Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The Verdigris House had always smelled sickly pleasant. With the incense that burned and the smell of woman's perfume wafting in the air, it would be near impossible to smell even a rotting corpse. 

Yuu had grown used to it, having spent her entire life in this glamorous brothel and its strong scents. She could be certain that even her own perfume, which she had only sprayed a few times, was strong enough to last a couple weeks. And even after that, the smell would faintly remain. 

She had wondered a long time ago what she would smell like without all the strong perfumes and incense surrounding her. People had their own natural scents but Yuu was completely drenched in perfumes and exotic smells. It was what came with the job. After all, men enjoyed the companionship of women, such as Yuu, that smelled of roses or lavender. 

“Tch…you won,” the man who sat across from her, her opponent, said begrudgingly. The Go board was covered in black and white stones, the black ones outnumbering the white. 

Yuu narrowed her eyes at the customer. He looked annoyed…

Was his pride wounded from losing to Yuu? It seemed she had misjudged him and thought that he wouldn't be that shallow of a person. 

She couldn't exactly remember his name though it didn't seem to be an issue in this case, as he was too self absorbed to pay attention. 

When the man had asked to play the game of Go with Yuu, she figured he’d be humble enough to accept a loss. For there weren't many men who'd spend their money just to play a simple board game with her. He had to have known that he wouldn't be able to win that easily, right?

She couldn't understand this man.

Would he lash out for losing to a courtesan? He definitely appeared annoyed enough to do something like that.

Perhaps she should have let him win despite her own competitiveness. This shallow man would probably never even notice if she had went easy on him. After all, Yuu didn't think he was at all intelligent. Not now that she had seen him play and behave. He was just a child wanting to play children's games, it baffled Yuu how he could even suggest playing Go. 

This man had no strategy for how he put his white stones down. And he expects to win against her?

Shallow indeed.

But overwhelmingly wealthy.

Which was all what the madam of the House cared about. 

Yuu cleared the board off, speaking kindly to the customer, “It was only one round, there is no certainty that I can win another time against you, sir. Perhaps we can play another?”

“Yes, I'm certain your victory was a simple fluke,” the man said, crossing his arms over his chest, “I won't lose again. Another round.”

A fluke…?

People can't win at Go by chance! Did he even know what the game was about?!

Yuu’s brow twitched at his insulting words, but she kept a smile on her face. 

“Very well,” Yuu said, “Would you like to be black this time, sir?”

The night wore on, the full moon gleaming bright amongst the star lit sky, and by the time the customer had left, Yuu was thoroughly aggravated. She had handed the man a win, one after the other. And the man was none the wiser to figure out he wasn't winning due to his own skill. 

The customer had left gloating, his chest puffed like an overbearing peacock. And now Yuu could breathe in relief, though irritated at having to hand him victory. 

In her small room, she sat down in front of her mirror. Yuu had removed the make up which had painted her face a shade lighter than her usual skin tone. The red paint which she had used for her lips still left a faint stain, at which Yuu grimaced. She rubbed at her mouth irritably, a bit more of the red paint getting onto her sleeve. 

Staring at the mirror, Yuu looked like a regular teenage girl now. She always felt that the makeup she wore made her face look older, despite the fact she had just recently turned seventeen. So it was always a shock to see how different she truly looked without it. 

Yuu sighed, taking out the pins in her brown hair, letting it all fall gracefully down her back. She glanced at the empty gate bed in her room, a pleasing sight in her eyes. She didn't have any more customers for tonight. A reprieve from her nightly duties that she was more than happy to take. 

She wasn't as highly ranked as the three princesses of Verdigris House, so Yuu didn't have the same ability to choose who her customers were. Still, the madam of the Verdigris House sold Yuu’s services for a hefty price. Not nearly as much as Pairin or MeiMei, but still enough that Yuu’s customers weren't just nobodies. 

Perhaps it was a stroke of good luck that Yuu could be alone with her thoughts tonight. 

Even with the sounds outside, the hustling of the red district filled with music and the beckoning of the gilded woman behind pretty screens to passerbyers, Yuu could relax. Her favorite incense of sandalwood burned in her room to drown out her tension, filling the air with its spicy aromatics.

In a fit of exhaustion, Yuu lowered her head onto the table in front of her, eyes closed as she listened to the sounds that reached her ear. 

“Ugh….” Yuu groaned into her folded arms. 

“My…Yuu, dear, you look positively dreadful.”

A soft weight suddenly pressed down on Yuu as her older sister, not blood related, Pairin embraced her. She had nearly startled out of her skin, not expecting Pairin to drape her voluptuous body over Yuu. 

She chided herself silently for being so unaware of her surroundings. It was a bothersome habit. Maybe it was just the exhaustion seeping into Yuu’s bones, since she could usually notice when Pairin entered a room. 

Also, did Pairin not have a customer to entertain tonight? Yuu could have sworn she did. Yuu glanced back at Pairin, whose ample bosom squished against her. 

“I overheard your customer gloating about a winning streak against you when he left,” Pairin said, her voice like silk and as rich as dark chocolate. 

Yuu grimaced, “A winning streak that I gave to him.”

“Oh, so it is as I thought,” Pairin murmured, “Even MeiMei says that you're an exceptional go player. You wouldn't lose multiple times in a row.”

“He wasn't happy the first round after I beat him effortlessly. I didn't even have to think that hard to win.”

“Wasn’t happy?”

“Yeah. I didn't want there to be trouble so I let him win for the rest of the night,” Yuu sighed in annoyance. 

“Hmm, but you hate losing.”

“Yeah, because I'm actually good. The customer started explaining strategies on how to win as if I don't already know them and I had to act a fool to please his overinflated ego. Do you know how frustrating that is?”

Pairin let out a laugh, she patted my head endearingly before speaking, “As long as your customers leave feeling satisfied then it means you did well, no matter if you had to lose a game or two.”

“It wasn't just a game or two,” muttered Yuu bitterly, going back to glaring at the mirror. 

“And anyways, aren't you supposed to be working tonight, Pairin?” Yuu wondered, glancing at Pairin’s reflection in the mirror. 

At that, Pairin grinned, “He wasn't my type. I refused him.”

Of course. Only the three princesses of Verdigris, the highest ranking courtesans and known throughout the country Li, could dare to refuse to serve somebody. And Pairin was known for her…taste in men. 

An old but wealthy man, with little to no stamina, could hardly be worth Pairin’s time. She was a sex demon after all, her lustful needs went far beyond what most average men could handle. 

“Oh, Pairin, you're here,” Joka, the youngest of the three princesses, entered Yuu’s room. 

“Hm, yes, it seems our dear Yuu needed some cheering up,” Pairin squeezed Yuu tightly. 

“I don't need cheering up,” grumbled Yuu but nevertheless she felt a small bit of comfort with having her older sister here. 

“Yuu,” Joka spoke, her face more stoic than Pairin but keeping her elegant aura, “About tomorrow. Is your instrument good for the banquet? I thought I'd check since this will be the first time you perform alongside us, Yuu.”

Ah, right. 

Pairin held a look of concern for Yuu, who fidgeted with the sleeve of her dress. 

“Yes, and I've practiced for tomorrow. Though…I'm still nervous,” Yuu admitted. 

A royal banquet. And the Verdigris House had been paid a mountainous sum for their most highly ranked courtesans to perform tomorrow night. 

Yuu was still fairly young but her talent for the qin was not left unnoticed. She could be considered a prodigy, a gifted musician, for her skills. And it was why, despite being a middle ranked courtesan, Yuu would be performing tomorrow night. 

The madam had often said that Yuu could be one of the next princesses of Verdigris House, given her potential and beauty. And gaining popularity now, at Yuu’s young age, would make her all the more valuable in the future. 

In other words, Yuu was a worthy investment as long as she leveled up in ranking by gaining more attention and adoration. A rather merciless system designed to trap Yuu here longer than she'd like. 

Of course, it wasn't like she had anywhere else to go. 

Joka nodded, but spoke, “Even so, you must not make a single mistake. There's little that Pairin and I can do to support you tomorrow night, so don't fail.”

“Joka…” Pairin sighed, shaking her head, “Talking about it like that is only going to make her panic even more.”

“I won't panic,” Yuu said though she did feel herself begin to worry slightly, “It’ll just be like playing for a customer or a small event…just on a larger scale.”

Her words earned her a loving squeeze of a hug from Pairin. 

“Oh, you're so cute, Yuu,” she swooned, “I'm sure you'll do fantastic tomorrow night. Who knows, you might even earn the emperor’s favor.”

“Yeah right,” Yuu scoffed, “Nobody will even be looking at me when you'll be there, Pairin.”

“Hmm, but Joka is right,” Pairin went on, “You need your rest for tomorrow.”

She released Yuu from her embrace, striding over to the exit. 

Joka was the one who spoke next, her eyes softening slightly, seeing as Yuu looked nervous, “Don't worry too much, Yuu. You've never once disappointed a customer with your playing, just do what you always do.”

The two women then left, Pairin saying something to Joka that Yuu didn't hear. Though she caught MaoMao’s name, another one of Yuu’s sisters who no longer resided here in the brothel. 

The door closed with a soft click, leaving Yuu once more to herself. 

The silence returned and Yuu let out an exhausted sigh. 

A royal banquet. 

It really wasn't the same as performing for a small group or a single customer. This was far more important and intimidating than anything Yuu had done, though not as terrifying as her first night sharing her bed. 

It'd definitely boost her popularity and maybe then even Yuu could have the freedom to choose who could lie alongside her. 

Yes, freedom to choose.

But still limited and confined in terms of choices.

Yuu had her elbows on the table in front of her when she dropped her head into her hands. Her hair fell around her in a dark curtain, bringing Yuu’s full awareness to her breathing. 

“What difference does it make if I get the choice or not,” Yuu whispered to herself, “I'm still locked in the same cage I was forced into, the only thing that would change would be who gets to look at me.”

She lifted her head to look at herself in the mirror, her reflection lit by the full moon’s glow, before squeezing her eyes shut and pressing her hands to them. 

“Can I even still wish…?” She wondered softly, “After tomorrow night, there's no way my debt could be paid. It’ll all just go up from tomorrow onwards.”

But I just wish…I wish with all my heart …

“To be free,” she said aloud without realizing, her shoulders trembling with desperation.

“ Ah, my dear esteemed child… ”

A bright green glow suddenly emanated from the mirror in front of Yuu and she shot out of her seat, screaming and nearly stumbling as she took a reflexive step back.

The mirror. 

The mirror was glowing.

“No…is that…is that fire?” Yuu gasped, licks of green flame swirled and flashed brilliantly in the looking glass

Was this some sort of taboo sorcery?! And who had just spoken? A ghost?!

It better not have been a ghost. Yuu hoped to the heavens that this wasn’t a ghost.

“ My proud, beautiful flower of evil…You are truly the fairest one of all. ”

The green flames shot outwards, causing Yuu to trip on her hanfu, falling hard on her butt. She muffled her yelp of pain with her hand, not wanting to bring anyone’s attention when something supernatural was happening in her room ! Though Yuu realized it was probably already too late for that. She hadn’t covered her scream when the mirror had started to glow, and she may as well have woken the entire house.

This was not good.

Was she cursed? Was this some sort of curse? If anyone found out about this, Yuu would be labeled crazy, a bringer of bad luck. She could only imagine how her life would take a downfall if somebody walked in on her at this very moment.

‘Flower of evil’? ‘Fairest one of all’?  Whatever was the meaning of this?! 

“ O magic mirror, ” the deep but beguiling voice chanted from within the mirror.

“Magic…?” Yuu stared terrified at the glowing glass.

“ Thy wisdom I entreat…Reveal unto me the visage I seek…You…”

Yuu heard the sound of footsteps coming down the hall, heading her way. 

What sort of bad luck have I been cursed with?! This is not the time!

Yuu dashed over to her doors, putting the wooden lock into place. But this would only hold off the others for a while and even then, they’d no doubt start to think there was something wrong with Yuu.

She ran back to the mirror, frantic and panicking at what to do about the glowing light.

“Yuu?”

The madam.

It was the madam.

Of all the people who could have heard the commotion happening in the room, it had to be the very madam of the Verdigris House. She wouldn’t hesitate to immediately drop Yuu’s rank if she witnessed this horrid scene. After all, how could she invest in someone who appeared to be cursed. Not a single man would pay for Yuu’s services if she was accused of being cursed. In which case, Yuu would have to sell her body to anyone if she ever wanted to repay her debt to the brothel. 

Yuu couldn’t allow that to happen to herself. Not when she had seen so many women reduced to nothing but empty shells of their former selves, taken over by mental illness or diseases. Yuu refused to become like that. Not when she had worked so hard to survive, to endure…to obtain at least a taste of even the slightest bit of freedom. 

“Stop it,” Yuu whispered harshly at the mirror, not noticing a wet trail leading from her eyes and down her fearful face, “Stop it, go away, evil spirit! Begone! Don’t curse me to a life of misery!”

“Yuu, what’s going on in there?” The older woman outside Yuu’s door demanded.

“ Please, spirit, go away! ” 

Of course, Yuu expected that her pleading would be unheard by whatever cursed entity that had possessed her mirror. Because when has anyone ever truly listened to her!?

Yuu tried to cover the glowing green mirror with a blanket, but the light could still be seen even through the sheet of fabric. 

What could she do? What should she do?

Break it.

But then people would think she had gone insane?

Break it! I can figure it out after that! 

The madam knocked at her door, calling her name once more. Yuu could feel her heart racing and she grabbed her comb off her vanity table, raising her hand to shatter the mirror into a thousand pieces. She pulled the blanket off the mirror, prepared to attack.

But then she saw it.

The green tendrils of flame had disappeared into nothingness. A black image appeared before Yuu but what struck her frozen to the spot was the detached hand , outstretched as if offering for her to take it. 

A ghost?!!

“... whose image the Dark Mirror did beckon forth…If your heart bids it, take the hand of the one reflected in the mirror.”

“Take the hand?” Yuu repeated in perplexity, the fear warring inside her brain and urging her to just throw the comb.

“ To me. To them. To yourself. The hour grows long, and time is scarce. 

“What do you mean?” Yuu asked the mirror, ready to swing the item in her hand at any time. Yuu didn’t have time to pause and wait, she had to hurry because the madam sounded concerned. Her voice raised, no doubt drawing the attention of others within the brothel.

But Yuu couldn’t throw the comb just yet. Something inside her told her to listen to the mirror. To do as it said.

“ Keep steady your grip, no matter what may come… ” whatever entity that had been speaking finished, their words echoing in Yuu’s mind.

Take the hand of the one reflected within the mirror…

The mysterious hand floated ominously inside the looking glass. The image drew her closer without Yuu even noticing, her free hand raising to touch the surface of the glass.

There was no surface.

Her hand slid into the space of the mirror and Yuu gasped, dropping her comb. 

“Yuu, what the hell is going on in there?! Open the door!”

Yuu’s heart nearly stopped when she heard the madam yell at her, her head whipping over to the door, she instinctively moved to withdraw her hand before something gripped her firmly. Yuu looked back at the mirror, her eyes wide at the sight of the floating hand holding hers. 

Yuu recalled the last words the evil entity had spoken to her.

Keep steady your grip, no matter what may come…

And before she knew it, her hand tightly holding onto the one that gripped hers, Yuu was pulled into the dark depths of the mirror. 

Leaving her gilded cage behind.

Chapter Text

It was dark when Yuu opened her eyes.

Quiet and dark. 

She couldn't remember what had happened when she had been pulled into her own mirror. The experience all seemed to blur together in rapidly shifting images and the sounds of voices and roars all mingling together to create a wave of nonsense. Yuu could faintly remember small parts. Like a dark carriage. A scary looking horse. And…what else?

There had also been people, holding strange gem-like objects up towards a great beast, tendrils of blue flames shooting out of its ears and mouth. Yuu had never seen a creature like that one before, and she was certain creatures like the one she saw didn't exist in Li. If anything, they’d exist only in myths, not in real life. And everything else that Yuu had seen in her…vision…had completely melted away from her memory, leaving only mystery in its wake. She tried to remember. Again, it had all seemed important, like there was something she needed to know. But what? 

