Chapter Text
DING-DONG! DING-DONG! The resounding bell signaled the end of classes for today, and soon, everyone was getting up from their seats and filing out. Yuuki Hajime stretched her arms, feeling her shoulders pop as she stood up, her body stiff from having to sit down for so long. Grim seemed to share in her exhaustion, for he let a long, loud sigh.
“Finally, our tiresome classes are done,” he said before he looked up at Yuuki with a smile. “C’mon, Yuuki! Let’s go back to the Ramshackle Dorm and finish up that card game we were playin’, y’know!”
“Sounds good to me,” Yuuki said as she picked up the cat monster and carried him out. For some reason, Ace and Deuce said that they would be busy after classes, so they couldn’t walk her back to the Ramshackle Dorm, this time. She didn’t mind it, though. Often, she did enjoy the leisurely walk to her dorm back… even if it was a bit long.
“You know somethin’, Yuuki?” Grim asked. “I always feel like the walk from the Ramshackle Dorm to the main school building and back is way too long, y’know!”
“And yet, I’m the one carrying you,” Yuuki pointed out with a smirk. “What do you think that says about you, Mr. Lazy?”
“Hey! I thought Leona was Mr. Lazy!” Grim countered.
“Whatever, Grim,” Yuuki said with a roll of her eyes. It was so typical these days. She and Grim would go into their usual back and forth. Earlier in the school year, it was more like they were just vexed by each other, but nowadays, they found themselves bickering like a pair of siblings. Yuuki supposed it was inevitable since she had been here for about a month, now.
So far, Crowley still hadn’t found a way for her to get home, but she supposed that given her situation, it could take a while.
Soon, Yuuki and Grim finally neared the entrance to the Ramshackle Dorm… which still pretty much lived up to its name. However, as Yuuki got closer, her eyes suddenly went wide.
“Huh?” she muttered. “Kore wa nandesuka?”
“Ahh, finally! We made it back!” Grim exclaimed. “Now we can… relax…?” He trailed off as he finally noticed what Yuuki was looking at: a gigantic red dragon with a serpentine body!
“FGNAAAAAAAAAA!!!” Grim screeched. “HOLY CRAP!! A MONSTER!! YUUKI, QUICK!! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!!”
“Chotto matte!” Yuuki exclaimed as she grabbed him. “Grim, wait! I don’t think it’s a-”
“Oh! You’re back!”
“AAAH!!” Yuuki and Grim screamed as they turned around, only to find none other than the Vice-Housewarden of Diasmonia, Lilia Vanrouge, hanging upside-down from a tree while wearing his gym clothes.
“FGNAAA! ANOTHER MONSTER!!” Grim screamed.
“Haha! No, Grim! It’s Lilia-senpai!” Yuuki corrected.
“Kuhuhuhu!” Lilia chuckled. “’Tis good to see you, too, my dear! And I must say, your companion gives quite a pleasant reaction!” He then carefully righted himself as he gently floated to the ground.
“Oh, yeah,” Grim realized. “You’re that short guy from Diasomnia that’s always scarin’ the crap out of everyone!”
“Ye have returned sooner than I had assumed,” Lilia pointed out.
“Hi, Lilia-senpai!” Yuuki said. “I haven’t seen you since what happened at the Magift Tournament! How are you? And how’s Silver-senpai?”
“Oh, Silver’s just fine,” Lilia replied. “I thank thee for asking.”
“What are you even doin’ here- wait, what am I sayin’?!” Grim questioned. “Listen! We gotta get outta here before that… whatever it is eats us, y’know!”
“Grim, calm down!” Yuuki interjected while she approached the dragon. “I don’t think this dragon is even real.”
“She speaks the truth,” Lilia said. “The beast is made of paper mache.”
“Paper-what-now?” Grim repeated in confusion.
“Basically, they took a wooden frame, glued paper all over it, and then painted it after it hardened,” Yuuki added.
“Indeed, my child!” Lilia agreed. “A painstakingly crafted labor, courtesy of the Diasomnia Dorm.” He gestured to the jack-o-lanterns and the fake lotus flowers that were also decorating the yard. “We also fabricated the lanterns and fake lotus blossoms. A nice touch, no?”
“I like it!” Yuuki exclaimed. “Especially the dragon! It reminds me of the statues I’d see around my hometown!”
“Oh, splendid!” Lilia said. “We honestly thought you’d put up a bit of a fuss, even though the Headmaster said it was all right with him. Even Malleus agreed to it!”
“Wait, what?!” Grim questioned before he growled in frustration. “Damn that Crowley! Doin’ what he wants with our dorm, again!!”
“I honestly don’t mind it this time,” Yuuki began, “especially since it’s going to be renovated soon, anyway… but Lilia-senpai, if you don’t mind me asking, why are you decorating our dorm?”
“Yeah! Get all this crap outta here!” Grim shouted. “It’s in the way!”
“Grim!” Yuuki chided.
“Well, ’tis obvious, is it not?” asked Lilia. “We art decorating for Halloween, of course!”
“Halloween?” Yuuki asked in surprise. “I didn’t know they celebrated it here, too!”
