I don’t have much intel, it still sounded unfair. But maybe that’s what was needed; someone who could think from an actual spectator’s point of view.”

“You got a point. Your little speech gave me the push I needed.”

“No problem? I can’t really chat right now. I gotta pick up a cranky kitty.”

“Ah, right. You’re babysitting that little tanuki thing.”

She laughed, still amused by the various things that people were guessing Grim was. “He’d claw your eyes out if he heard you say that.”

He smirked, but it was much less nefarious than the one he exhibited back at the meeting. “I’d like to see him try. Anyway, watch your step. I heard there’s been a few students getting too excited and taking a nasty fall when they’re not paying attention.”

“Got it. Thanks for the tip.”

As she left, not turning back to see the eyes that she felt were following her before turning the corner, she couldn’t shake this feeling of terrible knots in her stomach.

Chapter Text

“The tournament rosters should be final any day now,” she overheard a student excitedly tell his friend as she walked down the halls, passing them up as she descended the stairs. “I came up with this super cool new spell to use if I make the team. Even Professor Crewel was impressed.”

“Ha, that’s awesome!”

“Right? I can’t wait to show it to Housewarden Ridd一huh?! AAH!”

She turned around when she heard the noise while traveling down the hall, only to see the student she had heard earlier trip on a step and take a tumble down.

“Oh my god!” she yelled, quickly moving to help him once he hit the bottom. She hadn’t seen how far he had fallen, but she could see that his ankle wasn’t in good condition anymore.

“Ugh! It hurts!”

“It’s okay, we’ll get you to the nurse,” she tried to calmly say. Then she turned to where his friend still was midway up the stairs. “Don’t just stand there; help me.”

“A-Ah, right!”

“Here, lean on me.” She did her best to pull him up, shifting her weight so the guy could stand again. Her short stature wasn’t the ideal for asking him to hang off her shoulder, so she supported his middle instead while he hopped on one foot. “Get his other side,” she told the friend, “and we’ll take him together.”

“Y-Yeah… Thanks…”

Damn it. The perpetrator kept out of sight longer than he would have liked. He missed his opportunity to blend into the crowd now that the girl jumped in and interfered. He watched as she helped the guy with a now busted ankle hop down the hall to the nurse’s office. Maybe he needed to be just a little stealthier next time.

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

“Sorry I’m late,” Yuuna quickly apologized, standing in the doorway to Ace and Deuce’s room. She noticed Grim still moping, laying flat on his belly and grumbling to himself. What was she going to do with him? “Thanks for looking after him guys.”

“You’re just lucky the cat was too busy whining to cause any damages,” Ace complained. “He just laid here because Trey closed the kitchen. The oven’s been acting up. Otherwise, he was gonna ‘eat his feelings’. What was the hold-up anyway?”

Oh, right. Her lips shifted into a frown at the memory. “You’re not gonna believe this. A guy tripped and fell down the stairs. I was around so I helped his friend take him to the infirmary. Thankfully, the nurse was still there, so he got immediate care.”

“Was he badly hurt?” Deuce asked to which she nodded.

“Yeah, he twisted his ankle pretty badly. And he’s a Heartslabyul student, so you’ll probably be hearing more details about it soon.”

“Whoa, that’s awful. I heard rumors about students getting too excited about the tournament and being a little reckless, but I didn’t think they were true.”

Meanwhile, Grim rolled over onto his stomach, moaning out as if in pain. “Spelldrive…tv stations… What’s the point…?”

“Alright, drama queen, up we go.” She laughed and walked over to pick Grim up and cradle him in her arms as if she was handling a toddler. If he wanted to bemoan his situation, she needed him to do so back at their own dorm. “Thanks so much, guys. I owe you one.” She knew that someday she’d be regretting those words.

“We are so gonna make you regret those words.” Ace didn’t miss a beat, smirking deviously.

She rolled her eyes, smiling. “I expect nothing less from you.”

It was funny how she could walk down the halls of the Heartslabyul dorm without feeling lost or confused anymore. Even as the walls and floors blended together in a beautiful optical illusion that would make anyone take extra careful steps in fear of falling off the stairs. And the residents seemed to tolerate her more than before, the red and black armband tied into a little bow around her wrist acting as a symbol. She was welcomed here; by none other than their housewarden, in fact.

Speaking of the housewarden, as she pushed through the heart-shaped doors that lead outside, Riddle himself was just entering. His silver eyes widened at the sight of her.

“Hello,” he greeted with a bit of surprise. “Apologies, I’m just a little surprised to see you. We left the meeting around the same time, so I thought you would be back at your dorm.”

She shook her head with a soft smile. “It’s a bit of a long story. But in short, this guy,” she bounced Grim in her arms as he lazily clung to her, “couldn’t go, so Ace and Deuce looked after him. I’m just picking him up.”

“I see.” It felt like he wished to say more, but decided against doing so. “I wish you a safe journey back then. And…if you wouldn’t mind, I would like to invite you to tea tomorrow. Nothing formal, just tea and snacks here at the dorm.”

“Wow, really?” She was more of a coffee drinker, but tea had its own good qualities that made her able to stomach it.

“Yes, really.” His smile was more easy-going, a great contrast to when she had first met him. It showed her that he was making steps toward improvement. “I welcome your company.”

“Then I look forward to it!” she gleefully accepted. He said it wouldn’t be grandiose, so she wouldn’t have to dress up like she did for their Unbirthday Parties. That was a relief. She wasn’t the biggest fan of walking all the way here in heels.

“Excellent. I’ll have everything prepared by lunchtime. I’ll see you then.”

“Thanks, Riddle. See you later.” She smiled wider, walking past him to get to the mirror that would lead her back to the main campus.

The walk back was relatively quiet. But that was the problem. Grim was loud by nature. So him suddenly staying silent for more than a whole minute was a bit worrying.

“Come on, Grim,” she gently insisted, holding him securely in her arms as she rounded up to the gates. “If it helps you feel any better, I’ll get you two cans of the good tuna later. You know, the kind on the shelf that I would have to parkour to get to?” Luckily, Sam had been up at the counter every time she needed to get it, so another day went by without her risking any broken limbs.

“I won’t turn down free food,” the monster muttered out, nuzzling his head into her shoulder.

“Welcome back!” the happily ghosts greeted once she opened the door, seeing them all lounging around the foyer.

“Hey guys!”

“Hey…”

“Whoa, what’s gotten into Grimmy?” Maurice was the first to notice Grim’s sulking.

“Yeah,” Harold agreed. “I’ve never seen him so down.”

“A lot of things happened today,” she answered on the monster’s behalf. “He couldn’t come with me to the housewarden meeting. But I think what’s really getting to him is the fact that he can’t play in the Spelldrive tournament coming up.”

“Well, if that’s the case, we can play with you,” Nelson suggested. “I was even team captain when I was alive! Ah, those were the days…”

“But what about the seven player rule?”

The ghosts just waved Grim’s comment off. “Eh, it’s not an official match, so it’s fine. Besides, the three of us against one of you sounds pretty fair.”

“You gonna come out and watch us, kiddo?” Maurice inquired.

She nodded in response. “Sure. I wouldn’t mind seeing how you guys play. Just lemme grab my jacket. You can start without me.”

“Alright. Don’t take too long. I think old Nelson is looking forward to having a young lady watch him play for old times sake.”

She laughed softly. “Yeah, he seems like he would’ve been a real hit with the ladies. I’ll be right back.”

The ghosts took Grim out to the yard while she went up to her room to grab her jacket. The weather had steadily been getting colder on the main campus, the days of autumn slowly rolling over to welcome in winter. But those days were a little far off. Besides, it seemed that magic kept the facilities and dorms at a comfortable temperature, leaving students unbothered by the outside world’s weather.

From her window, she could see Grim playing outside with the ghosts, using his magic to control a disc as he ran across the yard with it. It was amusing to watch the ghosts block him, only for him to use his nimble paws to weave around them. She still didn’t know what the hell was going on, but it felt like he wasn’t doing half-bad for his first time playing.

She quickly made her way back down the steps and out to the yard. But not before turning the coffee pot on to warm up so she could make herself a cup later. She made it out by the time the ghosts blocked Grim from scoring a goal.

“Woo!” she cheered. “Go Ghosties!”

“Hey!” Grim whined. “You’re my henchman! You’re supposed to be cheering for me!”

“There’s no rule that says that!” she playfully argued.

“Just you watch! I’m gonna be a spelldrive ace in no time! Then you’re really gonna eat those words!”

She shook her head, getting ready to find a spot to sit and watch the game until she spied someone nearing the dorm’s gate. It was Crowley, strolling up the pathway and observing the unofficial game of Grim vs. Ghosts.

“Good afternoon,” he said. “I see you are playing a little spelldrive.”

His voice alone soured Grim’s mood, made obvious by his cocky grin dipping into a pout. “Great, the Fun Police are here. So much for my good mood.”

“It is truly a delight to see you all getting along,” Crowley happily stated, ignoring Grim’s brooding.

“You don’t usually drop by for a visit,” she noted, walking down the steps to meet the headmaster halfway. “Is there something you need to talk about?”

“Indeed,” he confirmed. “I have a bit of a request. But I don’t believe we should talk here. Why don’t we head inside?”

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

“Here you go.”

Yuuna laid out a cup of coffee in front of Crowley when she came out of the kitchen, seeing him sit neatly on the rocking chair. She bit her tongue, just on the cusp of making a grandpa joke.

“Thank you. What a kind soul you are.” He happily took the cup into his gloved hands, blowing softly and taking a careful sip. “And it is because you are so kind that I came to you.”

She knew he was trying to butter her up for the inevitable absurd request he wanted to make. Such was the dynamic that had been established between them the first time she needed to talk him into giving her “dorm” a budget for food and utilities. The whole “kindness” bit he was playing into was just his way of reminding her that she had agreed to help him if he ever found himself in a bit of a pickle with the other students.

Besides, she only made him coffee because she was already up and making herself a cup. And as irritating as Crowley was most of the time, she didn’t like being a bad host.

She took a seat on the couch, Grim hopping up right next to her. “So what’s going on?”

“Yes, I’ll get straight to the point. Recently, there has been a strange amount of students that have gotten hurt in suspicious incidents around campus.”

Her eyes widened, remembering earlier when that guy fell down the stairs. And when Ace mentioned rumors about students getting a little reckless.

“By your expression, you see what I mean. The nurse had informed me that you assisted a student that had fallen down the stairs to the infirmary. So now you have first-hand experience of what is happening. As such, I would like you to investigate these suspicious occurrences.”

Investigate? If it were one or two accidents, it would be cause for concern, but nothing worth an investigation. “How many incidents have there been?”

“The young man you helped was the tenth victim of these events. The nurse has also expressed concern over this peculiar spike of injured students. Mages as young as them will always be a tad reckless, but this is beyond anything we’ve seen. We are fortunate that we have yet to see any life-threatening incidents.”

“But are ya sure that it just isn’t these guys getting a little clumsy?” Grim asked, pulling himself up into more of a human-like sitting position.

“That might be an aspect to it,” the headmaster confirmed. “But this is far too many instances to just be a coincidence or pre-tournament jitters. Furthermore, there is a common trend in all the students; they were set to be contenders of their dorms’ spelldrive teams.”

“And that’s the tea.”

Yuuna shook her head at Grim’s attempt of sounding…whatever he was trying to sound like. “Bad timing to use phrases I taught you, Grim.” She looked to Crowley after taking another sip of coffee. “That does sound serious. Possibly like foul play.” In this world of magic and monsters, almost anything was possible. Sabotage wasn’t unheard of, especially for big events like tournaments and competitions.

“That is a theory, yes. However, all these accidents took place in public with various witnesses. And they all said they believed the victims to be acting careless. There were no outside forces as far as they had seen.”

Maybe that could be a good starting clue. There were more ways to plan for foul play without direct involvement. Listen to me. I’m like a regular Nancy Drew.

“Then it’s case closed!” Grim persisted, trying very hard to shoo Crowley out of their dorm. “They had ditzy brains and ended up getting hurt. Looks like we’re done here. See ya!”

“I can’t guarantee solid results, but I can try to look a little deeper,” Yuuna said, not wanting to leave something like this alone.

Grim was also valid to not get involved with something that had absolutely nothing to do with him or her. But there was one key difference. She had been there to witness one of the accidents. She was there to see the guy act so distraught and plead over and over again that he had no idea how he tripped. And she could see that, through the searing pain of a twisted ankle, that he was being sincere. And all she could do at the time was try to keep him grounded so he wouldn’t hyperventilate.

“Maybe she’ll help, but I won’t!” Grim shouted, crossing his front paws. “I can’t even be in that dumb tournament! So I say phooey!”

Crowley sighed, setting his cup down. “I see. That’s quite a shame. And just as I had prepared a grand reward for you…”

Grim’s ears perked up, leaving her to roll her eyes. The crow knew exactly what to hold over a person’s head to make them dance to his tune. Luckily for her, her memories somehow retained the times she had overheard a lot of business negotiations, making her a more formidable opponent to Crowley’s ways.

“As if!” It took a moment, but Grim refused. “I ain’t falling for that shtick! Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me!”

“But what if I were to allow you to play in the tournament?”

Oh, he was good.

“Say what now?!”

“That’s right. Should you succeed in cracking this mysterious case, Ramshackle will officially be entered into the Spelldrive tournament. So what say you? Are you not in awe of my kindness?”

Grim squirmed in his seat, clearly trying to resist temptation. But it was not going so well. She took another sip of coffee, watching. She had already agreed to help him out, so what was the point of playing the carrot-and-stick game with Grim? Because from her point of view, the carrot clearly came from a toy kitchen and was made out of plastic.

Crowley continued with a smile. “And as a player, the whole world will have its eyes on you! They’ll marvel at the first monster to ever take the field! The crowds will roar as they see you play. Why, the scouts will line up to see the promising rookie! And I would enact my authority as headmage to fill out your team and help you shine.”

The more Crowley kept talking, dangling the promise of fame in front of the cat, Grim’s resistance began to lower. “Ooh, I can taste that trophy now…”

“Ah, but it is a pity. You have refused my offer.” He stood up, punctuating the fleeting opportunity. “I must be going now. I wish you luck on your investigation, Miss Yuuna.”

And like that, Grim’s willpower snapped in two. He leapt from the couch, looking much more determined. “Hold on! I’ll do it!”

“Oh? You will?”

“Sure am! As long as I get into that tournament, we’ll catch that perp in no time! I’ll even enlist my henchman to help!”

Was no one listening to a word she said?

“While you’re still here,” she instead decided to say, “I have something I need to ask of you.”

Crowley paused. Now that he had the monster’s willing assistance, his focus returned to her. “And what would that be? Is it serious?”

“Yes and no. I was wondering if I could get a phone somehow. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy. As long as I can call and text, I’ll be okay.” She noticed his apprehension, not wishing to spend a dime more on her. “I mean, it would help this investigation go a lot faster. I could relay information in a shorter span of time. If that’s not enough for you, it would also help me communicate with the yearbook committee a lot more effectively, especially if certain photos need my approval at a moment’s notice. And I promise if there’s a data limit, I’ll adhere to it.”

She was surprised when she saw him rub his chin, actually considering her request. “You do bring up excellent points. Of course, I will have to set some regulations, as the phone would be coming out of our school’s humble pocket. But I will allow you to have one if you do not use it frivolously.”

That was plenty for her. “Deal.”

“Now then, I will be off. Good luck with your investigation. I’m sure both of you will work hard.”

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

She and Grim went back to the school, hoping to find the most recent victim of these incidents still in the infirmary. Thankfully, he was sitting on the bed with his bare foot wrapped in bandages with an ice pack on top and a pillow for elevation. At least he’d been treated right away. She had asked Grim to let her do the talking, not entirely sure if he could speak with sympathy.

“Hey there.” She announced her presence, making the two look up.

“Oh, hey,” the friend greeted. “You’re back. Did you need something?”

“Actually, yeah.” She walked over, standing at the foot of the bed. “But first, how’s your ankle?”

“I-It’s fine,” the student stammered out, avoiding her gaze and rubbing the back of his neck. Pink dusted his tanned cheeks. “Th-the nurse said I should be fine if I stay off it for a while.”

“That’s good. But I have to ask. What exactly happened that made you fall?”

“I don’t know either. I was just walking with Sean, talking about the tournament, when suddenly I felt like my body was moving forward too fast and I was falling down the stairs. I can’t really explain it.”

“It was so weird,” his friend, Sean, said. “I didn’t even see Marcus losing his balance or anything before that. It was really sudden.”

“And there was no one else around?” she probed. “No one bumped into you or anything?”

“No, it was just us on those stairs. And you when you passed us.”

“Interesting…” Grim hummed from beside her. “Very interesting…”

“Thank you.” She smiled, taking a step back. “That’s all I needed. Hope you get better soon.”

“Y-Yeah…thanks…” He still had his head down, shifting in place like he was getting anxious. “H-Hey, um…maybe…” He lifted his head to ask the question burning on his tongue. “Do you wanna go out some ti一” But she was long gone, already traveling down the hall to find the next victim that had been listed.

“Oof.” His friend shook his head. “That was hard to watch.”

Yuuna ducked into the classroom during break, her notebook in hand and jotting down short points about her progress. She needed to see if there were any trends or patterns in these incidents. At least, she hoped there would be. Otherwise, this would be much tougher to figure out.

“Excuse me,” she politely stated, gaining the Pomefiore students attention.

“Did you need something?” he inquired, his brow furrowed in annoyance.

Awesome. Great start. “Would you mind answering a couple questions I have? Recently, you were in an accident and were almost seriously hurt.”

“And why should I tell you?” His stare pierced through her, unconvinced of her motives. But if she told him that they were investigating the incidents, the potential perpetrator would catch wind of it.

“Please,” she pleaded softly. She needed to come up with something quick. “We’re compiling a record for the nurse. He’s been pretty overworked with all these incidents, so we’re just trying to help.” A bit pathetic, but she was rolling with it.

“Yeah!” Grim agreed. “We need the deets!”

Luckily, his classmate was more willing to talk. “It was strange. He was in top form to play in the tournament. But since his accident, he’s been suspended from playing.” He turned to the stubborn student. “What they’re doing is very admirable. It wouldn’t hurt us to assist them. And helping a young lady would make us look more like proper gentlemen… The housewarden would be pleased.”

“Very well. I’ll give you the skinny. I was in the laboratory at the time. We were mixing a potion and then…” He paused, looking embarrassed to admit to whatever had happened.

So his classmate continued. “He suddenly shot his hand out and pressed it against the cauldron while it was hot. He screamed and knocked it over. It was a big mess.”

“It was like my hand was glued to the cauldron. No matter how hard I tugged at my arm, it was like my palm was glued to it until I could finally pull back.”

“Interesting,” Grim muttered once again, obviously trying to sound like he understood when he really didn’t.

With more notes jotted down, she turned to leave. “Thank you for cooperating. I hope you recover soon.”

The process was more or less the same with the other students who’d been involved in mysterious accidents. Each one recounted how they got hurt, but also said they had no idea how they ended up doing what they did. A sudden jerk of their hands and feet and they were nursing bandaged hands or dealing with a cast. The doubt that these were all just coincidences slowly faded from her mind with each new testimony.

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

They returned to their dorm when the sun started to set, unable to make more progress today. But she would try and set out as soon as possible tomorrow to uncover more clues.

“My brain hurts!” the monster complained as soon as she closed the front door. “No matter how hard I think, I just see these guys being really reckless.”

“There’s definitely more to it than that,” she said, looking over her notebook as she kicked off her boots. She could see a possible pattern arising, but the threads that connected them were still a little loose.

Just as she was about to move out of the foyer, a knock echoed from the doorway. She sighed, turning right back around to open the door.

Ace was on the other side, grinning. “Heya! Just dropping in.” He glanced over her shoulder, observing Grim back on his paws and looking a lot less mopey. “Looks like you’re doing better, Grim. Finally accepted that you won’t be a star this year?”

The cat huffed at him, stomping his foot. “Whatever. We’re busy right now, so scram!”

“Homework stuff?” he questioned. “Come on, you can do that later. I got this new trick I wanna show ya!”

“It’s a bit of a long story,” she stated. “Come in.”

She moved aside for him, and he took the signal to step inside when she closed the door. As they moved to the living area, she explained what she and Grim had been doing before. He surprisingly gave her his undivided attention as she recounted the students they visited and the notes she took on the accidents. She especially made sure not to leave out that Crowley was the one asking them to investigate.

“Whoa. That’s wild. So the rumors are true. Kinda. And it’s possible the accidents are part of some bigger plot.”

“But none of their stories sounded all that suspicious.” Grim hopped up onto the couch one more, kneading the fabric with his paws before sitting. “Sounded like they were just really excited, got careless, and boom. They’re all hauled to the infirmary.”

“There’s definitely more to it,” she repeated. “You just didn’t listen all that well.”

“Hey! I listen plenty! Look at these ears! They were made for listening!”

“Oh really? Cuz they weren’t listening when I一”

A loud and frantic pounding on the front door echoed through the room, cutting off her retort and startling everyone in the dorm.

“Does that guy ever learn to knock quieter?!” Ace complained, knowing exactly who was on the other side by the knocking alone.

“I’ll get it.” She got up from her seat, rounding back to the foyer to open the door for the sudden guest. But she couldn’t get her casual “hi” out, seeing Deuce looking so frazzled. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“We’ve got a big problem!” he exclaimed.

“Whoa, calm down, Loosey-Deucey,” Ace said, bringing up the awful nickname once more as he entered the foyer with Grim right behind him. “What are you panicking about? I bet it’s not even that bad.”

“It’s Trey!” he exclaimed. “He’s been injured!”

“What?!” Everyone was shocked by this information.

She didn’t know Trey for too long, but she knew he was definitely not the reckless type. He wasn’t one to just walk around absentmindedly. Suddenly, these series of incidents felt much worse now that someone she knew personally had gotten involved.

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

Yuuna joined Ace and Deuce on their way back to Heartslabyul, a small bouquet that she quickly put together in her hands for the injured student. When she entered the room, she looked past her friends to see Trey laying on his bed in a slightly worse condition than the student she’d helped earlier. Her foot was placed into a cast and resting on a pillow. There was a crutch next to the bed to help him move around until the cast came off.

“Yo, Trey, how’s it going?”

“How are you feeling, Trey?”

“Hey, you two.” Trey set down the book he was reading to return Ace and Deuce’s greeting.

“These are for you.” She set down the flowers at his bedside table. For a rushed job, she thought she did pretty well.

“Wow, thanks. I really don’t know what to say.” He flushed, staring at the flowers rather than her, noticing the arrangement was well-suited to his personal color scheme, the various shades of red and green blending in perfectly with the rest of his room. Hints of black and white brought the whole bouquet together.

“I was kinda hoping it wasn’t that serious, but now that it is… Here.” Grim jumped up to lightly toss the can of tuna he’d brought along onto Trey’s bed. “It’s a get-well can of tuna. Some of the best we got.”

“Heh, thanks.” The silly but sincere act was enough to bring him back to a more neutral state of mind, focusing less on Yuuna going out of her way to bring him get-well flowers.

“Wow, this room is getting full!” Cater walked in, grinning as he made a beeline for Yuuna, slinging his arm over her shoulder. “Looks like ADeuce came back with Bunny and Grim. Hey there!”

“ADeuce?!”

“Don’t give us a couple nickname!”

The two shouted in unison, unhappy with Cater’s choice of how to address them. But he disregarded them in favor of seeing the flower arrangement. “Wow, flowers? Trey’s really getting the VIP treatment here.”

“I just thought they’d make a nice gift. And to thank him for helping me out the past couple of days?”

“I really don’t think it was that big a deal,” Trey tried to deny with a smile.

“It’s true. I really can’t thank you enough. You were a big help when I needed to navigate the botanical garden. If I was just seconds later getting those hullberry leaves at the end, Professor Crewel would’ve killed me.”

“By the way,” Ace interrupted, “how exactly did you end up like this?”

“I tripped and fell down a set of stairs.” He spoke so casually, like it was just a small mishap that didn’t lead to his leg in a cast. “I couldn’t catch myself in time and ended up really messing up my ankle. Looks like I’m out of the tournament this year.”

Her stomach twisted into a knot, tightly interlocking her fingers together. She had just been investigating incidents like these earlier. Many accounts of students falling into dangerous situations without knowing how. And now, Trey was added to that list. It wasn’t just an accident. She couldn’t believe it was at this point. And now, someone she cared about had been involved.

“Are you okay?” the spectacled student asked her, noticing that she was to drift into her own mind.

“H-Huh? Oh, sorry, I just…um…” She didn’t want to tell him. After all, his injury must be bad enough to deal with. Imagine if he was told that his accident was actually part of a malicious scheme aimed at the spelldrive players.

“I promise I’ll be okay,” he said with a comforting smile. “You don’t need to worry about me. I’ll be back on my feet soon enough.”

“I know, I just…” She let out a long sigh. Even though none of this was her fault, she still felt bad that he was now entangled in this mess. But she did her best to smile, not wanting the injured guy to worry about her. “You’re right. And if you need anything, I can help out. I’m closer to the school store if you need something from there.”

“NGL Trey, I’m getting kinda jelly,” Cater remarked teasingly. “Maybe I should look into getting having an accident so a cutie can take care of me一 Ow!” He stumbled a bit when Yuuna smacked him on the arm, but he laughed it off. “Kidding! I’m kidding!”

“You better be,” she admonished, not wishing to hear that kind of talk.

“Why are there so many people in here?”

They all turned to see Riddle standing in the doorway, arms crossed. Seeing him, she had to wonder if she could trust him with the truth. Riddle was someone she could count on to keep a secret and choose his words carefully when prodded for information. Plus, his childhood friend was just injured due to a conspiracy surrounding the tournament. Riddle took too much pride in succeeding by skill alone to allow cheating either way. So he was never a suspect from the beginning.

“Sorry about that,” she apologized, noticing his expression softly just a little. “We were just worried and came to check on him. And uh…” She didn’t want Trey to hear, so she stepped closer to the housewarden to speak softly. “Can I talk to you about something?”

“And that’s our cue to leave!” The junior seemed to notice the circumstances and started guiding the others out. “Let’s let Trey have a little time to himself. We can hang out in the lounge for a little bit.”

Yuuna subtly set a grateful smile Cater’s way, her anxiety at the moment leaving her a little bit lost for words on how to talk to everyone else privately.

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

“I honestly didn’t think I’d see you this many times today,” Riddle commented as they all gathered in the lounge.

He was kind enough to give her the heart-shaped chair, which she could admit was the most comfortable seat that she had ever sat upon, justifying that she was still a guest here. Grim sat in her lap, her arms gently encircling his body.

“Yeah, sorry about that.” She sheepishly looked away. Perhaps she’d gotten a little too comfortable here.

“No need to apologize. As I said, you are always welcome here.”

“For sure!” Cater quickly agreed. “You make it way more fun around here anyway. And who could say no to an adorable face like yours.”

Riddle coughed, rounding the attention back to him. “Anyway. What is it you wanted to discuss?”

“Wait,” Ace cut in. “So you’re really gonna tell ‘em?”

“I am,” she confirmed before turning to Riddle. “So, it goes something like this…”

She told Riddle all about the headmaster stopping by to ask her to investigate the suspicious incidents that had been taking place around campus. She also gave him the accounts from the other students she had asked about their situations, noting that they all described a strange sensation before their accidents occurred. And it didn’t sound like they were just making stuff up to not be seen as clumsy or airheaded.

“Grim bringing a get-well present was pretty sus behavior,” Cater mentioned. “Like he knew how bad Trey might’ve gotten hurt. And the flowers were a nice touch, but to go that far for what could’ve been a minor injury…”

“I see,” Riddle commented, folding his hands into his lap. “It makes more sense now that you bring this up.”

“What does?” she questioned.

“I’m technically the reason that Trey fell down the stairs. I went up to his classroom to talk to him, but when I was descending the stairs, I was suddenly falling. Trey tried to catch me, but ended up taking the brunt of the fall.”

Her eyes widened as she realized that the real target in this incident was meant to be Riddle, not Trey. But Trey, always concerned for his friend, leapt into action to protect him.

“I already thought this string of incidents was odd, but being at the forefront of one such occurrence made me a little suspicious. So I had Cater start looking into it for me.”

“Yup. And I found out one important detail. All the victims are talented players on each dorm’s team roster.”

That aligned with what she was thinking. All of them were lamenting that they couldn’t play in the tournament at some point in their conversations. “So that means whoever is causing these accidents is trying to sabotage the match; either to shut it down altogether or to give their team a better shot at winning.” But there was another important point that she needed to be absolutely certain of. “Hey Riddle. When you fell, did you feel a bit strange? Like…your body just moved on its own?”

“Yes, that’s exactly it. It wasn’t that I tripped or lost my balance, but more like my body lurched forward of its own volition. I didn’t even feel anything shoving me forward.”

Riddle looked surprised by her deductive skills, but from her end, it just started to feel like a solid clue that would lead them to their culprit. And yet, in this world of magic where almost anything was possible, it would be hard for her to narrow down the suspect list right away.

“The other guys said the exact same thing!” Grim added in.

“Guess we can rule out wind magic or anything like that,” Cater commented. “At least that can help us find our perp a little better.”

“But would anyone really go this far just to win?” Deuce asked.

“The whole world will be watching,” Riddle clarified. “A good performance could guarantee a promising career. Resorting to underhanded methods to balance the odds in their favor is no surprise with that in mind.”

“But what about the students that got injured in their classrooms instead of on the stairs.”

“We’ll make the culprit explain all that once we capture them.”

“You’re going to help us?” She felt hopeful again. More people on their side might help broader their search and get them more information in a short timespan. “You mean it?”

“What’s your angle?” Grim’s fiery ears went stiff atop his head, glaring at the two that had just wormed their way into the investigation.

“Ouch, that stings.” Cater playfully clutched his chest right at his heart. “Come on. One of our friends and dormmates just got badly injured cuz of this guy. Why wouldn’t we seek a little justice for it?” His green eyes shifted to her. “And helping out the princess of the school is a nice bonus too.”

She puffed her cheeks at the nickname, not considering herself a princess and also not wishing to stand out like that.

Deuce grinned with a mischievous edge to it. “Hell yeah! He’s gonna pay for hurting Trey!”

“Yeah right.” She rolled her eyes, seeing the impish looks in her friends’ eyes once the prospect of an empty spot on the roster came up. “You just want to play in the tournament.”

“N-No!” the navy-haired student quickly denied. “I just want to avenge our housemate!”

Ace, on the other hand, put up no fight. He simply grinned, not even a little ashamed that his true intentions had been made clear. “Was it that obvious?”

The housewarden sighed, already accepting the fact that those two would forever dance to the beat of their own drums. “As long as it motivates you two, I’ll take into account your performance during our investigation.”

“YES!”

“Smart,” she muttered to him. “Get their hopes up with vague words so they’ll do actual work.” Riddle hadn’t promised them a spot on the roster. He just said he’d be evaluating them.

“I have no idea what you mean.” He spoke calmly, but the devilish smile peeking up from under his hand told a different story. And yet, she also knew he'd keep to his word in a way. Perhaps they'd make the team next year. “Now, if you’re going to find and apprehend the culprit, our objective should be to predict where he’ll strike next.”

“And how are we supposed to do that?” Grim inquired. “There’s a ton of people in this school and still a lot of spelldrive players.”