It hurt Yuu’s head just trying to recall what she had seen after taking the strange entity’s hand. Like a sharp sting that told her she should just drop it, ignore what she had seen despite how Yuu felt about its importance. She brought her hand to her aching head, accidentally brushing against soft fabric that had been draped over her face. 

She frowned, brows furrowed in confusion. She couldn't see in the dark but there was something off about her hanfu. It felt tighter…shorter…

What in heaven? What was going on?

Yuu didn't know where she was and she couldn't trust herself to believe that all that supernatural business had actually happened, even if it had felt so real. It seemed more like a dream than anything. Or rather, a nightmare. Yuu could still hear the Madam's voice shouting for her, the banging at her door, and she could still feel the fear which had caused her heart to speed its frantic beating. She had been certain that her fate had been written in stone, that Yuu would end up cursed by the evil spirit in the mirror. But that didn’t seem to be the case. Or at least, Yuu didn’t think it was.

She was alone now, in the dark, an eerie silence hanging over her like a menacing shadow which made her alert to her surroundings. 

Hesitantly, she reached outward with her hands, feeling the sleeves of her clothes sliding down to her elbows as she moved. Yuu hadn't even taken a step forward when she was met with a firm but strangely cushioned wall. She pushed on it lightly, it didn’t so much as budge. She tried harder, not an inch moved.

“H-Hello…?” Yuu called out into the darkness, her words sounded strangely muted, as if her voice could not be carried very far, “Um…where am I? What's going on?”

She felt around the wall, finding the corner much too soon before realizing she was standing in a dark confined space. 

“Hello?” Yuu tried again, her voice rising slightly in uncertainty, “Is anyone there?”

Yuu tried to listen for any signs of a person outside her confinement, greeted with only a blank silence, before her concern started to grow. 

Was it possible that she had been caught? The madam would have entered her room soon after Yuu had been drawn into the mirror, seeing that Yuu was not there, the older woman would no doubt believe she had tried to run away. In which case, Yuu would be hunted down and severely punished as soon as she was dragged back to the Verdigris by force. 

Yuu had heard cases of other desperate young women who had tried to run from their brothels and masters, only to be caught and brutally murdered without mercy, becoming an example to the others of what would become of them should they choose to hope for freedom. But in Yuu’s case, she had been sold to the brothel for a hefty sum due to her background and her debt only grew when the Verdigris house had funded her musical education. Yuu had been a worthy investment, in the madam’s eyes, a gold mine that would have drawn the eyes of a thousand wealthy men. To try and run away now would basically be the highest insult to the Verdigris, and it would be met with a punishment far more humiliating and miserable than death. 

Yuu’s thoughts ran rampant with the possibility of having been captured, her concern turning into despair.

She didn’t want to go back. 

She didn’t want to be trapped in the nightmare that had become her reality.

Yuu had to get out. She’d escape and run for as long as she could because there was no way that she’d ever willingly return to that hell.

Suddenly, Yuu’s ears perked at a rattling noise outside her dark confinement. The silence had been pierced by the sound of soft thuds pattering around on a hardened floor.

What’s that sound?

And then a boyish voice spoke, closer to Yuu than she had realized, “I better hurry up and find that uniform before someone spots me…”

Yuu took a reclining step only for her back to meet the other side of her box, her heart thundering in her chest when something started rattling the walls around her. 

“URRRGRGHHH!!!” 

Yuu clamped her hand over her mouth to prevent a startled yelp.

“This lid weighs a ton!” The person complained in a whiny tone as they shook Yuu’s confinement.

What were they doing?! 

“Myah ha ha, that won’t stop me though! Try this on for size!!”

Yuu screamed loudly this time when a loud whooshing noise exploded against her confinement, a burst of blue hot flames burning the wall and nearly singing her own hands as she instinctively drew them up to cover her face. 

“F-Fire?!” She sputtered, looking past her hands and squinting at the light which spilled in, trying to see who was trying to attack her. She was met with emptiness and her mind immediately jumped to the conclusion it had been a ghost.

“Don’t curse me! Wherever you are, go away!” Yuu cried out, eyes frantically darting around the dimly lit and haunting chamber, too much in a frenzy to notice the floating coffins in the room.

“...Oi…down here.”

Yuu nearly jumped at the voice, her head whipping down to where the sound had come from and she felt her jaw drop.

Cat.

It was a cat. 

Or a weasel? Some sort of animal?

But last time Yuu recalled, animals didn’t have blue tendrils of flame shooting out of their ears. And last time Yuu remembered, animals don’t speak!

“A cat! What are you doing talking?!” Yuu shrieked, pointing at the cat thing standing on his hindlegs like a human.

“Bwah!” The cat startled at Yuu’s loud voice before yelling back, its panic-stricken eyes widened then narrowed into a glare, "And why are you awake?! You ain’t supposed to be awake! And I’m not a cat! ”

Yuu’s gaze darted around the room again, her mind running circles in the utter chaos that she found herself in.

“C-Coffins…” she stammered, “Floating coffins?! And I’m in one?! ”

“Oi! You got a lotta nerve ignoring me, human!” The little beast snapped impatiently below her knee, his little paws crossing over his fluffy white chest, “The name’s Grim. Believe me, you won’t forget it! Now gimme your uniform, and be quick about it! ”

“My uniform? What uniform?” Yuu echoed before looking down at her attire.

Was this the third time her jaw dropped today? She couldn’t keep track. 

How many more surprises was she about to encounter? And what happened to her clothes?! What was she even wearing!?

The only similarities to her usual dress she normally wore were the long and draping sleeves, though they were still far shorter. The black robe which dwarfed her body hung loosely just past her knees, a purple belt cinched around her waist and a hood draped over her head. It was easy to move in compared to Yuu’s attire back at the Verdigris house, and it was far more modest when it came to covering her chest. The collar of the shirt was buttoned all the way up to her neck, no longer having her barely noticeable chest nearly exposed as it used to when in her regular clothes.

She also faintly noticed the strange key shaped pendant that hung at her waist, her brows furrowed in confusion at what purpose it could possibly serve.

“How in the…? Where are my clothes? What am I even wearing?”

“I said don’t ignore me!” The fiery cat, Grim as he called himself, growled which brought Yuu’s attention back to him, “That uniform you got there’s gonna be mine, you better gimme that to me! ‘Cause if you don’t…you’re gonna regret it!”

A ball of flame shot at Yuu’s feet and she flinched back with a yelp, hitting the back of the coffin.

Did the cat just spit fire from its mouth?!

“Wait, wait! How are you even doing that?!”

“Doesn’t matter, myah! Come on, I’m on a tight schedule here!” He snapped back, shooting another ball of fire at Yuu, who leaped out just in time as it scorched the back of the coffin, the exact spot her head had been. 

Was he trying to kill her?! 

“ Myah!! Take this! ”

“How am I supposed to give you anything when you keep attacking me?!”

“I don’t care, you’re taking too long, human!”

Yuu clumsily dodged the cat’s next attack, stumbling on the slight heel of her shoes before sprinting out the sole exit of the chamber with Grim hot on her tail. 

She ran down hallways and stairwells, her legs wobbling on the slight inclination of her shoes and threatening to twist her ankle at any moment. Her dark hood slid back allowing for her hair to whip across her face and Yuu could catch a glimpse of the scenes that passed her by. She had a brief chance to observe her new surroundings as she moved, and she had to wonder if this was all just some insane dream. 

Yuu darted past dark and empty rooms, running without a single sense of direction in this new place she found herself in. This huge place was nothing like the Verdigris! 

What even was this place?!

The young courtesan found herself running across a well maintained courtyard, a large tree and water well situated in the middle, she stopped to catch her breath and turned around before her jaw dropped.

Yuu couldn’t believe her eyes. 

A large towering building shadowed the courtyard, its spiraling towers menacing beneath the full moon’s light. Yuu didn’t even think that the imperial palace could compare to the size and grandeur of this place. 

“Where on earth am I?” Yuu wondered in utter disarray.

“ You can’t run from me, the Great Extraordinaire Grim! Come back here! ”

Yuu was brought out of her stupor just in time to see Grim, running after her, about to try and hit her with another one of his attacks. She scampered back inside, hoping to find a good place to hide.

Or maybe even find somebody to help her. 

Whatever it was, Yuu had to keep running!

Her lungs were aching with each breath when she reached the library, at this point she couldn’t be bothered to be surprised when she saw books floating in the air on their own. 

There were definitely ghosts here.

“Myah ha ha, got you! Foolish human!”

Yuu whipped around with a gasp, the gray little furball had caught up to her. 

“Did you really think you could slip away from me ?” Grim smirked evilly, his bright blue eyes glaring with malice.

Yuu backed away, raising in her hands in surrender.

“Look, I really don’t know what’s going on,” Yuu said hurriedly, “Give me a moment, can’t you?!”

“Never! I’ve waited too long for this!” Grim bit back, his words fierce with determination. If not for this whole mess, Yuu could have admired the small creature and his will power for whatever he was trying to do. But now was not the time for that.

Grim stood confidently in front of her, “Now, unless you wanna get burned to a crisp, take off that-! Yeowch!”

The sound of a whip made a lashing snap in the air, making Yuu’s breath stutter as she froze in fear.

Grim made a startled and pained sound, his confident expression turning into one of bewilderment when he noticed the string wrapped around him, “What’s with this string?!!”

“It’s not a string! It’s a whip…of love!” A strangely familiar voice declared loudly. 

Yuu’s eyes widened when a tall looking man stepped out from the flickering shadows of the empty library. She had never seen someone dressed so…exoticly the way that this man was. Everything about him screamed foreign and alien to Yuu. From the top of his hat to the mysterious bird-like mask and coat with big black feathers curling out from the collar, the cluster of mirrors hanging at his belt and down to his very polished dark indigo shoes, nothing about this man’s appearance made sense. Absolutely nothing .

“Whip of…love…?” Yuu repeated incredulously. Also, hadn’t she heard this voice before? She couldn’t place her finger on it and for some reason her head started to hurt the more she tried to think about it.

The man turned his attention to her and she stiffened when she noticed his eyes were merely yellow glowing orbs, their brilliance making Yuu speechless before him while she stared like an idiot. 

The stranger crossed his arms, a disappointed frown on his dark tinted lips, “Ah, I’ve found you at last. You are one of this year’s new students, are you not? My, were you ever impatient, even opening the gate yourself !”

“...S-Student…?” 

“ And bringing a poorly trained familiar with you?” He gestured to Grim, who looked highly offended, “ That is a clear violation of the school’s rules. ”

“... Familiar…? You mean like a pet? He’s not mine.”

Grim growled furiously, his eyes shot a glare at Yuu and then at the bird-like man, “I’m not a pet!! And as if I’d serve some lowly kid human! This boy’s slower and weaker than me, if anything he’d be serving me ! Now lemme go-!”

…boy? Was this cat stupid or something?

“Yes, yes,” the stranger sighed, his golden eyes narrowing into thin slits, before picking the gray creature up by the scruff of the neck. “Rebellious familiars always say that. Do be quiet for a bit, won’t you?” He said, covering Grim’s protesting mouth with his gloved hand, his fingers tipped with golden talons.

“Goodness,” the man went on, shaking his head with exasperation, “Of all the students I’ve dealt with, you are the first with the audacity to open their own gate. Did anyone teach you patience? Not to mention bringing your familiar without prior permission, much less one who is terribly behaved!”

“I…don’t know what…” Yuu didn’t even know where to start, “I-I don’t own a cat.”

Grim angrily shouted something incorrigible at her phrase.

Why had she been in a coffin? What was Grim supposed to be? Where was she? 

And what did this man mean by student ? Last time Yuu checked, women weren’t allowed to attend schools. The only sort of education that could be offered to girls were for the arts like poetry or calligraphy, in Yuu’s case she had been in the process of learning all of them so that she could obtain a higher ranking as a courtesan. And then there was a different sort of training, the sort she had to do on her own.

“No matter,” the man said, completely ignoring Yuu’s confused stuttering, “Your orientation has already begun, we should return to the Mirror Chamber so that we may finish the ceremony.”

“What ceremony?” Yuu asked warily, unsure of how she should be speaking to a man like him as he didn’t seem unimportant, but he neither looked like a government official nor a noble, “And you keep mentioning gates, what do you mean by that?”

He ushered her from behind, leading out of the library. “You woke in a room full of gates, did you not?” He questioned, guiding her down the hallways that Yuu had run down mere minutes ago, having tried to escape a wild cat. 

Yuu briefly glanced at Grim who looked completely miserable. She couldn’t find it in herself to feel pity for him, after all he had been trying to hurt her.

She slowly shook her head in response to the question, not understanding what he meant.

“I woke up in a room full of coffins,” Yuu said, recalling the eerie way they had been floating. She wondered if there were actually any dead bodies in them, unlikely given it didn’t smell like rotting flesh back in that mysterious chamber.

Again, her words were ignored as the man explained, “All of the students here at the campus arrived by passing through such gates. However, usually the students have the patience to wait until I open them.”

He gave her a pointed glance and Yuu felt herself shrink before looking away quickly. She was used to being watched and looked at but that didn’t mean Yuu liked it, and this mysterious man had her on edge. Her natural reaction would be to stay quiet, opting to not risk angering this person who looked far more important than she was, but she still didn’t understand.

“I still have no idea what you mean,” she said hesitantly, “There weren’t any gates, just a whole bunch of floating coffins. And I was in one until something blew the lid off of mine…”

Her eyes darted to the fuming Grim.

Yuu’s thoughts paused for a moment and she blinked. Gates…? Was he referring to the coffins?

“Yes, and that would be your familiar,” the stranger said with a hint of annoyance, “Since you had to bring it here, the least you can do is take some responsibility in teaching it better manners!”

“But-”

“But enough chatter, you have a student orientation to attend!”

“I-”

“Go on, now. Make Haste.”

Yuu dug her heels into the ground, causing the man to halt his procession of eagerly returning her to the room with its floating coffins. 

“At least tell me one thing,” Yuu urged, daring to meet his otherworldly gaze, “Where am I?”

Yuu followed behind the man, who had called himself Dire Crowley, unconsciously fidgeting with the sleeves of her black robe. They walked back to the coffin room - As Yuu had come to refer to it in her head -  with Crowley leading the way while holding an angry Grim. Her thoughts were racing with hundreds of unanswered questions, and the belief that this was probably all just some really, really cursed dream. 

Night Raven College. A prestigious magical academy in Twisted Wonderland? Timeteleportation spell?? 

The man, who called himself Dire Crowley, had answered her single question but had only served to multiply the hundreds of concerns she had. His explanation being that she was at a magical academy, and that she had been chosen by the “Dark Mirror” who gets to decide who can attend based on having a talent for magic. She had felt unsettled when Crowley had then started boasting about how “kind” and “generous” he was, his arrogance making her eye twitch with annoyance at the time.

Twisted Wonderland…

Yuu wasn’t familiar with her geography but she was certain there wasn’t such a place with a peculiar title such as Twisted Wonderland. Not to mention, Yuu was unaware of there being any magic from where she came from. The only sort of “magic” that could be considered such would be more related to religion than actual supernatural forces. Ghosts and spirits were such entities that Yuu believed to exist, but there was hardly anything “magical” about them. They were just purely terrifying.

Yuu had wished to ask more, to tell this stranger that she didn’t know anything about magic or Twisted Wonderland. But when she found out he was the principal of the school, Yuu realized that someone of her status shouldn’t dare to walk beside him, much less talk to him so freely. Looking back when they spoke in the library, she silently cursed herself for not showing more respect towards him. A man given a high position of authority was not somebody that Yuu had the right to initiate an interaction with, would she be punished for her ignorance? Though it didn’t seem as if Crowley had been at all offended. 

Grim had called her a boy back in the library, and it had taken her by surprise since she knew she certainly didn’t look like one. But she wondered, did…did Crowley not realize she was a girl?

Even so, Yuu would rather not speak to Crowley again.

In her silent and almost disoriented contemplation, Yuu had not realized they had reached the closed doors to the coffin room until she noticed the sounds of chatter. In the short amount of time that had passed when she had run away from the chamber, it had become overwhelmingly full of people. 