“Hallo-what?” Grim repeated.
“Oh, but of course!” Lilia exclaimed. “Halloween is quite the affair here in Twisted Wonderland! And here at Night Raven College, we, as the kids say, ‘go big or go home’! Kuhuhuhu!”
At that moment, the three ghosts of the dorm, Marty, Melvin, and Mavis, all floated out from the old building and joined LIlia, all of them taking in the decorations.
“And you definitely went all out, here!” Marty exclaimed. “We love it! Ooh! Maybe you should help Yuuki and Grim with costumes!”
“But of course!” Lilia agreed. “Everyone should have fun on Halloween, no?”
“Hey, hold on a minute!” Grim called out. “What is this ‘helloveen’ that you guys keep yammerin’ on about? And what does puttin’ some monster on our yard?”
“What?!” Mavis questioned in disbelief.
“Don’t tell me you never heard of Halloween, Grim!” Melvin added.
“Uh… no,” Grim answered, causing Lilia and the ghosts to gasp.
“Zounds!” Lilia exclaimed. “To think that ye, young Grim, does not know the holiday!”
“I know what Halloween is,” Yuuki began, “but it sounds to me like it’s a pretty big deal here.”
“It sure is, Yuuki!” Melvin exclaimed. “It’s Twisted Wonderland’s most celebrated holiday, all over the world!”
“It’s like our big festival!” Mavis added.
“A… a festival?” Grim repeated before he gulped. “Wait, you mean… for ghosts and stuff?!”
“Precisely,” Lilia grinned. “Every year on October 31st, ghosts who have moved on from this world come back for a night of fun! Not like your ghost friends here, who still cling to this world. When they arrive, we set up all sorts of decorations to celebrate their return! And it’s also important to wear a rather fearsome costume, might I add.”
“A costume?” Grim repeated. “How come?”
“Because not all ghosts are friendly, like we are,” Melvin added. “Some of them might play tricks on you!”
“Yeah, like they might tie your shoelaces together,” Mavis added, “or switch your sugar with salt and vice versa!”
“They might also turn our clothes inside-out or drain the ink from your pen,” said Marty. “Basically, all kinds of tricks and mischief!”
“Why would they do that?” Yuuki asked.
“Well, they only get to come back, once a year,” said Melvin, “so they use this chance to play pranks on people since they don’t get to interact with them in the other world.”
“It’s quite cute, isn’t it?” asked Lilia with an endearing smile. “They tend to move along if you give them candy, however… but every now and then, a particularly malevolent spirit appears. You know the kind, right?”
“I think I’m getting a general idea,” Yuuki muttered in slight dread.
“’Tis why we wear costumes on Halloween, my dear,” said Lilia. “To ward off such spirits. At least, that’s how it was in olden times.” He then gave her a broad smile. “Nowadays, though, it’s a time for us to dress up and have fun!”
“What’s with all the light talk, all of a sudden?!” Grim questioned.
“He’s right, though!” said Melvin. “You shouldn’t think too hard about it!”
“Halloween has become much more of a lighter holiday since well before we were even ghosts!” Marty added.
“Most living folks can’t see us ghosts,” Mavis added, “but they still tend to get so excited on Halloween! You shouldn’t think too hard about it! It’s just a time to have fun with friends!”
“Hmm… a time to have fun, huh?” Grim mused with a smile. “Y’know, I kinda like the sound of that!”
“Me, too!” Yuuki agreed.
“But hold on,” Grim spoke up. “What did you mean by ‘most people can’t see ghosts’? Isn’t it the time of year that they come back from the other side?”
“Well, mainly it’s ghosts that don’t have any lingering attachments to this world that can pass on to the next,” Lilia explained. “The ones that stay here, however, have a terribly unstable existence. Since Night Raven College hath such a high level of magic, it’s easier to see ghosts here than anywhere else, you see.”
“I thought that ghosts lived pretty much anywhere around here, y’know!” Grim exclaimed.
“Now that I think about it,” Yuuki began, “I’ve gone off campus before, and I haven’t seen even one ghost outside of the school.”
“Truthfully, it doesn’t matter to us if you can see us or not,” Mavis added. “As long as everyone has fun on Halloween, we’re just fine!”
“Ah, it does my old heart good to see such happiness,” Lilia said with a fond smile. “Now then, all together, everyone!”
“HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!” he and the ghosts cheered.
“Man, they sure are fired up about this, y’know,” said Grim. “Hey, Yuuki. Do you know about this Halloween thing?”
“Yeah, I do,” Yuuki answered. “Although I didn’t celebrate it much where I’m from.”
“Oh, do they celebrate Halloween where you’re from, Yuuki?” asked Marty.
“What a coincidence!” added Melvin.
“Well, Halloween is a tradition celebrated by all races here in Twisted Wonderland,” Lilia pointed out. “It shouldn’t be a surprise that Yuuki knows about it, herself. Prithee, Yuuki, what does your hometown do to celebrate?”
“Well… like I said, I don’t really get to celebrate it that much,” Yuuki said. “Where I’m from, Halloween is mostly celebrated by the adults. My Mom would mostly make me stay home and study.”