“It’s easier if we figure out who the top players are,” she answered. “It looks like the culprit is going after the top contenders.”

“Precisely. And we can follow them in case the culprit does show up. From your own interviews with these students, it seems our perpetrator strikes when the target’s guard is down. Once they attack, we will protect the target and then pursue the attacker.”

“If people weren’t at risk of getting seriously hurt, I’d be more excited for my first stakeout like in the movies.”

“That’s so cute,” Cater teased, making her look away, embarrassed. “Anyway, I got a list of some potential targets thanks to some digging on my part. Here, I’ll make a group on Magicam and share all the deets with you. That way we can all coordinate better.”

“Oh but…I don’t have a phone just yet…”

“No prob, you can look at mine if you need to,” Ace offered, moving his phone towards her so she could see the screen.

“Aw, thanks Ace.” She smiled wide. “You can be a real gentleman when you put your mind to it.”

“Whatever…” He sounded upset, but his pouting face and his light glare made her realize he wasn’t too serious.

“This is a ton of information!” Deuce marveled at Cater’s investigative skills, scrolling through all the contents he’d gathered within just a single day.

“Let’s start tomorrow after class then,” she said, standing from her seat while picking up Grim so he wouldn’t fall onto the floor. “It’s late right now, so we should all be getting to bed.” A single glance out the window revealed the now darkened sky.

“You’re right,” Riddle relented. “We should all get our rest if we are going to properly pursue this culprit. Now off to bed, all of you.”

“Yes, Housewarden,” the present Heartslabyul students chimed in unison, all getting up to make their way down the halls and to their respective rooms.

“I’ll get going too.” She was ready to head out when fingers clasped around her wrist to make her stop.

“Are you sure you’ll be alright?” Riddle asked her, looking between her and the darkened sky outside the window. “It’s rather dark and your dorm is a walk from the Mirror Chamber. I could escort you if you so wish.”

“That’s sweet, Riddle,” she responded, “but it’s really okay. I’m a big girl. And besides, the biggest danger at this school is the occasional mosquito. So I’ll be just fine. Thanks for worrying about me though.”

He didn’t push, letting go of her wrist and letting his arm fall to his side. “As long as you’re sure. But should you run into trouble, I hope you’ll confide in me about it.”

“I promise. Good night, Riddle.” Her smile was soft yet tired, revealing how drained she really was.

“Enough mushy talk!” Grim whined, wriggling in her arms and ruining whatever tender moment Riddle was trying to build. “Let’s go! I need my almost midnight tuna before bed!”

“You’re such a pain,” she muttered grumpily as she walked out of Heartslabyul and back to Ramshackle on the campus grounds. But he was her pain. And she’d already gotten used to him.

Chapter Text

“Wow! This is your room?! It’s huge!”

“It’s not as impressive as you make it sound. But please, make yourself comfortable.”

Yuuna marveled at the sight of Riddle’s spacious bedroom, occupying herself by looking around the room as her friend set up the final pieces of the private tea party he had planned. She remembered the one time Cater had mentioned that housewardens automatically moved into the biggest rooms in their dorms. And seeing only a single canopy bed decorated in deep red in the room, it was safe to assume that the housewarden didn’t have to share with anyone either. That was certainly a pleasant perk.

She moved to his bookshelf, observing books of various titles packed neatly together. But they were all things like medical journals and history books; everything non-fiction and nothing fantastical. And then a memory of what she saw in the blot resurfaced to the forefront of her mind. Riddle had never been able to fully enjoy his youth. There were no stories of fairies fluttering in the wind or pirates searching for treasure. He was only ever provided titles like these. Sad, lifeless learning material. No scrap of fun to be seen.

“Alright, it’s ready. Have a seat.”

She turned to see Riddle just finishing setting up their little tea party on his coffee table. A three layer cake tray held a beautiful assortment of small treats that were perfect for snacking on with tea. She walked over and sat down as instructed, noting the comfiness of the small couch. She could probably take a nap on it…

The smell of the tea caught in her nose, making her eyes widen. “Is this apple cinnamon tea?”

“Precisely.” He smiled easily, pouring her a cup. “You mentioned at the unbirthday party that although you weren’t a big tea drinker, you enjoyed the sweet and comforting flavors like apple cinnamon.”

Wow. He’d really been paying attention, then. Her cheeks turned pink, gently taking the teacup into her hand and sipping from it. It was just as wonderful as she remembered. And Riddle definitely had a talent for brewing tea to perfection, making sure every flavor came through.

She watched him sit next to her on the small couch, his posture straight and precise. Just like his mother probably taught him. She wanted him to relax, but that was best taken at its own pace.

“You have a lot of textbooks,” she commented, starting off easy. “Have you read through all of them?”

“Cover to cover,” he replied, taking a sip of his tea and plucking one of the little cakes from the tray. “It’s important to always provide yourself with knowledge.”

“But doesn’t that get boring after a while? I mean, haven’t you just wanted to crack open a good novel or maybe watch a movie?”

“I saw no need for either of those things. What’s the point of reading fiction if there is nothing to learn from it? And movies are just senseless entertainment with little to no lessons to gain from them.”

“Maybe we can start there, then.” Yuuna set her cup down, turning her body a bit to face him more directly. “We can find books or movies that you’ll actually like. In fact, I feel like you’d like a few documentaries or even more entertaining but educational shows.”

“And what would you suggest?”

“Well, back in my world. I remember walking in on my brother watching this one show and I was hooked. Basically, this guy goes out into the wilderness with celebrities and other big names in the world一these people usually don’t have any clue what camping is even like一and he teaches them about how to survive in these beautiful but wild places. It teaches the viewers and the guests a thing or two. And it’s entertaining to watch them interact and hear a little more about them on a personal level. Can’t remember the name of the show that well, though.”

Riddle seemed intrigued by this idea, perking up. “I see. So you want to suggest things that have both entertainment and educational value? That could be an interesting experience.”

And that was already excellent progress “I haven’t read up on too many books, but if I find one I think you’ll like, I’ll tell you. In the meantime, I feel like you’d be a documentary type of guy. But not just any documentaries. There are some out there where the narrators are really funny. If you want, I can watch some with you.”

“Yes!” Riddle shut his mouth quickly, cheeks flaring red in embarrassment at his sudden outburst. “I mean… If you don’t mind sparing your time, I wouldn’t mind. I think it will help me slowly move out of my comfort zone.”

“No problem. And I don’t mind at all.” She reached over, taking one of the tea cakes and eating it in two bites. “Mm! These are delicious!”

“They are,” the housewarden agreed. “Trey made them in his spare time. He’s been able to walk small distances recently.”

“That’s good.” She took another but held it between her fingers. “I’m glad he’s getting better.”

“You shouldn’t worry.” His gloved hand rested firmly on her shoulder to give a reassuring squeeze. “None of it was your fault and no one could have seen it coming.”

“I thought I’d visit Trey before I leave,” she stated. “Is that okay?”

“I’m sure he’d appreciate the concern,” the redhead answered with a soft smile. “But make sure not to be late for your next class.”

“I won’t. But first, I really want to finish these.” She eyed the desserts still on the tray, practically frothing at the mouth with the desire to consume them in a single bite. But that would be impolite. So she’d settle for eating one after the other.

Much to her delight, she heard Riddle laugh. “Go ahead. I had these made specifically with you in mind.”

“Oh really~?” Her smile widened, a teasing glint in her eye. “Why Riddle, if you’re figuring out how to woo me, you are so close to succeeding~”

“Th-that wasn’t my intention!” he loudly denied, cheeks turning a deep crimson to match his dorm attire. She had to admit it was one of the cutest expressions she’d seen him make.

“Don’t worry, I’m just teasing. Could you pour me another cup?”

Riddle relaxed again, even if his face still burned at the sight of her sweet smile. He took the teapot into his hands. “Of course. Be careful. It’s still hot.”

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

“Hey there, trooper,” she said when she entered Trey’s room, seeing him sitting at his desk and taking notes.

Tea with Riddle had ended a few minutes ago. And she made sure to map out her time so she could get to class in relatively good time. Grim could handle himself for just a while longer.

“Hey there,” Trey greeted back, turning in his seat to face her. “Didn’t expect you to drop by. What’s the occasion?”

“Just checking up on you, like any good friend should.”

“That’s sweet of you. I’m still sorry for causing you any concern.”

“It’s fine, really.” She walked a little further into the room, noticing his complicated notes. “Whoa. That’s way too complicated for my brain.” She pressed her hand to her head, imitating a headache.

He laughed. “Yeah, junior year classes can be a real kick in the pants. But with time, this stuff will be easy. Thanks for trying to cheer me up, though. It’s appreciated.”

“That’s what I’m here for,” she said, smiling gently. “I would’ve brought you some get-well treats or something, but compared to all those cakes and tarts you’ve made for the parties, I know I can’t compete.”

“No need to get yourself down like that.” It took a bit of a struggle, but she swiveled just enough in his chair to fully face in her direction, making sure his ankle didn’t bang against the desk. “It’s not a competition anyway. The thought alone is what matters most.”

“Maybe once you’re better, you can teach me a thing or two?” she suggested, leaning against his desk.

“Sure, I can do that. And it gives me motivation to get better. I think teaching someone else my techniques could be fun.”

“Then it’s settled!” With a grin, she pushed herself off the desk and straight back up. “I’ll be holding you to that. But for now, I should get to class.”

“No problem. Do your best out there.”

Trey’s encouragement helped motivate her, leaving her practically skipping out the door. “Thanks, I will!”

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

“I’m here,” she greeted, joining the group at the Hall of Mirrors once classes ended. Grim trotted right next to her confidently.

“Heya!” Cater greeted back, the group already standing in front of one of the mirrors. “Come on. Time to kick this investigation into high gear.”

Stepping through the mirror with Pomefiore’s emblem above it, the investigation team arrived at what she could only describe as a glamorous palace. Heartslabyul’s dorm did also look like a castle in her mind, but there was a vibrant and beautiful absurdity to it that contrasted this new dorm. It was definitely magnificent, with very satisfying symmetry and a very medieval style that reminded her of kings and queens from ancient fairy tales.

But she couldn’t have been prepared for the inside of it. Every corner just screamed of glitz and glamor. Just a tad gaudy. It was eye-catching, to say the least. The peacock shaped throne in the lounge was by far the most impressive piece there, standing out with its beautiful feathers made of silver and gold. It was likely the signature piece of this whole dorm.

She needed to focus though, following Riddle and Cater who were able to navigate the hallways much better.

“So first on the list is a junior like me. His name’s Rook Hunt and he’s one of the best players in Pomefiore’s dorm.”

“Didn’t you say that Pomefiore is also the dorm that fixes their makeup every chance they get?” she asked Riddle, remembering his remarks at the housewarden meeting.

He sighed, nodding his head. “Yes, that’s correct. Though they might not seem to be very formidable opponents on account of their…eccentricities, underestimating them isn’t wise. Rook performed with incredible skill at last year’s tournament. But he is also a bit odd, to say the least.”

“He’s got this trademark look of a blonde bob cut and a fedora hat with a giant feather in it. It’s really hard to miss.”

“You mean that guy over there?” She pointed over to a few seats arranged around a coffee table where three people sat. One of them definitely fit the description that Cater gave, down to the huge feather.

“Yeesh, what’s with him?” Ace questioned, staring at Rook. “You’d think he was a human glitter bomb with how much he sparkles.”

“Non, Epel, non,” the one known as Rook gently chastised. “When you lift your teacup, do not insert your finger through the handle. It is most inelégant.

“Right, sorry…” the one he addressed, Epel, softly apologized, repeating the motion according to Rook’s instructions. He also looked kind of familiar.

Oh dear lord, no . She was bearing witness to one of the worst forms of torture ever conceived; etiquette lessons. Now she really felt bad for this Epel guy. She knew how grueling those lessons could be…

She recognized Vil sitting next to Rook, his fingers carefully brushing back strands of ombré hair while he stared into a pocket mirror. His brows knitted together as he concentrated. “I just can’t decide what to do with my makeup when tournament day comes. Should I use the new products I received from Felicity Cosmetics?”

“Oh ho ho!” Rook suddenly bellowed out a hearty but somehow elegant laugh. “Mon belle Vil, the Roi du Poison. Surely your beauté is not so faint that you need makeup to shine?”

The housewarden snapped his mirror shut, side-eyeing Rook with displeasure. “Of course I don’t. But I would never shun an opportunity to accentuate it further.”

“I admire your passion! Magnifique! Très magnifique!”

“You’re really saying this guy is this super talented athlete?” Grim skeptically questioned.

She had to agree with him though. He was eccentric and it felt like there was something to be careful of just beneath the surface, but she couldn’t imagine that the culprit would take one look at him and think they couldn’t beat him on the field. Underhanded tactics would be unnecessary against Rook.

“Yeeeeeeah, maybe it’s time to peace out and move on,” Cater suggested, making everyone nod and shuffle out of the dorm to stake out the next potential target.

“Alright then. Who’s next?”

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

The group left the Hall of Mirrors, returning to the main campus. Cater led them to the courtyard, stopping into the open space. A few students gathered around the area, chatting in groups or spending their free time by their lonesome. But a specific pair of students caught her eye. A pair of students walked together through the courtyard and stopped under a shady tree, chatting together.

They were the mirror image of one another upon first glass, but there were subtle differences. It wasn’t just which ear their earring was dangling from or which side the jet black streak in their teal locks rested. Upon further observation, she could see the stark contrast in the way they dressed. Although they were wearing the same uniform, one of them appeared disheveled while the other appeared orderly and neat. One swayed a little like he didn’t know what to do with all his pent-up energy while the other stood with perfectly straightened posture.

“Good eye!” Cater complimented, seeing where she was looking. “Those two are next up on Cay-Cay’s list of potential targets; Jade Leech and his twin, Floyd. They’re both sophomores over at Octavinelle. Word is, they work so well together on the field that they’re infamously unpredictable. Other teams have no idea how to counter them.”

Somehow, that description seemed to fit them perfectly. Just looking at them, despite their differences in general attitude, they seemed to be really close-knit. Reading each other’s movements would be a piece of cake.

“Whoa!” Grim exclaimed in astonishment. “They have the exact same face! They’re like copies of each other!”

“That’s what ‘twin’ means most of the time,” she said sarcastically.

Ace rubbed the back of his neck, staring at the two of them. “Hey, wait a sec! That’s the guy that pelts us with basketballs during practice! Or, well, one of them. I still can’t get over how they make everyone else look like ants just standing around.”

She agreed. If they weren’t watching them from a distance, she had a feeling she’d have a crick in her neck just trying to look them in the eye up close. It made her sore just thinking about it.

“That would be a big advantage for ‘em.”

Riddle, on the other hand, crossed his arms and looked at the twins with apprehension in his stiff posture. “I don’t know about that. If I were the culprit, I’d save them for last.”

“Hm?” She blinked at him, confused by his sudden shift in demeanor. “What makes you say that?”

“Just look at them.” She did for a moment and then back at him. “I wouldn’t want to get anywhere near them一especially Floyd.”

“Oh ho ho! What is UP, Lil’ Goldfish?”

The two of them jolted, startled by the sudden shout of the one they were supposed to be observing. She turned her head to see the twins quickly making their way towards them, the glint in their eye something akin to a fearsome animal on the hunt. That did not bode well.

“Bwah! He spotted us!” He acted fast, stepped between her and the two as they approached their group.

She didn’t like the idea of cowering behind him, but she would trust his judgment. She didn’t exactly trust these two like she trusted her friends in Heartslabyul. And Cater did say that the two were very unpredictable.

“What brings you around these parts, huh?” the one she had determined as Floyd asked with a teasing lilt to his voice. “Playing hide-and-seek? That’s fun.”

“I’ve asked you multiple times to stop calling me by those strange nicknames,” Riddle reprimanded, diverting from actually answering Floyd’s question.

“Awww, but you’re so small and red! That sounds like a goldfish to me~”

She couldn’t help but glance at Riddle, the nickname sticking in her mind. It was kind of adorable, imagining a little vibrant red goldfish swimming around its tank wearing a crown just like Riddle’s brooch. She hadn’t realized she’d started to smile with the image in her mind, capturing the attention of the twin.

“And who’s this little fishie behind you~?”

Yuuna looked up from Riddle, now realizing that Floyd was staring directly at her. “U-Um…” She couldn’t get the words out, too caught up in these sudden events. Her mind was still trying to catch up.

Floyd laughed at her stammer. “And you’re so cute when you’re caught off guard. Makes me wanna squeeze you till you pop!”

Was that supposed to be a compliment? It strangely both felt like one and didn’t at the same time.

“Is this guy a few tuna short of a tuna casserole or what?” Grim questioned from just behind her.

That was enough to take Floyd’s attention off her, his attention span thankfully short enough that she didn’t need to bother forming a proper response. “Whoa, a talking cat! You sure don’t see that every day! How about I squeeze you instead?”

Grim shrieked and immediately clung to her leg, trying to hide his body behind her like a shield. “No way, ya weirdo!”

“My, my,” the other twin, Jade, finally spoke up. He approached from behind Floyd, standing at his side. “It appears a contingent from Heartslabyul has paid us a little visit. Are you perhaps here to scope out the competition in advance of the tournament?”

“Nah, nothing like that,” Cater quickly responded, though his nervousness made the half-truth a little less subtle. “We can’t talk too much about it, though…”

“Spying on Octavinelle isn’t something we take lightly,” Jade stated, his smile revealing a very, very sharp row of teeth. It reminded her of Idia’s smile, but this one was more pointed. It reminded her more of a piranha. “So I must ask that you justify yourselves, as we do see your actions as suspicious. And please, spare no details.”

“Um, actually, we don’t have time for that right now either,” Yuuna nervously interrupted, her hands resting on Riddle’s shoulders as she took a couple steps back. He followed her movements, reaching up to place a gloved hand atop hers. Grim had jumped onto her shoulder, already preparing to leave as soon as possible.

“Oh, yeah, she’s totally right!” Cater played along, pulling Ace and Deuce back with him. “We’ve got a ton of things to do today. Byeeee!”

They all took that as their signal to start speed-walking out of the courtyard. Unfortunately, the twins weren’t so eager to let them go without making them sweat a little.

“Crap! They’re chasing us!” Deuce looked over his shoulder, witnessing the twins quickly walking toward them. Their long, fast strides were just enough to start keeping up with them.

“Heeey!” Floyd called out. “Couldja stop for a sec, friends? We just wanna chat!” That’s what he said, but his tone gave a very different impression. And she wasn’t about to stick around to find out what that impression was.

“Decidedly, no! Full retreat!”

As he was closest to her, Riddle grabbed onto her hand, holding it firmly in his own as he bolted faster. She noticed that the twins were catching up and grasped his hand just as tightly, picking up speed until she was the one pulling him along to catch up with the rest of the guys.

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

“That was terrifying! What’s with those guys?!”

Grim was the first to speak when they finally made it far enough that the twins wouldn’t chase after them. They had arrived all the way at Main Street, the statues of the Great Seven towering over them as they all were bent over trying to catch their breath.

“I’m not the one you should be asking,” Riddle answered as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Those two have left me baffled since freshman year.”

“Yeah, I definitely wouldn’t wanna mess with that,” Cater said, pushing back the ginger locks that began to stick to his forehead with his hand.

“That makes…sense now…” she managed to huff out between ragged breaths. But she pulled herself back up, shaking out all the nerves so she could keep going with the group. “Okay… Who’s up next?”

“Well, it’s getting pretty late, so we’ll just check out this last guy and call it a night. Sound good?”

Was it really that late already? She hadn’t noticed that the sun was slowly journeying down to earth, the sky beginning to paint itself in pinks and oranges.

“Perfect,” Ace stated. “After this I can crash on my bed as soon as possible.”

Deuce nodded, agreeing. “That was enough excitement to last the rest of the week.”

“Okay then! So next on the list is Jack Howl. He’s a freshman in Savanaclaw. Rumor has it that he’s a great athlete. Scouts from a ton of major teams are already fighting to sign him.”

Savanaclaw, huh? The name immediately made a pair of lion ears appear at the forefront of her mind. And attached to those ears was one Leona Kingscholar, housewarden of said dorm.

Riddle checked his watch, humming to himself. “So it’s 5:00 already. Rule 346 states ‘croquet must not be played after 5:00pm.’ I should return to the dorms to make sure no one is breaking the rules.”

“What exactly happened to laying off once in a while?” Grim questioned. “You’re still as much of a square as when we met ya!”

“Aw, that’s not true,” she defended him. “He’s been more lenient since then. I can tell.”

“E-Exactly,” he stammered out, his cheeks flushed. “Enforcing the rules is no longer my top priority, but it still is a priority.”

Cater laughed, nodding. “Yeah, he’s totally way nicer than before. We still respect the classic Riddle diligence though. Like Trey said, not everything has to change so fast. So go do what you gotta do, Boss. I’ll report back to you when we’re done.”

“Thank you. I would appreciate it.”

Ace stretched his arms, making a few strangled noises before going back to his laid back attitude. “Okay then! Looks like the rest of us are headed to Savanaclaw!”

“Just be careful, everyone. I’ve only been to that dorm a couple times, but it’s uh… Let’s just say it’s kinda wild over there.”

The group, now down to five people, headed back to the Hall of Mirrors. This time, they stopped in front of the mirror with Savanaclaw’s emblem hanging over it. The bones décor surrounding it made her feel a little uneasy, subtly hugging Grim closer as she carried him in her arms. The scratch marks covering the walls around it didn’t help either. Nevertheless, she steeled her nerves and stepped through with everyone else.

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

“Holy crap…”

Appearing on the other side, she noticed how fitting the dorm’s name was to its aesthetic. The scenery everywhere she looked appeared to be much like an actual savanna. Trees, dirt, and wide open space as far as she could see. She almost expected a giraffe or two to come waltzing by. The dorm itself looked like an entire mountain had been carved out just to make it. More bones were scattered around the yard, especially a pretty big elephant skull. She had to question if they were real or not. Just being here made her feel intimidated.

“Whoa, check this place out!” Grim exclaimed, voicing her thoughts. “It’s like this place was made from a mountain! And those bones are huge!”

“This is like the total opposite of our dorm,” Ace remarked.

“No kidding,” Cater concurred. “It really feels like we set foot out of the bounds of civilization. The air here can only be described as…primal.”

“Wait a minute,” Deuce interrupted. “You said this guy’s name was Jack Howl, right?”

“Yup! He’s supposed to be a wolf beastman with wolf ears, silver hair, and a big bushy tail to boot!”

And his last name is Howl? That’s way too on-the-nose.

“I think I know him. Well, not really, but I think we’re in Track Club together.” Deuce looked around, stopping when he glanced over into the direction. “That’s him!”

Everyone turned their gaze towards the direction Deuce was pointing. Sure enough, they could all see a guy that perfectly matched Jack’s description running laps in one giant circle, the dirt kicking up from behind him and just missing his tail that bounced with each step he took.

He was considerably larger than any of the freshmen she’d met so far, making her feel like a little ant in comparison. His routine emphasized his toned muscles that flexed with each moment he pushed himself to move faster. Sweat beaded on his tanned skin, but he wiped it off with the back of his hand and kept going. Just watching him made her a little hot under the collar.

“Bingo! That’s our guy!”

“Yowza! That dude is huge!” Ace gaped. “No wonder all the scouts are fighting over him!”

“With that defined build, he’d do well on just about any team,” she commented, still not taking her eyes off the guy. “We should probably hurry and go talk to him.” She didn’t want to disturb him, but they had to for the investigation.

“Is Bunny scared of the big bad wolf?” Cater teased. “Don’t worry, cutie. Cay-Cay will have your back. You won’t get eaten on my watch.”

She pouted, swatting his arm. “I’m not scared. And besides, with a little training, I’ll have a perfectly good guard kitty."

But the cat in question had long left her side, already approaching the potential target. “Hey, Mr. Scowls-a-Lot!”

“Huh? You talking to me?”

She smacked her palm against her forehead. Why hadn’t she learned that taking her eyes off of him led to trouble? Now she knew how cat owners felt when their fur babies got into places they didn’t belong.

“That’s not good,” Ace muttered under his breath.

“I got him.” He was still her responsibility, after all.

Grim puffed out his chest, trying to size up the wolf beastman even though the guy was literally towering over him. “Just wanted to let ya know that someone’s gonna try to hut ya soon. But don’t worry! Grim the Great will protect you.”

Jack’s lips curled back, letting out a quiet snarl. “What? Look, don’t bother me while I’m training.”

“I am so, so sorry about him,” she quickly apologized when she was able to scoop Grim into her arms, covering his mouth with her hand and holding onto him tightly. He resisted and squirmed, letting out muffled cries of protest, but it did no good in the end. “He can be a little,” she racked her brain for a nicer adjective than the usual descriptors but found none, “obnoxious.”

“You said it, Bunny.” Cater came up from behind her, laying his arm across her shoulder to pull her closer. To keep true to his promise of keeping her safe. But really, this Jack didn’t seem all that bad. “So listen, king, could we take a minute of your time?”

Jack’s irritation didn’t abate, crossing his muscular arms tightly against his chest. His ears went straight up, as if challenging then. “What about? You said you were gonna protect me from something?”

“It’s a little more complicated than that,” she clarified. As someone who also liked to be independent, she could see that Jack seemed to dislike the idea of being treated like someone who needed bodyguards. “Have you heard about the string of accidents that have been happening on campus?”

He seemed to take more kindly to her approach, his rigged stance softening just slightly. “Yeah? What does that have to do with me?”

Her friends let her keep doing the talking, seeing her get through to him just a little better. She even kept her hand over Grim’s mouth to not let anything go downhill too fast. “Well, it turns out that the people in those accidents have all been players for their dorm’s spelldrive teams. We think that this isn’t just a coincidence.”

“…Go on.”

“To put it bluntly,” Cater jumped in, “we’re scoping out anyone that the culprit behind these accidents might see as a target. So what do you say? Will you lend us a hand?”

“No. I can take care of myself.” He didn’t even think about it, turning on his heel with the intent to walk away.

“Wait, please!” Finally letting Grim go, she ended up doing exactly what he had done, running up and blocking Jack’s path.

“I told you, I don’t need your help.”

“Yeah, you make that obvious.” Yuuna shook her head, a soft sigh escaping. But she looked up at him dead in the eye. “You don’t have to help. And that’s fine. We just thought it would be a good idea to warn you so if something does happen, you can see it coming. I just hope you’ll be careful. I don’t want to see anyone else get hurt from whoever causing these accidents to happen. So if you don’t want to help long-term, could you at least come to us if something does pop up? Please?”

She expected him to just keep walking away, to side-step her and walk out of sight. But he had stopped, scratching the back of his head in contemplation. “I doubt I’ll be a target. But…if something comes up, you’ll be the first person I tell. Just don’t get your hopes up. I ain’t doing it just to help you.”

Ah, so that’s what he was like. She smiled, realizing that beneath all that brawn was a soft and squishy center.

“Thanks, Jack. I’d appreciate that.”

“Whatever… You should probably go now.”

“Are… Are you guys seeing this too?” Ace muttered to his dormmates, looking on at the peaceful interaction between the two when the beastman had just been snuffing their offer moments before. “This doesn’t feel real.”

“Maybe he’s got a soft spot for girls?” Cater suggested.

“Geez!” Grim pulled himself up off the ground after he’d been dropped like a sack of potatoes. “You humans are all so finicky about every little thing!”

Their brief moment of calm was suddenly trampled when a group of footsteps could be heard closing in on them. The guys turned around to see a few Savanaclaw students looking at them, pissed.

“What the hell are you all doing here?” one of them angrily interrogated.

“This is a long way from Heartslabyul. Take a wrong turn or something?”

“Heh! Probably some lackeys sent by the Red Baby!”

The one with wild dog ears got up in their faces, growling. “You think you can just barge onto our turf without paying the price?”

“We were just leaving!” Ace hurriedly said, taking a step back. “Right, fellas?”

Hearing the commotion, Yuuna turned her head to look behind Jack, gasping once she saw the beastmen students closing in on her friends. “Oh no. U-Uh, thanks for the help Jack. I gotta go now.”

She hurried over to Ace, Deuce, and Cater as they tried backing away, only for the other guys to keep advancing.

“Come on, let’s play a game. How about Predator and Prey? And guess who gets to be the prey.”

“Hey, leave them alone!” she shouted, turning the attention on her.

The three laughed as, in their eyes, they saw a petite girl telling a group of guys twice her size to back off. “Ain’t that cute. Sorry, girlie, but this ain’t a game you can play. So how about you run off now?”

She clenched her teeth, not appreciating being talked down to for any reason. “They said we were leaving. Or do you just like starting trouble with people you don’t even know?”

“Seriously?!” Ace exclaimed. “You’re doing the same thing right now!”

“I don’t like the mouth on you,” the one with leopard ears snarled at her. But she didn’t back down.

“Cut it out, you three,” a familiar interrupted.

The students halted in places, suddenly straightening their backs as if royalty was walking on by. It wasn’t that far off, actually, considering what she’d previously just learned. When she turned her head, Leona strutted up to them with Ruggie in tow.

“But boss! These guys are trespassing on our territory!”

“We were just teachin’ em a little lesson! Heh heh!”

“I said, knock it off.” Leona’s harsh command made them stop once more. “Don’t even think about fighting the girl. Unless you wanna get neutered very early in life.”

His amused smirk didn’t go unnoticed by her. In fact, it was directed right at her, letting her know that he’d also caught wind of what she did on her first day of school. Is that really going to be my legacy here? But she supposed from the other guys’ angle, Leona might’ve been talking about him delivering that punishment.

“Wait a second!” Grim suddenly shouted, jutting out his paw towards Ruggie. “You’re the nasty Grilled Cheeseburglar!”

Ruggie seemed unbothered, shrugging. “Hey now. Let’s not get carried away with such delicious-sounding nicknames. The name’s Ruggie Bucchi. That’s way more fitting of my manly stature. Just don’t wear it out.” He then regarded Yuuna, his lips upturning in a playful grin. “Sup? Whatcha up to right now?”

“You have eyes,” she quipped despite her circumstances, “you tell me.”

“Shyeheehee! Good to see you haven’t lost your wits about you. But I gotta wonder what you’re doing walking straight into the lion’s den like this.”

“She likes making trouble for herself, I guess,” Leona remarked as if she wasn’t there.

“Hold the phone,” Cater said, glancing between the Savanaclaw students and her. “You actually know these two?”

“Well, yeah, sorta.” She shifted on her foot, trying to think of a good way to describe their encounters. “I’ve run into them a couple times. And I saw Ruggie at lunch. That’s the thing Grim’s talking about. And I was at the housewarden meeting with Leona. And, um…I may have kinda accidentally stepped on his tail.” She whirled around really quick to speak to Leona. “Still sorry about that!”

However, his little underlings didn’t see the situation in a good light. “Stepping on the housewarden’s tail?! Now you’re really gonna pay!” The cheetah-eared beastman grabbed onto her upper arm, which immediately made her try to take a step back and free herself from his grasp.

“Let go!”

“Didn’t you hear her?! Hands off!” Ace and Deuce worked together, Cater jumping in after a second. Together, they pulled her away from the Savanaclaw student. Deuce took initiative and forcibly pushed the guy away, throwing his arm up in front of her like a shield.

Leona growled, raising his voice. “Are you stupid? You wanna start a fight before the tournament and get disqualified?”