Crowley opened the doors and Yuu’s eyes widened at the large crowd gathered inside, peeking under the principal’s arm to get a glance. Everyone was wearing the same robed attire that she was, their hoods pulled over their heads. She pulled her own dark hood over hers self-consciously as she noticed a couple of people turn towards her. She couldn’t see their faces properly as they were hidden by the fabric of their robes and by the shadows which flickered in the dim orange light of the lanterns within the chamber. But she could feel their curious gazes upon her, wondering who would have run away before their ceremony could begin.

There seemed to be over a hundred people in here. Way more than Yuu was used to.

Her gaze landed on a floating giant mirror that must have slipped Yuu’s notice during her frantic escape. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t noticed it until now, it may be just a looking glass but it had a powerful presence within the room. It hovered ominously over a fountain of neon green water, the fluorescence all the more brighter in the dark room.

Yuu’s ears perked at the sound of a distinct voice, clear and authoritative, speaking over the rustling crowd of new students, “...orientation and dorm assignments? All right, new students-let me be clear.” 

Yuu spotted the owner of said voice, a fair-skinned boy who looked to be the same age as her with red hair framing his face underneath his dark hood and blue-grey eyes. He was short, shorter than Yuu by quite a few centimeters, but he held an intense aura around him which demanded respected and fear-certainly not something she'd expect from a boy like him. He stood next to five other students, all looking to be of similar age to Yuu, and a strange floating rectangular object.

At this point, she wondered if just about anything here in “Twisted Wonderland” could float.

There were coffins, books, a giant mirror…she half expected people to start flying by now. 

The small group stood at the center of the chamber, facing seven divided masses where each one was headed by one of the five students and the possessed object. Yuu didn’t fail to notice that the last group of people didn’t have a student at the front and she wondered if there was supposed to be one. 

“At Heartslabyul House, I am the law. Break the rules, and it’s off with your head! ” The red headed boy declared without pause.

She couldn’t help but grimace at his gruesome threat, her hand rubbing at her own neck in distaste. That wasn’t just some simple phrase a young boy such as him should be speaking so outright and casually, who even was he to be able to make warnings like that? Yuu had to wonder if he was from a line of royalty, if that were the case she'd best not get on his bad side.

The crowd had settled down a bit and Yuu was able to hear a few other students speak a bit more clearly.

Another boy, whose dark brown hair matched Yuu’s own hair length and whose skin was a few tones darker than the previous student, yawned loudly. She was taken aback by how casually he acted, wasn’t this supposed to be some sort of elaborate ceremony? Yawning outright the way this person had would be downright discourteous and regarded as ill-mannered, even Yuu thought it was disrespectful. 

“Well, that ceremony was as boring as ever,” the student complained dryly in a low voice, his bright green eyes narrowed into slits. The hood over his head made it difficult for Yuu to notice anything else about his features but the way he carried himself reminded her of certain wealthy clients who’d pay for her services. Arrogant and prideful, eyes looking down at those beneath him with nonchalant disinterest. He was fairly tall which made it easier for his intimdating impression to be noticeable.

Yuu immediately decided that she didn’t like him.

“I’m going back to the dorm. If you’re in Savanaclaw House, follow me.”

Savanaclaw . Heartslabyul.

What were all these names for?

Yuu’s attention was drawn to another low voice, this one possessing a tone of allure and charm, “New students! Allow me to be the first to congratulate you on your achievement of making it to Night Raven College. As dorm leader of Octavinelle House, I am honored to have the opportunity to support you in what I hope will be a fulfilling campus experience.”

This formal speaking boy held an air of arrogance himself but it wasn’t as noticeable as the previous person as he did well to hide it, his smile looked kind and genuine but Yuu felt a familiar discomfort at that polite expression. Like the slimy and conniving men who’d sometimes try to tempt her into doing their bidding in return for buying her “freedom”. Joka had advised Yuu back when she had started her training, on not involving herself with those men besides the usual entertainment and nightly duties. It had been for her own survival as Yuu wouldn’t be protected should problems occur and she was found in the middle of it. 

Yuu definitely didn’t want to bring the attention of that bespectacled student onto her, who knew what sort of trouble she’d find herself in.

Yuu was stirred out of her old memories of the past when she heard the fourth boy among their group, standing an inch or two shorter than the green eyed student. Her eyes widened slightly at the teenager's appearance, still visible despite it being partially concealed by the shadows of his hood.

She had seen many men, and most-if not all-had been middle aged or older whose appearances had seen the cruel hand of time given their wrinkles. But this boy, whether it was because he was simply young or because he put in the effort, his very complexion was like that of a porcelain doll. Fair and smooth that Yuu could imagine how many women would literally kill for this student's complexion.

“Hey, does anyone know where the headmage went? He disappeared midway through the ceremony…” he wondered, putting a hand on his hip in a graceful manner.

Something spoke from the rectangular floating object, causing a cold sweat to run down Yuu’s back.

“Some headmage he is.”

It’s definitely a ghost. 

The last student, a boy with red eyes, replied, “Maybe he had a bad tummyache?”

His white hair was quite noticeable underneath his dark hood as well as the bright golden earrings which dangled from his tanned ears. He was probably the single outlier among the group of students he stood with, as he almost exuded a genuinely kind and caring energy unlike his peers. Unexpectedly, his eyes also held a gentleness to them with their rounded shape even with the sharp eyeliner which bolded the red color of his gaze.

“I most certainly did not !” Crowley protested as he made his way down the chamber with Yuu on his heel, hiding her face with the hood of her robe as everyone’s eyes fell on her. 

“Ah, he’s here,” the red headed boy commented.

“If you must know,” Crowley went on, “I was searching for one of our new students whose utter lack of patience still baffles me to this point. He’s the only one who has yet to be assigned to a dorm so if you would all wait until then before departing.”

…he…?

Crowley turned to Yuu who’s heart was racing at being underneath everyone’s gazes. She was at the center of attention, something she should be used to, but she couldn’t find a way to calm herself. Nervously, Yuu pulled her hood further over her head.

Unfamiliar people, unfamiliar places. Ghosts .

“Now, if you will,” the principal said, gesturing towards the mirror, “Be quick about it and step up to the mirror, and don’t worry about your familiar for I’ll watch him for you as I am an incredibly kind person.”

Grim squirmed in Crowley’s grip, growling at him with glaring eyes.

“Step up to the mirror?” Yuu squeaked, looking at the intimidating artifact, a dark foreboding aura emitting from its black surface. 

“Yes, now hurry. We don’t have all night.”

Clenching and unclenching her fists, she hesitantly stepped forward, her attention solely focused on the giant floating mirror and completely deaf to the impatient and snarky whispers directed towards her. Yuu passed by the five boys who stood at the head of their groups, feeling their eyes on her. She stopped, standing a good distance away from the green fountain of which it hovered over, fearful of what to expect. 

Yuu looked back at Crowley who removed his hand from Grim’s mouth for a second to gesture for her to get closer. 

She grimaced, fighting back a groan as she turned back just as a white visage appeared behind the glass, its expression striking terror through her heart. Her hand clamped onto her mouth, swallowing a scream when it spoke.

“State your name.”

“W-What?” She stuttered dumbly, earning her a few snickers amongst the crowd of students.

“State your name.”

Yuu swallowed before speaking, her voice coming out in a hardly recognizable whisper, “My name is Yuu.” She was sure no one heard her. And she feared she’d have to say it again. But the entity within the mirror repeated her name slowly, its expression unchanging and its deep voice echoing across the chamber that sent shivers down Yuu’s spine.

“The nature of your soul,” It paused, its empty black eyes suddenly narrowing, “Is a void."

The chamber fell silent. Yuu could sense the shock among the crowd of students, and didn't have to turn around to know that everyone was just as confused as she was. 

What was this possessed mirror saying? A...A void? Her soul?

“That's...I've never heard that response in my entire life," Crowley said, breaking the moment of silence, "What, in the Great Sevens' names, could you possibly mean by that?”

The mirror responded tonelessly, “I sense not an ounce of magical power within. Just a hole, a void with nothing to fill it. Cold...dark...and empty.” 

Something about what this spirit said sent a cold shiver down Yuu's spine. Why did it speak like that? Like it could see something that she didn't?

“Thus," the mirror continued, "This one belongs to not a single dorm, for none would be suitable.”

The sea of people bursted into chatter, a wave of whispers making it known to Yuu that something like this wasn’t normal. That something was wrong.

“He doesn’t have magic?” Yuu heard someone ask incredulously.

“How can you come here and not have magic?”

“I bet you he tried to sneak in.”

“He won’t even turn around, you know he’s guilty.”

Yuu could have guessed that something like this would happen! She should have just told Crowley she didn’t have magic, put aside her wariness and tell the truth when they had been walking back here from the library. Would she be punished for not telling the truth?

Yuu turned around, spotting Crowley who looked like he’d lost his mind.

“Are you suggesting that the black carriage went to receive someone who can’t even use magic? How is that even possible?!” Crowley shook his head, his mouth twisted into a deep frown but when he spoke again he sounded more curious than offended, “The student selection process has not erred in the past hundred years, how could this even happen?”

The green eyed boy sighed, yawning once more, “What does it matter? If he’s got no magic just kick’em out, I’m wastin' time standin' around here when I could be asleep.”

“Because all that matters to you is your chance to slack off,” the handsome boy smarted, making an exasperated expression. 

“Hah,” the other student growled, “And why should I care for some magicless herbivore?”

“He’s right though, Headmaster,” the red haired boy said, speaking to the principal with his commanding tone, “It is against the rules for a magicless person to attend Night Raven College, and I, for one, believe that rulebreakers should be sent away. Although, if it were up to me, I’d have his head.”

Her head?! Yuu looked at the shorter boy with fear.

The floating rectangle grumbled bitterly, “Here we go again…Riddle’s strict rule-breaking bullshit. How u gonna use ur unique magic if the normie doesn't even have magic anyways …smh.”

Underneath his hood, Riddle’s pale face reddened slightly, “What did you say, Idia?”

“N-Nothing!”

The ghost’s name was Idia?

Crowley nodded solemnly, “Hmm, yes, it seems I’d have to send him back home. I can't very well allow a magicless student attend my college.”

Back home?

The Verdigris House.

Would she be sent back? That would be the worst possible fate, Yuu could never go back. Not now and not ever. Should she just run now?

“MYAH!” 

Yuu startled.

Grim, who had taken advantage of Crowley’s distraction, was able to rip himself free from the principal’s grip, making his presence known as he sprinted towards Yuu.

“Ah! Not so fast, you uncontrollable weasel!” Crowley shouted amidst the chaos.

“Take me! Let me into the school instead!” Grim yelled, running up to where Yuu stood before stopping in front of her, he pointed, “Unlike that dumb useless human, I can use magic. And I can prove it, look here!”

He readied himself, his gray cheeks puffing out.

“Everyone, get down!” Riddle instructed just as Grim unleashed his fire directly into the crowd of students with reckless abandon.

The familiar blue flames set the chamber alight, the sounds of people screaming and chaos ensuing. Yuu’s mouth dropped dumbly at the insanity of the scene before her. “Myah ha ha!” Grim laughed as he proudly showed off his magic, completely uncaring of the damage he was doing.  Students scrambled in a flurry of panic, hair and robes blazing with Grim’s fire.

“My butt! My butt’s on fire! OW ow ow!” The boy with the red eyes jumped around, his hands frantically whacking at the blue flames.

“Yeah…” muttered Yuu, watching the chaos before her eyes, “I don’t think I really like cats…”

But perhaps this was as good a time as ever now that everyone was running about distracted. Yuu had no intention of going back to the Verdigris, and if these people thought they could just send her back after everything she'd been through then they were wrong. 

She spotted the exit and started to run for it before somebody accidentally ran into her. The force of the impact sent Yuu tumbling down and she squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself for impact with gritted teeth. 

Her body didn't hit the floor as she was expecting, somebody's arm wrapped around her waist just before she could fall. Yuu gasped, opening her eyes and glancing back at who caught her. 

“Running away from the problem you started, are we?” 

Yuu stiffened at the bespectacled student’s words, his firm grip keeping her standing. Though she honestly would have rathered to hit the floor then be saved by this person. 

“But I didn't start anything,” Yuu protested weakly, because she didn't think she had! She didn't even belong here! In fact, she didn't even believe this wasn't all a dream. 

“Somebody, anybody, get that blasted creature before it burns the whole school down!”

The green eyed student sighed in annoyance, his eyes narrowed, “Pretty sure you can do that yourself, Crowley. Honestly, what a pain in the ass…can I just go now?”

“Oh, I thought you called yourself a predator, Kingscholar?” The handsome boy smirked in a mocking manner, “Why not go and help yourself to that plump little snack running about?”

“Tsk, don’t care. Do it yourself.”

“Hey, um, my butt’s still on fire… Can someone maybe put this out please?!”

“Well, if no one else will step up to the task, I’ll be the benevolent one to accept the responsibility of capturing the rodent ,” the boy with the glasses said, smiling unpleasantly which made Yuu silently cringe. He released Yuu, eyes narrowing on her but he didn't say anything. The silent warning was clear. 

"Don't think that you can run away."

Idia, the ghostly rectangle, snickered, “LOL, typical Azul. Rackin’ up those participation points before the year's even started…”

LOL?

Was that some sort of spirit incantation? What was it even talking about?!

Azul, the one who had saved Yuu from falling, took out a small black object that looked like some altered version of a writing paint brush, a pretty pale silver gem glittering on the end, “Allow me to handle catching the wild weasel, Headmage Crowley.”

Grim snapped, blowing a ball of fire freely, “I’m not a weasel! I’m the Great Extraordinaire Spellcaster, Grim!”

Great extraordinaire spellcaster…

Where was this cat coming up with such stupid lengthy titles? 

“Oh dear, aren’t you a fierce little rodent?”

“ I’m not a rodent! ”

Azul crossed his arms, “Riddle, would you be so kind to assist…?”

Riddle stepped up, brandishing his own similar paint brush with its own sparkling red gem. He had an angry look in his eyes which were wholly focused on Grim and his maniacal fire blasting.

“Certainly, I won’t stand for any rule-breakers to go unpunished.”

“ Off with your head! ” 

The chase had ended faster than it had begun. Azul and Riddle’s paintbrushes had sent out flashes of light and elements, pushing a frantic Grim into a corner. Yuu couldn’t believe her eyes.

She hadn’t seen anything like it before. These people were able to summon elements at will using their oddly looking paintbrushes, and they looked completely at ease with it too, like it was the most normal thing. Yuu had had a growing feeling for a while now that perhaps she wasn’t in the same world she had been born into. If it had, this magic that these people were using would have been known and used to its full extent. There would have been no way that Yuu wouldn’t have heard of it, especially considering how many mouthy customers would so blatantly  reveal their secrets to her, whether they meant to or not.

Especially in Li, this sort of power would have been abused so easily by the greedy people who ran the country. Yuu could only imagine the extent of how violent wars would become, how many more countries and families would be ripped apart. And how many girls would be forced into a life of servitude.

But this…this wasn’t Li. She wasn’t in Li. 

Could it be that she had…? But how would that be possible? There couldn’t be more than one world, could there?

Riddle’s incantation sent a blinding light shooting towards Grim. And in a sudden flash, a great metal collar clamped itself around the small creature’s neck, resulting in the cat yelping in shock. 

“ Myah?! What is this?”

Riddle relaxed his fighting stance, crossing his arms over his chest with a furious look at the helpless Grim, “The Queen of Hearts’s Rule 23 states, ‘ One must never bring a cat to a place of ceremony’ . Your very presence here is a serious offense and I will not tolerate you being here any longer! You will vacate these premises along with your owner who is also in violation of the rules!”

Riddle’s blue-grey eyes found Yuu, narrowed and glaring at Yuu with a strong and obvious dislike for her. Her instincts told her not to anger the boy any further. A girl with her lowly status shouldn’t argue with someone of the opposite gender, especially when that someone held an air of authority. She lowered her head, the hood slipping further over her and hiding her own angered scowl beneath its shadow.

It was unfair, she knew, that he’d accuse her of purposely bringing Grim here when Yuu didn’t even know where she was. It wasn’t her fault that any of this had happened. Usually when problems occurred she tried her best to avoid them like what her older sisters had advised her to do, but this one had literally come chasing after her! It wasn’t fair.

But of course…hadn’t her entire life been unfair?

“ But I ain’t a cat !” Grim protested, he scratched at the collar pathetically. “You can’t just collar me! I’ll just burn it right off!”