“Such a shame,” Lilia said with a sympathetic look in his eyes.
“You know, with all this talk about it,” Grim began, “I’m gettin’ pretty excited about this Halloween thing, too, y’know!”
“Well, Grim, then thou shall be pleased to know that Night Raven College holds its own special festivities here!” Lilia replied.
“There is?” Grim asked. “What kind?”
“Thou dost not know of that, either?” Lilia asked. “Well, it’s only the start of October, after all. Be sure to ask your teachers tomorrow.”
Suddenly, there was the sound of a camera snapping as flashing lights went off.
“Huh? What was that?” Grim asked before he noticed that the ghosts were floating around the dragon, each holding something in their hands.
“Not a bad composition, huh?” asked Mavis. “You can really feel the dragon’s power in this shot!”
“Maybe when the others go inside, we should try a lower angle!” Marty suggested.
“Hey, wait,” Grim spoke up as he got a closer look at what the ghosts were holding. “Are those… smartphones?!”
Indeed they were: sleek steel smartphones!
“Where’d you get those?” asked Yuuki.
“Hehe!” laughed Melvin. “We were so excited for Halloween…”
“We all bought smartphones this year!” the trio cheered.
“How do ghosts even set up phone contracts?!” Grim questioned.
“It’s easy to do online,” Mavis answered. “The Headmaster even cosigned for us and we added the school as our address, and they passed the reviews!”
“Grrr… no fair!” Grim growled while crossing his paws. “Yuuki and I can’t even afford a cheap phone with the allowance we get!”
“Well, technically, we are adults,” Mavis pointed out, “even if we are ghosts. Besides, it’s not like I have anyone in this world I can contact anymore, anyway!”
“Kuhuhuhu!” Lilia chuckled. “Quite the clever joke, but there be more to using a smartphone than just calling people.”
“Lilia’s right!” agreed Melvin. “We want to be able to enjoy Halloween to the fullest, so we also got Magicam accounts!”
“Ghosts can have Magicam accounts?” asked Yuuki.
“Oh, yeah!” Melvin affirmed. “Although, I only have Marty and Mavis in my contact, not to mention two other ghost friends I have that are still hanging around in the living world, so that just makes 5 followers for me.”
“Still, it’s really about making the memories, isn’t it?” Marty asked.
“Speaking of,” Mavis began, “hey, Yuuki, Grim, can you two look over here for a bit?”
“What’s up, Mavis?” Yuuki asked as she and Grim both turned around, only to get hit by the flash of the camera, taking them both by surprise. “AAH!”
“Hey! Warn a guy, next time!!” Grim cried while rubbing his eyes. “Man, that flash is bright!”
“Sorry,” Mavis apologized, “but hey! It makes a great picture!”
“Wait, it did?” Yuuki asked as she took the phone in her hand and saw, to her surprise, that Marty and Melvin were behind her and Grim, both of them holding their fingers up behind their heads in a bunny ears pose.
“Fgnaa?!” Grim squawked. “Wait a minute! How did you guys appear in the picture?!”
“Yeah, I though you could only appear in a photo taken by a Ghost Camera!” Yuuki added.
“Well, like we said, it’s almost Halloween!” said Mavis.
“Ah, so that’s why ye all bought smartphones, aye?” Lilia asked.
“What does that have to do with anything?” Grim asked.
“Well, around this time of year, the living world and the world of spirits converge,” Lilia explained, “and around Halloween time, ghosts are at their most powerful, so it’s easy for them to appear on camera, no matter what kind. Of course, this could only be possible here at Night Raven College.”
“Strange things do seem to happen here,” Yuuki pointed out while the ghosts were busy putting a filter on their photo.
“Ooh, look at how the beauty filter makes our translucent bodies sparkle!” said Melvin.
“And Grim’s coat is so nice and glossy!” added Mavis. “This is a great Halloween picture!”
“Hohohoho!” laughed Marty. “And Yuuki’s face has just the right glow! Not to mention the scenery is so photogenic!”
“Now to add the captions,” said Melvin. “Hmm… ooh, I know!” He began to type. “Happy Halloween from all of us at the Ramshackle Dorm! #NRCHalloween! And… posted!”
“Well, I guess that’s one way to kick off the holiday,” Yuuki said.
“Hey! If you’re gonna use my face in your photos, I charge a modellin’ fee, y’know!” Grim smirked. “One can of premium tuna per picture!”
“Ah, don’t be like that, Grim,” said Mavis. “After all, we’ll be having fun all the way up to October 31st, right?”
“And it’s not just the Ramshackle Dorm,” Lilia pointed out. “All of Night Raven College is decorating for the holiday!”
“I guess that explains why Ace and Deuce had to go back to Heartslabyul as soon as class was out,” Yuuki theorized. “Now I’m really excited about what this special event is!”
“Well, my child, I promise ye,” Lilia began, “it’s certainly something to look forward to!”
“Yeah! Happy Halloween, Yuuki!” Mavis laughed.
“Haha! Happy Halloween!” Yuuki cheered.