Unfortunately, only two out of three actually listened to him. But the one that grabbed her had too much pride to back up like the others. He raised his fist, aiming right for them.

She noticed the angle at which the punch was coming and her body acted of her own accord. She pushed Deuce out of the way, making him stumble and moving her right into the line of fire. Time slowed, everyone in the area frozen as the beastman’s fist connected with her cheek. She had to really plant her feet into the ground to prevent herself from falling to the ground. But from the marks in the dirt, she definitely slid back a little.

That hurt like a motherfucker!

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” Leona roared, finding his voice once more. Even from his current position and watching her gently caress her cheek, he could see the redness that bloomed on her skin. There was likely going to be a bruise.

“Aw, come on, boss! Equal rights, equal fights, and all that. Princess just has a little boo-boo.”

He leaned down, seeing the girl shaking as she held onto her cheek. He figured that the fear of what she was up against had finally sunk in.

But the poor fool had no idea how wrong he was. As he’d leaned down to get a closer look at her, she finally let her hand drop. She pivoted on her heel, moving her leg up as she spun and kicking the poor bastard square in the side of his jaw. Her unbridled fury powered the kick, sending him flying to the side. Maybe not officially, but he might’ve been airborne for about 0.2 seconds.

“And now douchebag has a little concussion.”

“You bitch!”

“Equal rights, equal fights!” she parroted back to him.

Ruggie’s loud whistle cut through their yelling, making them pause and direct their eyes to him instead. “Not gonna lie, that was pretty badass. Points for accuracy too.”

“Are you alright?” Cater gently held her chin between his fingers, carefully moving her head to get a look at her injury. “Yikes. That’s gonna leave a mark. Man, Riddle’s gonna kill us…” He mumbled the last part, not wanting her to hear it. “We should get you patched up now.”

“Hold it.” Leona stepped forward and then glanced to the side. “Hey, frosh!” Jack, who was still around to watch all this go down, stood at attention. “Go in and help patch the lady up. I don’t need anyone getting on my ass for letting her get hurt on my turf.”

Jack was quiet for a moment, looking straight at her. But then he started to approach. “Yes, sir.”

“As for you guys…” Leona’s aggravation shifted into something devious when he regarded her friends. “We’re gonna play a nice, friendly game of Spelldrive. After all, using spells during a match doesn’t violate school rules. I’ll even make the guy who just hit your lady friend play. Feel free to smack him around a little.”

“B-But boss!” the guy tried to protest, only to receive a cold, emerald green glare.

“Shut up. You’re the one who started this mess. Now you’re paying for it. You’re lucky you weren’t on the team roster to begin with or I would’ve kicked you off.”

Jack stood right by Yuuna, not daring to touch her. He just motioned for her to enter the dorm with him. She was a little weary, but not of Jack. She turned to her friends, worried. “Are you guys gonna be okay?”

“Y-Yeah, totally fine!” Ace tried to reassure her, even if he was sweating a little.

“Yeah!” Grim agreed. “I ain’t gonna take these guys hurting my henchman lying down!”

“We’ll make sure to avenge you.” Deuce cracked his knuckles, ready to throw himself into the fray.

“Hashtag #lame. But alright, guess we’re doing this…”

“Thanks, guys…” She offered them an encouraging smile before going with Jack inside the dorm.

“Don’t worry!” Ruggie called after her. “We won’t trample your friends too badly~! Shyeheehee!”

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

“This is gonna sting a little.”

Even with that warning, she hissed when Jack applied the medicine to her cheek. She sat on one of the lounge chairs right beside the beautiful waterfall within the dorm. It felt much more tranquil inside than out. Jack was on bended knee in front of her, diligently going through a first aid kit he’d gotten from the dorm’s general supply. She supposed they would need a few for the way it looked like they enjoyed roughhousing.

“I’m really sorry about all this,” she tried apologizing, believing someone like Jack didn’t appreciate looking after others.

“It’s fine,” he simply said. “I used to patch up my siblings now and then. This is no different.”

“That’s sweet,” she commented, holding still as Jack applied the bandage to her cheek. She supposed she too could now be chalked up as another incident because of the Spelldrive Sabotage, as she was now calling it. Even if the culprit didn’t directly hurt her, the chaos that trailed behind was very much correlated. “I have a sibling too. Though it always seemed like we were taking turns helping each other like this.”

“I-I’m just doing this on the housewarden’s orders!” Jack protested, likely at being called sweet. “Besides, you took a pretty bad hit and dealt it back. You don’t look it, but you’re pretty fierce.”

She giggled, seeing the big tough guy suddenly get flustered. She was sure there was a term for this kind of gap between how he looked and how he acted, but she couldn’t remember. “Thanks. It’s just basic self-defense, really.”

“No way. That was more than just self-defense. There was some real power behind that. Have you thought about joining Track Club?”

Shaking her head, she gently kicked her legs. “I’m not that athletic, really. And besides, I’m president of the yearbook committee. I can’t just back out of that.”

“Yearbook, huh? Is that why I saw some guys today walking around with their phone cameras on?”

“Yup, that’s them! It was kind of a challenge to get them to listen to me. They didn’t think they should take orders from a girl. But I figured I just needed to prove what kind of leader I was. And once I did, and with a few helpful food bribes, they were more willing to listen to me.”

“The kind of leader you are, huh…”

“I’m sorry, what was that?” she asked, not hearing his hushed voice.

“It’s nothing. I’ll take you back. I don’t think your friends survived. The housewarden is a pro at Spelldrive.”

So they never stood a chance to begin with. Excellent. She knew she’d never be hearing the end of this from her (literally) catty roommate.

Jack led her out of the dorm and out to the spelldrive field. And just as he said, her friends had been completely demolished by Leona, Ruggie, and two other Savanaclaw students. They had fallen to the dirt, panting and looking ready to crumble into dust.

“Shyeheehee! Where’d all the swagger go?” Ruggie taunted.

“On your feet, herbivores,” Leona joined in. “We've got a rematch ahead of us!”

“What’s going on here?” Jack demanded as he looked out onto the field and saw the very unfair fight.

“This is definitely not a ‘friendly’ game,” she argued, making her way onto the field to help the boys back up. They looked far more beaten up than her, with scrapes and bruises in various places. Their uniforms were covered in the sandy dirt from the field. “This game is over. We’re leaving now.”

“We were just having a little fun with the intruders, nothing too serious,” the housewarden lazily attempted to justify, not looking the least bit sorry.

“What’s so fun about tormenting amateur players?” The wolf stood between the two teams, scowling at his own dorm members.

“Whatever.” Just like that, Leona gave in, his shoulders slumping. “Running up the scores against these chumps gets boring after a while. Let’s go, Ruggie. And herbivore!”

She had picked up Grim and set him on her shoulder when he called out to her. She turned around, wondering what kind of last words he wanted to get out before their departure. Guys like him always did.

“You were still avenged, ya know.” He pointed to his cheek, indicating what he was talking about. But his words still caught her by surprise. “Just be more careful next time. Wouldn't want you getting eaten.”

“Uh…yeah…” She helped her friends out of Savanaclaw and back to their own dorm’s mirror. That was a plus about the Hall of Mirrors, making the proximity of the dorms extremely close together.

With the moon slowly rising into the sky and the stars peeking out, she called it a night as well. Besides, she needed to take care of Grim’s injuries.

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

She was still awake late into the night, gently petting Grim and looking through the very few features on her new phone that Crowley had dropped by to deliver. When he saw her injury, he practically demanded to know what had happened to her. Not wanting to cause further trouble, she had just said there was a small accident during a spelldrive game gone awry.

She could’ve ratted the guy out then and there, letting him face whatever consequences the headmaster decided to give for acts of physical violence. But on the way out of Savanaclaw, Cater had mentioned that even though the Savanaclaw guys were dominating the game, friendly fire had been turned on and the guy that punched her got pretty banged up by his own team members. She figured that was punishment enough for him.

Grim was curled up next to her, all bandaged up and tossing in his sleep. “Nyahaha… My power shot is…undefeated…” It figured he was dreaming of a rematch where he came out on top. Maybe all those good dreams were a boost to his overconfidence.

Careful not to disturb the sleeping monster, she shifted out of bed and put on her slippers. Grabbing a blanket off the armchair, she wrapped it around herself and headed downstairs. The air was cold and crisp when she stepped outside, a gentle breeze traveling through the tree leaves. It was a much more peaceful atmosphere than the chaos of today. It was already helping her restlessness. She let out a breath she’d been holding, closing her eyes.

A sudden rustling from the bushes made her eyes snap open, once again alert to her surroundings. From the trees, a figure approached but stopped when he noticed her. It was hard not to notice the elegant horns protruding from his head when she first looked at him. But the second thing was his beautiful chartreuse eyes that seemed to softly glow in the darkness.

“I don’t bite, you know,” she finally said, breaking the strangely comfortable silence hanging between them. “You don’t have to hide.”

“Who said I was hiding?” he asked, amusement lacing his tone. His voice was deep and smooth, like she could fall asleep just listening to him speak. “I doubt you could hurt me, Child of Man.”

“You’re right.” She took a few steps further down the path to meet him halfway. As she moved closer, she noticed how ridiculously tall he was. It seemed she was destined for the men at this school to literally look down on her as a consequence of their height.

As she moved closer, so did he, the moonlight illuminating his raven hair and revealing the soft tints of blue in it. And just peeking out from that hair were a pair of adorably pointed ears, like fairytale creatures would have. From all these factors, it was safe to assume that he wasn’t human. But despite all that, she never felt an ounce of fear while now standing this close to him.

“See, that wasn’t so hard,” she lightly teased with a smile. “So you can’t sleep tonight either?”

He chuckled in response to her joke. “Something along those lines. Is it safe to assume that you occupy this building? I was under the impression that it had been abandoned for some time.”

“That’s right. I moved in about a month and a half ago.” When she said it out loud, she realized how much time had flown by. And that bird was no closer to sending her home. “It took a lot of sprucing up, but I’d say it’s pretty livable now. And the ghosts are really nice too.”

“I see…” She noticed his lips dipped into a frown, or rather a pout. “It’s a pity. I quite enjoyed having a place where I could go to enjoy the peace of solitude.”

“That’s understandable,” she agreed, glancing back at her temporary home. “Sometimes people needed a moment to themselves.” She turned back to him, clutching her blanket tighter as she felt the chill in the air. “You’re free to walk around the grounds if you want, then. I’m not gonna stop you. But first, what’s your name?” She at least wanted to know the guy who wanted to use her property as his safe place.

“What’s…my name?” His eyes widened at her question. “Do you…really not know who I am?”

“Uh, no? That’s why I’m asking.” She was equally confused. Was he famous or something? It could be like Vil, where his name was known everywhere, but as someone not of this world, she had no idea who the celebrities here were.

“Interesting.” His expression shifted, an intrigued smirk gracing his beautiful face. “What is your name?”

Maybe he’ll answer if I say mine first. “You can just call me Yuuna.” Her last name was not something she was ashamed of. Just something she didn’t mind leaving in the void of curiosity. “Now it’s your turn.”

The handsome stranger chuckled. “I would rather you remain unaware.”

She puffed out her cheeks, unamused by his antics. “Hey, that’s not fair.”

“It’s for your own benefit, I assure you. But you may call me a name of your choosing. Although you may one day regret it…” The smirk that had never left was enough to tell her that she was unintentionally entertaining him with each of her reactions.

“That’s putting too much power in my hands, buddy,” she remarked, intent to keep the joke going. “Don’t worry. Since you’re so pretty, I won’t name you anything too embarrassing.”

“I see.” He looked to the side, seemingly in thought. “Does my physical appearance truly provide an advantage in these types of scenarios?”

She had to laugh. The fact he took it so seriously was somehow beyond funny to her. Her laughter reverberating into the night made him pout.

“What is so amusing? It was simply a question.”

It took a moment for her laughter to die down, but when she was able to speak again, she just shook her head. “No, no, it’s nothing like that. I was just joking around. I wouldn’t give you an embarrassing nickname just because you were wandering around outside my house. You did think this place was still empty, after all.”

“This is true.” His soft sigh carried on the wind. “Alas… If you have taken up residence here, then this abandoned dorm is no longer ‘abandoned.’ It is truly a pity. Perhaps I should find some other ruins for my next nocturnal constitutional. Farewell.”

"Wait!" Yuuna shouted, making the horned student pause as he turned his back to her. His brief hesitation allowed her to stay more. "You don't have to go yet. I wouldn't mind a little company."

His eyes widened, perplexed by her statement. "You wish for me...to stay?"

She shrugged, sitting down on the steps. "Well, I've been having a little trouble sleeping, so I came out for fresh air. Maybe having someone to talk to will help me feel a little less restless."

A deep chuckle escaped his lips, entertained by her suggestion. "An interesting notion. Very well. I shall indulge you."

He didn't sit, opting to only step closer by a few paces and stand right in front of her. From her sitting position on the steps, she had to lean back a significant amount just to meet his eyes.

"Well, since your name is apparently out of the question, then how about this? How long have you been at this school?"

"I am in my third year," he replied. “Though, such time is but a few moments for someone like myself.”

She figured pretty early on that she was going to have to get used to this guy talking like he was waxing poetic.

“Oh, so you’re an upperclassman then. I could really use someone who knows their way around. If you don't mind."

"Me?" Again, the young man was taken aback by her suggestion, eyes widened once more. Then his expression softened, and an amused smile took its pace. "You say such interesting things, Child of Man. Very well. Should you have any questions about this school and its inner workings, you may call on me to answer them."

Kinda need your name to do that. But that wasn't something he was giving away. At least, not today. "Thanks. You can ask me questions too. I don't want this to be a one-sided conversation where I just pester you all night."

“I should ask questions?” He pondered for a moment, but after some silence, he sighed. “I cannot think of anything. I am afraid I am not adept at these conversations.”

“It’s okay. If you come up with anything, you can just ask. What’s your favorite food?”

“Ice cream,” he answered immediately. “The cold taste is especially delicious after breathing fire.”

“Breathing…fire?” She tilted her head when she looked back at him. The only two images that came to her mind from that were a fire breather at the circus and a dragon spitting flames from its mouth. And given the horns atop this guy’s head, the latter image was at the forefront.

“Yes. I am a dragon fae. So naturally, it is a common trait that we have the ability to breathe fire.”

“Wow, that’s amazing!” she exclaimed, amazed by this little fact. She remembered she once wanted to be a dragon for Halloween and even pretended to practice breathing fire. But the dragon costume was vetoed in favor of a princess dress.

“Amazing, hm? Most have described it as terrifying.”

“It’s all about perspective, I guess.”

She let silence overtake them, seeing he wished to say something and giving him a minute to collect his thoughts. “I believe I have a question now. You are a woman, and yet, as far as I know, this school houses only men. How is that possible?”

“I wish I knew the answer to that too.” She shrugged, pulling her blanket closer to her body. “I just…woke up here. Something about the Dark Mirror choosing me and suddenly I’m a student here. Or half of one. I got that grouchy cat as my other half.”

“Fascinating. As far as I can sense, you have no magic either.”

“Yeah, I’m totally magicless. Not a fire or wind spell in sight. So I have to rely on him for the magic part of our studies.” Luckily, as Riddle had said, freshman year was all about magic theory over practice. So it made it a little easier for her to keep up.

The biting wind suddenly reached by, making her sneeze. She shivered, curling up into herself.

“It is getting colder,” the horned student she had yet to name commented, though he didn’t look cold at all. “I will leave you to retire indoors. Humans do not do well out in the elements without proper attire.”

She nervously giggled, remembering now that she was only in her pajamas; a plain old t-shirt and sweatpants. It was the best she could afford at the moment, despite the heating in the busted dorm not working too well. That would be a problem for future her if she was still stuck here in the winter.

“Yeah, you’re right. Sorry to hold you up like this.”

“I do not mind. In fact, I quite enjoyed our little exchange. I look forward to our next chat, should your invitation to come around here still stand.”

“It does. Have a good night.”

“Good night. And I have a new question for you to answer when we meet again. I hope you will tell me how you acquired that injury.” With a mischievous smile, he disappeared, vanishing in a flurry of green lights. The promise of a future meeting stayed.

Hold on. The green lights he left behind looked like…fireflies. Was he the one she saw that one time? If so, she felt a little more at ease. If he truly was someone out to harm her or Grim, he would’ve done so already while they were asleep. But it seemed he truly just enjoyed the quiet atmosphere around this dilapidated building. And that was fine with her.

She returned back to the dorm, slipping under the covers after tossing the blanket she’d been using back on the chair. A good night’s sleep would help with the next day’s investigation. She touched her fingers to her bandaged cheek, her resolve to solve these incidents hardening. She didn’t need anyone else getting hurt.

Chapter Text

Yuuna and Grim walked down Main Street together, heading to their classes for the day so they could pick up the investigation straight afterwards. She looked down at the sidewalk, watching her own feet move as she thought about her dream from last night when she finally managed to get some sleep.

She found herself in the middle of a large parade of animals; hyenas, to be more specific. But the scenery was a stark contrast to the beautiful atmosphere of her last dream. She looked around, noting the dreariness of her surroundings. There was nothing but rocks and dirt, no lush wildlife to be found.

“The world is about to be turned upside down!” a regal yet dastardly looking lion declared from atop a large rock, looking down at the hyenas. Looking up at him, the light from a small fire next to him illuminated his features, revealing a long scar across his left eye… “Our shining new era is tip-toeing nearer!”

The animals cheered loudly, their howls and enthusiastic shrieks making her cover her ears.

“Be prepared for the death of the king!”

“Why, is he sick?” one of the hyenas foolishly asked.

“No, you fool,” the lion chided, eyes narrowing, “we’re gonna kill him. And his son, too.”

“Great idea! Who needs a king?”

“No king! No king! Lala lala la la~!” a small group closest to the lion cheered together, a bit too pleased with the idea of regicide for her liking.

“Idiots!” The lion roared loudly, making them freeze up. “I will be king! Stick with me, and you’ll never go hungry again!”

The howls resumed, the hyenas banding together to cheer on who would soon be their new king. She clutched her palms to her ears and fell to her knees, unable to take these levels of high-pitched noises. But more than that, she was terrified of this malicious plan. This lion planned to kill a king just so he could take the position. She understood that everyone had a thirst for that kind of power, but why was this guy so determined to get it? What would be the end goal if he did achieve those heights?

“By the way,” Grim spoke up, bringing her out of her daze, “where did you go last night? I got up to warm up some milk, but when I was gonna ask if you wanted some, you weren’t there.”

“Oh, yeah, I just couldn’t sleep. So I sat outside for a bit. But something pretty strange happened.” She told him about the beautiful stranger that had been wandering around the building and how she stopped him for a chat. She definitely didn’t miss bringing up that he had large horns atop his head, the most defining feature she could think up to maybe identify him around school.

“A weird guy with horns, huh? And you didn’t even get his name or anything?”

She shrugged. “He wasn’t too keen on giving it for some reason. He said I could give him a nickname though…” She didn’t rack her brain for any possible names last night, having gone straight to bed. But now that she had time, she could think up some.

“Hm… I feel like it should be a name that suits him well enough…”

Firefly was an option, because that’s what it looked like when he disappeared. No, too plain. Perhaps Neo. It was short for neon, in reference to his glowing green eyes. No, something still didn’t sound right. Draco sounded good, in reference to a constellation she remembered, to go with the horns on his head. Close, but no dice. Beanpole briefly crossed her mind, but that was just her being silly. She dug deep into her mind, trying to sort through whatever memories she could find to perhaps come up with something more eloquent.

“Maybe… Tsunotaro?”

“Huh? What’s that mean?”

“It’s from a language I remember, but I don’t think I spoke it fluently. In simplest terms, it means horned boy…I think…” That probably wasn’t the full extent of it.

“People are gonna think you’re weird using a name like that!” Grim remarked. “I say we go with something less stupid. Like Hornton!”

“You think Hornton is less stupid than Tsunotaro?” she asked, raising a brow.

“He said you got to choose, right? So he doesn’t get to complain if you tell him that his new name is Hornton.”

“You’re free to call him that if you want. But I think I’m gonna stick with Tsunotaro.”

Grim huffed, pushing himself up to walk on his hind legs so he could cross his front paws. “Psh! You’re so picky. But if he’s a student here, you gotta introduce me when you see him! I really wanna know what this human with horns looks like!”

“Like I told you, he definitely wasn’t human.” But he also definitely wasn’t a bad guy.

“Hey, hey!” Cater’s voice called out, interrupting their conversation. He walked towards them with Riddle in tow. “Morning, Bunny!”

She noticed Riddle staring at him, oddly silent. “What is it?” she asked.

“Oh, well,” he was flustered at being caught staring, “your bow is crooked.” He moved closer, raising his hands and then pausing. “May I?”

She looked down, seeing that she had indeed been in too much of a rush and ended up tying it a little strangely, with one loop much bigger than the other. “Oh, sure! Thanks, I didn’t notice.”

“It’s no trouble.” He got to work, deftly retying her bow, careful of his fingers gently brushing against the skin of her neck as the top button had been kept undone. “There. Much better.” But he paused, his hand then lifting to her cheek where a bandage still rested. His silver eyes turned stormy and dark as he stared at it, his slender fingers gently brushing against her skin. “Cater told me about this.”

“It’s not as bad as it might look,” she tried to reassure him, even if it was kind of a lie.

Stepping into the path was not her smartest move. She knew Deuce could handle something like that, but it didn’t mean she wanted him to. And given the guy’s body mass in comparison to her own, it made sense for the force of the punch to affect her more than if she’d been his equal in size. But this was also a “you should’ve seen the other guy” moment while actually meaning it.

“I’ll be okay. I promise.”

“…If you say so.”

“Hey, where’s Ace and Deuce?” Grim questioned, not seeing the duo around. And she was grateful for the shift in conversation.

“Oh, they’re back at the dorm,” Cater replied.

She raised a brow. Were they running late? “How come?”

Riddle took the chance to respond this time. “In accordance with Rule 249, it’s their turn to wear pink clothes and feed the flamingos.”

“That’s…a thing?” Better question, that was a legitimate reason to be excused from classes?

“Yes, but it won’t hinder us too much. The recent accidents have been small, so we should be able to get their statements relatively quickly.”

Cater held up his phone, showing her the notes he took. “Yup. The only new ones are a junior from Octavinelle and a sophomore from Ignihyde.”

“That’s good. At least we can now keep track of everything.” She had gathered her own written notes in the process, the small notebook tucked safely with the rest of her things. There were circled and highlighted areas of anything she found to be significant or repeating. Hopefully, it would help her gain an important lead soon.

Out in the distance, toward the main building, the first bell rang to signal students to pick up the pace.

“We’ll reconvene once classes are over,” Riddle stated.

“Yeah, for sure. I want to get started as soon as possible.” But before that, she had a full day ahead of her.

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

Homeroom was a lot quieter without the dynamic duo behind her. But Grim made just enough trouble for her not to get too used to it. Earlier, she sat with Riddle, Cater, and even Trey during breakfast. She was happy to see that he was walking better with his ankle healing. Conversation had been a little short, not flowing as easily as it did with her closest friends. But she made an effort, and Cater helped by taking attention off her whenever she felt overwhelmed.

Honestly, though, it was still a little bit lonely. Perhaps that was just a testament to how much she’d gotten used to their near-constant presence.

Luckily, or maybe unluckily, she saw them again when it was time for their class to have PE.

Professor Crewel had the incredible foresight to make a PE uniform in advance for her. As Ramshackle was an unofficial dorm, she had to deal with a shirt that was the lightest shade of gray she’d ever seen; it was practically white from a glance. But she wouldn’t complain about color coordination. She had kept the jacket tied around her waist, the weather feeling a bit too warm for an autumn day.

“Dude, your flamingo-feeding outfit was insane,” Ace conversed with Deuce behind her while doing minor stretches. “I didn’t even know they made leopard print in hot pink!”

“Shut up!” Deuce yelled. “I-I didn’t have a choice! It was all I owned that was pink!”

“Quiet down,” she scolded, looking behind her. “I’m trying to concentrate.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Ace waved his hand at her. “It sucks that we still have to follow these crazy rules. But it’s way better than before, so I’ll take it.”

“Trappola! Spade!” The two in question jumped as the coach’s booming voice singled them out. “Since you’re having such fun over there, you two can partner up for stretches.”

“WHAT?!” they shouted, perfectly in sync.

“Damnit…” The redhead shook his head.

“Guess I’m finding someone else…” She looked around at all the unfamiliar faces, even looking over to the other two sophomore classes that came in for the joint class. That’s when she spotted a familiar pair of ears atop a head of sandy blonde hair. She walked towards him, tapping him on the shoulder. “Hey, Ruggie. Wanna be my partner?”

The hyena turned around, grinning his usual impish smile. “Heya. I guess I can. Not like there’s a lot of choices left.”

That was true. Most everyone had found a partner already, chatting with them in their own friendly little bubbles. Coach Vargas blew his whistle, signaling everyone to begin. So now, Ruggie really didn’t have a choice in who he partnered with. She did her utmost not to hold him back, pushing herself to match his surprising physical strength.

She had been right when she first thought not to let her make assumptions about him. Despite being thinner and smaller than his fellow dormmates, he had ways to make up for it. She mostly tried to follow his movements, though it was a bit obvious by how she lagged behind instead of moving in sync with him. But Ruggie didn’t seem to care, waiting for her to catch up with him.

When the whistle blew to signal the end of their stretches, she uttered a quick “thanks” before rejoining her friends. It didn’t get much better from there, Vargas deciding to run them ragged with various drills. Deuce, already being on track, had a less difficult time than her and Ace. They were left trying to catch their breath, collapsing once the whistle’s shrill sound cut through the air.

“Alright! Ten minute break and then back on your feet!”

“Thank the Seven,” Ace groaned. “I can’t take much more of this.”

“My knees hurt,” she complained, bending to try and stretch out the ache.

“Coach Vargas’s classes are definitely no joke,” Deuce said. “At least flight is next. You’ll get to rest your legs a little.”

“That is if she doesn’t fall off her broom like last time.”

She glared when the redhead snickered at her. “Unlike you , Trappola, I’m a magicless loser who knew nothing about flying on brooms till now. What’s your excuse? Last I remember, you were hanging upside-down last class and almost cried.”

“Careful, Ace, she’s breaking out the last names,” Deuce taunted with a mischievous grin.

She decided to take a break from the two, walking away as they began to bicker once again. Normally, she stuck close, but today, she felt like it would do her some good to venture out a bit. And she was right, as doing so allowed her to view Ruggie as he wandered further out on the field and then suddenly sit down. Curious, she walked in his direction, listening to the chatter of her classmates grow distant the further she went out.

His ears twitched as she approached, likely picking up the sound of her grass crunching under her sneakers. So it wasn’t a surprise when he turned around to face her, to which she nodded her head.

“Whatcha up to?” she asked, watching him pick at the ground, more specifically the weeds. She looked at the handful of dandelions in his grasp.

“You have eyes,” he said, parroting the words she used when they saw each other at his dorm, “you tell me.”

“Ha ha.” She rolled her eyes, then continued observing him. “Why are you picking dandelions? I didn’t take you for the wish-making type.”

“That superstition? Nah. I’m gonna eat ‘em.”

“You…can eat dandelions?” She knew there were some edible plants out there, but dandelions didn’t feel like they belonged on that list.

“Sure can. You can make them into salads, saute them, and use them for tea. There’s a ton of possibilities. The best part? They’re everywhere and you can pick ‘em for free!”

“Huh. I never knew that.” She sat next to him, plucking one of the dandelions.

“Yeah,” he agreed, quicker than she would’ve liked. “I can tell that you wouldn’t have any idea what it’s like being penniless. You’re definitely from some upper class.”

“Rude,” she retorted, “but not untrue. How’d you know?”

“Being around His Highness and some of these other guys all the time, you start to notice things only rich people do. Like how you move your utensils when you eat. Picking things based on how pretty they are over cost. Not to mention the three cups of coffee you chugged at breakfast. Stuff like that.”

Ouch. “Fine, I see your point. But I will smack you if you think I’m one of those elitist snobs. I don’t mind having to work for what I got. I don’t like running to anyone so they can solve my problems for me either.”

She twirled the dandelion delicately in her fingers, not letting the seeds scatter to the breeze.

Ruggie said nothing in response, returning to his dandelion picking session and stuffing the good ones he found into his pockets. He continued to do so until he felt Yuuna’s gaze on him a little longer than he would’ve noticed. He glanced back, seeing her eyes fixated on him, glazed over like she was in a daze or trying too hard to focus on something. Her staring made him feel a little nervous.

“What is it?” he asked, trying to snap her out of it. A beat of silence followed. “If you keep staring like that, I might actually start to think you like me or something.”

“Can I touch your ears?” she suddenly asked.

“HUH?!” That was the last thing he expected.

“Please?” she pleaded, giving him the classic puppy dog eyes. Like she’d been wanting to ask this question for a while and was going to combust if she didn’t. “Just a little bit? I’ll be gentle, I promise!”

“Wha一?! No way! I think you might be as bad as Rook…” He mumbled that last bit but she heard it clearly enough.

With cheeks puffed, she turned away. She closed her eyes, taking a soft breath in. “I wish I could pet Ruggie’s ears.” Then she blew on the dandelion in her hands, sending the seeds off onto their new journey on the wind. Then she opened her eyes back up and glanced his way. “Now you have to make my wish come true.”

The hyena beastman pouted. “That is not how that works.”

“It is now,” she replied with a cheeky grin.

“I ain’t some cheap date. If you wanna touch me, it’s gonna cost ya.”

“What if I get you some of those special donuts that are gonna be served at lunch today?”

Just as she expected, his ears perked straight up and his eyes lit up. “Really?”

“You’re not the only one who was observing everyone in the cafeteria. I was a few places behind you in the food line. You were drooling over those little powdered donuts from breakfast like you just discovered the legendary Candy Mountain.”

“Fair enough.” He was still hesitant, eyeing her wearily. “Alright, fine. But一”

The shrill sound of the whistle cut off his list of demands. “Line up! We’re getting back to work!”

“Aw man…” Yuuna slumped upon hearing that their break was over, mourning what could’ve been.

“Come on.” He started walking, her trudging behind. “You get twenty minutes,” he suddenly said, making her look up. “But you better bring the donuts. And it has to be at Savanaclaw. I’ll tell them you’ll be there, so they won’t give you any trouble. Though I really doubt they’ll want to after the show you put on last time you were there. Shyeheehee!” He cackled at his own comment, making her crack a smile.

“You drive a hard bargain. But you got a deal.”

“Free food just for a few silly pets? I think I hit the jackpot.”

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

Lunchtime finally rolled around and, just as she’d promised, Yuuna had retrieved a nice haul of donuts to take with her to Savanaclaw once classes were over. It was a little pricey, but sacrifices had to be made for the greater good. In the meantime, she and the guys reconvened with Riddle and Cater to get testaments from the recent victims.

“It was like my body moved on its own,” the Octavinelle student defended when questioned. “I can’t really explain it. I was doing okay until my leg suddenly shot out and made me fall.”

“Thank you,” she said. “That’s all we needed to know.” She walked back to her group, finishing up the last of her notes. “None of this still makes sense…” When saw movement at her side, she glanced over to see Grim trying to steal one of her donuts.

“No! Bad cat!” She flicked him on the nose, making him yowl and stumble back. “Those aren’t for you.”

“Don’t be stingy!” he whined. “You got plenty to go around!”

“They’re not for me.”