Everyone watched as the cat grunted, his cheeks puffed up and blowing. But nothing came out.

“...hu-huh? Why isn’t…my fire workin’?”

Yuu’s eyes widened. Grim wasn’t spitting fire anymore. How had that happened? How did Riddle do that?

“Heh,” Riddle sneered at the bewildered Grim, a mocking grin on his youthful face, “Your magic won’t be working anytime soon. Until I decide whether or not to remove that collar, you’re nothing but a dumb pet cat.”

Even Yuu winced at the boy’s harsh insult and she didn’t even like Grim all that much. Though she could hardly say he didn’t deserve it, the cat had done enough damage on his own. She observed the other students who were calming down now that the problem had been caught, even the red eyed student whose butt had been on fire had managed to have it put out. 

“D-Dumb pet cat?!” Grim sputtered hurtfully, “I ain’t dumb! I ain’t a pet! And I ain’t a cat, myah! Take this dumb collar off!”

“Well you need not make a fuss,” said the red headed boy, his expression relaxing into a calmer one, “Once you’ve been removed from campus, the collar will disappear.”

Azul was the one who spoke next, laughing lightly, “Impressive as always, Riddle. That unique magic of yours which is able to lock down any magic, an admirable ability for an outstanding mage. It truly is incredibly useful.” His eyes narrowed, his smile turning sinister, “I’ve just got to have it - ahem . What I mean is I’ve got so much admiration for it.”

The look in his silvery blue eyes was all too familiar to Yuu. She had entertained many men who’d speak of their allies or acquaintances with envious expressions, greedy and hungry for power. 

“Yuu!”

She startled out of her thoughts when Crowley called her name loudly with irritation. His tone made her body shrink within itself.

“Did I not say that you need to take responsibility for your familiar? Letting it run around loose like that is incredibly careless!”

Students within the chamber whispered their agreement, some louder than others, but they were all annoyed that Yuu had seemingly brought in a fire spitting pet cat. She could feel their glares burning into her and she was thankful that she could at least hide her face with the hood.

Yuu pulled at her sleeves subconsciously, fidgeting with the soft fabric of her robe as she twisted it in her hands. It was a bad habit the Madam had been adamant of Yuu being rid of.

She made the risky decision to talk back, expecting to be met with displeasure but speaking nonetheless, “But i-it’s not mine.”

“Now control your…! Wait, what did you say?”

She could feel his strange glowing eyes on her hooded figure, but she was too afraid to meet his gaze.

Her hands were trembling as she answered, feeling annoyed herself now though she did well to hide it, “I’ve never seen that creature before in my life. And I told you before that I don’t own a cat.”

Briefly, she glanced beneath her hood. To her surprise, he didn’t look at all angry, instead he had a sheepish expression on his face. Or at least from what Yuu could tell from the exposed half of his face.

“Oh…is that so?” He wondered, putting a clawed gloved hand to his chin in contemplation, “It’s not yours?”

Did she really have to repeat herself?

The man cleared his throat awkwardly.

But then his whole demeanor immediately changed, a pleasant grin on his face, “Well then, I suppose I shall just have it kicked off of campus. I’ll even spare it from being served as dinner tonight, for I am most gracious and kind.” He gestured for someone to take the flailing Grim away. A hooded student stepped up, picking the miserable looking creature by the scruff of his neck.

“NOOOOOOOOO! Let go of me!” He yelled urgently, “I’m not done yet! I swear-! I swear I’ll come back! I’ll become the Greatest-!”

Slam!

Yuu flinched as the doors firmly shut, cutting off Grim’s declaration. 

She wasn’t sure whether to feel bad for the fluffy creature. On one hand, he had tried to kill her. But then on the other hand, she couldn’t deny her admiration for his persistence, he obviously wasn’t a strong fighter when she witnessed his battle with Azul and Riddle but he hadn’t backed down either. 

Either way, it had nothing to do with her.

Crowley sighed in an almost melodramatic way, shaking his head pitiably, “My, that was quite the unnecessary trouble I’ve ever had to deal with in all the years that I’ve been principal. Anyways ,” He stood to the center of the chamber, facing the assembly of weary and singed students, “I hereby declare the end of tonight’s ceremony. Housewardens, please escort your students back to your dorm.”

“Finally,” The green-eyed student muttered under his breath. 

“Ah…wait a minute, aren’t we missing somebody?” The principal looked around, “Where’s Draconia, Housewarden of Diasomnia? I don’t see him anywhere.” Oh so Yuu was right. There was supposed to be another student. Was he just as intimidating and arrogant sounding as these five boys, minus the one whose butt had been on fire.

The green eyed boy scoffed rudely, crossing his arms, “And that surprises you? The dude’s a total loner.”

“...Did anyone even invite him?” The kinder boy’s brows creased with uncertainty.

“If you’re so concerned about leaving him out, then why didn’t you invite him yourself?” The handsome boy pointed out plainly, not holding back his condescending tone. The red eyed boy didn’t seem bothered.

“Yeahh, maybe I should have. But I don’t know him that well either…”

“Draconia? ” Yuu heard the hushed whispers of uneasy students in the crowd, “ Do they mean Malleus Draconia ? ”

“So he actually does come here for school? ”

“Isn’t he like super powerful, what’s he even here for? ”

“I hope I don’t run into him. ” 

Why did everyone sound so terrified of this Malleus Draconia person? From what Yuu could hear, she wondered if this student was some sort of emperor’s son. Or maybe he was like the ghost Idia, an incredibly terrifying evil entity?!

Out of nowhere, a short boy who also sported the black robe with the hood over his head appeared in the chamber. 

She hadn’t even noticed his arrival until he spoke, his deep but gentle voice nearly startling Yuu out of her skin, “Ah, I thought so.”

Where did he come from?! She was certain she didn’t hear the doors opening again.

“I thought I’d come here to see if Malleus had made an appearance, though it appears he has not,” the boy whose young face and short stature didn’t at all match with his baritone tone. He looked like a young adolescent and yet he sounded so mature-it almost seemed unreal. He sighed ruefully, his magenta eyes narrowing in disapproval, “Once again it would seem he was not told that his presence was required at a formal event.”

“I express my sincerest apologies,” Azul said, his character for once genuinely concerned, “This mistake was not intended as an insult in any way.” 

Riddle added on, “He’s admittedly not the easiest person to start a conversation with.”

The short boy with his dark hair with its streaks of magenta sighed again, shaking his head, “Ah oh well. I just hope he won’t sulk about this, he can be quite sensitive to such matters. Students assigned to Diasomnia will follow me please.” 

With that, slowly but surely the students all left, following their respective leader out of the mirror chamber. Their mutters and complaints had all but faded away as the doors closed shut once more, leaving Yuu alone with the principal. 

The silent emptiness reminded her of when she had first arrived here in what felt like ages ago. So much had happened in the short time that Yuu had been here, she almost didn’t believe any of this was actually happening. 

But it felt real. Her dreams had never been as elaborate as this. She could feel the soft fabric of her clothes on her skin, had felt the hot flames of Grim’s blue fire and she most definitely couldn’t have dreamt of any of this happening. 

“Well, Yuu dear,” the principal spoke, turning to face her once more, “I’m afraid that because of your lack of magical abilities, I cannot allow you to attend Night Raven College. It is most unfortunate that I must do this, but I must send you back home.”

Yuu blinked and she felt a dreadful feeling in her heart, “Back home?”

“Yes, the Dark Mirror will see to it that you safely return.” Crowley approached her, placing his hand on her back and gently ushering her forwards, “Now, if you’ll please step into a gate…”

“Wait…but I…” Yuu looked at a floating coffin, its lid open like the mouth of a menacing monster and waiting for her to step into it . She dug in her heels, shaking her head.

Curses, she should have just ran when she had the chance! 

No, she didn’t want to go back! Yuu didn’t care if this was some other world, she didn’t care! There was no way Yuu could ever return to the Verdigris House, but how could she get the principal to listen to her? He didn’t know that Yuu was a courtesan back “home”, and she didn’t trust him to not send her back without question if she told him. After all, a girl like her was just a useless possession. She wasn’t worth anything. The principal would probably be all the more urgent to rid himself of a lowly worthless entertainer from his school if he found out Yuu’s true identity.

“I know you must be quite disappointed that you cannot attend this college, and I sincerely apologize for the confusion.” Crowley was gravely misunderstanding her fearful reluctance, though right now Yuu would rather he stayed like that, “But I must send you home for I’m afraid you don’t belong here, so if you can please go on and step into the gate.”

Didn’t belong here …

…That’s right. 

She didn’t.

Yuu didn’t have magic, didn’t have power or authority, and didn't have the right to have a say in whether or not she could stay. She should have known that this little adventure of hers would end sooner than she’d like. Should have known that hoping for a way out of her miserable life was impossible.

“...Alright.” 

She was used to this. Disappointment and despair. It made it easier to force her legs to move, slowly stepping into the coffin of her own will. 

Yuu glanced at Crowley from underneath her dark hood. Would these robes also disappear once she returned to Li?

“Now, visualize the place from whence you came,” he instructed and Yuu, who had been so used to people telling her what to do, did as he said.

I came from hell, Yuu thought darkly to herself as she gritted her teeth.

Nevertheless, Yuu let out a small sigh before closing her eyes.

She pictured her room in the Verdigris House.

The image of a small space came to mind, where she’d spend hours in front of her mirror, practicing the art of displaying various expressions that she’d use for her customers and perfecting her makeup. The window that looked out into the street of the red district, showing her a world that she’d long since hated for its cruelty. And her bed of which she had occasionally shared it with whomever would pay the price.

It wasn’t a home. But it was all that she had left.

Yuu should have just broken the mirror in her room when she had the chance. Should never have left in the first place, her suffering would only become worse once she returned. This exciting adventure wouldn’t be worth the pain.

“O Dark Mirror!” Crowley chanted with a profound voice, “Return this soul to where it belongs!”

The room fell deathly silent.

Yuu was certain her thundering heart which beat loudly in her ears could be heard within the eerily quiet chamber. She kept her eyes shut and her hands had closed into tight fists, feeling a heavy lump in her chest as she awaited her fate.

“........”

“........”

“........”

The birdlike principal cleared his throat awkwardly for the second time, uncertainty in his words, “L-Let us….um try that again. O Dark Mirror! Return this-!”

“There is no such place.”

“What?”

What?

The haunting face within the mirror explained, “This soul does not belong to a single place within this world. Not a single one .”

Yuu’s eyes shot open, “What?” 

“But how is that possible?!” Crowley sputtered, holding his gold tipped hands out in front of him in disbelief, “Good gracious, is today ever full of the impossible surprises! Never has this ever happened in my long years of working here…I simply…I’m just…” He placed a hand on his chin, shaking his head, “I must admit…I am at a loss.”

As was she. Wasn't 'within this world'? Yuu had pictured the Verdigris, nestled in the red district in the country of Li. But somehow, the place just...didn't exist? It didn't seem plausible, and yet, Yuu could felt that sense of suspicion grow. The suspicion of something that shouldn't be possible but could be the only reasonable explanation.

Crowley’s strange glowing eyes landed on Yuu. 

“Yuu, dear, do tell me what land you come from?”

Was it possible? Could Crowley not know of it? And if that was so, then that could only mean...that it didn't even exist. 

“I...I come from a country called Li,” Yuu replied slowly, needing to know if her suspicion was true.

She felt something in her chest constrict when Crowley tilted his head, a nail tapping his chin in deep thought.

No way. There was no way it was possible.

“Hmm…I’m afraid I’ve never heard of such a place. Li, you said?”

He doesn't know it.

So then...if he didn’t know of her country then he wouldn’t be able to send her back at all, not only that but...what did that mean? And this fluttering she felt inside of her, could it be what she'd always ignored? A light, a small string of hope, offering itself to her in the most unexpected ways.

“While I am most familiar with the origins of all of my students, past and present, your mysterious homeland eludes me." Crowley held his hand out for her to take. "So come out of there for now, I believe a trip to the library is required in this situation.” 

Indeed, perhaps a book or two could explain this complexing phenomenon. 

But as she stared at Crowley's outstretched hand, the golden tips of his claws sending a stirring of dread through her.

If he knew, he'd send me back.

“My, I didn't realize until now but your eyes are a very lovely color, Yuu,” Crowley spoke again when she didn’t yet take his hand. She instinctively lifted her eyes at the sound of her name, feeling a chill in her heart when she met his golden ones.

Was he saying this to get her to warm up to him? It wouldn't work on her, Yuu had heard similar compliments from men like him before and they had all turned out to be the same-forgettable and unremarkable in her life. Crowley's head was cocked to the side, his eerie gaze observing her closely in her hesitance. 

Yuu would silently agree, a trip to the library would perhaps help to understand, and even confirm her suspicion that this world...was different. But, maybe there was a chance. A chance to truly avoid her fate. Either way, she'd have to go along with Crowley for now, especially as she was alone with him and he likely could overpower her if she tried to run off.

But maybe...there was a way to convince him. Because whatever this chance she'd been given was, no matter how insane it was, it could only mean one thing.

Freedom.

Clenching and unclenching her hand nervously, Yuu took a deep breath before hesitantly placing her delicate hand into his larger one.

"How peculiar that you look at me with such distrust. I am admittedly...unaccostumed to it, especially from someone as young as you. I suppose I should then assume you must be quite the cautious one, hm?” He commented, aiding Yuu out of the coffin with a firm but surprisingly gentle grip. 

Yuu stepped down, swiftly removing her hand from his, muttering under her breath so he couldn't hear her, "You could say that."

Chapter Text

“Hmm.”

She could hear the sound of pages turning as the principal flipped through books, carelessly throwing them away into the air when he was done with them so that they floated up in the air. Yuu was reminded of birds as she silently observed the fluttering pages of the novels which hovered above her head, and their flapping covers and swirling motions hypnotized her into a state of peaceful observation with her heart beating steadily calm. It felt strangely soothing as she watched the slow motions, a sudden desire to learn what it was like not to be weighed down either. To not be grounded.

The library-now brightly illuminated-was empty save for Yuu and Crowley, the latter muttering to himself as he pulled books out one at a time before discarding it within a minute. Yuu herself was holding a rather heavy a geographic book, having only opened it to the first page before getting distracted by the slowly drifting airborne ones.

She hadn’t taken note of it until she had read a few sentences in the book she held but she realized that the language here was exactly the same as hers back in her own country, she had to wonder why. Either way, Yuu considered that to be another stroke of luck on top of not being immediately sent back. While the characters had been significantly simplified-with their shorter strokes and lines-she could read them without fail, ironically her good reading skills were owed to the Verdigris House. 

“Hmm.”

Crowley was standing by a shelf, book in hand, with a puzzled frown. Yuu had heard him muttering since the moment he started reading, though she hadn’t a clue what he could be saying. She was too entranced by the mysterious floating books.

“It’s as I suspected,” Crowley spoke slowly, closing the book before placing it back on the shelf, “Not a map or mention of your homeland anywhere, not even during the earliest years of our history.”

His voice snapped her out of her stupor to which she directed her attention to him before visibly flinching back barely biting down on a surprised scream. 

He was terrifying.

Standing over her, his face directly in front of hers, she felt like a bug staring up and awaiting to be crushed-or perhaps the better way to say it was she felt like a bug about to be eaten. And horrifyingly enough, Crowley was wearing a crow bird-like mask. 

Yuu was just a few centimers shorter than the head master, but for him to loom over her like this felt panic-inducing. Her very heart had stuttered with fear, or perhaps it even stopped-she wasn't paying enough attention to really notice. But Yuu had noticed her breathing stop. Could he see into her eyes? Could he see the secrets she held? She could only hope the dark shadow of her hood hid her features well enough that Crowley wouldn't suspect anything. It was unlikely however.

“You’re not lying to me or trying to joke with me, are you, Yuu?” Crowley probed suspiciously.

Yuu gave her head a hard shake, terrified to the point of speechlessness.

Crowley didn’t seem to notice, either that or he simply didn’t care to which Yuu would be more inclined to believe. “Then are you certain that you come from such a land?” He interrogated, his hands clamping down on her shoulders which had begun to lightly tremble. She could feel his gold metal talons beneath the robe-though they didn’t pierce the fabric as she half-expected it to-and started to fear that he’d use them to hurt her. Yuu had scratched herself before with her own long fingernails, having grown and trimmed them so she could play her zither, but she doubted it’d hurt as badly as metal ones. 