“Who are they for then?” Cater asked curiously, though he mostly wanted to get his intake of gossip.

She answered honestly. “Ruggie. We made a small deal and this is his payment.”

“I see…” Riddle looked apprehensive to the idea, crossing his arms. “Just be careful. I wouldn’t trust Ruggie Bucchi if I were you. He has always been unpredictable in his ways; except for one thing. If he’s given the right payment, he’ll do just about anything.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. But thanks for worrying about me.”

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

She didn’t think she’d be returning to Savanaclaw so soon. Most would probably actively avoid the site of their most recent injury. But not her. Ruggie had told her that no one would bother her, and he was right. She even left Grim back at Ramshackle to make sure there were no more scuffles.

As she stepped into the dorm, the students glanced her way and then immediately avoided her gaze. But one person stopped, looking down on her from the second floor.

“Well, look at that. The herbivore’s a glutton for punishment, stepping back onto the wild side all alone.”

Her eyes narrowed at Leona, holding the bag of donuts tightly. “I’m not here to cause trouble. I’m just here for Ruggie.”

“Yeah, he mentioned something like that. Something about you paying him. He’s in his room.” Her jutted his thumb in some general direction, clearly not going out of his way to help her as he stayed where he was.

Rolling her eyes, she made her way up to the second floor, muttering a quick “Thanks” before making her way in the direction that he pointed. She could feel everyone’s eyes on her while her back was turned, but she just kept moving forward.

“Ruggie!” she called out, obviously not knowing which room was his. “I’m here!”

The hyena popped his head out from one of the doorways, taking a moment to sniff the air once his stormy blue eyes glanced at the bag. “Wow. You actually did it. And quite the haul. Didn’t think this meant that much to you.”

Oh, it did. She loved animals to death. But obviously, she wouldn’t tell him that. She wasn’t going to reduce anyone here down to their animal characteristics. They were still their own people, after all. Just with fluff ears and tails.

“I always hold up my end of the bargain.” She approached, holding out the bag for him to take.

Now that she was closer, she was able to see over his shoulder into his room. It was minimal, with a bed, a wardrobe, a rug, and a desk with school textbooks packed into it. There were very few personal touches, like the animal print sheets and the warthog toy. Somehow, this was exactly how she would’ve envisioned his living space. Everything he needed and nothing more.

“Can I come in?”

“Oh, uh, yeah.”

Ruggie moved to the side, allowing her to enter. She smiled softly at how he was still drooling over the donuts, pulling one out and taking a big bite. He lit up, his tail wagging happily. She took the chance to sit on the edge of his bed.

“I held up my end. Now lemme pet ‘em!” She reached out with a childish grin, making grabby hands at him.

“Ugh, fine. The things I do… Just remember I’m doing this for the donuts.” He fidgeted with his scarf, walking over and sitting down.

That wasn’t enough for her, making her pat her leg. As long as she just thought about him like a big puppy, it helped her get less flustered than she would’ve been with a boy just laying his hand on her leg.

“I’ll be careful, don’t worry,” she reassured him, running his hands through his hair to feel the base of his ears.

They were just as fluffy and warm as she imagined, which really helped with the big dog image in her head. She was careful not to scratch too hard, soothingly running her fingers along his ear. He let out a deep sigh, sinking into her touch while his eyes flutter shut. She takes that as a good sign, rubbing behind his ears until he hit a particular spot that had him kicking his leg.

“Oh yeah, that’s the spot…” Ruggie mumbled out in what sounded like drunken bliss.

It was too cute for her not to reward him with more, rubbing his ears in the ways that got the best reactions out of him. It was also a big help to her, her worries about all the events circling around her melting away as her pet his fluffy ears like he was a beloved pet.

She had stopped paying attention for a bit, just humming to herself and letting her hands move without much thinking. Ruggie didn’t seem to mind, draping himself on the bed as he let out his content sighs every now and then.

Time passed for them in relative silence aside from when she scratched at just the right angles, making him whimper softly. But with a heavy heart, she removed her head and bounced her leg to try and nudge him off. She hadn’t expected him to stubbornly push down his head to keep himself in his position, making her laugh.

“Come on, it’s been twenty minutes. Just like you said.”

“You can go longer,” the hyena stated, not wanting to give up this moment of peace and being spoiled for once.

“My leg is falling asleep,” she countered. “So I need you off.”

He finally removed himself from her leg, sitting up and stretching his arms up high. “Never been that relaxed before. I might let you do this again.”

“Sounds good to me. I should head out now though.” She stood up from the bed, shaking her leg back to life.

“Alright. Don’t get eaten on your way out.”

“I will! See you again, you good boy you~!”

“Not funny!” he yelled as she made her exit.

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

“Have fun playing house pet?”

Leona stood beside Ruggie, who was watching from the second floor as the Ramshackle prefect safely left the dorm without being disturbed by the other students.

Instead of getting offended, Ruggie snickered. “Hey, if it means being spoiled rotten like that, I might just consider it.”

The lion clicked his tongue. “Whatever. I don’t need you getting soft on me now. Just remember what you need to do.”

“Don’t worry, I haven’t. Everything’s working out just fine.”

A small group of Savanaclaw students approached the two, looking mildly pissed and a little too overconfident for either of their liking.

“Hey, boss, you need that girl out of the way?” one asked.

“We can get that pipsqueak out of your mane, no problem.”

“Don’t be stupid,” Leona chided. “Are you really so threatened by a little girl? Or did you just forget what happened last time one of you messed with her?”

“My jaw still hurts! I wanna make her pay!”

“And I hear she and her little buddies are looking into the accidents. We can take out the nuisance to our hunt before anything happens.”

“Geez, take it down a notch,” Ruggie commented, fidgeting with his scarf. “She’s not a problem. She didn’t have any doubts while she was here, so we’re in the clear. Besides,” a devious smile graced his face, “if she trusts me, that just makes this easier. Someone like her wouldn’t suspect someone she trusts, right?”

“So just leave it alone. If you act up, you’re just gonna get caught. Let’s go.”

The housewarden retreated back to his room with the hyena in tow, leaving the group he just scolded to contemplate their next course of action. Though the rule of Savanaclaw was to obey their king, there were those that still had their own agendas. And that was making sure their main goal went unhindered.

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

Yuuna’s strange day began when her first period ended. The halls were more crowded than she usually remembered. She didn’t really take the time to look at her surroundings, since punctuality was basically a priority in Professor’s Trein’s classes and she definitely didn’t need a tardy on her record.

“Grim, slow down!” she called out to him once he easily started weaving through students’ legs and toward the staircase.

“It's not my fault you’re slow!” he retorted, hopping down the steps with a smug grin. “Duck and weave, minion!”

She shook her head, just trying to get through and meet Grim at the bottom of the steps. But as she was making her decent, she suddenly felt a harsh nudge against her back. And then it registered that she was falling forward. She could see Grim yelling something, but no sound reached her ears. And with nothing to catch herself, nowhere close to the railing, all she could do was freefall. But an arm looped around her middle, tugging her back and making her lean back into her savior.

“Whoa, careful,” Ruggie’s voice floated into her ears.

She stared back at him, eyes wide and heart pounding in her chest. “Th-thanks.” If not for him, she would’ve ended up like the victims of the Spelldrive Sabotage incident. And then she would be no help to anyone. Realizing she was still leaning into his body, she shifted away and gripped the stair railing tightly. “I mean it, Ruggie. You really saved me.”

“Eh, it’s no problem,” he nonchalantly responded. “Can’t exactly have you coming back around if you break a leg.”

She managed a smile, giggling softly. “You mean no one else would be willing to get you those donuts in exchange for my special request.”

“You say potato, I say potato. Just watch your step, yeah?”

“Yeah, I will.”

As she left, she couldn’t help but feel a little off when she thought about when she started to fall. It was like her body suddenly moved on its own when she leaned back out of danger and into Ruggie.

Unfortunately, that instance wasn’t the end of her troubles. During potionology, Professor Crewel had sent her to gather a few herbs from the botanical garden when the class had blown through them on failed attempts. She didn’t mind too much, venturing out in her lab gear to the always peaceful garden. She had debated coming here to study a few times, but just never found the time.

“Now where are they…?” She scoured through a patch of bushes and almost screamed, seeing a figure laying against one of the trees just beyond. But she managed to calm down quickly enough once she realized who it was. “Oh, it’s just you.”

“Hm?” Leona cracked his scarred eye open, lazily glancing up at her. “Not jumping for joy to see you either.”

“I’m just looking for…ah, there!” She spotted the sunrot grass near his feet, not even bothering to apologize as she moved into his space to pick them. As she picked, she noticed that the lion was still watching instead of minding his own business like he seemed to do normally. “What?”

“Trying to figure out if you’re fearless or stupid,” he plainly replied, not caring if his phrasing made it sound like an insult. 

“Little bit of both.” She continued picking at the grass, trying to find the better quality ones so she could complete her assignment without too much resistance. “And done.” She stood up, finally stepping back to let the guy enjoy his little nap time. “Enjoy your snooze.”

“Good, because you're blocking my sun,” Leona grumbled, motioning his hand in the direction he wanted her to go. “Move out of the way.”

She let out an exasperated sigh, stretching out her leg to take two long strides to her left. “There. Happy no一EEP!” Her sentence was cut off by the sound of something crashing just beside her. “H-Holy crap…” A hanging ceramic pot had fallen to the ground, shattering. She looked up to see that the wires holding it had snapped. If she'd still been standing in her original position, she would've been seriously hurt. She looked over to Leona, who had turned away from her on his side. “Did you just…save me?”

He yawned, shifting into a slightly different position. “Dunno what you're talking about.”

He kept his back turned, not even bothering to turn over and look her in the eye. Maybe that was the most she’d be getting as an answer. Before she left, she took a quick glance up at the broken wires. It was a strangely cleancut.

Lunch hour didn’t give her a break either. She was relatively okay getting in line and ordering her and Grim’s food. But as she began to walk to her table, something snagged her legs and forced her to lurch forward, spilling her tray of food and making everyone’s eyes land on her to see the commotion.

“Ow…” She grumbled as she sat up, checking to make sure nothing was broken or twisted.

“Are you okay?” Deuce asked, rushing to her aid and offering his arm to pull herself up on.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She gladly took his offer, tugging on his arm as she lifted herself up off the floor. But then she saw her now destroyed meal and cursed under her breath. “Damnit…” She was trying to limit their food budget this month, meaning getting back in line to pay for a whole new meal wouldn’t be a good idea.

“It’s okay,” her friend tried to comfort her, guiding her back to their table. “You can share some of mine.”

“No, I couldn’t. You need to eat too. And you’ve got Track Club today.”

“You can have a little of mine,” Ace offered instead, even though he was already halfway through his hamburger steak.

“Yeah, a little is all you got,” she rebutted, refusing and sitting in her seat to sulk.

“Here.”

She looked up to see a tanned hand setting a small bowl of salad in front of her. The bracelets around the wrist were a dead giveaway as to who it was. Leona was once again in her space, but this time, Ruggie was right behind him.

“You’ll just pass your veggies off to anyone, huh?” the hyena chastised his boss, eyeing the salad bowl.

“Just take it,” the prince said when she opened her mouth to refuse, her hand ready to scoot the bowl back to him. “Herbivores need to eat their plants to grow big and strong, ain’t that right?”

“Hey, what about me?!” Grim yelled, hopping up onto the table to face the much larger predator.

Leona sneered at him, making him shrink. “Then get back in line, pipsqueak.”

She was too baffled to get another word out, simply watching him exit the cafeteria with a meaty deluxe sandwich in his hand. It looked like the two would be eating somewhere other than here.

“What just happened?” she muttered to herself despite already digging into the salad.

Club time rolled around, allowing her a moment of relief from all the problems she’d faced today. But it also allowed her thoughts to spiral. She couldn’t definitively say that someone was out to get her, but her mishaps had been happening too frequently for her to think otherwise.

“Hey, Prez,” one of her club members spoke up, making her look up from her desk. He took that as a chance to show her his phone. “I got this pic of the Spelldrive Club. What do you think?”

She looked at the picture, scanning over it. She noticed that Ruggie was in it, racing after the disc. She also noticed the purple-haired student she saw back at Pomefiore. She honestly didn’t expect him to be in a sports club. “Hm… There’s a little blur in the corner. Try to crop it out while keeping all the club members in the horizontal middle of the photo. It looks great otherwise. Which is normally tough when snapping things in motion.”

Other members had similar photos, explaining it as their own prep work for the interdorm tournament. Most of her club members weren’t on the roster, so she guessed this was their way of participating in the hype of it all. It was then that she realized she should do her part with the materials at her disposal.

She clapped her hands, gaining everyone’s attention. “I’ll go out and capture some motion shots of the club too. Right now, the tournament page should be top priority. You guys can go out and get some quotes from the teams that we can add in. Go out and get inspiration on how to add flair to the pages. It takes more than just good photos to make a yearbook successful.”

“Aesthetic matters too,” one of the Pomefiore members added, remembering her words.

“Awesome! We’ll meet up next time to work on it more in depth. And make sure to get good shots of the tournament. We’re only a few days away from it.”

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

Yuuna trekked out to the sports field, Ghost Camera in hand, seeing the Spelldrive Club still going through practice drills. Good. She had made it. Lifting her camera up, she focused the lens to get the best shots of the disc pushing pushed to and fro with incredibly flashy magic. It made it just a little bit difficult to capture the players on the field without getting horrific glare.

So in the meantime, she decided to put the camera down and just sit in the grass to watch. Maybe a lower angle would bring about the perfect opportunity. As she was sitting on the sidelines and watching, her eyes wandered to the people she could recognize among the ranks. Leona, Ruggie, and the purple-haired freshman一that Rook guy had called him Epel, if she remembered correctly. The last one seemed to catch onto her staring, turning her way. She waved. He didn’t.

During a brief period of rest, he had decided to approach her, standing a few feet away from her. “Um… Can I help you? You’ve been staring at me for a while…”

“Huh? Oh, no, no.” She smiled, casually waving her hand. “I’m just watching the game. I guess I just wander to familiar faces. You’re Epel, right? From Pomefiore?” She stood up, extending her hand for a shake.

“Yeah, that’s me.” He took her hand, accepting the greeting with a demure smile.

“And I’m Yuuna.”

“Hey, Epel, we need you back here!” she heard Ruggie call, jogging up to them. He stopped when he saw her. “Oh hey, why are you out here?”

“Yearbook duties,” she answered, holding up her ghost camera.

“I should get back now,” Epel spoke up, feeling like a third wheel all of a sudden and shuffling back onto the field.

“So you’re on the Spelldrive team?” She looked away from Epel’s retreating figure and looked over to Ruggie, who leaned back with her hands behind his head.

“Yup. Why? Didn’t expect a small thing like me to keep up with the other big buff dudes in my dorm?”

She shook her head. “Only for a minute, but you proved otherwise.” Her mind sparked with an idea, suddenly reaching up to pet his head and smile. “You’re doing such a good job!”

“H-Hey hey! No!” He backed up, his cheeks dusted pink. “Don’t just do that out of nowhere! I got a reputation to uphold out here, ya know.”

She laughed, covering her mouth with her hand. “Alright, you have my word.”

“Hm?” When he looked down, he noticed the bruising on her knees. “What happened to you?”

“Oh, that?” She crossed one leg behind the other, as if that would hide the damage. “I just fell in the cafeteria today. It wasn’t anything serious.”

He continued to stare, making her fidget under her bluish-gray gaze. “Fell, huh? That’s really all it is?”

She blinked, confused. “Uh, yeah? I just said so.”

“Hm. Alright. Not gonna bug ya about it. Sounds like you're just clumsy today.”

“Oi Ruggie!” Yet another conversation was interrupted, this time by Leona’s call. “Stop playing with the herbivore and get back here.”

The hyena loudly sighed. “Alright, geez! Don’t gotta shout about it.”

As one beastman left, another came near. Leona stood over her, casting a shadow as he was almost a whole foot taller than her.

“Leona,” she bluntly greeted.

“Herbivore,” he greeted in a similar fashion. “What’s the camera for?”

“Yearbook. I’m just taking photos, so don’t mind me.”

The prospect of being in the spotlight made the lion smirk wide. “Better get my good side then.”

He turned away, stepping back onto the field. “Alright! We’re splitting up! Practice versus match, hurry up. Frosh, you’re with me on this one. Remember what I told you.”

“R-Right!” Epel confirmed, joining Leona on his side of the field.

Camera up, she captured every moment of the magic. Honestly, she was amazed by Leona’s tenacity as he led his own team through the field. She didn’t get to see the earlier match, if she could call it that, where he pummeled her friends into the dirt. But she could see now what Jack had meant when he said Leona was a pro. His tactics were incredible, predicting the other team’s movements and quickly finding ways to maneuver him. He and his teammates moved as a forced to be reckoned with. She was left completely awestruck by him. And the others, of course.

Even if he was an asshole, she couldn't deny how attractive he was in the moment, hair messily tucked into a ponytail and bounced every time he dodged or jumped. She could faintly see that he had tucked his braids in there too, too lazy to take them out just to retie them after. With his jacket tied around his waist, he could see the way his muscles flexed under his shirt, sweat rolling down his neck and sneaking down his collar. Wow, okay, no. Bad bad thoughts. She shook her head, lifting her camera up to focus on something else entirely.

She did her utmost to continue photographing the game, making sure to capture the club’s fluid movements and incredible sparks of magic. Once she was satisfied, the small match ending with Leona’s clear victory, she decided that it was best to pack up and leave. She had been so focused on returning to her dorm that she didn’t even notice those in the club that watched her leave with a strange intensity.

Chapter Text

Unfortunately, her “bad luck” did not just pass over by the next day. In fact, it seemed to be coming at her with a vengeance.

She had no irrefutable proof, but she didn’t need it to have a solid theory. Whoever was behind the string of Spelldrive player incidents didn’t like her poking her nose where it didn’t belong. She hadn’t much choice in the matter, after Crowley so effortlessly convinced Grim to solve this case. And when Grim was involved, she was inevitably dragged in too. The truest sense of a package deal.

The day began with yet another “slip and fall” tactic. Though instead of shoving her around in a crowd, small patches of ice obstructed her path. They hid themselves well enough so she never saw who cast it. She kept her head hung low, watching her feet and the floor in front of her. The strategy allowed her to weave her way around each one so she wouldn’t lose her footing.

Though this time around, she couldn’t help but notice that the methods being used on her were overall juvenile. Perhaps it was because she’d been collecting testimonies from the victims of this little conspiracy that she was able to notice.

The victims all noted that their accidents were sudden, precise. And there was no external force according to them. Nothing like potted plants or ice patches. By that logic, the main culprit wasn’t the same person as whoever was pulling these nasty stunts. But it seemed the goal was the same. So why didn’t the main culprit go after her? It would be so much easier. Or maybe she should just consider herself lucky that they seemed to have no interest in personally removing her from the equation.

Those thoughts still raced around in her head, leaving her distracted in alchemy class. It left her fumbling once in a while, but she straightened herself out just in time to not get seriously hurt.

But she almost hadn’t been so fortunate.

Yuuna had been minding her own business, transferring supplies for Professor Crewel from one room to another, when a guy came racing down the hall and nearly knocked her over. It caught her off guard, making her stumble backward. Her back hit the wall, giving her just enough of a teeter to tilt the tray in her hands back upright, preventing the contents from spilling all over her.

In her shock, she hadn’t taken more notice of the perpetrator. All she remembered was that he was tall. But that little detail didn’t exactly narrow down the list. Plenty of guys here were taller than her! It wasn’t exactly a hard thing to accomplish.

“Aaaargh! I can’t take it anymore!” The Prefect’s outburst was noticed by a few stray schoolmates passing through the halls in the middle of class time, either coming from the bathroom or ditching. Neither mattered to her.

During lunch, she made up her mind, needing an outlet to wind down. She gave Ace and Deuce a quick rain check, asking to leave Grim with them for a bit and promising she’d be back by the time lunch ended. Yuuna knew she was going to owe them for it, but she didn’t exactly have the capacity to care.

She headed to Sam’s shop for a few snacks, or rather bargaining chips. And that was exactly where she found her target, walking out of the shop with a full paper bag in hand.

“Ruggie Bucchi!” Yuuna yelled out.

The beastman in question heard her, indicated by the flick of his ears. He shifted the weight in his arms, approaching her.

“Oh, hey. You don’t really have to shout, ya know.”

She said nothing, only holding a finger up, signaling him to wait there as she stomped past him into the shop. A brief glance at his flattened ears let her know that she might’ve startled him a bit. But she was sure that would go away once he received his payment.

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

“Hey, hey, easy on the ears!” Ruggie whined when he felt Yuuna’s finger rub a little too hard as he laid on his stomach across her legs.

The two of them found a spot under a nice tree just out of sight from the main pathways. Ruggie was still adamant that he didn’t need to be viewed like some stray that enjoyed pets, despite how shameless he could be about anything else. Guess he had a very specific sense of pride.

“A-Ah. Sorry…” She let up instantly, focusing again on gentle pets while watching him go back to munching on the jerky she traded in exchange for this time. “I’m just a little wound up. I’ll be more careful.”

“Yeah, I get it. You’ve been grumbling about your terrible, no good, very bad day since we got here..”

“That doesn’t even begin to accurately describe it.”

She sighed loudly, going back to petting Ruggie’s ears to keep her mind off things again. But she didn’t exactly want to vent to him. As much as she got used to this little thing between them, exchanging food for comforting pets, she was also worried that venting to him might be overstepping.

She would go to Grim for this, but he liked to complain about not being a cat when she yanked him in for cuddles, at least in the daytime when he wasn’t tired enough to stop arguing. And no one wanted to hear whining during cuddle time. Ruggie at least knew the value of comfortable silence. 

“Hey,” Yuuna piped up, catching Ruggie’s attention. “Can I ask you something?”

“Depends what it is. I might charge extra for the answer.”

“No, nothing that serious. Just…have you noticed any of your dorm members getting hurt lately?” She hadn’t heard much from Savanaclaw’s end. And she remembered that Jack had been listed as a possible target of the attacks.

The hyena was silent for a moment before shaking his head. “Can’t really remember. Our dorm ain’t exactly too known for its camaraderie, outside of Leona giving us orders and leading the pack. Otherwise, it’s really just survival of the fittest.”

“That checks out.” And it was kind of sad. Perhaps she only thought that because she’s been a witness to how much more unified the residents of Heartslabyul had become since Riddle’s overblot. “Thanks. That’s all I wanted to know.”

“You sure?”

“Huh?” She glanced back down at Ruggie, who was staring up at her with an unreadable expression. “…Yeah. I’m sure.” Suddenly she didn’t feel so sure.

There was a short silence, only the soft breeze rustling through the treetops filling the gap. Ruggie shifted his weight on her legs, turning so he was laying on his back and looking directly up at her.

“You’re too nice for your own good, ya know.” She was baffled yet again by his sudden words. “Any normal person would look at these incidents and just say ‘More room for me.’”

“I kind of don’t have much of a choice actually. I might not be as good of a person as you think I am.”

“Nah,” Ruggie quickly retorted, staring up at her with an intense gaze, fixing her with his dusty blue eyes. “You are, even if you don’t wanna admit it. And it could end badly if you’re not careful.”

Yuuna pursed her lips, her cheeks flushed under the weight of his gaze. But she didn’t look away, even if her instincts told her she should. “I could say the same to you.”

Now it was his turn to be stunned, if only for a brief moment. His eyes went wide before he scoffed, brushing her words off. “Add naive to the list.”

“I mean it though. You wouldn’t have caught me when I was about to fall if you weren’t. You wouldn’t be here right now if you weren't at least a little kind. Or at least nice.”

“Now you’re just making stuff up.”

“I’m not.” She laughed softly and tapped him on the nose. “But if you choose not to believe me, that’s all you.”

“But seriously. Be careful, alright? You don’t know what could be lurking to tear out your throat.”

“I kinda figured that out already. But thanks for the heads up.”

They settled back into their comfortable silence, Ruggie having exceeded the allotted twenty minutes they originally agreed on for this, almost falling asleep in her lap. It was only when the bell rang to signal afternoon classes that they had to part ways.

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

The next morning brought a strange present to her front door; a few thorny vines laying there and ready to prick at her feet. If she hadn’t noticed in time, the thick thorns would’ve pierced right through her shoes and into her feet. What kind of person would pull such a sick prank? Grim had enough firepower to burn them away at her behest. The blocked path was an inconvenience to him too, so he didn’t complain about cleaning up, especially since it didn’t take that long.

On the way to the main building, her phone dinged, signaling a new text message. She checked, seeing it was from Cater.

Another incident. Meet u @ cafeteria.

Her stomach dropped. They just kept coming. The culprit was hard at work trying to wipe out the entire competition. If too many players from the rest of the teams went down, leaving only one team standing when the tournament rolled around, it would reveal the culprit right away. But that would mean sitting around while people continued getting hurt; something she wasn’t about to do.

With Grim nestled atop her shoulder, she entered the cafeteria for breakfast, watching the other students stand in line for their food and chatting with friends at the tables. A rumbling echoed from her stomach, making her groan softly. Food first, thought later.

She spotted Riddle and Cater sitting together at one of the tables, Ace and Deuce sitting opposite of them. Cater waved at her, to which she waved back and then pointed at the line to signal her intent to get some food first.

Grabbing a tray, she joined the rear of the line, glancing over at the menu for today to contemplate what she should get.

“Hey there, friend.”

Surprised, she looked back to see Ruggie just getting in line behind her.

“Hey,” she greeted back, moving up slowly in the line with him trailing. “I’ll take a pancake plate and a sausage and egg sandwich, please,” she addressed the chef ghost.

“Right away.” He nodded and assembled the small meals, handing them over the counter. “Here you go.”

“I’ll get that egg sandwich too,” the hyena ordered, “but two sausage patties and extra bacon.”

“You really like your meat, huh?” she commented with a little smile.

“Well, meat’s pretty good. But this isn’t for me. Leona didn’t wanna deal with the crowd, so here I am.”

“You’re joking,” she said flatly, not truly believing that anyone would be so lazy as to send someone else out on a food run instead of getting it themselves to eat while it was hot. Then again, wasn’t that what most food delivery services were for?

“I wish.”

She paused, looking at his tray, which only held the egg sandwich that had been adjusted per Ruggie’s request. “What about you?”

He looked at her inquisitively, his ear twitching softly atop his head. “What about me?”

“Aren’t you gonna eat anything?”

“Eh, I can get the cheap cereal at the end if I really need anything. Food budget is tight this month, so if it’s not a good deal or free, I don’t need it.”

“I see.”

That was a little sad, honestly. But she remembered that their living conditions growing up were vastly different. At first she thought Ruggie just liked to eat dandelions out of some hyperfixation with them or even just wanting to get creative. But now, she realized that may not be the case. It was simply a way to eat for the day. Moving the line, her hand reached out to grab a plastic cup filled with donut holes, noticing how the hyena stared longingly at it as she set it on her tray.

By the time both of them paid for their food and began to leave the line, she quickly moved the cup from her tray to his, making him stop.

“Uh, what are you doing? Giving Leona a gift or something?”

“I’m not as hungry as I thought,” she lamely reasoned. “You can have that if you want.”

His ears instantly perked up, looking down at the donut holes like they were a gift from the heavens above. Then his demeanor quickly changed as he gave her a guarded grin. “I ain’t turning down free food, but not everyone likes being pitied.”

“Who said it was out of pity?” she asked. “Sometimes people do something because it makes a friend happy. But if you don’t like it…” She reached over to his tray. He was ready to pull it away until she grabbed the cheap dry cereal he’d gotten for himself. “There, we traded. Pleasure doing business with you.”

The action stunned him, but only for a minute. And then he smiled. But there was a cautious edge to it. “So we’re friends now, eh?”

“Well, yeah, at least I thought so. Did you not want to?”

“I mean, I just didn’t think a total princess like you would wanna be friends with a broke joke like me.”

The Prefect pouted. “Don’t call me princess.”

“If you wear a skirt and have an animal sidekick, you’re a princess,” he commented, jutting his thumb out to point at Grim. “I don’t make the rules. I already have one prince running me ragged. Some extra cash would be nice and all, but even I know my limits.”

“I’m not looking for an employee,” she argued. “I gotta go now. My other friends are waiting for me. And I’m sure you have a lion waiting for you. I hear they get cranky when they’re hungry.”

Ruggie snickered. “True dat. See ya.”

When they walked their separate ways, she couldn’t help but turn back to see Ruggie taking one of the donut holes and popping it into his mouth with a delighted grin. Yuuna smiled, thinking that she was happy to have given him a bit of joy in the morning. Then she made her way over to the group’s table, setting down her and Grim’s breakfast.

“About time!” the monster cheered. “I’m starving!”

“Easy there,” she chided. “We need to hear the news first.”

"One moment." Riddle stood up, rounding the table. "Your bow is crooked, Yuuna." He leaned down over her, his face close to hers as her smoothed out the bow she hastily tied this morning. The closeness made her heart thump.

"There." He leaned back slowly once he was finished. "You must always look presentable. And now..." Riddle sat back down, motioning to Cater. "The news."

“Yup! Cay-Cay’s got all the deets. The latest accident involved one of the sophomores from Scarabia. But not just any sophomore; the Vice Housewarden, Jamil Viper. He’s pretty easy to spot since he likes to wear a hoodie under his blazer instead of the standard white shirt. And he should be…ah, over there!”

She followed his finger, looking over to a table with only two people sitting at it. She recognized one of them as Kalim, so the other was obviously Jamil. Like Cater said, he wore a red and black hoodie under his unbuttoned blazer. His long hair was tied into a ponytail with a few braids weaved within it.

“Great! Let’s go talk to him so we can go back to eating!”

“Grim, wait!”

But she had no time to grab him, watching him bound off to the table with nothing stopping him. The rest of the group got up and followed after him, arriving just when Grim jumped up onto the table.

“Hey, buddy! You’re the guy who got banged up in the kitchen yesterday, right? Tell us all about it!”

Jamil instantly looked apprehensive, defensively crossing his arms. “And what is this? An inquisition?”

“Sorry about him,” she quickly apologized, picking Grim up off the table.

“He lacks tact on important matters like this,” Riddle added in. “Apologies for interrupting your breakfast.”

“Hey there, Riddle!” Kalim happily greeted. “And Yuuna’s with you too! That’s a fun combo of friends. Oh right! Yuuna, meet my vice housewarden, Jamil!”

“This guy still throws me off big time…” the monster muttered.

“It’s nice to meet you,” she greeted.

“Likewise,” the Scarabia student responded. “So, why are you asking about my accident?”

“We’re here at the headmage’s request,” she answered.

“The headmage, hm? Well, alright. Last night, Kalim wanted some lamb rolls, so I was in the kitchen frying some up.”

“Jamil’s lamb rolls are the best !” Kalim jumped in. “You really gotta try them some day!”

“Kalim, focus,” the vice housewarden scolded. “Anyway, when I was chopping the ingredients, it was like my hand holding the knife went wild and suddenly started slicing my other hand.”

A few people cringed, the imagery of his description of the events very unpleasant to think about.

“And that’s the weird part,” Kalim interjected. “Jamil’s knife skills are on par with the pros. Even the school’s head chef can verify that. Were you maybe tired from Spelldrive practice?”

“No, that’s not it. I wasn’t so tired that I’d lose control of my hands. They didn’t feel numb or tense. But I do remember that I suddenly felt light-headed while I was cooking.”

“You’re saying you got dizzy?” Yuuna asked, trying to go through the list on anything that would logically explain the accident.

“That’s what most people would think,” Jamil explained, “but I know that sensation well.” He crossed his arms. “I was feeling the effects of someone using their signature spell on me.”

“Oh, right!” Kalim suddenly exclaimed. “Of course you’d know, since your signature spell is一hrk!” His sentence was cut short by Jamil slapping a hand over his mouth, holding it there as the housewarden’s words became muffled. It was only when he stopped talking did Jamil remove his hand. “Hey! What’d you do that for?!”

“Because we’re not talking about me right now!” he countered defensively. But once he took a breath and calmed down, he continued. “Anyway, my current theory is that someone was controlling my movements with magic.”

“So magic like that actually exists?” If that was the case, why did no one come to that conclusion before?

“Sorta,” Cater replied. “That’s why it’s a signature spell. They’re unique to only one user, so they’re not widely known. Not everyone can use them, so what’s the point of knowing if you don’t, well, know the person who has that magic?”

“I guess that makes sense,” Deuce agreed. “So people would think it’s just a normal accident and not the effects of magic.”

Riddle nodded. “And if it was only for an instant, even the victim could immediately blame it on carelessness from a clouded mind. And when I nearly fell down the stairs, it barely felt as though I was being controlled against my will.”

Cater nervously fidgeted with a strand of hair. “Okay, we kind of have a lead now. But what’s our next move if we don’t know which of us uses that kind of magic?”

“Magic like that sounds awesome though!”

Yuuna scoffed. “Of course you’d think that, Grim. Let me guess. You’d use everyone to fetch you food?”

The red-haired housewarden sighed and shook his head. “Of course. Such simple-minded ambitions suit him well.”

Grim cackled, crossing his arms with a smirk. “See? You get how your master thinks! Bakery Day would be a breeze if I had hundreds of people bringing me everything from waffles to grilled cheese!”

Wait. Bakery day…grilled cheese… The memory of that day drifted into her mind, rolling in like mist. She remembered thinking Grim was just being generous, giving away his grilled cheese so easily. But maybe that wasn’t the case. It wasn’t just that instance either. When she almost fell down the stairs, someone caught her just in time. But it didn’t feel like her body had regained balance all on its own. Something invisible jerked her back. And the one person at the center of those instances was…

“Ruggie Bucchi…” His name came out in a hushed breath.

Cater had heard her, raising a brow. “Ruggie Bucchi? You mean that little dude from Savanaclaw? What about him?”

“Hold up!” Grim exclaimed, catching on to her line of thinking. “See?! I told you I wasn’t forking over my prize out of my own free will一 Hey, where are you going?!”

“Yuuna, wait up!” Ace called after her, but she had dashed out of the cafeteria already.

She frantically ran through the halls, bumping into students with nearly every step. But she didn’t stop to apologize or check if they were okay. She just kept running all the way to the classroom that she now knew Ruggie was in thanks to their joint classes.

She stopped in the doorway, panting from her unhindered run to the classroom. “Ruggie!”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m here. Geez, again with the yelling…” But when the hyena lifted his head up to see who was calling him, his eyes went wide. “Hey Yuuna. What’s going on? Why do you look like you ran a mile?”

Out of breath, she couldn’t speak a word. But hearing the concern actually stung more than it comforted her. Her emotions were a big jumble, twisting into knots that gripped her tightly. And all she could do was let a couple tears roll down her cheeks, shocking Ruggie into action.

He approached her carefully, laying his hands on her shoulders. “Come on, it can’t be that bad. Can’t say I’ll help but I can listen, okay? Let’s just go out to the hall.” He turned back, noticing everyone had stopped what they were doing and stared. “Geez, it’s like you’ve never seen a girl before. Nothing to see here.” He nudged her out of the classroom and into the hallway, away from nosey students. “Alright, alright, stop crying. I can’t deal with tears. I’m not doing funny faces to make you laugh either.”

“…Did you mean any of it?” she suddenly asked.

“Huh? Did I mean what?”

She felt angry, frustrated, and sad all at once. And it showed with how her face twisted with grief. “Did you help me all those times because you wanted to? Or because you planned it?”

His ears flattened against his head, and that was enough for her to discern that he was piecing together her implication. “Seriously, I’m not following.” And yet, he kept playing dumb.

“The guy who tripped me in the cafeteria yesterday was from Savanaclaw.”

“So? I don’t know what that’s got to do with—”

“The hanging plant above me in the garden didn’t fall on its own. Someone used magic to cut it, didn't they? I saw a couple Savanaclaw guys nearby when I left.”

“Huh?!” He was genuinely shocked at this, eyes going wide. “Wait, I didn’t know that—”

“When I almost fell down the stairs, I finally realized that most of the people shoving me around were Savanaclaw students.” She tried and failed to stay rational, her words coming out between hiccups as she tried so hard to hold in her scrambled emotions.

She didn’t understand. Why was she getting so upset over this?

“They’re going to use you,” a little voice echoed in her mind. “They’re going to use you as long as there’s something to gain. It’ll hurt a lot. But it’s just part of the life we live.”

But even with that, nothing made sense. Maybe it was because she had started to feel a closeness to Ruggie in the little time they spent together. She even started to have doubts that he could be the culprit behind these accidents, even if he was a little shit sometimes. Was that what he’d wanted? For her not to suspect him, at the same time letting his dorm members knock her around for good measure?

Yuuna hid her face behind her hands, gritting her teeth to prevent a sorrowful sound from escaping. Her fingers tensed, like she was caging herself in physically and emotionally. She barely knew the guy, or at least didn’t know him as well as she thought, but it still hurt. It hurt badly.

“Hey…”

Ruggie tried to reach out to her. In that brief moment, he wanted to tell her. He absolutely hated feeling the guilt that ravenously gnawed at his chest. None of this was supposed to happen. He still had to do whatever it takes to reach the top. He at least wanted to tell her that he had tried to make the others back off. Or maybe it was more accurate to say he was getting Leona to make them tuck their tails between their legs. That he didn’t know how relentless they could get against her.

But he didn’t get the chance, seeing several figures run down the hall towards them.

“You!”

Ugh. It was the tiny tyrant. Ruggie quickly backed away, setting his hands behind his head. Though in retrospect, that was probably the worst thing to do, looking nonchalant with someone so distraught next to him.

“Great. You all again. What do you want now?”

Riddle approached him first, Cater hot on his tail. But he could see clearly that the redhead’s gaze wasn’t solely on him. It was on Yuuna, with her head still hung low, but she had instead set her hands to her sides, balled into trembling fists.

She was attempting to look unphased by her revelation, but those closest to her saw through the ruse.

“How dare you! You…!”

“Whoa, whoa, Riddle.” Cater set a hand on the housewarden’s shoulder, nudging him back a bit when he poorly attempted to get in Ruggie’s face. “Let’s not jump the gun on the first convo. We got a major lead about the case of all the injured students, you see?”

“Oh yeah?” He quite easily looked calm, hand on his hip, like he really didn’t allow a good chunk of classmates to get hurt.

“Yup.” Cater clicked his tongue. “And it led us right here to you.”

“Ruggie Bucchi,” Riddle addressed him. “While we don’t know what exactly transpired, it is abundantly clear that your signature spell is a dangerous one. So I will be casting Off With Your Head to一”

“Got proof?” Ruggie suddenly interrupted, making Riddle and everyone else pause.

“Huh?”

“I said, do you have any proof it was me? Did you see me causing the accidents? Are you certain it was me? If you are, let’s see the evidence.”

“Well, um…” Deuce mumbled, knowing full well there was no evidence to speak of.

“We got proof!” Ace quickly swooped in. “That Jamil guy confirmed that it was magic that made him act all crazy! And we had a front row seat to you using your magic when you snatched Grim’s lunch.”

“Y-Yeah!” Though Deuce lagged a bit behind in the argument, he eventually caught up. “There’s no denying it now.”

“That’s still some shoddy logic.” He shrugged nonchalantly. “I never touched those guys or was anywhere near them. Besides”一he smugly grinned and held up two magical pens, glinting ruby red in the light一“do you really think you should be casting magic on me without a pen? That’s just begging for trouble, ya know.”

“W-What?!” Riddle jerked, his hand immediately moving to his breast pocket, finding it void of his pen. “When did you一?!”

“Hey!” Cater looked down, seeing his pen also missing.

Grim jumped in front of the two as they gaped. “There! That’s proof you’re behind all this.”

The hyena spun one of the pens between his fingers.  “Shyeheehee! Hardly. It doesn’t take magic to pull off something like this. Just a bit of dexterity and some unprepared children of privilege like you folks. I  have other places to be now that a showdown in the hallways is no longer on the agenda. Bye bye~!”

Ruggie avoided Yuuna’s gaze, avoided the boiling mixture of strained emotions, as he spun on his heel and made a mad dash down the hallway.

“ACE! DEUCE!” Riddle shouted at the top of his lungs, making the boys jolt in place. His face was bright red, teeth gnashing. “Don’t just stand there! Apprehend him immediately! Housewarden’s orders!”

“R-Right away, Housewarden!” Deuce exclaimed after a moment of pause.

Ace took a brief moment to look at Yuuna, then to where Ruggie ran off. “You got it.”

The two took off, their shoes squeaking against the polished flooring. Yuuna still had her head down, but she could hear the sounds fading into the distance, the boys chasing after the hyena at top speed.

She felt a hand gently lay on her shoulder, making her look up. Cater stood in front of her. He was smiling, but it was painted with a worried edge.

“You okay, Bunny?”

“Y-Yeah. I’m—” No. She wasn’t okay right now. “I’ll be okay.”

“If you need to, my shoulder’s great for a good cry, or so I’m told.”

Yuuna huffed out a little laugh, followed by a sniffle. “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.” But right now there was no time for tears. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve just in case any more tears sprouted up, then stared down the corridor, hearing a loud thud followed by a yelp. Deuce’s cauldron tactic she could surmise.

“We need to catch up. Any shortcuts we can use?”

“Just leave it to Cay-Cay! I’ve learned a few.”

“Grrrr that hyena will pay!”

True to his word, Cater led Yuuna and Riddle down a series of corridors opposite of Ruggie. She watched him run through the open windows, just a little ahead of the Heartslabyul boys. They were fast but he was faster. A burst of adrenaline shot through her, making her pick up her feet and sprint further ahead of Cater and Riddle to find a point to cut Ruggie off, reaching the courtyard. The hyena slowly came to a stop, snickering at Ace and Deuce who were clearly out of breath from the chase.

“Shyehehe! Is that all you got? Compared to the back alleys of the slums, this is a cakewalk!” He pivoted to run again, but jumped back seeing her blocking his path. “Whoa! When did you—”

“Save it.”

Her blunt and biting remark made his ears pin against his head. But they quickly straightened back up as he steeled himself.

“Okay, fine. I’ll give you credit here. You caught me. But what now? Like I said, you got no proof I did anything. No photos, videos, witnesses. Nothin’.”

“Oh, come on!” Grim stomped his little feet on the ground.

“This can’t be how it ends…” Deuce sagged, not ready to give up just yet.

“Don’t tell me all that huffing and puffing was for nothing!”

“Afraid so,” Ruggie snickered at Ace. “Reeeally didn’t think this through, did ya?”

“Well that’s… But still…”

“Coward.” Yuuna only said that one word, but the way she glared at him, with anger and a tinge of sadness, said a lot more.

“Coward, eh?” Ruggie looked like he contemplated being called that but quickly smirked. “That’s a compliment in my book.” He took the magical pens he swiped and tossed them, leaving Yuuna to pick them up as they clattered to the pavement. “I don’t need these so I’ll give ‘em back. Next time you wanna play tag with me, bring some real evidence. Tootles!” He didn’t wait for a response of any kind, dashing away.

“Damnit! That guy gets on my nerves!”

“The Housewarden isn’t going to be happy after this…”

Yuuna exhaled softly, staring in the direction that Ruggie sprinted away. Until someone stepped up behind her, their shadow completely engulfing her small frame.

“Hmph. Still on the hunt, huh?”

She whirled around to see Jack, who was completely dwarfing her from standing so close.

“If you were around here, a little help woulda been nice,” Ace complained. “Thanks for nothing.”

“Why are you even doing all this?” the beastman asked, crossing his arms. “You’re going out of your way for strangers. I’d get it if it was to avenge an injured friend or something, but it doesn’t seem like you’re doing that.”

“Then that just means you’re missing the point.” A smirk grew on Ace’s face. “We’re just trying to score a spot on the Heartslabyul team.”

“Catching the culprit is gonna give us a huge boost to getting recognized,” Deuce agreed, mirroring Ace’s expression.

“Same here!” Grim jumped up to grab everyone’s attention. “I’m gonna catch the guy and get my glorious mug slapped right on TV! The world will soon know the Great Grim’s name and face!”

“Sure I feel bad about Trey and all, but now that there’s a spot on the roster open, I’m happy to nab that space.”

Yuuna facepalmed. Idiots, the lot of them. Was everyone in this place just that inconsiderate of others? “You’re my friends and I love you, but you’re terrible. You’re all terrible.”

“And what about you?”

“Eh?” She blinked and looked up to meet Jack’s sharp golden eyes.

“These guys have proven that they’re real scum—”

“Hey!”

“—But I haven’t heard why you’re trying to catch the culprit. You don’t have any magic, so gaining a spot on the team would be impossible for you.”

“It’s a little more complicated on my end,” she attempted to explain. “Partly because I’m stuck with the cat who wants to be famous. But also, I’m pretty sure I’m the only one here with any kind of empathy.”

“We’re plenty empathetic!” she heard Ace try to retort but she didn’t acknowledge him.

“I witnessed one of the many incidents. Plus I really do feel bad that Trey got injured. And also…I think they were trying to get rid of me too. I’m still standing though, which means I managed to dodge them at every turn.”

“W-Wait!” Deuce shouted in disbelief. “If that’s true, why didn’t you tell us? We could’ve helped you.”

“Sorry.” Yuuna shrugged sheepishly, only now feeling a tad embarrassed that she didn’t rely on her friends to help her. “At the time, I thought I was just being paranoid.”

“I see…” Jack nodded, understanding. “So it’s only the rest of you who should fight me.”

“Yeah, the rest are the only ones who should— Wait, what?!” She was just about to agree, when the words the wolf had spoken had finally processed through her head.

“Fight me,” he repeated, determination setting on his face. “I need to confirm that they’re not all just talk. You probably figured it out by now, so I’ll lay it out. I can’t trust someone that I can’t size up first. If I tell you everything I know, I’ll be betraying my own dorm here.”

“Hey, that’s right!” Grim shouted, pointing an accusing paw at him. “That’s how you knew you wouldn’t get attacked!”

“Stop!” Yuuna yelled, splitting through the noise. “Just stop! Enough violence has gone down for my liking! Too many people hurt! I don’t care if it’s not a life or death fight, this ends now!”

The power of her voice made everyone around her take a single step back.

“…F-Fine,” Jack stammered out. “I’ll tell you everything. But just to be clear, this isn’t me giving up. I guess I’ve sized you up enough from the last time we met. And people are still talking about the guy you beat up…” He didn’t mean her eyes, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I’ll take it.” The tension in her shoulders left with the quick resolution, not wanting to witness any more violence for the rest of the month. Plus they would be in so much trouble for fighting on school grounds.

“Alright… The path ahead is clear, so I’ll tell you all that I know.”

“The path?” Ace asked, confused by the phrase in this context. “The path to what exactly?”

“Just the path my heart is telling me to walk,” he stated, looking a little embarrassed to say something so sentimental out loud. “Remember, I’m betraying my own dorm here. And that’s not easy. But…” He clenched his fist hard. “I can’t stay quiet any longer! I don’t care how strong the opponent may be! What’s the point of a match if you can’t fight on your own merit?!”

Jack’s voice carried more passion as he continued. “I was training nonstop for this tournament. Once I secured a spot on the roster, I was so excited to see just how far I could go. But the underhanded schemes they used make me sick! Triumph through treachery means nothing! I want a victory that comes from my own strength, my own skills! And I’ll keep fighting to defend it!”

After that rousing speech, Ace moved to stand beside her, mumbling. “I think I would’ve preferred talking to his fists…”

Yuuna smacked him on the arm, making him wince. But in the end, even Jack, for as driven as he was, had motives that were purely based in self-interest.

“I totally get it!” Deuce explained, spurred by Jack’s words. “I know exactly what you mean, Jack!”

“I don’t take that as a good sign,” the cat snarked at him.

Jack took a breath, calming himself down to give them the information he promised. “I should start with telling you about Ruggie, or more specifically, his signature spell. It has the power to make the target copy his movements. That way, he can make it look like accidents on their part.”

“Just like what happened with Grim.” Ace nodded, starting to understand. “Cuz when Ruggie held out his hand, Grim did the same. And that’s how he managed the food swap without getting caught.”

The little beast let out a little growl. “Aaargh! Now I’m upset again! Food grudges never die, I tell you!”

“But wait,” Deuce interrupted, still a bit puzzled. “Wouldn’t someone notice that Ruggie was moving in the exact same way as the targets, like mirroring someone about to fall down the stairs?”

“Not exactly.” The beastman shook his head. “Because Ruggie isn’t acting alone. I’d wager the entire dorm is in on the scheme. All he’d have to do is surround himself with other dorm members to block everyone’s view of him.”

“That makes sense.” Yuuna nodded. “When I started connecting the dots to the incidents happening around me, I noticed a number of Savanaclaw students hanging around.” She still didn’t understand why Ruggie had helped her the first time, even if it might’ve made her feel indebted to him. If she had fallen down those stairs, she’d be incapacitated, and therefore couldn’t continue investigating. But he didn’t let her fall. That sensation of leaning back and even holding out her hand might have also been his signature spell.

“But why would the entirety of Savanaclaw be in on it?”

“Cuz the interdorm Spelldrive tournament is tomorrow. How well they do will make or break their careers. And with Savanaclaw having the most athletes in their school, it’s the chance of a lifetime.”

“And when I was at that dorm meeting, Crowley mentioned that Savanaclaw kept losing because Diasomnia was too good to compete with.” Maybe they were going after more targets because only focusing on the Diasomnia dorm would instantly lay suspicion on them.

“There ya go. If that’s their motive, it’s not that hard to see where they’re coming from.”

Jack directly a low, guttural growl at Ace, his fangs bared and brows knit together.

“Whoa, whoa, chill!” Ace instantly backtracked. “I’m just helping connect the dots here!”

“The future doesn’t matter if they’re not willing to show what they’re really capable of now! But I’m most disappointed in our housewarden. Leona Kingscholar has incredible talent, but he barely tries to use it! Never hones it! I…can’t stand guys like that.”

That was true. She’d seen him at his Spelldrive practice when she needed photos of them. He was a natural born leader with the way he directed his teammates, owning the field like he was top dog. And from what Ace and Deuce told her of their little one-sided beatdown on the field, Leona was a force to be reckoned with. He was lazy, sure, but that made him easy to underestimate.

“The way he played three years ago… When I saw that game back home, my mind was blown.” For a moment, his ear flattened, thinking solemnly on the time he was recalling. “So when I was accepted into this school, I was over the moon. I had hoped to join Savanaclaw, to stand side by side with him as we tore up the Spelldrive field together…”

“You really respect Leona, don’t you?” she asked, feeling a bit of sympathy for him. It sounded like he idolized him too, completely starstruck by his abilities.

“And you were right, Yuuna.” He faced her, crossing his arms again. “Diasomnia has had sweeping victories for the past couple years, leaving Savanaclaw in the bottom brackets. All the targets they’ve hit are just the practice round to them. Their main goal has always been Diasomnia, or rather their housewarden; Malleus Draconia. He’s got monstrous power that’s left everyone else in the dust.”

There was that name again. The boys at the meeting brought it up too, and Crowley mentioned putting him in the hall of fame for his insane skills. She even remembered that any team that went up against him never scored a single point. To any athlete, bringing him down would seem like the ultimate victory.

“And a team that usually wins losing that badly has to be a really bad blow,” Deuce added in.

“That’s right. Our greatest moment of shame, broadcasted to the world in real time. I can understand the upperclassmen wanting to redeem themselves, but the way they’re going about it is downright despicable!”

“And then it’ll all come to a head at the tournament.”

“Yeah. That’s why I need to stop them!”

Just then, two sets of footsteps entered the courtyard. “I’ve heard just about enough.” Riddle stood postured and authoritative.

“You really sprinted there, Bunny,” Cater commented. “You sure you’re not an athlete.”

“Sorry about that…”

“No worries. We trusted you so we took our time getting here.”

“W-We’re sorry, Housewarden, sir.” Deuce quickly apologized, his shoulders sagged.

“No need to apologize, we still have all the information we need. And I, for one, cannot allow such an important tradition to be tarnished by these personal grudges.”

“So what do we do now?” she asked. While they heard it straight from Ruggie’s mouth, those were only words. “We still don’t have proof.”

“You’re correct. We have no proof of Leona’s machinations or Ruggie’s assaults, so we cannot take it straight to the headmage. Someone as sly as Leona could easily avoid such circumstantial evidence.”

A lightbulb dinged in Ace’s head by the look of it. “So what you’re saying is we just gotta catch him in the act.”

“Yes. And I have thought of a plan to do just that. First, we一”

“Hold up.” Jack interjected the group conversation. “I only told you what I know. I said nothing about joining your little group. Savanaclaw is still my dorm, so I’m gonna deal with this myself. See ya.”

As he started to walk away, Yuuna scoffed. “Really? On your own? When you’ve done nothing up until now?”

Jack quickly whirled around, baring his fangs. “What did you just say?!”

“Go ahead,” she challenged. “Prove me wrong. You haven’t prevented a single accident or tried to tell anyone what was going on. You told me that if anything happened, you’d tell me. Remember that? You still didn’t until we had to string it out of you. That means you broke your promise. So if you want to rectify that, you’ll work with us. Besides, don't wolves hunt in packs for a reason?”

“Wow,” Deuce breathed out. “You cornered him pretty fast…”

That was obvious by the way Jack was tensed up, but no longer in an angry way. “…Fine. I’ll help for now. But if I don’t like anything about your plan, I’m out.”

“Fair enough.”

Riddle took a step forward, once again taking the lead in the conversation. “Then, if I may continue outlining the plan?”

Everyone gathered around him, ready to hear the details and put it into action.

Chapter Text

Ace whistled low when Riddle laid out his plan. “Man, that’s actually not half bad. And a little sneaky too.”

Deuce nodded. “It’s a really good plan, Housewarden sir!”

“And it should be easy enough to execute,” Yuuna added, “since they’ll be solely focused on the big fish tomorrow.”

“Looks like little ol’ Cay-Cay’s got his work cut out for him. Better get to the prep work now rather than later.”

“Thank you, Cater,” Riddle said. “And please be careful. Best not to raise any suspicion.”

“And what about you, Jack?” Yuuna turned to him. “You’ve heard the plan. Will you help us?”

Jack was silent for a moment, scratching the back of his head before heaving out a sigh. “It’s not a cowardly strategy, at least. And I do kinda owe you so… Fine. I’ll cooperate. But just this once.”

“Not very open, is he?” Ace muttered.

“By the way, Yuuna…”

“Yes, Riddle?” She looked to the housewarden as he spoke up.

“Thank you.”

“Huh? For what?”

“For stopping the first years from breaking Rule #6 of the student handbook, ‘No fighting on campus’. Cater and I arrived in time to see it. If they had dared break such an important rule,” he turned his head to the other first-years with a deadly glare, “it would’ve been off with their heads.”

Ace and Deuce’s postures wilted under his gaze and even Jack seemed uncomfortable under the Heartslabyul housewarden’s scrutiny.

“It was nothing, really,” she commented. “We should focus now on carrying out our plan.”

“Agreed. Until then, get plenty of rest.”

Riddle and Cater walked away together, leaving the freshmen standing there in the courtyard.

“Damn,” Jack finally said. “I thought your housewarden was a total wuss when I first saw him… But he’s actually a pretty scary guy.”

“Right?!” Ace instantly agreed. “You look at him and think he’s some harmless little hedgehog, but I’m reality he’s a prickly porcupine!”

“You wouldn’t think it, but he’s a lot more lenient than before,” Deuce tried to defend.

“That so…”

“We have our objective now. Let’s just hope everything goes smoothly and we can finally end this.” Yuuna was even more determined now to stop whatever schemes that Savanaclaw and, by extension, Leona were planning. They hurt enough people. It was time they got their comeuppance. And she was already bracing herself for whatever fallout there might be. Because a stirring feeling in her gut told her that this wouldn’t end peacefully.

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

“Ruggie.”

Leona reclined on one of the couches set in the far end of the Savanaclaw lounge as his dorm members gathered around him, as if he was about to give orders. He lazily picked at another piece of meat on his dinner platter. The hyena he addressed stood at the very front of the small crowd.

“What’s this I hear about you being chased down by those Heartslabyul runts today?” His sharp eyes narrowed into a mean glare. “You moron! I told you to make sure you didn’t leave a single scrap of evidence behind!”

“Don’t worry yourself over it.” Ruggie raised his hands up defensively. “They didn’t have anything on me, so it was easy to slip outta their grip.” He might’ve been caught off guard when Yuuna had started crying in front of him, like whatever sort of relationship they had was now in tatters, but that was it. He hadn’t slipped up then. He sure wouldn’t now.

“I managed to secure that nasty cephalo-punk’s cooperation, but it didn’t come cheap.” His eyes stayed sharp on Ruggie. “You know what happens if you let all that go to waste, don’t you?”

Ruggie swallowed hard, nervously laughing off Leona’s threat. “Like I said, don’t you worry. I got everything taken care of.”

“He’s right, boss!” a monkey beastman in the crowd piped up. “No one ever suspected us when we caused those accidents! He even made that little girl cry today!”

“I saw that!” a meerkat beastman chimed in. “She was bawling her eyes out.”

“Ruggie musta said something really nasty!”

“Maybe now she’ll finally call it quits instead of getting in our way. Wish we coulda made another accident happen but she’s way too slippery.”

“Or too lucky.”

“…What?” The temperature in the room took a plummet as Leona stared them all down, fangs bared and sitting up straighter. The crowd went silent under his gaze.

“I-It was unrelated, I swear.” Ruggie quickly tried to veer the conversation back on track. As prickly as Leona could be, and as cruel as his whole plan was, there was something about being a prince to a country with certain values that created certain lines that dared not be crossed. “Just a little spat, that’s all. It’s not as grand as they’re hyping it up to be.”

That seemed to calm the housewarden down, if only by a tiny amount. “It better be.” He leaned back against the cushions once more. “If you all mess this up on tournament day, I’ll fry you up and eat you all myself.”

“The main course is being prepped just as we planned,” the hyena said with a widening grin. “Picture it. A beaten and bruised Malleus Draconia right at your feet, the whole world cheering us on.”

“Yeah!”

“We’re gonna make those Diasomnia assholes squeal and cry!”

There was an ambitious sparkle in Ruggie’s blue eyes as he dared to dream. “I’m looking forward to seeing it. And maybe, just maybe, some top corporate scouts will take interest in even a little old hyena like me.” He sighed softly, one of dreamy bliss. “Our dreams will finally come true.”

The lion scoffed, watching his dorm members celebrate a win they haven’t achieved yet. “Look at you all一celebrating when you haven’t even sunk your claws into your prey yet.”

“But we’re so close! We can taste that sweet victory!”

The dorm didn’t seem to be listened to, craving success so bad that they were lost in their delusions of grandeur.

“And you’re gonna be the most famous of all, Leona!” one of them commented.

“Everyone in Sunset Savanna is gonna start thinking twice about who they want their king to be!”

That statement gave Leona pause just as he was about to pierce another piece of steak with his fork. The brief hesitation went unnoticed, especially as long bangs hid forest green eyes lost in despondence. “Lineage and ability don’t go hand in hand…”

Ruggie’s ear twitched, just barely catching his muttering. “Huh? What did you say?”

“Nothing.” Leona quickly dismissed the subject, shooing them with his hand and letting out a loud yawn before splaying his body across the couch. “I’m goin’ to bed now, so scram, all of ya.”

“Yes sir.” Ruggie lazily saluted, leading all the dorm members out to return to their rooms for the night. “Gotta get ready for the big day tomorrow. Sleep tight, Leona.”

Once everyone was gone, and Leona was left alone in the quiet of night, staring up at the stars past the dorm’s open ceiling. He had a lot more on his mind than he cared to. The expectations of his dorm members, the idea of finally defeating Malleus, and that single magicless girl…

They had said she cried and believed Ruggie to be the cause of it. He might’ve been. They might’ve gotten chummier than expected. When he’d seen her before, she was quite the little spitfire. She wasn’t anywhere near as muscular as most of the women back him, but she was definitely no pushover. So to witness her reduced to tears and snot… The image just pissed him off.

But she wasn’t his concern anymore. And with the day of reckoning approaching, his dorm mates wouldn’t have the time to bother with her.

They were all stupid though. They could call him a king all they wanted. He was never going to be one. Not where it mattered. He turned on his side, closing his eyes. “Standing at the top of this school…won’t change anything in the real world…”

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

Yuuna could smell a rich, earthy scent as she found herself in yet another strange dream. She returned to that same high rock as the first dream that brought her to a savanna. But…it had been more vibrant in that dream. The grass was a lush green, animals could be seen from everywhere the eye could perceive, and the sky was blue and clear. But now, as she looked out at the plains, there was nothing but desolation with only a large group of miserable looking hyenas loitering around. The grass had withered, the earth was dry and cracked, and even the sky was clouded gray as if in mourning of the loss of bountiful land.

An echo resounded from the cave, more specifically someone singing slowly and in a despondent pitch. She peeked inside, seeing that same lion from the previous dream. It looked like his plan had come to fruition, lounging on a rock and picking his teeth with a bone. A small bird was trapped in a nearby ribcage, singing the solemn tune until the lion flicked the bone to make him quiet down.

“Oh Zazu, do lighten up,” the lion complained. “Sing something with a little bounce in it.”

The bird called Zazu glared at him before heaving out a long sigh. “I’ve got a lovely bunch of coconuts, deedle-e-dee~ There they are all standing in a row~” His song trailed off as the lion began to sing along. He grumbled in misery. “Oh, I would never have had to do this for Mufasa…”

The lion was up with his muzzle pressed against the cage in an angry snarl. “What did you say?! You know the law! Never mention that name in my presence! I am the king!”

Just then, a trio of hyenas sauntered in, not looking pleased.

“Hey Boss!” one of them called. “We got a bone to pick with you!”

“I’ll handle this,” another said, taking to the front. “Scar.” His name was Scar…? “There’s no food, no water. And we’re getting hungry.”

“Then just eat Zazu,” Scar suggested, rolling his eyes to dismiss them.

“I thought things were bad under Mufasa,” one hyena muttered to his group.

“What was that?!”

The hyenas yelped immediately at the lion’s roar. “I-I said que pasa!”

“Good. Now get out!”

She watched the hyenas scramble away, still looking hungry as they said they were. Somehow, she wasn’t surprised he was acting this way. Scar was very ambitious if all her dreams to this point lined up. But once he got what he wanted, all that ambition had fizzled out, like he believed being king was the end goal and there was nothing beyond that. If he had put any effort into being king, if he’d listened to the other animals around him, maybe people would’ve viewed him differently, aside from the whole murdering the previous king part. All he had now was a kingdom ruined by his own hand.