Again, she could only move her head, nodding up and down in response.

“Then the only possible explanation…” Crowley released her and pulled away to which Yuu then allowed herself to breathe again. His head tilted in an almost animalistic manner at her, and Yuu had to consciously suppress a shiver underneath his glowing eyes. She didn’t know how to properly describe it, the only thought that came to mind was how extremely uncomfortable it was to be standing in front of Crowley. She wondered if she’d rather face an evil entity than whatever this man was because the way he acted…didn’t seem entirely human.

He rubbed his chin perplexed as he muttered rapidly, “It’s close to utterly impossible for this to happen. There are so many factors involved, a single slip up could cause so much trouble…Not a single similar occurrence had ever been recorded that this phenomenon had become purely a myth and yet…”

“And yet it seems that the only possibility is that you’ve come from another world by some miracle,,” Crowley mused, “Or maybe you were summoned here from another realm…but then that would mean someone in this world had brought you here for whatever reason…either way it’s certainly unimaginable.”

Yes, that’s what I thought too, that I somehow traveled between worlds , Yuu wanted to say on top of a couple other things like bringing up the topic of magic and how somebody could travel to another world.

“Do you perhaps have any sort of identification? Maybe we can locate your land if you’ve got some sort of driver’s license or…a student card…?” The man’s frown deepened when he gave Yuu a more thorough inspection, seeing that she had nothing but the uniform that she had woken up with. “Hmm, I should’ve expected that you wouldn’t be carrying anything with you,” he sighed finally.

What’s a driver’s license and a student card?

“Well, this certainly is quite the…uh predicament. I most definitely cannot have someone without a trace of magic wander around on my campus.” Crowley shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest in contemplation, “So what to do…because at the same time, as an educator myself, I am strongly against expelling a child without family to contact or a cent to their name. Truly , I am most gracious and kind.”

“I’m fine with leaving-”

“A ha! A most brilliant idea has come to mind!”

Yuu clenched her fists at the headmaster’s interruption, pushing down her irritation and impatience with him.

Crowley went on to explain, “There is an empty building on campus, a few short minutes away from here. It actually used to be a dorm a long time ago, I’m sure with a bit of cleaning it should be more than habitable.”

A dorm…

What did he mean by that term? Yuu recalled him saying something similar back in the coffin room, it probably had something to do with the different groups of students.

“Um…” Yuu said hesitantly from underneath her hood, “It’s fine really, I’m more than happy to leave.”

“ Nonsense! ” Crowley protested loudly, looking highly offended by Yuu’s suggestion, “As if I’d let an innocent young man fend for himself in a world he knows nothing about!”

He still thinks I’m a boy…? So he really hadn't noticed anything…? 

Crowley couldn't be that ignorant, Yuu had been dreadfully certain that he'd at least notice something . 

Yuu quickly chased the silent thought that maybe this man-who gave her the impression of a bird-might have a brain the size of one. She could understand Grim’s mistake in assuming she was a boy as he had openly displayed how stupid he was whether he realized or not. But this terrifying man?

No, it must be an act.

Crowley most definitely couldn’t be that stupid. 

He must be the manipulative type, making her believe that he was ignorant of her identity and doing this out of the kindness of his heart to trick her into revealing her secrets, and which would make him all the more urgent to find a way to send her back home. Yuu could only imagine how angry he’d be if he realized he had allowed a girl to stay in his school, and it was doubly frightening with the knowledge that this world had magic. 

What if he cursed her? Cursed her and then sent her back to the Verdigris House to live a life of shame.

Crowley could also just decide to kick Yuu out of his school for her to struggle on her own. Now that Yuu wouldn't mind, in fact she really wanted nothing more than to be kicked out to never be seen by him again. But she didn't want to rely on that chance, it was uncertain and thus unwise to assume he'd just abandon her should Crowley figure out her identity Yuu had to believe that if he found out that he'd send her back to Li. To assume the worst to happen would be for the best in her situation right now.

The man grinned pleasantly at her, “Yes, I am simply acting out of the profound kindness of my heart and will allow you to live there for the time being.” He was definitely trying to trick her! 

Was Crowley already suspicious of her gender, her status…? Was that why he was willing to have her stay at his school? So that he could monitor her for signs?

Yuu seriously had to get out of here but she feared running right away would only then confirm his apprehensions about her, landing her into trouble. But if he was just suspicious right now then that meant he wasn’t entirely sure, in other words she could still get away without being caught.

“Yes, yes, let us head over now. I'm sure you'll find the place quite…um… charming , I should say. Shall we go then?” He turned on his heel with his coat fluttering behind him, expecting Yuu to follow. 

Yuu grimaced with apprehension, coming to the conclusion she had to go along for now. There was still the one good advantage to remaining on school grounds, and that would be that Yuu could research more about this world. She'd have to get his permission to enter the library on her own first…

Gritting her teeth, Yuu walked after Crowley but was sure to stay a couple feet behind. 

The calm quiet of the night blanketed over Yuu as she walked behind Crowley, following him cautiously with wary eyes. It was a bit chilly tonight, the cool wind kissing her nose and cheeks ever so gently. The light of the full moon was hidden behind dark clouds, casting a dark shadow across the grounds with only the strange looking lights that brightened the path. Yuu was surprised at how quickly the sky had gone completely black, not a star could be seen behind the heavy clouds. 

Seems like it's going to rain .

In the distance stood a ragged looking building, bigger than the brothel back in her country, but much more haunting. They stood just before the gate of the rusting iron fence which encircled the property, and the trees-that sprouted from the brown dead grass-had lost all their leaves so that their twisted and gnarled branches clawed up to the sky. Cobwebs and crows had settled onto the branches, the black birds cawing their menacing warnings out into the night like dark omens before flying off.

“And here we are!” Crowley grinned proudly, “Ramshackle Dorm. A quiet little place not too far from the main campus, I’m sure you’ll appreciate its appeal in time.”

He’s joking, right?

“Um…” Yuu started, unease beginning to rise into her chest, “You want me to stay here?”

It looked like it was about to collapse.

“Isn't it delightful?” 

If the headmaster considered this delightful, Yuu had to wonder what sort of definition he had for the term. This wasn’t delightful. It was dreadful.

Crowley pushed open the iron gate, its screeching hinges causing goosebumps to raise along her skin in an uncomfortable shiver. Walking up the dimly lit path, he glanced back at Yuu to beckon her forwards with his claw tipped hand. 

“Come now, it's much more charming on the inside.”

Oh, she very much doubted that. 

And Yuu was right. 

Her mouth hung open as she stood at the entrance to what seemed to be the lounge, but she quickly shut it to prevent dust from getting in. 

Dust….

Dust.

So much dust . 

It was a literal snowscape. Never in her life had Yuu witnessed a depraved place so neglected that even the dust had begun to literally swirl and float in the air like snowflakes. Broken furniture lay scattered across the wooden planked floor, a table and chair turned upside down and what looked to be part of the roof collapsed on the ground. Looking up but careful to not let her hood slip, she saw that the ceiling had small but noticeable holes in them, allowing a slow breeze that smelled of rain to slip in.

There were cobwebs that hung in almost every corner of the room decorated with dead bugs and plump spiders easily the size of her thumb. The largest took up the empty fireplace, firewood having been replaced with dust and soot that had probably been there for a good few decades.

“ Ah .” Her body froze, hearing a resounding crunch underneath her shoe before lifting it to see a large insect flattened to the wooden floor, its limbs still twitching and guts smeared onto her sole. With a wrinkled nose and furrowed brows, she rubbed the bottom of her shoe onto the ground to wipe the mess off and silently apologized to the now dead bug.

“This should keep the elements at bay for the time being,” Crowley said, his breath pushing the dust particles into a flurry of movement.

“It’s disgusting,” Yuu heard herself say, the overwhelming negative emotions boiling inside of her making her forget to restrain her words. 

Her room had never looked so disgusting. Even if the Verdigris had been a living hell, at least it hadn’t had mold growing through the walls and hadn’t been filled with bugs, though she didn't mind the spiders. Rather it had been incredibly lavish-luxurious even for a brothel-that this place made Yuu want to cry from the sheer abhorrent sight.

Crowley clapped his hands, bringing her attention back to him, “Now, now, let's not be so hasty to make such claims. I'm sure with a bit of cleaning and patching up it’d look much better. You could say it's a bit of a…fixer upper, just a little work and you'll have yourself a nice space to stay in.”

“I don't think even if I cleaned it that it'd look remotely nice,” she boldly spoke again, not moving another step into the lounge, “Is there really no other…”

Yuu blinked before slowly shutting her mouth. She shouldn't be asking this man for things so casually, and she had already slipped up by voicing her opinion of this ghastly place. Why was she being so careless? Yuu knew better than to speak against someone like Crowley, to make a complaint when she had no right. If she had been speaking to anyone else but a man, Yuu would have no problem holding back her words but that wasn't the case here.

But then again…he didn’t seem to know Yuu was a girl, and if he did, he’d probably have been angered by her disrespect the moment she spoke. Crowley was treating her quite amicably considering Yuu still strongly believed he suspected her identity. 

She could take advantage of that at least.

Clenching her hands into nervous fists, she cleared her throat to try speaking again, “Is there somewhere else…that um I can stay?”

“I'm afraid not.”

His answer was swift and without hesitation, and Yuu could literally feel her body droop with disappointment.

“You see, I'm afraid only students with magic can be assigned and stay at the official dormitories on campus. But because I am so gracious, you may have this entire dorm to yourself,” Crowley said with a pleasant grin which Yuu narrowed her eyes at, “Now where are those lights…it's certainly too dark in here to see properly.”

She watched Crowley walk over to a wall, his finger flicking at something before the room suddenly bursted into a dim light. Yuu flinched and her eyes squinted at the brightness, blinking to adjust to it. 

How had he done that? 

“And with that, my dear,” Crowley went on to say, “I shall leave you here while I research for your way home so do make yourself comfortable. But… ”

He whipped around and approached her the same way he had at the library-with his  mask in her face and eyes staring into her soul-Yuu took a step back and held her hands to her chest with a nervous gulp. 

“... do not let me catch you wandering the campus!” He warned loudly, Yuu’s back stiffening with fear, “There’d be no end of all the complaints I'd receive- AHEM! What I mean to say is that for your own safety, I implore you not to go exploring.”

Yuu’s brow twitched at his words. 

“That’s all, good night now.”

He straightened back up and walked out into the hallway.

That’s all…?

“Oh! Wait a second, what about-”

She darted out into the hallway after him.

“...What about food? And…my clothes…”

Yuu blinked twice. He was gone. Had straight up disappeared out the doors leaving Yuu to her conflicting thoughts and feelings in this rundown building. 

She stood in the empty hallway for a good five minutes and wondered what she should do now. Yuu hadn’t even had the chance to muster up the courage and ask if she could use the library. And now she had been explicitly told not to roam around. It was a direct instruction, whether or not it had to do with her safety. And she’d rather not find out what would happen if she disobeyed.

Alone, she felt comfortable enough to finally pull her hood off, breathing a slow sigh of relief at Crowley's departure. Yuu slowly walked back to the lounge on her own, glancing at her new temporary home with distaste. 

Making her way to the fireplace and squatting in front of it, dust clouded around her, getting on her robe as she got down. She placed an elbow on her knee to prop her head up as she spotted the big spider, resting comfortably on its large web. 

Now that Crowley had left, she felt like she could talk freely. She hummed softly before speaking, “Well you look happy, all full and plump. You probably get to feast everyday with all the bugs running around the place.”  The arachnid remained still.

“Well, I apologize, it seems I must intrude on your delightful abode for the time being. Hope you don't mind.”

 “..........”

“Not going to talk, are you?” Yuu narrowed her eyes at the spider, “And here I thought all creatures could talk in this world. You're a big disappointment, not being able to speak…you should be ashamed of yourself.”

It didn't do anything. 

With one final glare at the creature, she stood back up, putting her hands on her hips and turning around to face the room. “Well, as disgusting as this place is, I guess it's better than nothing,” Yuu sighed to herself once more, “I just hope there aren't any ghosts.”

“Ugh,” Yuu groaned, collapsing onto the sole bed that hadn't been eaten out by moths and termites. She had spent who knows how long trying to make this hovel at least somewhat livable. After having tidied up the lounge to the best of her ability, she had found an old broom in a dusty closet to which she had used to clean, Yuu had gone looking for a bedroom to rest in. 

Stumbling in the dark like an idiot had only increased her exhaustion and she was more than ready to pass out. 

How did Crowley summon those lights in the lounge?

Yuu should've asked if he could have used that magic back in the lounge for the entire building as it seemed she had to rely only on the small candles she had found.

The bed had been covered with a whole other blanket of dust when she found this room, and she had taken the dusty sheets off to flap them outside on the front porch before putting them back on. Yuu had done it just in time too. The heavy downpour of rain had started almost as soon as she had come back inside with her dust-free bed sheets. And by some miracle, the only leak her bedroom had was by the corner where the ceiling was split. 

Her mental exhaustion had reached its limit, and Yuu couldn't even be bothered to lie on the bed properly as she was sprawled out horizontally with her legs dangling over the side of the mattress. She slowly blinked up at the ceiling, idly playing with the now short and uneven strands of her hair that stopped just at her chin.

She had found a dull cutting knife when exploring the building, having discovered what seemed to be the cooking area, and had used it to shorten the length of her hair. If Yuu was going to be staying here for a while, she needed to at least not resemble a girl so much. And while Yuu had been a bit mournful of her long grown hair, she didn’t want to risk Crowley-or anyone else for that matter-being any more suspicious. But she would miss being able to put her hair up in elaborate styles, hopefully once she left Night Raven College Yuu would get the chance to regrow it.

Now Yuu just had to act a little if she wanted to keep up her appearance as a boy and her identity hidden, if only she could get her hands on some makeup…

“I need to find a way to walk freely on the school grounds….but how-?”

“BWAH! It's pourin’ out there!” 

Ghost!

Yuu shot out of her bed with a start. 

“It's in the lounge.” Yuu looked around for any sort of weapon to use, settling on one of the candlesticks which decorated the mantle of the fireplace. She slipped out of the room and warily glanced over the railing of which looked out into the lounge. 

“And there's holes in the ceilin’ everywhere , I'm gettin’ dripped on!! My flamin’ ears are gonna get doused,” the voice, which Yuu immediately recognized, whined. 

Yuu gasped, spotting the familiar creature who had caused so much hectic chaos back in the coffin room with his blue fire. The same one who had chased Yuu down trying to set her aflame. 

“You!” Yuu exclaimed, pointing her free hand down at Grim who whipped around in a fright with his tail and ears standing straight up.

“Bwah! Don't yell like that, you nearly scared me to death!” 

Grim blinked up at her, recognition flickering in his bright blue eyes, “AH! It's you! And why’s your hair so short all of a sudden? I swear it was longer the last time I saw you.”

“I just cut it a few minutes ago,” Yuu said. "It was getting hard to take care of so I shortened it. But anyways, I thought you got kicked out."

“Myah ha ha.” He crossed his little paws over his fluffy chest, an arrogant smirk on his face, “As if I wouldn't just come back the second those stupid humans looked away!  I can't just give up cause I got kicked out one measly time, I'm the Great Grim, you can't get rid of me that easily.”

“You're so desperate to come here, and I can't understand why,” Yuu commented with her brows furrowed slightly. 

“Can't understand why?!”

Grim sputtered before glaring up at Yuu, “Isn’t it obvious? I'm a magical prodigy , I was born to become the greatest mage of all time and so I've been waitin’ so long to get an offer to this school but…”

He deflated. Ears turned down and unshed tears filling the cat’s bright blue eyes.

“But…but… hmph !” Grim growled with frustration, shaking his fluffy head to dispel his disappointment, “That dumb old mirror's got no eye for talent, I tell ya! And it's- Ah! ”

A rather large drop splattered onto Grim’s head, interrupting his rant. 

“Hey! Do something with your magic and fix the ceiling, it's pourin’ out and this place can't even stay dry!” He demanded, bringing his paws over his blue flaming ears to protect them from the leaking ceiling, “These flaming ears are kinda a trademark of mine, ya know? Can't let them go out.”