“Yuuna…wake up…” Hm? Was someone calling her name? “Yuuna!”

She jolted awake at the shout, seeing Jack standing over her bed. It took a second to process before she screamed, which made him stumble back covering his ears. Grim yowled awake, being thrown off his spot on her stomach when she suddenly sat up. “Jack!” Despite wearing a shirt and sweats to bed earlier, she pulled the sheets over herself to hide. “Get out get out GET OUT!”

“Okay okay!” The wolf didn’t argue with her and stepped out of the room.

Yuuna sprang out of bed and rushed over to shut the door behind him, heaving. Her face was bright red out of equal parts embarrassment and surprise.

“Didn’t you say you have sisters? You shouldn’t just barge into a girl’s room like that!” She chided him from the other side of the door as she changed into her uniform, too flustered to do so correctly on the first go. She had to redo some buttons and fix her bow. When she was finished, she finally opened the door. “I don’t mind you dropping by the dorm but a little warning would be nice.”

“…Sorry.” Jack looked away sheepishly. “I was on my morning run, and I pass by here often, so I figured I’d come to make sure you weren’t oversleeping or anything.” He finally locked eyes with her, flared with determination. “Today’s the Spelldrive Tournament, after all.”

“Oh yeah!” Grim jumped up, lighting up with excitement. “We’ll catch that nasty culprit and then Ramshackle Dorm can get into the tournament.”

Yuuna didn’t have the heart to tell him that she had a feeling that still wasn’t going to happen. Crowley had proven himself to be quite flaky. Besides, it was near impossible to change the already set brackets of a tournament to squeeze in one more team.

“I gotta finish my run. I’ll see you at the tournament grounds.”

“Okay. See you then, Jack.” She walked with him down to the foyer and out the door, watching him jog down the steps and out of the gate. She waved to him before he was out of sight, then started walking herself to get to the colosseum on the other side of campus.

Her stomach twisted the more she walked toward the goal, her head spinning with thoughts of just what could happen. She wondered what Leona was plotting. Someone as cunning as him was bound to pull something that would make waves. And now, it was up to her and her friends to stop it. That thought alone gave her so much anxiety. But she couldn’t back down! Not now. Not ever.

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

“Wow.” Yuuna had been to the colosseum a few times before for classes, though she had to sit on the sidelines since those classes involved magic practice, but the festive atmosphere made it feel a lot brighter than before. Various stalls lined the street on both ends with colorful banners and decorations to draw the attention of potential customers. Trinkets, food, school souvenirs; they had it all. She immediately sensed Grim’s eyes lighting up as he stood next to her, greedily taking in all the smells wafting through the area.

“Funnel cakes, chicken skewers, hot dogs… Oh and whatever takoyaki is! It’s a foodie paradise up in here!” He jumped around as if unable to decide where to go first. “I want it all!”

“Patience is a virtue. We can work on your food tour after we resolve everything.” She satiated in the meantime with a candied apple, watching him happily munch on it.

Ace sighed beside her. “In the end, I didn’t even have a shot at making the team.” 

“Same…” Deuce sagged, standing on her other side. He bought a chocolate-covered banana to try and cheer himself up. “This really sticks.”

“Last I remember, Jack said he’d made it onto his dorm’s team. Even though he went on and on about not liking what they were doing.”

“Still, a first year making it into the ranks so quickly is impressive on its own.”

“Can’t really complain about it. That guy looks like he’d bulldoze anyone on the field.”

Yuuna laughed into her hand. “Yeah, no kidding.”

“You guys are taking it real easy, I see.”

“J-Jack!” She whirled around, seeing him right behind her just like yesterday.

Ace nearly choked on the candy apple he bit into, hitting his chest to help him shallow. “Dude! Didn’t think you were stealthy!”

“But, Jack, what are you doing here?” Deuce asked. “Aren’t the players supposed to be getting ready for the match?”

Jack huffed and crossed his arms, looking off to the side. “I was just on a run before the match and saw you guys while passing by. That’s all. 

Yuuna hid a tiny smile, seeing that Jack was indeed worried about them, perhaps even the plan. “You don’t have to worry about us, Jack,” she said, watching the wolf’s expression immediately change as he directed his gaze to her but looked a little more shy.

“Don’t get me wrong! I wasn’t checking on you because I was worried about you guys or anything!”

“Got it,” she responded, trying not to smile too much. He looked big and tough, but he was so easy to read. “We’ll make sure to do our part, just as planned.”

“Right. We’ll throw a wrench in their plans and face them once they’re left scrambling.”

Not too far away from their group, Azul watched their grounds to check on each stall and their increasing revenue. He was quite pleased with the attendance this year, near doubling that of the previous year. All that was left was to check in with the vendors. After all, he wasn’t about to let anyone get sneaky with their profits. It would tarnish his position as head of the planning committee.

“Housewarden,” Jade addressed him. “Everything is prepared at the colosseum according to your instructions. The athletes will make their entrance in approximately ten minutes.”

“Well done Jade, Floyd.”

“Yo Azul,” Floyd piped up. “Why the hell are they coming through the east entrance? Wasn’t it the west entrance last year? Cuz these attendees waiting around are clogging up the walkway like a bunch of barnacles.”

Azul simply chuckled softly. “That would be due to the request of one particular client. I don’t know the specific details, however. They were vehemently against specifying their plans.”

“I see.” Jade nodded in understanding. “This client must also be the recipient of the magic-amplifying potion you made yesterday.”

“You see? You see what?” Floyd complained, a little slower on the uptake. “How are magic potions and rerouting the players related?”

His twin held up a finger to his mouth with a sly grin. “Shhh. Lower your voice. Someone could overhear us.”

“Ohhh?” Floyd’s mouth upturned into a grin matching Jade’s. “You plotting something shady, Azul?”

“Me? Perish the thought.” But his amused chuckle was anything but light-hearted. “That magic potion is only going to last for exactly thirty seconds. I wonder what they are planning to do in that time span…”

“By your smile, Azul, you know quite well what is about to happen. I see no point in feigning ignorance.”

“Am I? Heh heh. What splendid timing it was. I had just been thinking about refurbishing the lounge when such an opportunity fell into my lap. But there’s no more time for chit-chat. Time is money, and it’s about time we see how concession sales are going.”

“And to steer clear of the path, you mean,” Jade piped up.

“Aw man, all this talk about scheming’s got me all excited.” Floyd walked in tandem with Jade right behind Azul toward the colosseum.

“Hm?” Yuuna looked back for a moment, seeing the boys from Octavinelle pass by. The sly smiles on their faces, like they knew something, only made the feeling in her gut worsen.

She was compelled to go after them, to figure out what they knew and if it would affect their plans for a counterattack. But the moment she took two steps away from her friends, she felt someone run into her, or rather her legs. “Oh! Sorry!” She turned but didn’t see anyone, leading her to draw her gaze downward. A little boy with lion ears rubbed his nose, which likely received the brunt of the impact. “Sorry. I didn’t see you coming this way.” Yuuna squatted down to his level, checking that he wasn’t injured. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m okay!” The boy instantly perked up with the brightest smile she’d ever seen, next to Kalim’s anyway. “I’m made of tough stuff, just like my dad!”

“Oh? That must mean you’re very brave.” She smiled at this boy’s cheeriness.

“Yeah! I am!” He set his hands on his hips in a proud stance. “That’s why I snuck away to explore! And find my Unca! He’s supposed to be here today.”

Snuck away? Now that he mentioned it, she didn’t see any sign of anyone who could be this boy’s parents. They were probably worried sick. “You said your, um…’Unca’ was here, right?” Whether that meant uncle or was some kind of kiddie nickname, she wasn’t too sure. But the way he brightened up meant this person was someone this boy trusted. “Let’s go find him together.”

She held out her hand, which he happily took with a toothy smile. “Okay! We can find him together! I’m Cheka. What’s your name?”

“Nice to meet you, Cheka. I’m Yuuna.”

“Let’s go, Aunnie Yuuna!”

This kid was just too cute. His enthusiasm was already making her smile. She turned to her two friends. “I’m gonna help Cheka here for a minute. I should be back in time, okay?”

“Don’t sweat it,” Ace replied nonchalantly. “Not like we’ll be anywhere far.”

“That’s right. If anything happens, just shout. We’ll have your back.”

“Thanks guys. Alright, Cheka. Let’s find your Unca.”

“Hooray!” Cheka squeezed her hand and happily pulled her along. He was a sweet kid. Hopefully she could help him find an adult and get him somewhere safe before the plan sprung into action.

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

The Savanaclaw dorm buzzed with anticipation, ready to see their grand scheme bear fruit. Leona leaned against a tree, toying with a small potion bottle in his hand. He smirked, feeling almost as eager as the others. He was going to crush Malleus underfoot; literally.

“Up first will be last year’s grand winner; the mighty Diasomnia.”

Ruggie nodded. “Yup. Everything’s all set. We’re ready whenever you give the word.”

“Good.” Leona handed his cohort the tiny bottle. “Remember, you have only thirty seconds. So don’t fuck this up.”

“Of course. Out I go.”

The hyena beastman left the dorm, making his way to the colosseum. He walked faster than his normal speed, his impatience starting to grow. It had all been a waiting game, up until this very moment. He could hear the announcers halfway across campus, signaling the start of the tournament.

“Welcome one and all, to the annual Night Raven College Interdorm Spelldrive Tournament! Thank you all for your patience!”

Once in the area, Ruggie ducked into the crowds, blending in with them. He kept his posture lax, not wanting to draw anyone’s attention. What a turnout this year, he thought. And that was the best part. A crowd this big would definitely be more than enough.

“First up, we have last year’s champions! Will lightning strike thrice, or will their streak come to an end?”

“Definitely the latter,” he muttered to himself with a sinister chittering laugh. He uncorked the bottle, ready to down it at a moment’s notice. He needed to time this perfectly. In just thirty seconds, victory could be seized. And everything he had done wouldn’t be for nothing…

“Give it up for the Reigning Light! DIASOMNIA!”

The crowds roared with applause and shouts of the dorm’s and Malleus’s names. Ruggie immediately recognized the distinct black and green dorm uniforms, Diasomnia’s players walking down the street toward the colosseum. He also noticed the distinct horns of their prime target. He lifted the potion, ready to chug it, but stopped when something caught his eye.

Or rather, someone.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Yuuna in the crowd. Her back was turned, holding some little kid’s hand while they stood at a booth together. She handed a corn dog to the kid, who jumped for joy and nabbed it. Why was she out here? She was normally flanked by those two Heartslabyul freshman that gave chase to him yesterday, but it was just her and the kid right now… The bottle’s lip lightly bumped against his own parched lips. But now, even when he was standing at the final stretch, he hesitated…

The scene he was about to create wasn’t a pretty one. No doubt there would be some injuries amidst the havoc. Which also meant she might get hurt too. She was standing right there amidst the crowd. There was no way around it.

He couldn’t approach her, couldn’t tell her to just leave the area. She was too smart not to catch on to what he was plotting if he did that. Maybe… Maybe he could try to divert the havoc away from her, or ensnare her too and make her run even faster.

He needed to decide. His window was quickly closing. He couldn’t quit now. Not for some girl, even if she was kinda cute. And kind… And way too sympathetic for her own good… No. She wasn’t worth it. Not in the face of any dream he’s ever had about rising above the shady slums.

With steeled resolve, Ruggie tossed his head back and downed the potion in one go.

“Urk?! BLEGH!”

He wretched at the horrible taste. It was disgusting! Like rotten stew stored in a year old gym sock. Questionable flavor notwithstanding, he could feel overwhelming power coursing through him. It was actually working! But he only had thirty seconds… He took one final glance at Yuuna before turning away, pulling out his magical pen.

“Alright. Get it together, Ruggie. It’s showtime!” He held up his pen, concentrating his magic in his signature spell. “Alright folks. Time to run like a stampede of wildebeests…” He took one step, then another, breaking into a run. “Kings and hyenas, everyone is my friend… Laugh with me!”

Beneath Yuuna’s feet, a tremor built up in the area, growing stronger by the second. “What’s going on…?” She stopped, holding Cheka’s hand a little tighter, ready to protect him if needed.

She looked up ahead and gasped at the sight. A large crowd of attendees were running right for them, their numbers overwhelming to the point they covered the entire walkway. She could hear them crying out for people to get out of the way, screaming that they couldn't control their own feet. Innocent people were swallowed up by the stampede aiming right for the procession. This was Ruggie’s signature spell…? It was then she realized that they were charging right toward the Diasomnia athletes. And she and Cheka were standing right on that path too!

As they quickly closed in on the two, the boy clinging to her leg started tugging on the end of her blazer. Yuuna sprung into action.

“We gotta go!” She grabbed the Cheka and scooped him up into her arms, running away from the crowd. The announcers on the PA system frantically yelled over the noise, urging people not part of the stampede to evacuate. But even as she sprinted with all her might, legs burned from the strain, the stampede was closing in quickly. She couldn’t see Ace or Deuce, so she couldn’t shout out to them for help.

“Just hold on,” Yuuna urged the lion cub, making him cling to her tighter. “It’ll be okay.”

She tried to find an exit of some sort; anything to keep them from getting trampled. That’s when she saw it and ducked to the right. She covered his body with her own, squeezing into a small gap between two stalls, and held onto Cheka tightly as she felt the wind that the running crowd generated on her back as they passed by. As she stayed there, she could hear the panic from all sides.

“Outta the waaay!”

“KYA! Don’t push me!”

“Sorry, sorry!”

“Quickly! Protect Malleus!”

But she wouldn’t come out until it was safe.

Ruggie, on the other hand, kept on running in the center of the crowd. They all matched his footfalls, step for step. Azul’s potion really was incredible. He didn’t expect to sweep up so many people at once with his magic. He panted for breath, running as fast as he could so all the people he was controlling could barrel over those Diasomnia jerks. It was rough on his body and his stamina, for sure. But he just needed to keep pushing. If he could settle this now, then he and his dorm could finally be at the top!

There he was, right up ahead; Malleus Draconia, oh so mighty Prince of the Fae.

“How’s about it, Malleus?! You gonna use magic against innocent civilians?! Are you really that cruel?! That’s right, you can’t do it, even if ya wanted to! So just stay right there…and get crushed!”

He could hear the yells from the students, desperate to part the crowd and protect Malleus.

“If this keeps up, we’ll be crushed!”

“Hurry! We must protect Malleus一 GAAAH!”

“This way! We can’t give up!”

“We’re too late! Malleus!!”

“Housewarden, NO!”

Ruggie panted, short of breath as he slowly came to a stop. Sweat beaded on his skin, finally out of stamina. He dropped his pen and collapsed to the ground, coughing up saliva from a parched throat. But none of that mattered. He did it. He actually did it. And nothing had held him back!

“I did it…! We win…!” All that was left to do was report back to Leona and gather their teammates at the procession. This year, Savanaclaw would be wearing the crown!

No doubt Leona was watching all this go down from somewhere on high. But he specifically instructed that they reconvene at the dorm to create an alibi. So that’s exactly what Ruggie did, slipping away from the residual panic to haul ass to the hall of mirrors, slipping into his dorm entrance with ease.

“Did you see that, Leona?” Ruggie exclaimed as he rejoined Leona and his Spelldrive team. “It really worked. I squashed those guys. Literally! Shyeheehee!”

“I saw. Good work, Ruggie.” Leona wore a proud smirk, twirling his staff in his hand. “Farewell, Malleus. This year, I’ll be the one sitting on the throne.”

“Can you believe it?!” a monkey beastman shouted with glee. “The high and mighty fae got bulldozed by ordinary people. It was hilarious!”

“We all knew following our Housewarden’s lead was the right way to go!”

“Obviously,” Leona piped up with a heavy smirk. “Stick with me and you’ll always reap the rewards.”

“Shyeheehee! We’re gonna turn the world on its head!” Ruggie raised his gloved fist up to the sky. “Long live the king!”

“Long live the king!” The dorm members chanted with him, celebrating their grand victory.

“Stop right there!” a voice rang out over the crowd. Riddle walked toward them, Ace and Deuce on either side, with Yuuna right behind. “We’ve heard enough. Tarnishing a proud tradition; you have some nerve.”

Yuuna could see Leona’s expressions shift from where she stood. The shock of the Heartslabyul boys overhearing their victory speech. The anger of seeing them there at all. And finally the mask of indifference in an attempt to play it cool, ready to dodge the finger of accusation.

Chapter Text

“Well, well,” the Savanaclaw housewarden spoke, obvious snark lacing his voice, “if it isn’t the Heartslabyul brat and his lackeys. And I see you back there, Mousey.” His sharp, predator eyes landed on her before moving away to her side, where the wolf beastman stood. “And what’s this? If it isn’t our own little Jack. You transfer over, frosh? I expected more from you.”

Jack’s jaw clenched before he moved his head to avoid Leona’s eyes. “…I don’t want to stand with you right now. Crippling promising athletes, even getting the public involved. You nearly barreled over kids…” He returned his gaze to Leona, staring him down. He took a few steps forward, standing in front of the group. “There’s no glory in such an underhanded victory!”

“Shut up!” The lion beastman raised his staff, pointing it right at Jack. “You filthy traitor! You wanna know what you really are? A spoiled brat who will never know what it’s like to seize victory, so long as you keep up that kind of attitude.”

“We stand with Jack,” Riddle said, joining Jack at the forefront. “You have used vile methods to tarnish a long-standing and proud tradition. As both a student of Night Raven College and the housewarden of Heartslabyul, I refuse to overlook this transgression.”

“Tch. Save your heroics for someone who cares.” Leona shrugged, his nonchalant posture showing how unbothered he was. “Besides, what exactly are you gonna accuse us of without evidence? Shoulda thought about that before charging in here.”

“Not that it matters anyway,” Ruggie added with his chittering laugh. “Even if you had anything on us, it’s too late. By now, Diasomnia’s been flattened like pancakes!”

“Oho, are we now?”

“Eh?!” Ruggie jumped back as the person appeared right in front of him, hanging upside down in midair. Lilia grinned at Ruggie, his fangs exposed.

“Li…Lilia Vanrouge…?!” The hyena’s eyes stayed wide in disbelief. “H-How!”

“Oh, but it’s not just me.”

“W-What…?”

“Come forward, boys.” Lilia signaled behind him and two young men stepped forward. Yuuna immediately recognized them as Silver and Sebek, who she’d met at the equestrian club. “We Diasomnia athletes remain as sturdy and unflattened as ever.”

“N-No! That’s impossible! I saw you get swallowed by the stampede!”

“But was it really them that you saw?” Cater came into view, along with his clones that were donning the Diasomnia uniform. “Oof, too bad. Those Diasomnia athletes you saw? Yeah, they were all ‘me’; all made by Split Card. Gotta admit, I think I rocked the Diasomnia look. Bunny was a big help finding one that fit.”

“Oh? Should I get the transfer papers ready?” Lilia teased with a mischievous smirk.

Cater nervously laughed it off. “Ehe, no thanks, I’m good where I am.”

“I must commend you though. It was an excellent charade you put on.”

“If anything, we should be thanking Leona for falling for our trap~”

Leona glared at Cater as he mocked him. “You little…”

“Wait!” Ruggie interrupted, regaining his words. “That means that Malleus—”

“Is safe and sound, of course!” Sebek loudly finished. “He’s been using his magic to clear the chaos and redirect the crowds back to the colosseum. So you better be grateful!”

“N-No… That can’t be…”

“But it is.” Riddle stepped forward, pointing his staff at the defeated Savanaclaw students. “And now, this is no escape. It’s time to confess to your misdeeds.”

“No way!” one of them yelled out.

“As long as the tournament goes on, we’re gonna seize victory.”

“And we’ll shut you up by force!”

As they got more riled up, looking ready to jump their group, Yuuna noticed that Leona had been particularly silent throughout this ordeal. He didn’t encourage them or even try to dissuade them. He just stood there with his arms crossed, his bangs falling over lidded eyes. Either he was pondering the next move…or he was zoning out.

She took one step forward, words on her tongue. “…Leona—”

“GET EM!”

Anything she was about to say was lost as the near entirety of Savanaclaw charged at her group.. Violence was the only language they spoke apparently. She held up her fists, ready to defend herself should they make a grab at her.

But before they could reach them, Riddle took a single step toward them. She watched him pivot his body, heels digging into the ground. He brought his staff back before swiping it in a sideways, exclaiming his signature spell.

“OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!”

Yuuna watched the familiar collar clasp around their necks. A single slash of Riddle’s magic had caught so many of them, making them all fall down to their knees.

He must’ve noticed her worried gaze on the back of his head. “I’m alright. This is nothing, and I’m perfectly focused.” He stuck his nose in the air, scoffing at the Savanaclaw students. “They’re all bark and no bite.”

“GAH!”

“Damnit. Housewardens really are no joke.”

Just as fast as their fangs had been removed—metaphorically speaking—they all desperately turned to Leona, who had remained quiet, simply looking on.

“We’re not done yet! Housewarden Leona!”

“Yeah! Housewarden, show these guys who’s boss!”

“With your power, we’ll definitely win!”

They all called out to him, begging for their leader to take the reins. But Leona didn’t respond, at least not immediately. He didn’t look like he even wanted to give them an answer, his shoulders slightly sagged. Then he lifted his head, his eyes locking with hers for a moment. She noticed the tiredness in them.

Finally, he let out a deep sigh. “Enough.”

“What…?” Ruggie was the first to speak in the long stretch of shocked silence.

“It’s over,” he clarified. “If Malleus is still gonna be on the field, as pompous and pristine as ever, there’s no way we’re ever gonna beat him. And there’s no point in fighting an unwinnable fight. So I’m done.” He pivoted around, and started walking away. As if he wasn’t the mastermind behind the incidents. As if he wasn’t the one behind so many people getting hurt. As if…none of what happened had ever really mattered, not if the result wasn’t what was planned. He just lazily held up his hand and waved. “See ya.”

“Hold on!” Yet again, Ruggie spoke up before anyone else. He picked up his feet and reached Leona, grabbing his arm. Yuuna couldn’t see his face, so she couldn’t see his expressions, but the frustration in his tone was evident enough. “B-But we still managed to take out the other dorms’ players! That means we still have a chance, right? We can still crack the top three as long as you’re on the field. You’re not just going to abandon our dreams, right?”

“Yup,” Leona’s response was simple, to the point, and icy cold.

“H-Huh?”

“They weren’t even our dreams to begin with. For all that talk about ‘the whole world’ watching, this is all nothing more than some school kids playing some game. Seeing you all talking about your big dreams with those wide sparkly eyes, I just decided to throw you a bone, that’s all.”

Even Yuuna flinched at his blunt tone, sounding like he never cared at all. And Ruggie, who’d apparently been his right hand throughout all this, perhaps even before, was no doubt crushed.

“What about all the stuff you said? Working together to turn the world on its head…”

“You never stop whining, do you?” Leona’s apathy shifted to anger, turning around to grab Ruggie’s scarf and tug him closer. “You want the truth? You’re a hyena raised in the dumps, and I’m the hated second prince that will never be king. No matter what we do, those facts will NEVER change.” He shoved Ruggie, making him stumble back to regain his footing.

“Y-You…” Ruggie stilled, eyes wide. There was a moment where no one said anything, as if everyone needed that moment to process. “After everything… All I did… You’re just giving up…” His body was shaking as he grit his teeth. “You don’t just get to run away!”

“…He’s right.”

“Yeah, we trusted you, Leona!”

Little by little, the silence rose into an uproar. And Yuuna had an awful sense of Deja vu as Leona’s dorm members started to turn on him. Just like Riddle when his enforcement of the rules became unbearable.

“You’re getting on that field, man!”

“Yeah, even if we gotta drag you there!”

“You don’t get to decide when it’s over!”

And much like Riddle, Leona retaliated when the others attempted to take shots at him. The movements were fluid, knocking them back with little effort.

“You just don’t listen. You’re all…so irritating.”

The tiredness in him that Yuuna saw earlier was mixed with agitation now. The Savanaclaw students started to surround their housewarden, shouting at him, both angry and pleading. Begging him not to give him, telling him that he owed them, yelling that he was their only hope. They kept trying to claw their way to him, despite how many times he shot them back. They looked ready to drag him down into the mud.

But something felt wrong. So very, very wrong… It felt like she could sense a darkness lying just beneath the surface.

“Shut up.” His tone was even, but there was something she couldn’t place underlying it. He raised his staff. “I am hunger. I am thirst.”

“What’s he doing?” she asked Riddle cautiously.

“Just stay behind me,” he replied, raising his own staff to defend them at a moment’s notice.

“I am what robs you of your tomorrow.”

The air around them began to turn dry. It was getting harder to breathe. The sand started to kick up, swirling around Leona.

“Kneel down!”

“Retreat, quickly!” Lilia shouted out, grabbing Yuuna and pulling her back, prioritizing her as the sole non-magical human.

“KING’S ROAR!”

The sand whipped up into a storm. She had to quickly cover her eyes and nose to avoid sand in her face. The wind howled around them, on the scale of a natural disaster.

“Crap!” Deuce yelled. “My eyes sting!”

Grim held his face to Yuuna’s leg to block out the sand. “My nose is drying out!”

Such power… This was what Leona was capable of? It was insane to witness. If she hadn’t heard all the talk around this Malleus guy and the tournament, she could easily believe that Leona was the strongest around. The ground beneath his feet cracked, the earth drying up instantly. Everything he touched was slowly crumbling.

“It’s all turning to sand…”

“That’s my signature spell,” he acknowledged her before huffing out a bitter laugh. “King’s Roar. Ironic, isn’t it? There’s nothing the savanna hates more than a drought. And yet their prince’s magic does exactly that, desiccating everything and turning it to sand.”

She couldn’t even look at him directly, still weakly covering her face to avoid getting sand in her eyes. The air itself hurt to breathe in. Leona’s power was overwhelming, covering the whole field. And he just stood there, as if this was just a drop in the bucket of what he could do.

“This is serious overkill!” Ace yelled out, narrowly avoiding a sand twister that moved past him.

Leona stood confidently at the heart of the destruction, controlling the sands with a wave of his staff. It swirled and constricted around anyone it could reach. They tried to run, but to no avail. Those caught cried out in agony.

“Their skin!” The words escaped her when she finally realized. Those caught up in the sand started to have cracks running along their arms. Leona’s magic could deteriorate a human body too?! This was bad, really bad! He didn’t seem to care either as he only increased the intensity of the storm, letting more people get hurt.

“Hey, you!”

Yuuna looked to Ruggie, who had called out to her.

“You know what’ll happen if he keeps this up, don’t you?!”

She quickly realized what he meant. An overblot. She still had an occasional nightmare about when Riddle was consumed by his blot, going on a rampage and nearly destroying everything in sight. If someone as strong as Leona overblotted, who knew what could happen? She nodded.

“Good! Then you better help me!”

“What一”

Before she could understand what he wanted her to do, Ruggie ran through the twisters and tackled Leona. He wasn’t strong enough to make the lion beastman stumble, but he held on tightly.

“Stop, Leona! You can’t keep this up!”

That’s when Yuuna understood. Ruggie knew he couldn’t do this alone, and in a moment of desperation, he was needing her to help him. Why her specifically, she wasn’t sure.

“…Don’t get in my way.” In one swift movement, the rampaging housewarden shoved Ruggie off and then grabbed his neck tightly.

“NGH!”

Leona let out a laugh, the sound sharp and cruel. “How does it feel, Ruggie? Does it hurt? Is your mouth too dry to keep licking my boots? That was your greatest talent, too.”

Yuuna gasped in horror, seeing the cracks start to form on Ruggie’s face while he coughed and spluttered, clawing at Leona’s hand to try to get him off.

“Leona!” She found her voice again and yelled out loudly, but when she tried to rush to Ruggie’s aid, a hand grabbed her arm to keep her back.

“You can’t get closer!” Riddle warned her.

“But I have to help!”

Not only was she fed up seeing Leona cause this much destruction, but Ruggie was relying on her, a rare thing for him she had realized. These Savanaclaw boys一no, the entirety of this school一were not ones to look to others for aid in times of need. And in this moment, when Ruggie was silently pleading with her to help stop Leona from causing mass destruction, she had to believe that he knew she was capable of doing so. That he believed in her. And she wouldn’t betray him by standing by as Leona slowly killed him!

“I will handle this,” the Heartslabyul housewarden said firmly. “I won’t allow you to get hurt.” He aimed his staff at Leona. “Off With Your Head!”

The wave of magic launched at Leona, but he only smirked and glanced their way. He scoffed when the magic deflected, leaving everyone stunned. Leona dropped Ruggie to the ground, like discarded trash, leaving him to cough up the sand he must’ve gotten in his mouth when he was dropped on his face.

“You might be some kinda prodigy, Riddle,” Leona said as he leered at them, his fanged smile growing maliciously wider, “but you shouldn’t underestimate your elders.”

The onslaught of his attacks only increased, the ground beneath their feet turning into quicksand. Ace and Deuce’s feet were trapped, but they both had pushed Yuuna away to prevent her from meeting the same fate. She grabbed onto Grim, who almost got swept away by the howling winds twisting around her, and held him tightly.

“Everyone, fall back!” Lilia quickly ordered, which Sebek and Silver immediately heeded, even attempting to pull her friends out of the sand so they could gain distance from Leona. Through the sandstorm, she noticed Leona turn his attention back to Ruggie, grabbing a fistful of his hair to lift up his head to make their eyes meet.

“You get it now, Ruggie? Try all you like, but some things will just never change, no matter how big you dream. So just give up.”

“N-Never…” the hyena managed to choke out. “I’ll never…give up… Not till…the very end…”

“Hm.” Leona dropped Ruggie’s head and stood back up, magic sand swirling in his palm. “Fine then.”

“Lilia!” Yuuna frantically addressed him, holding out Grim. “Hold onto him!”

“WAH?!” Grim yelped as he was passed over to the young-looking fae. “Why?!”

She didn’t answer and rushed forward, ignoring the calls of her name to come back. She only ran faster, throwing herself on top of Ruggie before Leona could strike him with his magic. The sudden action made Leona pause, even if he wasn’t stopping.

“Oh? Mousey thinks she can play with the predators now? You got guts.” He met her defiant eyes. “What? You gonna scold me now? Try to talk me down?”

No. She knew what wouldn’t be enough anymore. Especially as he looked at her with those exhausted eyes, dulled of any light, like he really didn’t care about whatever consequences would meet him in the end.

“You have so much incredible power, Leona. But I’m not gonna let you use it to hurt someone else.” Her nails dug into the sand, feeling her lungs start to choke up as she was far too close to his destructive magic. But even if Ruggie had been the real one to cause all those accidents, he didn’t deserve to pay for it with his life.

“HA! That’s a laugh.” His eyes narrowed at her. “Don’t you get it? Power alone isn’t enough to make waves. Look at Ruggie, squirming around under you like a muzzled dog. Hard not to pity him, right? That’s why you’re doing all this.”

“No I’m not!” she yelled at him, feeling her skin start to dry up. But she couldn’t back down. If she did, she would just prove herself to be cowardly, and it would also prove Leona was right about just giving up. “Friends help friends, no matter how bad things look!”

“Friends, huh?” That felt like the wrong choice of words now, his magic only intensifying around her. “If you wanna protect your ‘friend’ that badly, be my guest.”

“Run…” Ruggie whimpered under her.

But she wouldn’t. She continued to shield his body with hers, no matter how stupid and fruitless it may seem. She wasn’t going to end up doing nothing, and instead kept close to Ruggie while shutting her eyes tightly and bracing for impact.

“UNLEASH BEAST!”

A loud cry rang out through the storm. Yuuna felt herself get picked up and instinctively grabbed onto Ruggie to bring him with. But it wasn’t a pair of arms that grabbed her. It was something warm and fluffy. A giant white wolf had bolted into the fray, quickly scooping her up onto its back and carrying her and Ruggie away from Leona’s oncoming attack.

“Jack?!” Somehow, she just knew it was him. Even if humans, or even half humans in his case, turning into full animals was only something you saw in the movies. The wolf’s affirmative grunt confirmed it for her.

“Jack?!” Leona echoed, his concentration on his magic momentarily breaking from the unpredicted event.

“Off With Your Head!” Riddle used his signature spell once more, taking advantage of Leona’s brief moment of shock.

He yelled as the collar finally connected with his neck, the sandstorm quickly dissipating. Yuuna checked Ruggie’s face, seeing the cracks slowly receding as moisture returned to the air around them. She took a deep breath in, grateful to be tasting the clean air.

“Deep breaths, Ruggie,” she urged him, pulling him off Jack’s back and helping him, letting the wolf transform back. She held the hyena upright when he nearly collapsed, swallowing huge breaths of air.

“Nice one, Riddle!” Cater called out.

“Sebek,” Silver said, we should start getting the wounded to safety.

Sebek huffed in response, looking as agitated as ever. “As if I need you to tell me that, Silver!”

The two quickly worked to aid the Savanaclaw students that had gotten caught up in the storm. “We’ll leave Ruggie to you,” Silver had said to her as he helped a bear beastman to his feet and away from the grounds.

“No! No!” Leona cried out, gripping the collar tightly and trying to yank it off. “There’s no collaring a lion! Jack!” He yelled out to the freshman. “Transformation potions are forbidden! You couldn’t have gotten your hands on one!”

Jack glared back at his housewarden. “That wasn’t a potion. It was my signature spell. It lets me transform into a wolf.”

Leona only scoffed, looking more frustrated. “I guess every dog does have its day. That’s some signature spell you got there, pupper.”

“Housewarden Leona…” Jack was still angry but she could feel the heartbreak he was feeling, remembering what he said about Leona when he had revealed what Savanaclaw’s plans were. He stood protectively in front of her and Ruggie in the meantime. “I just want you to know… I was so excited to come to this school because of you. What happened to the man whose strength I admired?!”

Leona growled out, not at all pleased at Jack’s admiration, believing it to be misplaced. “Shut up. Don’t offload your stupid dreams onto me!”

“I understand the irony of me being the one to say this,” Riddle interrupted, slowly approaching Leona, “but I believe it would be best to walk away and take a moment to calm down. This cannot continue without things getting worse.”

“Tch! What do you know about how I feel, you little brat?!”

Unfortunately, the grievances didn’t end as Lilia decided to take to the front once he had finished helping his fellow dorm members tend to the injured and help them out of the dorm. “Would that the king of the savanna could bare witness to this absolute farce. If you ask me, a collar suits you far more than a crown ever could.”

“What did you say?!”

“H-Hey, Lilia…” Yuuna shakily spoke, feeling that if the fae continued speaking, nothing would get resolved. She could see Leona getting angrier as what Lilia said had struck a nerve, his fists tightening as he glared meanly. “I think we should just一”

But Lilia didn’t heed her. “You may bemoan the fact that you’re not higher on the line to become king. But look at you. Your sensitive ego leads you to let out all your petty rage onto your retainers, those who serve you loyally. The idea of you being a real king that could compare to Malleus is absolutely laughable.”

“Lilia, please一”

“Even if you could defeat Malleus, is this really how you’ll continue to conduct yourself? You will never be fit to rule!”

Oh no… Yuuna could sense something shatter, especially as Leona’s bitter laugh resounded through the air. His shoulders sagged in utter defeat, and his smile as he laughed was anything but joyful.

“Yeah, you’re probably一 No, you’re exactly right.” His laugh morphed into an angry growl while his expression twisted into painful rage. “I will never be king! No matter how hard I try!”

No matter how hard I try… Those very words resonated something within Yuuna. But she didn’t have time to assess the feeling as the ground began to shake again, like an oncoming earthquake. She tensed up, feeling a crackle in the air.

“Leona’s magical power is surging!” Riddle exclaimed. “I don’t think my collar can hold him for long!”

“That’s not magical power,” Lilia corrected. “It’s negative energy. But that means…” His eyes widened, realizing the weight of the situation.

“Get down!” Cater shouted out, pulling Riddle down to duck. Everyone else followed his lead, and they were fortunate they did.

In an instant, the collar around Leona’s neck was flung off by the sheer force of the negative energy culminating in him. “I’ve been loathed since the day I was born. I've never had a place, or even a future! None of my hard work was ever rewarded!”

With his frustration rising, the air became stale and the sky was clouded in pitch black. Yuuna’s breath stopped for a moment, the scene far too familiar. And the worst part was that she knew she couldn’t stop it this time either. Not while Leona was too far gone. She saw the blot start to collect as his feet, pitch black and bubbling like a tar pit. It dripped from his head, rolling down his arms and into the puddle.

“How could any of you ever understand?! My disappointment! My pain! ” The loud scream he let out shook the ground even more, and the darkness had consumed him fully.

The wind whipped, carrying the sand once more. It was just as suffocating, but felt more out of control. The sand itself was a deep black, swirling around Leona like a tornado. Inky black claws tore through the sand to make it dissipate, revealing Leona once more, but he had been transformed by his blot.

Richly tanned skin was washed out by gray. His bangs were pushed up, more prominently showing the blot markings on his face. The wild Savanaclaw uniform was replaced with someone more beastly, with charcoal fur surrounding his neckline and what looked to be some kind of corset sitting snug on his waist. The cloth tied around his hips were gray and tattered, looking like patchwork but with a tribal accent. Gold bangles sat on his wrists and ankles. And just like with Riddle, his hands were dyed with ink that ran up his arms, with the nails on his hands and feet elongated into deadly claws.

His shadow extended and the monster she had seen last time arose from the darkness. It has a similar glass head to Riddle’s monster, but this one stood on all fours, shaped like a lion.

Leona let out a mighty roar that made Yuuna’s ears ring.

“Crap!” Jack shouted. “What’s that giant beast coming out of Leona?!”

“That’s the incarnation of Leona’s blot?!” Deuce shouted in disbelief, remembering Crowley’s words to them.

Grim jumped back. “Dang! He really went evil berserker mode just like Riddle!”

“Ace, Deuce, help any injured left seek shelter!” Riddle ordered, doing his back to hold his ground. “Lilia, go get teachers for help!”

“Yes sir!” The two card soldiers ran off the field to follow their given command.

“Understood.” Lilia nodded, his body starting to hover above the ground. “Hold out until I return.” Then he vanished.

“You should go with them, Yuuna,” Jack stated. “We’ll stay and—”

“No,” she refused. “I’m staying. I’m seeing this through to the end.”

“Suit yourself,” he relented. But she couldn’t see the slight smile on his face, admiring her determination. “We just have to hit Leona hard enough to knock some sense back into him, right? Then that’s what we’ll do!”

“Me too,” Ruggie added, even as he coughed afterward.

“Are you sure, Ruggie?” She looked at him with concern, seeing that he still hadn’t fully recovered.

“Oh, I’m sure. I wanna get a few hits in for all that stuff he said. He ain’t getting away that easily.”

“So even a lowly hyena stands against me?!” Leona let out a cruel laugh, his voice distorted by the blot. “What a joke! I’ll make sure you never see tomorrow!”

Cater whined out a complaint. “Why do these things keep happening to us? This was never supposed to be the brand.”

Riddle huffed. “If you’d rather run, feel free.”

He pretended to think about it. “Hmm nah. Trey wouldn’t let me hear the end of it if you got hurt on my watch. So I’m standing with you, Housewarden.”

“Incoming!” Yuuna yelled out, seeing Leona rush toward them.

The blot monster pounced, literally, onto their path, attempting to make a swipe at them with its massive claws. Those with magic aimed for the beast, giving their attacks enough give so a direct attack wouldn’t be fatal. Leona roared again alongside the lion, taking another swipe at them, his movements copying the abomination’s. He blocked nearly every attack thrown his way, chuckling in mockery of their attempts.

She stayed in the rear of the assault, watching and observing. She needed a strategy. Last time, shattering the glass head was what it took. But this was a different beast, quite literally. Would the same work here, with someone as powerful as Leona? Maybe Jack had been into something, and they would need to perhaps knock Leona out. He couldn’t rampage if he was out cold, right?

It’s pointless… All of it.

The echo in Yuuna’s head returned. This time, she heard Leona’s despondence instead of Riddle’s despair. But it was the same principle. It was like she was listening to his thoughts in the back of his mind while the blot had a vice grip on his body.

The blot monster was agile, pouncing and moving swiftly, chasing them down like a skilled hunter. And whenever it roared, Leona roared in tandem.

“We can’t keep this up!” Cater yelled among the whipping winds.

“Just a little longer!” Riddle created a shield to block the oncoming dark blades of wind that Leona summoned. 

“If I can’t overturn the world, I’ll just turn it all to sand!” the lion shouted, increasing the frequency of his rage-fueled attacks. “Nothing will ever matter in the end!” His roars rang like war cries, looking quite eager to crush them all.

“Has he really felt like this, this whole time?” Ruggie lamented for a brief moment before jumping out of the way of the giant paw attempting to crush him.

“How could someone so powerful just give up on everything?” Jack struggled to counter the onslaught of attacks, and though he wasn’t as nimble as Ruggie, he was fast enough to avoid the ones he couldn’t counter. “Damnit! If this keeps up, we’ll never reach him!”

Come on, Yuuna, think! The combination of Leona’s destructive signature spell and the blot monster’s physical prowess made for a terrifying enemy. But there had to be something they could do; anything to knock some sense back into Leona and defeat that thing for good. As she stared it down, something finally clicked in her head. There, in the background, was a goalpost. They weren’t just fighting on some random field. They were fighting on Savanaclaw’s spelldrive field! She was briefly brought back to a few days ago. Amidst the investigation, Grim had practiced spelldrive with the ghosts whenever he could, brightly proclaiming that he was going to own the field. During one of those proclamations, he almost got knocked on his little butt from the disc that had gone a little too low. He ducked down but he’d shouted at the ghosts he could’ve seriously gotten hurt. Because spelldrive discs were on the heavier side.

That’s what she needed! She could only hope there was one around.

“Riddle! Cater!” She caught their attention. “Help keep Leona busy!” She didn’t explain further, trusting her friends to get the job done, and ran out to the field in hopes to find where these boys kept their equipment. She was almost thrown around by the sandstorm, but she was persistent and had to dig her heels into the ground. Riddle and Cater followed her request, preventing Leona or the blot monster from getting too close to her as she ran around. But she knew that she couldn’t pull this off alone.

“Ruggie!” She ran up to him while Riddle moved to be the heavy hitter this time.

“Little busy!”

“Where’s your spelldrive equipment?!”

“HAH?!” He whipped his head around, surprised by the sudden question while they were in a life or death battle against an overblotted Leona.

“Just trust me, I have an idea! But I need your help!”

“Grrr fine! In the shed on the right of the bleachers! And this better be good!”

“It will be.”

She caught him up on her idea with as fast a summary as she could before making a mad dash for the equipment shed he told her about. The sounds of battle raged on around her, and clashes of magic resulted in explosions being a little too close for her comfort while her friends attempted to shield her from any of Leona’s attacks while she attempted to execute her plan.

Fortunately, she didn’t have to go that far, seeing a discarded spelldrive disc on the ground in front of the bleachers. Perfect! Unfortunately, when she was working in the background, her movement caught Leona’s eye. He pushed past Cater’s defensive position to try and reach her, the blow monster making a low sweep for her. Yuuna ran faster and then dove to snatch the disc, grabbing onto it and rolling in the dirt. She grimaced and spat out the dirt that got into her mouth from her faceplant.

Yuuna moved to pull herself up, her muscles aching, but she didn’t have time before Leona had finally gotten past Riddle and Cater’s defense magic. The beast used its paw to scoop her up once it caught her.

“Well look at that,” Leona said with a victorious smirk. “The cat finally caught the mouse.” The blot monster lifted Yuuna up, dangling her high above the ground as one of its claws snagged her shirt. Like it was getting ready to drop her into its nonexistent mouth and swallow her whole. “Life’s not fair, ain’t it? I will never be king. And you will never see the light of another day.”

“Not so fast, you royal pain in the ass!”

Just as planned, Ruggie charged at Leona atop Jack’s wolf form, launching the strongest spell he could muster directly at his housewarden. Yuuna, at the same time, flung the spelldrive disc she’d managed to grab at the beast’s head. Both Leona and the blot beast wailed in agony. The glass head loudly cracked before finally shattering completely. The explosion splattered blot everywhere, those in the area quickly dodging to avoid getting head.

Sadly, Yuuna was not so fortunate to be able to do so, being so close to the belly of the beast. The monster had unceremoniously released her from its clutches, sending her falling straight down to the ground… With Leona right underneath her. She fell on top of him, both of them drenched in blot.

“Holy crap!” Ruggie shouted, seeing the two lying in the pool of blot. The darkness in the sky slowly began to clear out.

Jack rushed over, having returned to his human form. “We have to get them out!”

“No!” Riddle blocked Jack’s way with his staff. “We must trust Yuuna. I can assure you if she’s there, they will make it out.” His own memories were a bit on the fuzzy side, but he remembered so clearly her hand reaching out for him and pulling him into the light after his own overblot episode.

“So we just…stand here and wait?” The idea alone left a pit in Ruggie’s stomach and he hated it.

“I’m afraid so. I know, it is quite irritating to feel so helpless. But there is nothing left for us to do.”

Chapter Text

Yuuna wasn’t accustomed to this kind of scenery, but it was quickly growing familiar. She found herself yet again in a white void, leaving her to wander aimlessly.

“I wanted…to be king…”

She heard Leona’s voice echo through the space. She could only guess which direction it came from, until the scenery unfurled before her eyes. Her next step led her into a palace. Looking out the window, she could see a vast savanna. But it was colorless, only a series of black, white, and grays.

“From the moment I was born, the title of ‘second prince’ was a crushing weight. I could never remove that weight, only bear it.”

She watched two beastmen exit a room together, clothed in a similar fashion. They were probably uniforms. Was this Leona’s home? He was still a prince, so living in a big fancy place like this made sense. And if she was going off of previous experience, she had entered a piece of his past.

“Crown Prince Farena is such a bright and cheerful young man,” the one with zebra ears commented. “The future of Sunset Savanna looks bright indeed.”

“Agreed.” The one with giraffe ears nodded her head. “But…” Her expression turned into a grimace. “The other prince is…”

“Oh, I know. He’s so moody all the time. Always upset about one thing or the other.”

“That kind of attitude plus the terrifying magic he wields… That’s a horrifying combo. Imagine turning everything you touch to sand during a fit of anger.”

They must be talking about Leona. A soft growl coming from behind made her jump and snoop her head around. But she didn’t see anyone in her immediate vision. She took a cautious step forward, peeking around the corner, and gasped softly. A young lion beastman stood with his back pressed to the wall, hiding in the shadows. His little fists were clenched, head tilted to the floor. His face was hidden by his long hair, but the distinct braids immediately caught her eye. This was Leona when he was young. And he had heard everything that those servants were saying about him.

A third beastman marched up to the two gossipers, one with leopard ears, and smacked both of them upside the head. Good. That’s what they got for having nothing better to do than talk poorly about a child.

“Ow!”

“Hey!”

“That’s what you get,” the leopard man scolded, echoing Yuuna’s thought. “You better shut your mouths before someone overhears you badmouthing the royal family.”

But it was too late for that. Leona pushed himself off the wall and started walking away. She followed, watching him attempt to keep a lax posture as if their words hadn’t affected him.

“I bet that if I were the crown prince, they would’ve reversed the roles. They would call me shrewd and talk about how I wield powerful magic. They’d just call Farena carefree. But no. It’s all because I was born second.”

Yuuna kept following right behind him, just a few feet away, until he suddenly veered to the left, opening a door and slamming it shut.

“Wait, Leona!” she called out to him, even when she still knew he couldn’t hear her.

She acted quickly and grabbed the knob, somehow managing to swing the door open, only for her blood to run cold. Leona sat against the pillows in a bed, bandages wrapped around his head and over his left eyes. He looked a little older than before, but still quite young. His demeanor was low-spirited, like he didn’t care about anything happening around him. There was no doubt in her mind that she was witnessing the aftermath of when he had gotten his facial scar. What had exactly happened?

“You’re quite lucky, Prince Leona,” the beastman who she could only assume was the palace medic stated. “It was only a flesh wound, so your sight should clear up within a month. Just be sure not to scratch or strain it.”

Leona didn’t respond.

“He was too reckless,” a nearby servant standing against the wall whispered to the other. “Why couldn’t he be more cautious like Prince Farena?”

“He makes Prince Farena worry too much about him. How inconsiderate.”

God, these people really didn’t know how to shut up. If this Farena guy was so great, so good of a brother, why wasn’t he here? No one even remotely resembling Leona was standing in the room.

Leona turned his head to the servants, his singular eye staring at them blankly, making them stiffen.

“They’d find fault with me no matter what I did, just so they could find new ways to praise my brother. No matter what I do…it’ll never be enough.”

The door opened as Yuuna stood next to it, revealing the person the servants had been talking about. She could see the resemblance, aside from the obvious lion ears and tail. While there was still no color in this scenery, including the people, the jawline and eye shape, even as they were sagged with worry, were pretty close.

“Leona!” Farena called out his name and rushed to his bedside. “How bad is it?” he asked the medic.

The medic repeated what she had told Leona, along with some other instructions about how to care for the eye while the injury healed, and how it would definitely leave a noticeable scar. But the conversation began to drown into muffled and white noise. Huh? What was happening? She looked to Leona, who had just laid back down, probably ignoring Farena and the medic talking. Oh… So that was it. She was seeing this world through his eyes, even as an outside force.

Suddenly, something yanked Yuuna back, making her yelp in panic. She stumbled, trying to catch herself, but whatever had pulled her had been too strong. With her eyes shut tight, she fell and landed on her back. It didn’t hurt, much to her relief, but when she opened her eyes again, she was no longer in the palace infirmary. Instead, she was laying right between the feet of an older Farena and Leona. Leona still looked a little young but much more familiar. So maybe a few years younger? Once that thought process ended, however, she immediately scrambled to her feet. But she still felt really out of place in what was definitely supposed to be a private conversation. Yet here she was, an unwilling outside force floating around the space.

“Leona!” his brother shouted. “Why weren’t you at the ceremony yesterday? Your seat was empty the whole time.”

“Ceremony?” he asked sarcastically. “Oh, you mean that self-indulgent party you threw to show off your newborn son to the entire continent? I didn’t think I’d be missed that much. So I must’ve fallen asleep.” Yup. There was the snark she was accustomed to from him.

“Showing people the face of their future king is a very important affair and a happy day,” Farena argued.

And it made sense to Yuuna. If Farena was the king, then his children would be next in line. Or was he still the crown prince? Either way, the line of succession had been set; the line that Leona hated so much. Did he really have to hate on a baby this much?

“Oh yeah, it’s happy alright. The people are celebrating that the despised second prince has lost any potential claim to the throne forever.”

A strange feeling rose in the pit of her stomach. Her intuition had picked up on his words, believing that there was more to them. This wasn’t just about the ability to become the king of a nation.

“That’s not true and you know it!”

“Isn’t it? But you wouldn’t know. You have the joy of being the eldest. You’ll become king and everyone will sing your praises no matter what you do.”

Oh… Was that it? She had heard for herself how the people in this place talked about Leona. Like he was a blight or a troublemaker that needed to shape up. Meanwhile, they never dared speak ill of his brother; Farena, who was to be crowned king. Was that why Leona vied for the throne? So he would finally be respected? If that was the case, she couldn’t exactly blame him, even if he was going about his desires the wrong way.

“Leona…” Farena sighed, his posture going lax. “You’re right. But even though you’ll never be king, you have so much potential. You’re wise beyond your years and your magical talent speaks of great strength. There’s so much you could do for this country without needing to sit in the highest seat.”

The younger brother, however, just scoffed. “Well maybe if this country selected its king on the basis of intelligence and skill, I might actually be motivated to do something with those things you mentioned.” With a sneer on his lips, Leona turned and left the room with Farena calling after him. But he didn’t stop. So Yuuna followed.

“Why do I have to spend my life this way, just because I was born a few years too late? No matter how hard I study… No matter how powerful the magic I command…”

The scenery hadn’t changed, Leona still walking the halls with servants turning their gazes away from him. She watched the way his shoulders tensed up. Even now, their actions affected him. Now she understood. It was never a pleasant experience living life in someone else’s shadow. It put Leona under belief that only by Farena stepping to the side that he could ever feel the warmth of the light.

“From the day I was born till the day I die, no one will ever acknowledge that I’m better at many things than my brother. I will never be king. Why did I have to be born second? Why…? Why? Why?!”

“Wait! Leona!” Even when he seemed to be moving at an even pace, it felt like Yuuna was being forced to walk in place. He was getting further out of her reach. She grunted and tried to pick up her pace, but it did little good.

The seemingly endless hallways slowly disappeared, fading away into pitch black. She slowed down, lost in the void. Yet, she somehow knew exactly where to go. She moved her hands around, hoping to touch something solid, if she even could. Navigating the darkness, her palm made contact with rough stone. She followed wherever it led her, until she came to a cave’s mouth and the darkness began to recede.

“Life is truly unfair…”

She heard his voice before she saw him. Leona sat on the cliff side, looking out at the washed out horizon. The white hot sun was at a standstill, just peeking out over the land as a sign of the dawn.

“Leona…?” She saw the inky claws and the fur collar. He was the only thing doused in color. His overblot wasn’t as terrifying with how dispirited his posture was, lazily swinging his tail.

His ears flicked when he picked up her voice. He glanced back her way, caught in momentary surprise, before it returned to annoyance and he turned his back to her once more.

“What do you want? Here to tell me how much I suck? Gonna act all righteous?”

“Not right now,” she stepped forward and took a seat next to him, legs dangled off the high ledge.

“That means you want to at some point.”

“Of course I do. You hurt my friends. I think I deserve to be angry at you.”

He scoffed at her. “Friends. Yeah right.”

“Is that so hard to believe?” He didn’t respond, which in her mind was a yes. The silence stretched out for a moment. “…I understand.”

“Huh? What do you understand?” Leona spoke condescendingly, but she could tell that he was also interested in what she was going to say.

“I understand what it feels like…to live in someone’s shadow. It’s dark and cold, and you feel like nothing you do will ever be seen with any value.”

“How could you ever understand?”

“Because I’ve gone through the same.” The only difference was that she gathered the courage to step out of that shadow by herself, to walk in a different direction so she didn’t have to be one step behind anymore. “And I know there's not much I can say to fully change your mind, but it’s not the end like you think it is.” She stood up and turned, holding her hand out to him. “Come with me, Leona. Please.”

Leona stared at her hand, not moving a muscle, then glanced up at her. Those big amber doe eyes stared right back at him, never looking away. He probably looked really monstrous right now, so that was a feat on its own. She didn’t shy away from him, not once. She was someone who went toe to toe with him without even a whiff of fear.

He eventually did take her hand, using it to help pull himself up.

“Let’s get going.”

Yuuna took a step backward, tugging him along. At that moment, the sun began to rise again, no longer stuck in time. Everything the light touched became a vivid expanse of color; the grass and trees grew vibrant green, the earth looked more fertile, and Yuuna’s figure was bathed in pure sunlight while she pulled him out of the colorless shadow.

How long had it been since he felt such warmth…? He closed his eyes to soak it in. And then a splitting headache rose to the surface as soon as he opened them again.

“About time!” The monster’s screeching made the headache worse as he sat up, then pulled himself up to his feet. “Thought you’d never wake up!”

Leona glanced behind the little weasel, seeing Riddle, Cater and the two stooges worriedly huddled around Yuuna. She was smiling at them, but the kind that was just for show so no one worried.

“Now hurry up and confess to your crimes so I can play in the tournament!”

That caught his attention, looking back at Grim. “You got an odd sense of humor, furball.”

“It’s no joke,” Jack clarified, stepping up to him with Ruggie just behind. “Grim dragged Yuuna into an investigation into the incidents cuz the head mage said he could get a spot in the tournament.”

“Whoa whoa, back up!” Ruggie yelled, genuinely shocked. “You mean the only reason we got caught was because the little weasel wanted in on the tournament?!”

Grim huffed. “How many times do I gotta say it?! I ain’t a weasel! And you’re one to talk after injuring a bunch of folks for a chance at glory!”

“…Touché.”

“I swear guys, I’m fine. Just a little light-headed.” On the other side of things, Yuuna did her best to calm her friends’ worries about her. She’d been the first to awaken from that odd memory state, and she was helped up and checked for injuries once it was safe to touch her without coming into contact with blot.

She looked past them toward Leona being approached by Crowley, who likely showed up while she was unconscious.

“Mr. Kingscholar. Were you the one responsible for the series of injuries that befell competing players?

“…Yeah, that was me.” Leona answered after a heavy sigh, not looking Crowley in the eye. This truly was the end, and there was no point in fighting it.

“Very well. Then to begin, Savanaclaw Dorm is hereby disqualified from this year’s tournament. Further punishment for you will be decided once I speak with the victims. Are we clear?”

“…Understood.”

Yuuna pursed her lips, feeling unsettled by this ending. She noticed Ruggie and Jack, whose heads hung low with utter defeat. And she was certain that the rest of the dorm would look the same after. Even if their plan was a terrible and cruel one, they were still just guys who dared to dream about standing victorious over a formidable foe.

“…I don’t like this…”

“What don’t you like about it?” she heard Riddle ask, and that’s when she realized she’d been thinking out loud.

“I can’t really explain it, but…it just doesn’t feel right.” Sure, the dorm being disqualified was more than fair after all they’d done, but it left a bitter taste in her mouth. Even though the entire dorm deserved it! Minus Jack, of course.

“And I can’t help but agree. Which is why I took a few measures before we arrived here.”

“Huh?”

Crowley turned to leave. “If that is all, then—”

“Headmage, a moment please.” Riddle approached the headmage.

“Yes, Mr. Rosehearts?”

“I invited a few people to join us here, and they have excellent timing.”

At the moment, several students made their way up to the field including Trey and the one she remembered as Jamil. How much had happened while she was out?

“I brought the victims of the incidents to put in their two cents. I believe they should have the final say.”

“Very well. Have you all come to a conclusion?”

“Yes, Headmage,” Trey answered. “Speaking on behalf of all of us here, we’d like to request you allow Savanaclaw to play in the tournament.”

 “Really?” Crowley was thoroughly baffled by the request, as were Ruggie and Jack who looked at them with wide eyes. “Are you truly saying that you are willing to forgive Savanaclaw for their transgressions?”

“Not in the slightest,” Jamil immediately retorted.

Trey chuckled. “We just think keeping Savanaclaw in the game is the best chance we have at getting revenge.”

…What?

“Fighting with magic on campus is strictly against the rules,” Riddle stated. “However…”

“Using magic in a spelldrive game is completely allowed in the name of sport,” Trey finished, a devious smirk growing on his face. She had never seen such an expression on him before. “It’ll give us the opportunity to take as many shots at them as we can at full strength.”

“And with whatever happened here as far as I can see, it looks like the Savanaclaw students are in much worse shape than we are,” Jamil pointed out, but looked awfully smug about it despite having no part in those injuries.

“So better to hash it out on the field rather than letting any grudges fester without any true resolutions, especially now that we know for certain who did all this.”

It wasn’t the worst idea, if a tad violent.

“Didn’t you say it yourself, Leona?” Cater jumped in, smugly pulling up the receipts. “Fighting with magic doesn’t break school rules if it’s in the name of a good, clean Spelldrive match.”

Riddle sighed. “Normally, I would be demanding all of their heads. But, if this is what Trey and the others want, I will concede to it.”

“I understand where you’re coming from,” Crowley finally said after letting everyone else say their peace. “But another question still hangs in the air. Are the Savanaclaw students even fit to take to the field? Mr. Kingscholar had only just regained consciousness. And there could be other major injuries.”

A laugh bubbled up in Leona’s throat, rising to a pure, amused laugh. “Don’t underestimate me, Crowley.” He smirked. “Like I need to be at full strength to pummel this pack of wounded herbivores. If you want any apologies outta me, come and take it.”

“My, how audacious of you,” Jamil commented, looking equally excited to get into the game.

“Well, Headmage?” Trey asked. “Do we have your approval?”

Crowley sighed deeply, as if disappointed. “Aren’t I the fool,” he murmured, “thinking you’d actually want to talk about your feelings… Very well! I approve your petition. Savanaclaw will still be in the lineup for the tournament! Although…” He cleared his throat before lowering his voice. “Since the whole world is watching, best to keep this little incident under wraps, yes?”

There it was. But she kind of understood. A panic would no doubt ensue if it was announced to the entire world that someone present had recently gone through one of the greatest catastrophes known to the magical world.

“And we’re back to sweeping things under the rug.”

“Anyway!” Crowley quickly said, dodging the accusation. “If that is finally all, the spectators must be very antsy waiting for the player to make their entrance. Let us make haste to the stadium!”

“Alright. Let’s—Urk!” Leona’s face contorted from the pain as Ruggie didn’t even hold back, punching his shoulder. “Fuck, that hurt…”

“Don’t think you’ve earned my forgiveness just yet, Leona.”

“Uh-huh. And?”

Ruggie shrugged. “All things considered, it still pained me to see that pathetic look on your face. You know what expression suits you best? That usual smug, sneering grin of yours.” Leona’s eyes widened as he finally realized where Ruggie’s line of thinking was headed. “Laugh With Me!”

Ruggie didn’t hesitate, hooking his fingers on the corners of his mouth and tugging them hard to force a smile. Or rather, to force a smile on Leona. The lion was caught by the hyena’s unique magic, immediately copying the motions, clearly unhappy.

“There we go!” Ruggie exclaimed through his teeth, eliciting his signature laugh. “You’ve got no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this!”

“Knock it off! Now!” Leona tried to yell back, but it didn’t sound at all intimidating with the way his stretched mouth made the words sound flubbed.

Yuuna pressed her palm to her mouth, watching the silly display. A snort left her nose but she tried to hold it in. Unfortunately, seeing Leona’s normally lax and apathetic face stretched into a wide grin was enough to start up a giggle fit. Soon enough, she was fully laughing, tears springing in the corners of her eyes.

“Buncha idiots,” Jack muttered as he stepped up to stand beside Yuuna while she laughed. “…Heh…”

“Awww look at that!” she exclaimed with a smile, her laughter dying down into little giggles. She stood on her toes so she could reach up and poke his cheek, startling him slightly. “You laughed!”

“N-No I didn’t! You’re hearing things!”

“Alright.” But she was still smiling, knowing the truth. “Looks like this case is closed. Now onto the big event!”

“You’re right.” Jack finally smiled back at her. “I can finally go out there and give it my all without any ounce of doubt in my heart. And…thank you. Thank you for all you did. I know it must’ve been rough, especially now that I know there were those guys trying to hinder you. If I had known, I woulda knocked some sense into ‘em!”