Yuu frowned and crossed her arms over her chest, “Don’t you remember what the mirror said? Or were you too busy trying to cause trouble to notice?”

Her bluntness was out to play now. A cat-even one who spat out fire-was hardly as terrifying as a man, and Yuu couldn't be bothered to hold back her words.

“Me?! Trouble?! You got some nerve-!” But then Grim blinked as if recalling at that moment, a sly grin appeared on his face, “Aha! That's right. You're a useless stupid human, can't even use magic! Pfffft, ya really are pathetic!”

Yuu bristled with annoyance. That condescending tone was something Yuu could take from men as she had been taught to let these things pass but this was a cat . Yuu had enough pride not to be talked to so rudely by a creature that could barely reach her knee.

Yuu glared down, “Oh, so then why don't you fix the holes, hm?”

“You want me to help you ?” Grim snickered, “You ain't the boss of me, stupid human.”

“So then you can't fix them either can you? Are you sure you're really not some dumb cat? And just to let you know, my name is Yuu. ”

“ I'm not a cat! ” Grim snapped, the flames in his ears flashing bright with anger, “At least I've got magic, unlike you! And I don't do anything for anyone unless they’ve at least got tuna to trade!”

“So you're just going to complain about the holes? You're the one who's more bothered by it than I am, just fix them yourself.” Yuu glowered down at Grim, unimpressed by his attitude, “How annoying can you be?”

“ That’s it! I'm seriously gonna toast ya now!”

CRASH!

Both Yuu and Grim suddenly looked towards the source of the sound in the empty building which had been mostly quiet until now. 

That didn’t sound like the wind.

“You don't think…there could be ghosts here, do you?” Yuu asked anxiously, her hand holding the candlestick growing sweaty.

Grim looked just as terrified as she felt, but puffed out his chest with false courage, “Even if there is, I ain’t afraid of any ghost.”

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes and went down the flight of stairs, and both her and Grim peeked out into the hallway that she had just recently cleaned up a bit. There were still cobwebs hanging in small corners and the only furniture remaining on its legs was a small table up against the molded wall. The hallway was empty.

She could feel herself beginning to grow worried as her pulse started to increase in speed, it felt like somebody was watching them. 

But…

“...There's nobody here…” Yuu’s voice came out in a scared whisper, speaking to Grim who looked just as fearful. “You said it yourself that you’re not afraid of ghosts, go figure out what it was,” Yuu whispered, shoving Grim out into the hallway with her foot.

“Did you just kick me?!” Yuu could tell he was barely managing to keep his voice down. “Stop pushin’ me! I'm not gonna look for anything!” He pushed at her leg, making it harder for Yuu to shove him out.

“ You're the one with magic! ”

“And I keep tellin’ ya, stop orderin’ me around!”

“Let go of my leg!”

“Eeeheeeheeehee…It's been a long time since we've had visitors.”

The two froze, Yuu in the middle of trying to shake Grim and use the candlestick to pry him off her leg, and Grim holding on while biting and scratching her. Their fighting had brought them out into the empty hallway, both too busy arguing to notice until now.

“Oh I've just been dying to make new friends, heeheeheehee…”

Three white and nearly translucent figures appeared out of thin air, sporting a cape and hat each while they surrounded Yuu and Grim.

G-G-G-G….

“ GHOSTS! ” The cat and girl both screamed. 

The three ghosts all bursted out into fits of laughter, rolling around and somersaulting with unrestrained glee.

“What funny reactions heehee! You’ll be fun to play with!” One of the entities, who was bigger than the other two, laughed cheerfully, “What do you say, wanna play with us? It’d be super fun.”

“Play?!” Grim repeated, still clinging to Yuu’s leg but this time in fear.

“It’d be so fun to have another ghost to play with heeheehee!” The large ghost’s face turned sinister.

They were going to kill her! 

“I’m getting out of here!” Yuu had dropped her candlestick and screamed, “Let go of my leg! I can’t move quickly with you holding onto me like that!”

The smallest of the three ghosts did a little flip in the air before speaking, “Aww, don’t be so scared, we haven’t had any friends to play with in years . All the people who used to live here got spooked and ran away heeheehee !”

Yuu made a pained noise when Grim’s claws dug in more into her pants, no doubt scratching her skin underneath. “S-S-Scared?! I ain’t afraid of no g-g-ghosts! I’m the Great Grim, a magical prodigy, you hear!” Grim yelled before letting go of her, leaving small holes in her new clothes. He suddenly unleashed his fire powers, sending out a ball of blue flame recklessly in the building without proper aim. The ghosts easily evaded the cat’s attack, disappearing and then reappearing in a different spot in the hallway.

Yuu had tried to make a run for the exit before the big ghost appeared in front of her, startling her backwards and causing her to scream again. He advanced, making Yuu stagger back to where she had been standing with Grim before, the furry beast still recklessly firing his magic. 

“Leaving so soon? And without your pet cat too?” He chortled curiously.

“He’s not my cat!”

“I’m not his cat!”

She yelped when Grim unintentionally-or perhaps it was intentional as Yuu was well aware of his dislike for her-aimed a ball of fire at her, seemingly trying to get the large ghost that vanished into thin air once again. 

“Grim!” Yuu snapped, “Who are you even targeting, you’re going to burn me and the place.”

“ Myah ! Shaddup, human!”

The last and final ghost, who looked leaner than the others, snickered in a mocking voice, “Not. Even. Close.”

“Catch me if you can ! Ahahahahaha!” The smaller ghost taunted, spinning faster around them.

Grim tried again and Yuu had to duck this time, “Are you closing your eyes?! No wonder you can’t aim!”

“I don’t need to hear that from you! You can’t even use magic!”

She gritted her teeth with frustration. Yuu couldn’t run-the ghosts would only block her way again-and she came to the realization that if she left, she’d be disobeying Crowley’s order of not wandering around his campus. 

But how could she get Grim to not burn the place down? Yuu could only imagine the amount of trouble she’d get into with Crowley if that happened. 

Although , maybe he’d kick her off the school grounds if she did…that’d be a good thing.

Ugh, I can’t.

Now was not the time for that. Yuu didn’t know what these ghosts could do, if they would harm her or curse her, but she wasn’t going to take the chance of just standing back and waiting for the trouble to get worse. 

The ghosts had yet to make their move but Yuu didn’t want to figure out what would happen if they decided to do so. She had to get Grim to cooperate with her.

“Grim.”

“Myah! I can’t land a single hit!”

The ghosts were laughing, enjoying the sight of Grim’s struggling.

“Grim, I think…we need to work together,” Yuu said to the cat who looked beat. “I can tell you where to aim so you don’t have to open your eyes,” she explained, hoping he’d understand.

Grim shot her a growl, “I’m not doing anything you tell me to do, human. I don’t like you!”

She gritted her teeth to refrain from saying the same thing. He was like a fussing toddler, why did he have to be so immature? Couldn't he see that he was struggling on his own!? Yuu wracked her brain about what to say to convince him.

“Grim, I’m sure that Headmaster Crowley would be greatly indebted to you if you rid him of this ghost infestation,” Yuu carefully spoke and she saw Grim’s ears twitching, which she took as a good sign and continued, “You did say you wanted to attend this school, right? Then in that case  you’ll need my help.”

“ Infestation?” The skinny ghost gasped offendedly.

Yuu felt sick with fear, her heart beating rapidly but she ignored it to keep her persuasion going.

“I can tell how much you’ve been wanting to come here, it’s been your dream, hasn’t it? To become the Greatest Mage in the world, to prove to everyone your worth, and you came here to do just that. So even if it means working with someone you don’t like, as long as it brings you closer to your dream then it shouldn’t matter.” Their eyes met and for a still moment she froze to the spot.

“You…you really think I can become the Greatest?” Grim suddenly asked. 

That expression. What did it remind her of…? Was it the time when that strange floating hand had appeared in her mirror back in her room? Or the time when the Dark Mirror had declared her place nonexistent in this world, giving her a once in a lifetime chance?

What was the word for it again?

He’s like…me.

And yet entirely different.

They were both living beings who had been overlooked and treated unfairly, expected to stay grounded and accept their fate as it is. In Yuu’s eyes, it would seem no one thought Grim had potential… no worth . He had been so ruthlessly thrown out of the school without anyone so much as batting an eye, and yet he had come back. Yuu couldn’t begin to understand Grim’s past and why he’d want to become a Great Mage so strongly that he’d boldly come here on his own without permission, but what she could understand was what it was like to have a dream. And Grim-who just barely reached her knees-was daring to reach for what he dreamt for no matter the distance.

Was it certain that he could? Yuu couldn't know. She didn't even know what a Great Mage was or did as she had only just arrived in this world a mere few hours ago. But…Yuu had never seen anyone so…

So… aha.

The word she was looking for was hopeful . And it wasn't just that Grim was hopeful, he was also determined and acting on his own to get what he wanted. Maybe…maybe he really could do it.

It was this realization which had taken over Yuu that made her confidently answer Grim’s question, for once speaking to him in utmost sincerity.

“Yes, Grim…I believe you can become the Greatest Mage.” Grim’s eyes widened at her as if really seeing her for the first time

“...You really mean that.”

It wasn’t a question.

He contemplated Yuu’s words before speaking once more, “You’ll help me get into school?”

“I mean, I can’t guarantee-”

“You better promise and give me a nice can of tuna! If you don’t, don’t even think that I’ll let you help me!”

The ghosts were swooping in closer and Yuu ducked down to avoid one aiming for her.

A promise? Yuu couldn’t even promise that she wouldn’t still be here next week and Grim wanted her to promise to help him get into school? 

There was no way she could do that. But Grim wouldn’t listen to her otherwise. So much for believing her words had meant anything to the dumb cat.

“Just the tuna,” she bargained.

“You can forget it then!”

This is why I don’t like him! So immature and annoying!

“ Alright… ” Yuu said through a grimace, “I’ll help you get into school, but that's all! You can get your tuna on your own, got it?”

At that, Grim began smiling, his confident and cocky look returning to his fluffy face, “ Myah ha ha! ” He faced the three ghosts again, his chest puffed out proudly, “Alright, human! I’ll let you help me but you better go through on your promise! Now you tell me which way the ghosts are!”

Yuu couldn’t help but feel she had just signed up for something she wasn’t ready for, but that could be a problem for another day. Right now, she needed to focus.

“You got it.”

It had gone off to a rocky start at first. Yuu had been able to tell that Grim was still reluctant on relying on Yuu’s aid as he had ignored a few of her instructions but when the cat was finally able to get a ghost, his attitude changed. Perhaps he had finally understood that with Yuu, he had a better chance at hitting his targets. Grim’s bright blue flame fended off the ghosts with Yuu’s direction, one final blast had them running away.

“BWAHHHHH! We only came out here to have a little fun, so mean . We better get out before we disappear for good!” They said to each other before vanishing into thin air. 

Yuu waited for them to reappear but after a few silent minutes she realized that they had actually left them. They were gone. Yuu would have thought it wouldn't have been this easy to drive them away but she figured a win was a win. It was probably better not to dwell on whatever those creepy ghosts were thinking. 

“...We…we did it,” Yuu said in disbelief, still looking around to make sure they were truly alone now. 

Grim huffed tiredly, “Ahhh, that was so scary…I-I mean they didn’t faze me one bit! Piece of cake for a mage like me !”

She had to take a minute to register his words as her heart was still beating frantically in her chest from the ghosts. But then she scowled down at the little beast. 

The sound of footsteps behind Yuu interrupted her just as she was about to speak to Grim and she turned before suddenly wishing she hadn’t. Could she not catch a break for a single moment?

“I hope you are settling in well. In another grand gesture of my kindness, I have brought you dinner.”

Crowley had returned, holding a tray of plates and food. 

Yuu’s distrustful mind immediately jumped to the assumption that the food was poisoned before rationalizing with herself that he wouldn’t outright poison her for no reason. She blamed that assumption on her mental exhaustion and fear of the man.

“Oh and I see you’ve done a fairly good job tidying up in such a short amount of time. I'll admit I didn't expect you to be able to do much, but you certainly know your way around a broom,” Crowley complimented though Yuu took it more as an insult, glancing around the hallway before his eyes landed back on her-more specifcally her hair. The glowing orbs widened in realization.

"Did you cut that yourself? It looks terri-ahem! I mean...I could've sworn it hadn't been like that just a few minutes ago," Crowley said.

Yuu had to wonder if she didn't mishear him about to call it 'terrible' and admittedly she wouldn't deny it. 

"I cut it just a while ago," Yuu admitted though she imbedded a few lies within her words, "It was getting all tangled and hard to manage...so I decided to cut it all off."

Untrue. Her hair had been perfectly well-maintained, Yuu had never once gotten it to the point of tangles and knots. But now it had all been reduced to rough edges, poorly cut and shortened. A tragedy in its own right.

Crowley nodded in slight understanding, "Yes...shorter hair is far easier to maintain. Though I should warn you not to get within sight of Professor Crewel, he'd throw a fit at the sight of this."

"Professor Crewel?"

“Anyways-Ah. Wait a minute.” It was just then that Crowley finally noticed the cat, standing beside Yuu with his arms folded across his fluffy chest and a petulant expression on his face.

Oh right. Grim wasn’t supposed to be here.

Crowley looked like he was about to drop the tray of food in surprise before exclaiming, “That’s the monster that was kicked out for causing trouble at the ceremony! What’s it doing here?!”

Yuu flinched at his tone.

“Takin’ care of your ghost problem, that’s what!” Grim had no problem talking back to the principal, a glare on his cute rounded face, “You’re welcome, by the way!”

“Ghost problem?” Crowley repeated before directing his attention onto Yuu, tilting his head curiously, “Please do explain, Yuu.”

She fought off a sigh before doing as he said. Yuu kept it brief but she told Crowley how her and Grim had encountered the three ghosts, and how they had fended them off. Yuu didn’t mention that she had told Grim that the principal would let him attend school if he worked with her. Or how she had told Grim that he could become the Greatest Mage in the world.

“Hmmmmm, how interesting,” Crowley murmured, bringing a gloved hand to his chin in contemplation, “You’re saying that you two worked together to drive them away?”

Grim huffed with annoyance, crossing his arms over his chest, “ I was the one that drove them away. The human just stood and watched!”

His immaturity and arrogance was still as annoying as ever it would seem. But it was better than being hostile with her-her leg was probably littered with bite marks and scratches from their arguing, though admittedly she may have had a hand in spurring him on a couple minutes ago.  

Nevertheless, Yuu couldn’t help muttering under her breath, “If it weren’t for me, you would have burned the building down.”

“Color me intrigued.” Crowley had placed the tray of food on the single table in the hallway, its legs still looking about to break out from underneath. Yuu eyed the principal warily when she noticed his sudden curiosity.

“Would you two be so kind as to show your ghost-expelling methods to me?” He asked politely, folding his arms over his chest, “I’ll play the part of the ghosts so I believe we can start right away.”

“What?!” Grim exclaimed, “No way! I don’t wanna!”

Yuu didn’t want to either but she decided to stay silent and let Grim argue for her since it seemed they felt the same about this situation. Also, was she really allowed to do that? Headmaster Crowley wouldn’t get mad at them if he ended up getting seriously burned, would he? Yuu was strongly reluctant to participate in this.

“Oh…” Crowley said with a disappointed sigh, “And here I was thinking I’d decide not to kick you out again, but if you are so strongly adamant about this I suppose I have no reason to let you stay-”

“ Funa?! ”

Manipulative crow. He probably was just going to throw the cat out as soon as they finished, and Grim was none the wiser to figure that out.

Grim growled, “Fine! FINE! Tsk, you gotta be kiddin’ me, and here I was hopin’ I wouldn’t have to have this human tell me what to do again!”

Yuu herself didn’t want to work with him either. While she respected his grit and determination to achieve his dream, and had also promised to get him into school, she still didn’t like him. His immaturity and complaining was insufferable.

“You better not mess me up, human!” Grim warned Yuu, glaring at her before muttering to himself, “I better be able to attend school after this.”

Crowley chuckled pleasantly, taking out a glass vial of sorts from out of nowhere, “Good, good. Now, a little transmutation potion should do the trick. And-”

“Um, wait a minute, sir,” Yuu suddenly said to which Crowley paused, she cursed herself for being an idiot for interrupting him but went on now that she had already spoken, “What if we accidentally hurt you? Wouldn’t we get in trouble for attacking the principal of a prestigious school?”

The man’s yellow dots blinked several times and he frowned, “I can assure you that nothing either of you could do would possibly hurt me. And besides, I’m giving you my permission. It would hardly be fair or kind of me to give you trouble when I’ve explicitly given my consent.”

Yuu still felt hesitant to go along. He could easily take back his words and she’d be punished for the grave offense of attacking a man in a high position. She didn’t trust him.

Crowley’s frown only seemed to deepen when Yuu didn’t say anything in her uncertainty. 

“Hmm,” Crowley murmured to himself, though Yuu could clearly hear him in the quiet of the building, “I knew you seemed to be fairly more cautious than almost all of my students combined, though I suppose it’s a good thing if you’re to stay here a bit longer.”

Yuu felt Grim tugging at her pant leg and she glanced down in the middle of Crowley’s muttering.

His bright blue eyes stared up into her own with a seriousness she hadn’t been expecting.

“You ain’t going out on your promise already, are ya?” 

The principal paused at that, a curious tilt to his head as he watched Yuu and Grim’s interaction as if he had never seen something like it before.

She gritted her teeth, already regretting this deal she had made with the furry monster. Yuu hadn’t even considered the thought that working to fulfill the end of her deal would mean having to attack a man of high position, even if he said it was okay. In fact, she hadn’t considered any ideas at all. 

How did she intend on helping Grim with getting into school in the first place?

But her shoulders dropped in defeat and she spoke, “Alright, alright. I’ll do it.”

“Yuu,” Crowley said, his tone sounding unexpectedly softer than it had a few seconds ago, “I can see that you don't trust so easily but I will assure you that I am a man of my word. I swear to you that you won't get in trouble and that you won't hurt me, as you say.”

Trying to get my trust, is he now? That’d make it all the more easier for him to find out about herself. Yuu had never been one to rely on another’s promise as it had always been better to do things herself or avoid situations like these. 

But Yuu nodded slowly, she herself had a promise to keep to an unruly little monster and she didn't intend on breaking it.

Seeing as she was agreeable now, Crowley downed the silvery liquid.

In a flash of light, he turned into a ghost but somehow still managed to keep his hat and crow mask. Yuu blinked a couple times in bafflement at the sudden change to the principal’s appearance.

How had he…done that? He called it a transmutation potion?

If he could turn himself into a ghost so easily…could Yuu change her appearance into one that was more boyish? She really needed to know more about this world.

“And so we shall begin!”

Ghost Crowley began to disappear and reappear in a similar fashion to the ghosts that Yuu and Grim had driven out. Grim, who was already worn out by the three ghosts, readied himself to use his magic but waited for Yuu’s directions.

Taking a deep breath, Yuu pushed her fears aside and gave her first direction. 

By the time they had finished, Grim was a panting mess. Yuu herself was beyond exhausted and she had merely been shouting out directions for the cat to follow. She seriously wished to never see a ghost ever again, Yuu was sure she'd start having nightmares about them now. 

Grim groaned, lying his tummy flat on the wooden floor, “Human…why'd ya have to work me so hard? You were talkin’ so fast I thought my head was gonna stop working….”

“Crowley had three ghosts surrounding you at once,” Yuu said with slight irritation, “I had to be quick otherwise we would have lost. Either way, you handled it perfectly fine so stop your complaining.”

Grim glowered at Yuu, “I don't like you.”

“Incredible,” Crowley said in awe, having returned to his original form, “I wouldn't have expected a magicless human to be able to tame a monster as well as you. In fact, I don't believe there are any mages who can bend one to their will the way you have, Yuu.”

Was he trying to soften her up with these compliments? Yuu frowned slightly before speaking, “What do you mean tame? He still has a will of his own, it's not like I really did anything besides telling him where to fire.”

“Ah but you see, that's where you did do something, my dear.” Crowley nodded his head in contemplation, “Yes…I must say, there had been something about you that had caught my attention after the ceremony had ended. Call it…an educator's intuition, if you will.”

Was he talking about her identity? So he had suspected something about her?

Though that didn't explain why he had suddenly wanted to see her and Grim fight ghosts together.

“What do you mean?” Yuu asked hesitantly, fiddling her sleeves with nervous hands. 

“Yuu, if I might be so bold to ask, but did you have any sort of beasts or monsters in your world?” Crowley wondered, tapping his finger on his chin as he awaited her answer. 

Yuu narrowed her eyes at Crowley. What was he trying to figure out from that question? 

She shook her head slowly, “No…we don't have any monsters. Actually, we don't even have magic in my world so it's really quite…plain.”

And miserable too…

“A world which possesses no magic or monsters and yet…hmmm…Then perhaps do you like animals?”

These weren't the questions she'd expect from someone who'd want to figure out her identity. What did learning whether or not she liked animals have to do with anything? Yuu couldn't figure out what could possibly be going on in that head of his, the unpredictability only made her much more on edge.

Yuu answered honestly, “I never had the chance to interact with many animals so I can't really say for sure.”

But Yuu could definitely say that she disliked Grim after he had tried to hurt her at one point and had been incredibly rude to her. So maybe she just didn't like cats. 

Crowley hummed again but nodded, “Then perhaps you just possess a natural skill for a beast master, it's rather impressive for someone with your lack of magic. But that being the case…I wonder…”

His attention shifted, looking away in thought as his wordy ranting turned into indistinguishable muttering. She wished that she wouldn't have to do it but Yuu knew that to get Grim into school, she would have to ask the principal for permission. Asking was the only idea she could come up with and it probably wasn't going to result in anything good. Yuu seriously should have considered another way to get Grim to cooperate with her, this was going to be next to impossible. Not to mention, she hated how uncomfortable it felt to ask this man-who far outranked her in status-for a favor such as this. It was a good thing that Crowley wasn’t aware of her gender-albeit he may be suspecting it- as Yuu could be certain that if he knew, asking for anything would be met with disapproval and anger.

“I beg your pardon, sir,” Yuu said hesitantly,  bringing Crowley out of his stupor, “Can Grim be allowed to…attend your school…please?”

Grim, who'd nearly fallen asleep and had missed most of what Crowley and Yuu had talked about, lurched up.

Crowley was taken aback at her question and he glanced down at Grim, who was now paying full attention, with an expression Yuu could only think of as distaste. She admittedly felt the same.

“ A monster?! Let a monster attend my school?” Crowley shook his head, “I'm afraid that is out of the question.”

That had been the expected answer, it was disappointing all the same. But she needed to fulfill her promise so that she could get the hell out of here. Even if she could manage for Grim not to be kicked off of school grounds again for some time, then that would be enough. At least until Yuu could figure something out and if she couldn't…

“Please, sir…” Yuu said again, “...If anything, could he at least stay?”

“A monster, stay here ?!”

She gritted her teeth, fidgeting with her hands and swallowing nervously, but nodded, “I wouldn’t want to bother you with my troubles should those ghosts come back. In which case, and I apologize for asking since you've clearly been very generous with me already, but could Grim please stay?”

Yuu paused, unsure of what else to say to persuade him. Perhaps there was a weakness that she could target, weaken him in a way that he wouldn't notice but would still give her some results. While he most definitely wouldn't let Grim attend school, there was still a way to let the cat stay. 

“You…” she went on with a sweet innocence that could make even her most serious customer falter at, “you wouldn't be so cruel as to leave a…magicless young boy all alone here, right? You're a kind principal, are you not?”

Generous…

Crowley had merely provided her the bare minimum of food and a hovel for a shelter, which still leaked. And Yuu was more than willing to believe that his “kindness” which he boasted about was all just an act to trick her. But Yuu could play the actress herself should it mean she could get what she wanted. It was just like switching her moods and expressions to bring out a customer’s satisfaction with her entertainment, feeding their ego to make them want to keep coming back to pay for her services. And though Crowley was a terrifying man from a different world, he was a man all the same and no doubt functioned the same as one would in her own world. And from the looks of it, Yuu's words had hit their mark. 

“Yes…yes, I do pride myself on being incredibly kind and generous…hmm,” Crowley murmured, seemingly conflicted with himself. 

Crowley’s mouth was turned down into a frown as he rubbed his chin in contemplation and for a second Yuu believed that it hadn't worked. He was about to speak when suddenly a loud rumbling noise cut in first and Yuu wished she could just melt on the spot in embarrassment. 

“Oh, right you must be hungry. I apologize for keeping you busy while in your state,” said Crowley a tad bit sheepishly. 

Yuu felt her cheeks warm and she pressed her hands to her hungry stomach, silently cursing it for putting her in an awkward situation. And just when Yuu had been about to get an answer from Crowley too. 

“....sorry.”

“Well then, we can continue discussing elsewhere while you eat.”

They went back to the lounge as it was the only place which had somewhere to sit that wasn't broken or about to collapse. Yuu had been the first to sit down on the couch only to chastise herself for not settling in the wooden rocking chair instead. Why did Crowley have to sit next to her?

She edged away from him but decided against standing up and moving to the rocking chair despite her discomfort. 

Looking at the food, Yuu couldn't help but furrow her brows at all the unfamiliar dishes on the tray that had been placed on the short table. But it smelled good and she wasn't one to be rude and not eat what she had been given. Yuu was also a lot hungrier than she had realized, the sudden realization making her all the more eager to dig in. 

The first dish had what looked to be inch sized noodles covered in a warm cheesy sauce. She had been a bit apprehensive at first, but the taste had her eyes going wide. 

“What is this?” Yuu wondered, shoveling more of it into her mouth, cupping her cheek and closing her eyes in delight. 

“Hey, human. That smells good, gimme some!”

Yuu opened her eyes to glare at Grim, who was sitting on her other side to her dismay. He had a hungry look on his face and Yuu held her bowl of food up and out of his reach.

“No.”

“Yuu, dear,” Crowley said, bringing her attention back to him, “Back to the topic at hand, I am loath to ignore your pleas, for you see, I am a very generous person and I would hate for you to think otherwise. And so, I will allow Grim to stay.”

Yuu lowered her bowl without thinking and Grim was too surprised to make a move for it.

“ Really?! ” Grim nearly blasted Yuu’s eardrum with his excitement but this time she wasn’t bothered as she herself felt a bit happy for him, “I can stay here at school! Yahoo! ”

“ However ,” Crowley sternly interrupted the cat’s celebration, “He cannot attend school in any circumstances as he is still a monster and I only admit those who have been selected by the Dark Mirror.”

Yet you couldn’t admit me, though I’m far from unhappy about that…

Grim settled down at that, muttering something under his breath but didn’t argue.

“It also wouldn’t do well for you to freeload off of my kindness until you’re able to return home, Yuu. While I am most kind and generous, I do have my expectations. To which brings me to my next point,” he went on, crossing his leg over his knee in a gentlemanly gesture, “As it was the Dark Mirror that brought you here, the school does bear some responsibility for your well-being. So I will allow you to remain in this dorm, free of charge.”

Yuu scowled at the mention of returning to her world but dismissed her feelings for now as she knew she’d have to stay here for a while until she learned more about Twisted Wonderland. After that, she’d escape and stay as far as possible from Night Raven College and this man who still terrified her to the point she wondered if she’d have nightmares of him. 

“And…about food or clothes?”

She hadn’t failed to notice that he had only mentioned being allowed to stay at this dorm free of charge but nothing else.

“Quite the quick-thinker, aren’t you?” Crowley commented, “Yes, you will have to pay for your own food and essentials, although I will provide you with a set of clothes so you don’t have to remain in those robes. Any extra, you will have to pay for yourself.”

“But I-”

“And as to how you will do so, penniless as you are…hm hm yes, a fine plan indeed…” Crowley began to laugh menacingly and Yuu, who was more than unnerved by this behavior, noticeably shifted to the far end of the couch. 

Crowley stopped abruptly at witnessing Yuu’s reaction and cleared his throat, “...Right, perhaps that wasn’t the best way to approach this with your…distrustfulness of me. But, you needn’t be so alarmed, Yuu, all I’ll ask you to do is do a few odd jobs around campus.” Crowley stood up and made a show of surveying the lounge, “Yes, it seems you are quite adept at the broom as I had thought back in the hallway…though I do have to wonder why you haven’t gotten rid of a single cobweb. Even a dump such as this place- ahem! What I mean is, you’ve managed to do a good job in bringing back some of the life which had been missing from this old building.”

“...All I did was sweep the floor.”

And the building was beyond dead at this point, a little sweeping job wasn’t even scratching the surface of bringing it back to its former glory, whatever it may have been. 

“And so I suggest that you two work together as a janitorial team and I will make the special exception of allowing Grim to stay here, how does that sound?” Crowley’s unpleasant yellow gaze rested on Grim, who had been swiping at Yuu’s dish without her noticing. The cat looked irritated, a deep frown resting on his cute face as he was obviously displeased with this suggestion.

Yuu herself felt reluctant to accept. She’d basically be roaming around a school, her identity hidden, and hoping that no one would catch on. Yuu also dreaded walking into any of the students who had attended the ceremony in which Grim had set aflame, she recalled quite clearly how they didn’t seem to like her. Hiding her identity was one thing but hiding herself entirely was another when she’d be literally working on the school grounds, out in the open to encounter anyone.

Grim whined, “What?! What kinda a deal is that?! Hmph, I don’t wanna clean up after a bunch of lazy stupid kids, I wanna put on those sweet uniforms and be a student!”

“Well then I suppose I have no reason to allow you to stay. I can arrange to have you swiftly thrown out once again, and I assure you that you wouldn’t be able to come back so easily this time, Grim,” Crowley said pleasantly despite the clear threat in his words.

“ Myah?! ” Grim slouched against the back of the couch, his little paws crossed over his chest in a pout, “Fine. Fine, I’ll do it…hmph.”

“And Yuu?”

The principal looked at her but his tone had gone softer for whatever reason. 

Did she have a choice in the matter? If Crowley wasn’t going to provide food after today, then Yuu would have to do this to pay for it herself. But if this meant she could roam free on campus…then maybe…

“Would…would I be able to use the library?” Yuu asked before coming up with an excuse so that he wouldn’t grow suspicious of her, “I-If I can use the library, I’d be able to research ways of returning home and I’d be out of your way soon. Would that be possible, sir?”

As if…

Yuu had no intentions on researching anything about returning back to Li. In fact, she’d probably “accidentally” throw away any sort of book that’d mention world traveling just to give her more time to get her bearings on this new world. After that…

Oh…but there was still the promise she had made to Grim. Technically speaking, Grim was only able to stay on the school grounds because he’d be with Yuu. If she left, would the cat be kicked out soon after? 

This promise was likely going to be the death of her if she didn’t figure a way to fulfill it soon.

“I will permit it,” Crowley replied, “However, you may only use it after you have finished with your tasks. Does that sound reasonable to you?”

Yuu could care less about the tasks she’d have to complete. Getting knowledge was all that mattered right now and she’d clean a hundred-even two hundred-windows if that was what it took, so this was more than enough for her. In fact, Yuu didn’t think she had ever been this lucky. When had fate decided to grant her a mountainous amount of luck? It almost felt too good to be true.

She nodded quickly, unable to hide her eagerness, “That works with me.”

A wide grin spread across Crowley’s face and he placed his hands on his hips, “Very well. Then I implore you both to work hard as the newest members of Night Raven College’s janitorial staff!”

Yuu could only hope that her luck wouldn’t go downhill from here.

Chapter Text

Everything felt muted. As if being in the center of an ocean with no land on its horizon, where waves crashed and sanity fell into its endless dark depths. There was an insistent gravity of a necessity that drowned out the rest of the world, a sensation that there was a matter of utmost importance that required immediate attention. It would have been simpler to say that Yuu felt she had to do something, and quickly, lest the time run out and it’d be too late. But too late for what?

Yuu could make out sounds yet they were nothing but a faded buzzing noise that itched at her ears, and bright colors and lights had merged together to dull her vision into nothing.  It reminded her of the time that hand had pulled her into the mirror and what had happened afterwards before arriving at the coffin room. With all the sounds roaring in her ears and images that she couldn't distinguish flashing before her eyes. At that time, it had felt like a theatrical performance, where she was merely the lone spectator watching as the indistinguishable scenes played on. But now she was standing, and her heart was racing with adrenaline. She wasn't the spectator now but was involved in this performance, a performance that Yuu didn't understand and one which she couldn't even see. And she was the main lead. 