“Don’t worry about it, Jack. You’re more than welcome.”

When Yuuna smiled so brightly at him, it caused a stir deep in his chest…

Chapter Text

“Whoa, wait a sec!” Grim suddenly exclaimed, running up to stand in Crowley’s way. “Hey, Headmage! We caught your guy! Time to cough up that reward like you promised!” Grim stood with pride, waiting for the official word from the headmaster.

“Eh?” Crowley, however, was surprised by the declaration. “Did I…? Oh, yes. Yes I did.” In other words, he forgot. “But it’s far too late, as the tournament brackets have already been announced. Oh dear, what to do…?”

“WHAT?!” Grim screeched. “Swindler! Backstabber! I bust my butt off trying to catch the culprit for nothing?!” He made her do all the work more accurately. “Face my fiery justice!”

“N-Now, now, let’s not do anything hasty.” The headmaster held up his hands, feebly attempting to quell his anger.

“Breaking promises,” Yuuna piped up, “isn’t very magnanimous of you, Headmage.” If there was one thing that she learned about Crowley during her long month here, it was that he valued his reputation above all else.

“Aha! I’ve got it!” Crowley smiled, having taken the bait. “You shall play in an exhibition match before the tournament begins! That way, it won’t get in the way of the actual matches. And it would guarantee all eyes would be solely on you!”

As expected, Grim’s eyes went alight at the prospect of being the center of attention. “Only on me? Really?! That means all those scouters’ eyes will be on me while I’m kicking tail!” He jumped joyfully just imagining the massive crowd cheering his name.

“And what about the other players?” she asked. “A Spelldrive team needs seven players, doesn’t it?”

“Oh. Oh yes. That minor detail… Well, I believe we could get some faculty members…”

He was clearly trying to think up solutions on the spot, which only meant one thing; he had never intended to fulfill his side of the bargain when he propositioned Grim. Talk about one shady bird.

“Or maybe,” Ace piped up, standing up to Yuuna’s left, “we could join the team.”

Deuce joined in, standing on her right. “He’s right. We’ll be your teammates.”

“Denied,” Riddle immediately interjected. “You are proud members of Heartslabyul.”

“Yeah, but we’re not on the team,” Ace argued back. “And besides, there’s no rule that says we can’t play for another team, right?”

Trey covered his mouth to hide a snicker. “He’s right. No one ever thought that anyone would do that, so they never put a rule in.”

“If that’s the case, I want in, too!”

“But you’re on the actual team, Cater.”

“Oof.” Cater’s shoulders sagged in defeat, though he didn’t look too broken up about it.

“And that’ll make Savanaclaw your opponent!” Jack added as he stepped up to the group.

“Are you sure, Jack?” Yuuna took a quick glance at Ruggie and Leona before returning her gaze to him. “You were put through the ringer too.”

“I’m sure. Besides, it’d be no fun to go up against a bunch of staff members I’d imagine. You deserve a proper match.”

“Aw, look at you bein’ a big softie,” Ace teased him. “You just wanna show off in front of Yuuna, don’t cha?”

“Since when did this become about me?”

“D-Don’t get the wrong idea!” Jack suddenly shouted, a faint tinge of pink on his cheeks while very obviously avoiding her eyes. “T-This is just payback, nothing else! I hate having any kind of debt over my head.” His gold eyes glanced over to Leona and Ruggie, the latter having finally let the lion out of his spell’s grasp. “That should be fine with you guys, right?”

Ruggie shook his head, his mouth agape with a deep sigh. “Of course,” he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Why not have a grand game while we’re all on the brink of passing out? If you don’t feel any aches or pains either, then you’re seriously inhuman.”

A groan rumbled up from Leona’s throat, taking a moment to rub his sore cheeks. “Whatever, I don’t care. Take your best shot at us, herbivores.” His cocky demeanor started slipping back into place effortlessly as he set his hands at his sides. “But just remember this. It might be an exhibition match, but we’ll still be coming at you full force. We ain’t going easy on anyone. Especially you, Mousey.”

Yuuna’s brow rose, realizing he was looking straight at her. He better not stick to that nickname. She huffed at him, which only served to make his smirk widen. The loud clap of Crowley’s hands broke them out of…whatever that was.

“Splendid! And here I was bracing myself to receive a three-hour lecture from Trein一ahem! I mean… That makes four members on the Ramshackle team! Now you only need three more!” He smiled wide, despite not even attempting to pitch in any other solutions to that dilemma.

“Dang it!” Grim whined. “Why does our dorm have to have only two members?!”

Yeah, that was a bit tricky to fix. Their dorm wasn't an official one, as Crowley oh so frequently liked to remind them. And she only had so many friends from other dorms that weren’t already on teams. Just her and Grim against the world. Just her and Grim living in the dorm… Wait.

“Do ghosts count as dorm members?” she asked once the idea popped into her head. “They live with us in Ramshackle, after all. Plus, they know the game from the way they helped Grim practice.”

“Hey, you’re right! And there’s that one who said he was a pro Spelldrive player!” The monster did a little bounce on his feet before eagerly scurrying away. “Imma go get em! Yippee, I’m gonna be on tv!” He was gone before Crowley could get a word in edgewise.

“Playing a match with ghosts, huh? Stranger things have happened, I guess.” Ace glanced over at her with an impish grin. “Like allowing someone with no magical abilities and the clumsiness of a newly hatched egg to play.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “…Was that you calling me a chick without actually calling me a chick?”

He shrugged. “Maybe.”

“That’s enough chatter for now,” the headmage interrupted. “Make haste to the tournament site. But, before you do, did any of you see a charcoal-colored, stone-like object by any chance?”

A charcoal-colored, stone-like object? The description was familiar but, at the moment, she could place it一 Oh shit . Suddenly, she remembered Riddle’s Overblot, or rather the aftermath. Grim had found a rock fitting that description. And he had shoved it right down his gullet. Yuuna pursed her lips, urging herself not to make any sort of comment. What could she even say that wouldn’t get them possibly expelled? “Oh, we did see a rock like that a while ago, but it’s sitting in a monster cat’s stomach and there’s no way it’s gonna pass cuz he chomped down on it like a piece of hard candy.” That sounded awful.

“No, I don’t think so,” Deuce responded. “Did you lose something, Headmage?”

“Oh, no, nothing like that. But enough about me. It’s time for the Interdorm Spelldrive Tournament to begin!”

“Come on, Yuuna.” Jack lightly patted her on the back, ushering her forward.

“Don’t worry, I’m with you. I’ve only ever watched Spelldrive before so it'll be a new experience to actually play.” She wondered what sort of role she would take on the team though. She’d probably just run around to fill space since magic was a pretty essential part of the game.

The wolfman paused briefly before nudging her again to get her attention. “…Hey.” Yuuna looked up to see him look a tad embarrassed. “Really. Thanks. For…all of this.”

His gratitude brought a bright smile to her face, perhaps because it was nice to simply be acknowledged. “You’re welcome. I’d do it again, you know.”

A smile turned up his lips. “Somehow, I fully believe that. And don’t worry. I know Leona said he wouldn’t cut you any slack, but I’ll at least make sure you can keep up.”

“Aw, you’re so sweet, Jack.” Her smile widened when he immediately got flustered from her compliment.

“H-Hey, it’s not like that! I told you that I don’t like to be in debt to anybody! This is me repaying you, that’s all.”

“Hey, you two!” Ruggie called out to them. “Shake your tails already.”

“Alright. Let’s play some Spelldrive!”

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

The stadium filled with cheers as the two exhibition match teams stepped out onto the field. They’d been given just enough time to change into their PE uniforms beforehand, for ease of movement and because their regular uniforms were torn and dirty from the earlier bout.

As soon as Yuuna stepped onto the field, she could immediately feel the thousands of eyes shifting in her direction. Her body tensed up. Questions and speculations were bound to ripple through the crowd. In the entire history of Night Raven College, it had only ever been young men of extraordinary talent participating in such events. But she stood there as the outlier. And the pressure was making it increasingly harder to breathe, expectation suddenly pushing down on her.

A hand rested on her shoulder, the sincerity behind it saving her from spiraling further. She looked to see Deuce giving her a soft smile. “It’s okay,” his eyes were saying, “cuz you’re one of us.”

The reassurance helped her straighten up her shoulders, holding herself with a little more confidence. She walked beside her friends to the middle of the field, standing opposite of Savanaclaw’s team. Jack looked ready to brawl, his posture straight and an excited look in his eye. Ruggie seemed more lax but he was definitely ready to pounce at any moment. And, of course, Leona kept his body lax while smirking as if he’d already won.

“Let’s have a good, clean game,” she said, parroting Leona’s words back when he completely clobbered her Heartslabyul friends as this very game.

Her boldness elicited a chuckle from the lion. “Be honored that you get to play against me, Mousey.”

She huffed with a small pout in response, knowing very well that she couldn’t exactly make a retort that she could back up. After all, she was playing a mage’s game; literally. She’s just the glorified bench warmer, filling a spot to let Grim play. And if the way the guys had been battered and bruised after their game at Savanaclaw’s field, she stood less than a chance against him.

“We have an exciting opening event here!” the announcer proclaimed. “An exhibition match to kick off the official tournament! Savanaclaw vs. Ramshackle!”

The confusion swept across the stadium, the official dorm’s name never heard before today. But that confusion was short lived before the whistle blew, and the game officially began.

As expected, Yuuna ran to just avoid getting hit by any spells. And she wasn’t good at coming up with plays for a sport she’d never played before. Even watching Grim practice a few times wasn’t enough. But she would damn well try, at least to be useful to her team.

She was mainly ducking and weaving around rogue spells, courtesy of her own team. It wasn’t surprising, given that Savanaclaw and its team members had more experience with the game, and had long gotten rid of any nerves that came with playing in front of a big crowd.

She waved over to Deuce to move her way as she ran further down the field. He quickly caught on and flew faster in her direction. She then signaled to Ace to pass the disc once he got hold of it. Ace grinned and nodded, catching her signs easily. Once he got to the halfway point, he flung the disc forward toward his teammate…only to have Ruggie snatch it out of midair as he hung upside down on his broom.

“Shihihi! Piece of cake!” He zoomed off toward Ramshackle’s goal, the ghosts attempting to stop him before he got too close.

Even Grim gave chase, running as fast as his little limbs could carry him. “Myaah! You’re not getting away!”

He spit out fireballs to shoot down Ruggie’s broom, but the hyena maneuvered around every shot with perfect ease. Ruggie grinned wider and launched the disc toward Leona, who had also made it into Ramshackle’s side of the field. With pure confidence, the lion used a powerful spell to fling the disc the rest of the way and into the goal. The rest of the game was much the same, with Savanaclaw effectively kicking their butts. The score at the halfway point was four to one, with that one being a lucky break after Leona aggravated an injury by turning the wrong way and giving Ace an opening to get to the goal.

“Time for my moment of glory!” she had heard Grim announce as he stopped just short of the halfway line. But she kept running through the field to find a place for the offense to make a better maneuver. “Here comes the Great Grim Hurricane!”

Yuuna could hear the whizzing of the disc from behind.

“Watch out!”

And then she heard someone yell in her direction. To her right, she noticed Jack rushing toward her with his arm outstretched. Thinking for a moment that he was trying to tackle her, she stumbled back a step. That proved to be the biggest mistake as she finally noticed something out of the corner of her eye approaching her, and fast .

She only remembered getting knocked off her feet before her vision went dark.

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

“Stop crying, will you? She’s gonna be fine.”

Yuuna groaned, hearing voices flood into her ears, slowly gaining clarity from drowsy static. She peeked her eyes open, staring up at the infirmary’s ceiling. What was she doing back here?

“You’re awake!” Grim sat at her side on the medical bed, tears pricking the corners of his eyes. But he was not one to show what he considered to be weakness, quickly blinking them away. “I mean, uh, about time you woke up!”

“Not so loud,” she groaned, lightly shoving her palm on his face. She turned her head, seeing Ace and Deuce at her bedside too. “How did I get here?”

“You don’t remember?” Ace asked, to which she shook her head. But that only made her wince, a throbbing pain in her forehead. “Grim thought he was a bigshot and threw the disc right at midfield. It ended up hitting you right in the noggin.”

“I was trying to nab us a victory with a shot from downfield.”

“Yes, and you failed.”

“Cuz you amateurs need to learn disc control.” Jack moved aside the curtain separating her bed from the rest, having listened to the conversation. He looked at her up and down, concern reflecting in his eyes despite the dim lighting. “You good?”

“I will be.”

“I’m just happy you’re awake,” Deuce said with a slight smile. “You’ve been out since Jack carried you from the field to the infirmary.”

“You did?”

“I was just doing what anyone would’ve done,” the wolfman quickly said, glancing away from her. But she could tell he was embarrassed.

“So…how long was I out?” With how she’d last remembered it being daytime, and seeing the stars shining just outside the window, she feared the answer.

“About six hours,” Ace replied.

“Six hours?! Ow ow ow.” Shouting was not such a good idea, she realized, holding her head while the disbelief set in.

“Yup. Closing ceremonies and everything already ended. Now they’re just taking all the decorations and stuff now.”

“Fantastic.” So she’d been stuck in here for the entire tournament. She didn’t get to see any of the other dorms play either. While not a fan of sports, she’d been looking forward to sitting in the stands and cheering her Heartslabyul friends on. “So I’m guessing the winner…”

“Was Diasomnia, of course,” Ruggie finished, sitting up in his own medical bed, Leona’s right next to it. Yuuna leaned forward a bit to see him just laying there, staring up into nothingness. His ear twitched, clearly listening to the conversation. “But man, making it to the finals was complete torture. We were dead on our feet by that time, so Diasomnia took the win.”

Leona finally sat up with a groan, Ruggie’s statement bringing a new wave of irritation. “That’s cuz everyone was ignoring the disc and throwing everything they had at us .” That sounded about right, given these boys’ history. Revenge under the guise of sportsmanship. “Tch, this sucks. Being stuck in a medical bed for anything other than an afternoon nap is as lame as it gets.”

“Aw, poor you,” Yuuna couldn’t help but tease with a pitiful look. “You got your comeuppance.”

“Whatever, Mousey.”

Ruggie scratched the back of his head, having to be placed between the two. “What pisses me off the most is that you don’t see a single speck of green here. Those Diasomnia twats got out of this squeaky clean.”

“That’s cuz they got Malleus on their side,” Ace clarified. “I heard the rumors, but damn that guy is scary up close. He didn’t mess around at all.”

“Sorry I missed it.” She was still quite curious about the Diasomnia housewarden, only having heard these rumors and other hearsay about him. But she had a gut feeling that the image they all painted in her mind wasn’t completely accurate. It was a bit disappointing that she never got to see him.

Deuce sat on the edge of her bed. “Yeah, you wouldn’t have believed it, Yuuna. He was incredible.”

“Now I completely understand why they say that dude’s untouchable. Beating him would be next to impossible.” Ah, Ace. Ever the sweet defeatist.

Jack, however, didn’t share his sentiment. “And with that attitude, you never will. Letting him get in your head like that puts you at a disadvantage. Not me, though. Next year, I vow to take down Diasomnia using everything I’ve got!”

That seemed more realistic with Diasomnia’s win securing their housewarden a spot in the hall of fame, as she remembered from her very first housewarden meeting.

Leona, however, let out a snort. “Ha. That’s some real big talk. But you’ll have to work on your capacity for evil to do that. If you wanna win, you better be ready to use every trick you’ve got.”

“Are you serious?” Yuuna shot him an incredulous stare. “Have you really learned nothing from this whole mess?”

“Learn anything? This isn’t some school life special.”

Her eye twitched when he met her stare with that stupid smug face. “So that’s it? You don’t feel any remorse?”

“Remorse? Who needs remorse? I’m gonna give it all I’ve got next year, too, by doing whatever it takes to win.”

“Shihihi! You should be happy, Yuuna. This is the Leona I know. Not that sad mess we had to face before.”

“Tch. Always trying to get a dig in.”

“Well, one thing’s for sure,” Grim interrupted, hopping onto Yuuna’s lap. “When next year rolls around, I’m gonna nab a spot in the real deal! None of this exhibition stuff.”

“You said it,” Ace agreed. “I ain’t gonna settle for Grim’s kiddie league. I’m gonna make the Heartslabyul roster and一”

“I finally found you, Unca!”

The attention in the room shifted to the young child that had burst into the infirmary. A wide smile was plastered on his face as he made a beeline toward Leona’s bed and leapt onto him, or more precisely onto Leona.

“Unca?!” the guys shouted out, pure disbelief etched into their faces.

“Great,” she heard the elder lion groan, “the screech box found me…”

After the initial shock wore off, Yuuna took better notice of the child. He was much too familiar. “Cheka?” She ended up blurting out his name, which made her his ears perk up.

Cheka stopped yapping in Leona’s ear to turn to her. He immediately lit up and jumped off of Leona’s stomach, making him grunt in pain. But the lion cub didn’t even take notice as he hopped up onto her bed and wrapped his arms around her in a hug. “Aunnie Yuuna! You’re here too!”

“Nice to see you again.” She lifted her hand and gently pet his head.

Suddenly she felt everyone’s eyes piercing into her, all waiting for an explanation. Especially the ones of a very annoyed “Unca.” She had a hunch when she’d first met Cheka, but she had dismissed it fairly easily, thinking there was no way this little ball of sunshine was related to the grumpy asshole.

“Don’t look at me like that,” she scolded, eyeing them all. “I met Cheka during the opening ceremony,” then she looked pointedly at Leona, “where all the crowds were gathered.”

The implication of what had nearly transpired because of his actions was enough to make him back off, flopping down back onto his bed.

“Yeah! And Aunnie Yuuna ran super fast while carrying me! She’s amazing like you, Unca Leona!”

Ruggie looked at Cheka, then Leona, then back again. “Wait…so that means…”

“Yeah,” Leona confirmed. “This little furball is my brother’s kid… My nephew.”

The disbelief came back in full swing, the stark contrast between the two despite being related almost an inconceivable thought. Though it was Ruggie and Jack who were the most surprised, technically being closer to Leona than everyone else.

“Y-You mean the one who’s next in line for the throne…”

“And the source of Leona’s anguish is…”

Yeah, it was hard to believe. This little boy was nothing but sweet and affectionate. Perhaps a little clingy but that’s just how kids could be, especially when they looked up to someone as highly as Cheka apparently did Leona. He seemed to love everything about his uncle. Yuuna could only hope the cub wouldn’t learn some of the elder lion’s nasty habits and focused more on the positive aspects of him.

“Where are your attendants? They must be tearing their fur out looking for you.”

Cheka giggled with a slightly mischievous edge. “I really wanted to see you, Unca. So I snuck off to find you!” He happily hopped off of Yuuna and bounced back to Leona’s side, sitting on his stomach with absolutely zero awareness.

“You can all stop gawking now!” Leona’s eyes narrowed as he sneered.

“When are you gonna be home next? What about the visit after that? Can you teach me Spelldrive then? Did you read all my letters?” Cheka’s enthusiasm knew no bounds, chattering away with a smile.

“I already said I’m be home for the holidays一 Urk! Ow! And get off my stomach already, that hurts!”

Ruggie started snickered, not even trying to hide the bounce of his shoulders. “Now I understand why you hate going back home for the holidays.”

“Hm?” Cheka finally seemed to take notice of everyone else in the room, his fixation on Leona having tuned them out till now. “You guys Unca Leona’s friends?”

Ace quickly took the opportunity he was given, a wide smirk on his face as he laughed. “We sure are! Ain’t the right, Unca Leona?”

The hyena beastman laughed louder and his housewarden’s misery, clearly not about to let him live this moment down. “Pfft! Unca Leona… Haha! Ow ow!” He winced, his hand flying to his side. “Argh, it hurts to laugh this much…”

“Keep laughing while you can.” Leona glared and then started nudging Cheka off of him. He kept trying, the little lion clinging to him happily. Then his sharp eyes landed on Jack. “Water. Now.”

“Yes, sir!”

Jack obediently grabbed a water bottle from the large pack that had been generously set in the infirmary, for the athletes that would end up in here after the big day and likely dehydrated. Jack handed the water over, and Leona snatched it out of his hands to open the cap and chug it.

“So…if you guys are Unca’s friends…” The wheels were turning in his head, and Yuuna was curious as to what conclusion he was trying to draw. “That means Aunnie Yuuna is his girlfriend!”

Leona turned his head and coughed, choking on his water. And Yuuna definitely would’ve done the same.

“What?!”

“Huh?!”

Leona’s and her voice had nearly synchronized. This kid was going to be the death of them. Three shocks in the span of ten minutes could not be healthy. Even her friends were staring at Cheka as if they were hoping to hear something different if he repeated himself.

“N-No, no, that’s not…” She was at a complete loss for words, too astonished to say anything of significance. “I-I mean, um…” Dangit. Cheka was looking at her with such wide eyes expectantly.

He moved from Leona’s bed to hers, climbing up to sit on her legs. “That means you’ll come visit, right?”

“Forget it, pipsqueak,” his oh so lovely uncle rejected. “Oh, don’t look too upset, Mousey. Sorry if you were thinking about cozying up to the royals.”

She wanted to strangle him. But she wouldn’t do so in front of such an innocent child. But the mean glare she sent him was probably enough to let him know of her murderous intent. “I’ll happily visit you, Cheka,” she chose to respond, pulling him into a soft hug.

“Hooray!” Cheka’s tail swayed happily while he hugged her back, and she didn’t even fight the smile rising on her lips. This kid was too cute.

Eventually, Cheka’s attendants did indeed come to collect him, and Leona was all too happy to wave him goodbye while the little lion still went on about looking forward to seeing him again. Yuuna bid her friends goodbye too, but she would see them tomorrow. The nurse tended to the wounded, and one by one they were sent back to their dorms. But she slowly realized that she and Leona were the only ones left in the infirmary. Even Ruggie had abandoned Leona in favor of going back to the dorm. And Grim had abandoned her, which she thought odd. He seemed in a bit of a hurry…

It made sense that Leona got the worst of the beatings in the tournament, leading him to be in here for longer. He was in fact the mastermind behind this whole fiasco. He was a prime target for the other students’ thirst for vengeance. She, on the other hand, had just got the wind knocked out of her, and she got a little dizzy when she had tried to stand up last. So the nurse had been a little more empathetic to let her stay until the dizziness wore off.

”Here,” he suddenly said, reaching into his pants pocket

Yuuna noticed and barely had time to register it as something was tossed her way. She just barely made it in time to hold out her hands and catch it. Caught between her palms was an armband, the black and gold ribbon standing out immediately. “What’s this…?”

“That’s a stupid question,” he answers, and indeed it was a little stupid. “What’s it look like?”

”I know it’s a Savanaclaw armband. I just meant…why?”

”Cuz I don’t like feeling indebted to anyone. And when it came to blows, you got the right spirit for someone who belongs in Savanaclaw. From now on, you won’t be bothered if you step onto my terf again.”

Figures it was symbolic. She turned the emblem around in her hands, a quiet settling over them. Feeling a tad awkward with the silence, she made the stupid decision to strike up some semblance of conversation with the housewarden. “You didn’t seriously mean what you said, right? I mean, cheating did you no favors this year. Can’t imagine you’d wanna do it again.”

“Still going on with that high and mighty stuff, I see,” he lazily commented, shifting his body to find optimal comfort on the medical bed.

Yuuna turned, glaring at him. “You really don’t get it, do you?”

He only spared her a mere glance. “Oh? Then please, do so graciously enlighten me.”

His snarky tone was far from appreciated, her hands balled up into fists, feeling a thousand times more frustrated than she rationally should. But he really knew how to hit a nerve, even unintentionally. “The most fucked up thing about this is that you’re amazing!” His ears flattened against his head when she shouted, taken aback by the sudden shift. “I’ve seen it, Leona! I saw you out there commanding your team, both in that match and during your club time. You’re a genius strategist who’s always thinking ahead. You’re decisive and know how to make decisions at a moment’s notice. You can see every angle, every strength, every weakness. You have that incredibly frustrating persistence that comes with being part of Savanaclaw! And yet, you had decided from the beginning that the only way to rise to the top was to cheat. But that’s bullshit! You were definitely capable of coming up with some sort of strategy to trounce this Malleus guy, but you ended up playing dirty when you didn’t have to.”

She heaved out her breath, having not come up for air through her entire rant throughout now. He didn’t have anything to say in return, his jaw slightly slack before he clamped it shut. But even then, he didn’t speak a word.

“You’re a king in your own right, Leona. You just didn’t see it in yourself.”

She just wanted to go back now, so she tried one more time to stand up. Thankfully, the dizziness had worn off. She picked up her PE jacket that had been draped over a chair before leaving the infirmary to head to her dorm and sleep in her own bed, and get away from any pesky lions.

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

“Myeheheh…” Yuuna had come back from the bathroom when she heard Grim cackling to himself. He had his back to her, standing in a corner of the room.

“Grim一”

Suddenly, there was a loud CRUNCH! She was taken aback until the little monster let out a soft moan of satisfaction. Her face then paled once she realized what had just happened.

“Grim!” she shouted, making him jump about a foot in the air.

“MYAH!”

She marched toward the corner and picked him up, seeing the chunk of black stone still in his paws. “Are you serious? Again?!” She really, really hoped this wasn’t the stone that Crowley mentioned and something completely unrelated. That’s what she would keep telling herself anyway.

“But this one’s got a mature taste to it! Slightly bitter yet tangy when it hits the taste buds! How could I not snatch it up and make a snack out of it?”

“You’re impossible.” She set him back down. “Fine, but this means you’re not sleeping near me tonight. I don’t need to deal with you getting sick on the blankets if this comes back to bite you.”

But he had latched onto her pant leg as she started to walk to the bed. He looked so pathetic like that, but in the endearing way that only pet owners would understand when calling their beloved animal companions pathetic. “But all that good food made me sleepy…”

“…Uugh, fine! But you are getting kicked out the second I hear any type of noise indicating you’re gonna upchuck.” She put a little more strength into her stride as she effectively dragged Grim across the floor until getting to bed, prying him off her pants and setting him down on the far end of the end. “Stay.” She got on the opposite side and finally let herself settle in for the night.

The weight of everything this past month finally slipped off her body, giving her a small sense of ease. The culprit had been caught, but she had to experience yet another overblot. It was more terrifying than the last. All she could do was hope that this didn’t become some kind of trend. Just as her thoughts drifted off, and so too was her consciousness, a soft light began to illuminate the mirror above the fireplace.

She blinked, groggily turning her head to try and find what the mirror could’ve been reflecting to make it shine. But there was nothing she could discern. In fact, the mirror also looked kind of…smoky. Chalking it up to nighttime delirium, Yuuna just turned over and pulled the cover over her head. She’d deal with it tomorrow.

★・・・★・・・★・・・★

“The tournament this year sure was something!” Floyd grinned as he flopped down onto one of the booths, outstretching his legs to take up room. “That little exhibition team was so funny, moving like a scattering school of fishies.”

“I must agree.” Jade grinned, just barely hiding it behind his hand. “Especially since they added our new magicless student to the roster. Right, Azul?” When he got no response at first, he noticed the housewarden deep in thought while sitting at the bar, scribbling something down with a pen. “Oh my. What has our housewarden so deep in his musings?”

“Why, the record profits, of course.” He turned in his seat. “They went up by twenty percent this year. It seems that girl is good for something other than keeping that little beast at bay. I noticed that there was a fluctuation after her presence was announced. It seems she unintentionally became an icon for the magicless. It makes me wonder. If I can get her in my debt…” He trailed off, a chuckle bubbling up in his throat. “So much could be done with a different kind of power.”

“Speaking of power,” Jade piped up. “I received word of another poor unfortunate soul urgently seeking your counsel as soon as possible. Tonight, more precisely”

“As expected.” Azul rose from his seat. “After all, while Octanivelle may not excel in chasing around some disc across a field like dogs in the yard. The final exams are more suited for us. Now then, best to prepare a proper welcome to the client seeking me so urgently .”

His grin held a devious edge, matched only by the twins at his side, all looking like the ambush predators they truly were.

Chapter Text

“Thanks for doing this, Trey.” Yuuna entered the Heartslabyul kitchen with all the supplies that the vice housewarden had asked of her, setting it all on the counter. “Are you sure you’re okay to do all this?”

“I told you it’s okay.” Trey gave her a reassuring smile. “My leg’s much better now. Besides, I’d already been meaning to get some baking done. It’ll go faster with your help. But I guess I should ask the big question. How much do you know about baking?”

“I know the basics, from what I can recall, at least. I’m no pro like you though. I’m not sure I’d be good with patisserie quality stuff. But I’m sure I know how to make things like cookies and a cake. Then again, I’m sure those are hard to mess up.”

“You’d be surprised. I have a cousin who somehow did the impossible and made hollow cookies.”

She gaped. “You’re kidding!”

“Nope. We just ended up filling them with a little ice cream.”

“That actually sounds delicious. But I don’t think I’m ready for any accidental feats of greatness.”

“Fair enough. Then let’s get started.” He motioned her over to the kitchen counter, where a few supplies were already set up in respective groups. “First, you can crack the eggs I need for the soufflé. Then you can peel and slice the apples for the apple crumble. After that, we can work on the cheesecake cookies you suggested to me.”

Having a list of tasks to do was helpful, at least. Trey was probably used to multitasking if he baked multiple confections in one sitting.

“Oh yeah,” she suddenly piped up while cracking the eggs and whisking them together, “your parents run a bakery, right?”

“They do.” He nodded, but he looked at her with a confused stare before it softened. “Oh. Riddle must’ve told you.”

Crap! That little tidbit was never mentioned to her by anyone! She wasn’t supposed to know that; no wonder he looked at her like he was wondering why she did! “Uh…yeah. Right.” Yuuna just allowed him to assume to cover her ass. Because there was no other explanation that wouldn’t end with her in a padded room. How could you just casually tell someone they saw part of your life story in a blot-induced dream?

“I don’t want to brag or anything, but it’s pretty well-known in the Queendom. Never going a day without at least a couple dozen orders.”

“Sounds like you deserve to brag just a little bit.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, I guess.”

Yuuna handed him the bowl of whisked eggs once she was done, helping him mix the dry ingredients next. After that, she didn’t dare get in his way. Soufflés were a delicate pastry and she wasn’t about one little misstep on her end flatten it.

“Do most of the guys at Heartslabyul normally enjoy sweets?” She tried to continue making conversation as she started peeling the apples while the soufflé was in the oven. She knew now that Cater wasn’t a big fan, and Ace loved cherry pie. But what about the others?

“Hm. I haven’t really thought about it. But they all seem to really like what I make for our unbirthday parties. So I’d hazard a guess and say yeah. And you do too, from the way you were getting thirds when you were last here. I thought you were about to eat as much as Grim.”

She flushed from the sudden embarrassment. Having a sweet tooth wasn’t a bad thing! “No one can out-eat that little monster. And I do really love the things you bake.”

“Thanks. I take that as the highest compliment.”

“I just wish there’d been some coffee to go with it.”

“Sorry. Coffee is strictly off limits in this dorm.”

She nearly dropped the apple she’d picked up to peel, her mouth hanging open at the absolute injustice. “Seriously?!”

He nodded. “Queen of Hearts Rule 41: Coffee is forbidden, and tea must be served on every occasion except someone’s birthday.”

She let out a choked whine and slumped in place. “How awful.”