Somebody was talking but Yuu couldn’t make out a single word amongst the chaos that raged in her ears, however she could recognize an urgency in their voice as they spoke to her. Yes, they were speaking to her but she didn't know why. They sounded desperate.

They were asking her to do something. Asking…? No, that wasn't the right word. Whoever was speaking to Yuu, they were commanding her to do something. But she couldn't see anything or hear clearly, she didn't know what was wrong. And what could Yuu possibly do to help anyone? She was just a mere courtesan, not some heroic war soldier coming back from a victorious battle. 

“What's going on?” Was what Yuu wished to say but even her words were frozen in this dreary scene. The fear of uncertainty hovered over her like the impending blade of a sharpened guillotine, threatening to slice away her sanity in two as easily as ripping a piece of paper. Her mind didn't know what was happening, but her heart seemed to say differently. It beat furiously in her chest, calling out to her in an urgent cry to act now! This unknown fear that was only growing bigger was also making it harder for Yuu to calm down amidst the crashing waves of disaster, and the ominous feeling that the sand in her hourglass was nearly finished. 

She could hear the person still speaking, their voice getting louder but somehow growing more dull as if they were shouting from across a large field. The louder the person spoke, the more they sounded much more far away and Yuu wished to reach out, to grab and bring them closer so that she could hear properly. 

“What are you trying to say?” Yuu wanted to ask, to blindly shout in this nonsensical situation. Attempting to move her body resulted in nothing. Frozen to the spot, her feet remained planted on the ground of which she could not see. 

She couldn't move. And she couldn't talk. Not only that but seeing and hearing had become nearly impossible. Yuu couldn't do anything. She wished to move, to do something about this persistent ache in her heart, but it was to no avail as Yuu remained still on the spot. Not even her tiniest finger could budge an inch no matter how hard she tried. This person needed Yuu’s help, though she had to wonder why it had to be her of all people, and yet she could only stand still. 

Why couldn't she move? Or more importantly, why was she so useless?

Would the performance end before Yuu could deliver her last line? Would the applause be as deafening as the noise that raged in her ears or would she be met with a deathly silence. Would there even be an audience by the time the last scene finished?

The time was running out and all she could do was stand around and do nothing! It was getting worse, all the sounds and bright lights, they were all growing more intense and threatening to consume her. She needed to do something! It was her role as the main lead of this performance to solve the conflict, to come out victorious. 

She needed…she needed to….to….

“Wakey wakey shakey shakey! Hahaha!"

“You're gonna be late on the first day heeheehee! Don't wanna get in trouble on the first day of the job!”

“Better get up soon or else you might never wake up again hehehehehe!”

Oh, that's right!

She needed to wake up!

Yuu startled awake in bed with a gasping jolt, eyes opening to come face to face with a ghost that hovered over her. She blinked once and then a second time in stunned silence.

“Ahhhhhh!” Yuu tumbled out of bed with a scream, pulling the covers down onto the ground with her and causing Grim-who had been sleeping on the far end of the mattress and on top of the covers-to wake up in a similar startled manner. 

“Myah?! What's goin’ on?! Who's there?!”

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” All three ghosts exploded into raging fits of laughter, all swirling around with unending glee at the girl and cat. 

An irritated growl was emanating from Grim and he tried swatting at the largest of the three ghosts. “Ya showed up last night before we went to bed too! Why ya gotta keep hangin’ around us, huh?! And I thought we had driven you out for good!” Grim snapped, his mood completely soured at having been woken up so abruptly. Yuu as well sported a rather unhappy scowl on her face as she sat up on the ground, still wearing her ceremonial robes, and her butt aching from having fallen on the hardwood floor. It also didn’t help that she had woken with a rather sharp ache in her head, and Yuu was sorely rubbing at her temples trying to soothe the pain as she tried to remember what she had been dreaming about. It had been such a strange dream…and it had all but faded away like sand falling through fingers. 

It probably wasn’t important.

The three ghosts had shown up again last night after Yuu and Grim had supposedly driven them away. But before the two could try and drive the ghosts away again, they had confessed to only joking with them. Apparently, the ghosts had a rather bad sense of humour and Yuu was more than suspicious of their true intentions. But whatever the case, they were adamant at staying and it was true that the three ghosts had yet to hurt them. It made Yuu bitter at the fact that she had made a promise with a badly behaved cat in the hopes of being rid of this ghost infestation. She'd feel much better of herself if these ghosts would at least try to harm them so Yuu wouldn't feel her promise was made for no reason. Even so, her fear of them remained.

“Awww, don't be like that!” The small ghost said.

"But anyways, we should get to know each other better seeing as you two will be staying with us,” the larger ghost added with a swirl in the air, “We're practically dorm mates now hehehe.”

“Dorm mates…” Yuu repeated slowly.

She stood back up, brushing the dirt off the clothes she had worn to bed. Unfortunately, she hadn't been able to find any spares in the dusty old closets of the building and so she had settled with wearing the ceremonial robe. It wasn’t ideal as wearing outdoor clothes to bed was dislikeable but with these worn out blankets, Yuu figured she'd rather stay warm. Her shoes were tucked under her bed so she pulled them out to wear them once more. It’d be even better if she could have a pair of indoor slippers to wear around the building but she figured that’d be something she’d have to purchase herself.

“Did the headmaster say you were supposed to wear that on the job?” The skinny ghost came up beside Yuu, who noticeably stiffened and a cold sweat gathered at the back of her neck.

Yuu replied tensely, “Apparently he said he’d bring me another set of clothes, I’m guessing I’d be wearing that on the job. Anything else, I’ll have to pay for on my own.”

“Why not use the stuff in the closets?”

The small ghost answered his bigger friend's question, “Those old rags? They've been eaten away by moths for decades, our little friend here would walk out only for it to fall apart.”

The three ghosts exchanged comical glances, clearly finding the scenario amusing.

Suddenly, she heard a rather loud knock at the front doors that practically shook the entire building. The three spirited figures swiftly disappeared amongst the dust that now flew up into the air because of the resounding knock at the entrance.

“Myah! All this dust is just flying up, who’d even come here so early in the morning anyways!” Grim exclaimed, jumping off the bed to run over to the entrance, and Yuu ruffled out any upstuck ends of hair as she followed after him. 

“Good morning, I do hope you slept well,” Headmaster Crowley said cheerfully the moment Yuu opened the door. He was carrying a similar tray of food on top of a pile of clothes that she immediately understood was for her.

Grim was standing beside Yuu, his arms crossed over his chest with a frown, “You expect us to sleep well in this dump? I kept thinkin’ the old bed would collapse while I slept or that the ceiling would start leaking over us. And what’s worse is those ghosts didn’t actually leave for good and they woke us up.” 

Yuu had also had trouble sleeping, it hadn’t been until early morning that she had managed to fall asleep as her mind had been running nonstop with all sorts of worries. And then when she finally did manage to sleep, she had been woken up by the three ghosts who had interrupted her strange dream.

“Ah, yes the world can be cruel at times. But as they say, you suck it up and move on!” Crowley replied with misplaced enthusiasm to which Grim then muttered something bitterly under his breath, most likely a complaint.

“Now, as a token of my generosity, I’ve decided to bring breakfast along with some extra clothes,” Crowley handed the folded set to Yuu as well as a pair of shoes, “And I believe we must discuss what sort of tasks you two will be doing around campus for today, I also have some other details that I must disclose to you so let’s head to the lounge.”

Yuu glanced down at the set of clothes the headmaster had handed off to her, “Should I change into these now?”

“That can be done after you’ve eaten and we’ve spoken, my dear.”

She nodded, leading the way to the lounge and settling in the rocking chair so that she could sit by herself this time. The extra set of clothes now lay in her lap neatly as she awaited Crowley to begin explaining their tasks for the day. Crowley placed the tray of food on the table, two dishes for both Yuu and Grim, the cat was eager to snatch his plate, eating on the sofa with a ravenous look in his eyes.

“To begin with,” Crowley cleared his throat, “I intended for you two to clean campus today; however I understand that without magic, it'd be an impossible task and so I'll only assign you to clean the areas spanning from the front gates to the library for today.”

He pulled out a folded piece of parchment from his pants pocket, holding it out to Yuu who gingerly took it. Unfolding the paper, it was revealed to be a map of the school grounds on one side and the school layout on the other.

She furrowed her brows, “Front gates? Where are the…? Oh, I think I see it.”

The small picture of an iron fence was visible on the map, the path leading from it to the castle was a long one and Yuu had to wonder how long it’d take to clean its entirety. 

“Yes, and for the necessary equipment, you'll be able to find them in the Janitor's room of which I've permitted you two to have access to. I'll also allow you to use them should you wish to properly clean Ramshackle in your free time,” he explained, before muttering under his breath, “Even so, I don't believe you'd need such tools to clean the webs covering every inch of this place….”

Looking at the map, Yuu couldn't help but feel slightly bewildered at it all. The campus was most definitely huge, Crowley was right to assume it'd be impossible to clean its entirety. She didn't even think that if she did have magic that she could clean it on her own. However, one thing that confused her was that there were no other buildings like Ramshackle. Her assumption was that the other students resided in similar “dorms” that were much better in terms of caretaking and furnishing. But looking at the map, Yuu had to wonder where all these students stayed as there wasn't any sort of building with the label of those strange dorm titles. 

“Now, Yuu,” Crowley said, bringing her attention back to his standing form, “As it was you who asked for Grim to stay, I am going to give you another task on top of the ones you'll be completing.”

Yuu could already tell she wasn't going to like this next task. 

Crowley went on, “I am going to assign you the duty of supervising Grim and ensuring that he doesn't cause anymore trouble on campus. As he is a monster, I can't just have him wandering around on his own due to safety reasons for my students…as well as possible damage costs to the school.”

“Hmph, I don't need some dumb human to supervise me,” Grim grumbled, his plate of food already finished and he tried to make a grab for Yuu’s before she snatched it away. He glared at her, “You better not slow me down, got it!?”

Yuu had already woken up with a headache and now she had to watch over Grim…this felt like a disaster waiting to happen.

“... I'll do my best,” Yuu said anyway, picking at her food with her mood soured. 

“Excellent,” Crowley cheered, clapping his hands, “And to ensure that you two will be fed, you may use the cafeteria and I will provide a…payment in advance for the week. You may use it to purchase lunch at the cafeteria. And there is also a shop on campus that you can buy ingredients from to make dinner with. As for the rest of the time that you'll be staying here, you'll be provided a weekly allowance of that same amount as I am truly a most gracious and kind headmaster. Yes, yes, I myself am almost moved to tears with how generous I've been.”

“Payment in advance?” Yuu wondered, watching as Crowley held out a couple of bills to which she took. Yuu examined the paper bills, not familiar with this world's currency and she had to wonder if this would actually be enough to buy a week's worth of food. 

“Ah, right. We call our currency madol. And this should all be enough for…um…well at least a good week, I would think.”

Yuu had the inclination to believe that this wasn’t actually enough for a week, she’d have to find some other way to earn money if this was all that Headmaster would give her. But it was most definitely better than nothing. Yuu stood from her seat, putting her plate of food on the table before bowing. 

“Thank you very much, Headmaster Crowley,” she said, “I'll do my best to work hard.”

Physical work wasn’t her strongest suit but she was diligent, it was a skill she had acquired from her strict training as a courtesan as Yuu had been determined to up her rank to increase her worth and value. Whether it had been with practicing her instrument or learning poetry, she had put in all her efforts to achieve perfection. It would be no different than cleaning the campus grounds and Yuu had no intention of slacking off.

“Splendid." It appeared he was about to leave but then he paused, his eyes narrowed for a moment.

Crowley spoke under his breath as he tapped his finger against his chin in contemplation, "I really wonder if someone without magic who seems so...flimsy looking would be alright on my campus. Eh, it'll work out, I'm sure."

Yuu had the urge to ask what he meant but then the Headmaster clapped his hands.

"Well then, I will bid the both of you farewell. I look forward to seeing your results!"

With a dutiful nod, the headmaster strode out of the lounge and Yuu heard the doors open and close, making the dust on the floor rise up at the tremors that it had caused. 

The next hour was spent getting ready for the day, Yuu had locked herself in the bathroom to get changed in private as she didn’t want those ghosts popping up and discovering her gender. And Grim, he was down in the lounge finishing off Yuu’s meal that she had left half-eaten as she had been too nervous about today to eat it all. Placing her new clothes on the counter, she lifted up the pants before furrowing her brows. She had to wonder if Crowley had simply dug out whatever extras he had had and decided to give it to her because these clothes were simply too big.

“This isn’t going to fit me…”

“ This is main street?”

Yuu blinked at the sight of the stone path leading towards the main campus, the large building with its spiraling towers reaching for the bright blue sky. 

She could already feel her headache coming back  as she stared down the stone path with a bit of a scowl, having walked a far distance from the Ramshackle building to get all the way here. It didn't help in the slightest that she had been struggling to sleep the entire night, both because of Grim’s incessant sleep talking on the far edge of the mattress and her own fears. And then on top of that, once Yuu had finally managed to fall asleep, those three ghosts had come back to scare them awake. 

“I didn't get to see much of it yesterday,” Grim said, walking beside Yuu on his hind legs with wide eyes filled with wonder, “But this place is incredible! And that big castle up ahead…ahhh it's so cool!”

Castle? Like a palace?

Yuu stopped to look at the main campus, the castle, of which it certainly didn't diminish in presence even from afar. She had to wonder if this place truly was bigger than the imperial palace back in Li because it could definitely compete in size. “It certainly looks a lot bigger in the daytime,” Yuu murmured thoughtfully but then shook her head to put a pause to her staring. Sightseeing could wait until after Yuu and Grim had finished their tasks for the day. 

She was holding a bucket full of cleaning tools and a rag while her other hand held the same broom she had used back at Ramshackle. 

Yuu couldn’t help but wonder how she must look from somebody else’s eyes. A young man with unevenly cut hair, wearing an untucked baggy button up shirt and pants which were rolled up to keep from being tripped on. Had it not been for the weathered belt that Crowley had given to her, that was now tied around her waist, Yuu was certain these pants would have fallen down already. Her shoes were fairly decent, surprisingly they fit her quite well and were comfortable that Yuu felt she'd be able to run a good distance in them. But Yuu could almost imagine her sisters throwing a fit at how disheveled and disorderly she had become.

Yuu herself was also slightly disappointed that her clothes weren't as beautiful as before, resorted to wearing basically second hand clothing that did nothing to show off her figure. Though Yuu supposed that was a good thing. Whether or not Crowley had realized it, he had given her the perfect disguise to wear and Yuu was beyond grateful for it. The only thing Yuu had been left to do was to tightly bind her chest with a makeshift binder she had created from cutting up pieces of the ragged curtains in her room. She had made sure to do it when she was alone.

It was a good thing that she wasn't fairly big in terms of breast size as it would have been nearly impossible to get her chest to appear seemingly flat like a boy. It was the one of the few features about her that the madam had considered a flaw, excluding Yuu’s habit of fidgeting nervously, since a woman who had a more voluptuous and curvaceous body was much more desirable. But now that Yuu was intentionally hiding her gender, her smaller chest was a blessing, not that she had ever thought it hadn't been. 

The makeshift binder was admittedly a bit tight, far more than Yuu would have liked that it made breathing a bit of uncomfortable. But so long as she could pass off as a boy for the time being then Yuu would tolerate the discomfort for as long as she had to.

“By the way, what's with these statues?” Yuu questioned with mild curiosity, eyeing the seven stone figures on tall pedestals that looked down onto the path. Most of them looked rather unusual, like the woman with tentacles for legs or the man whose hair appeared to be flaming. There was even a lion. A lion. Why…why was there a lion amongst these statues? She’d want to say it seemed out of place but all these statues were strange in their own way that Yuu figured she shouldn’t dwell on it.

“I dunno but they all look kinda scary.” Grim paused to look up at the statue of a short woman, dressed in a foreign gown who sported a smug grin. Her head had an upwards tilt as if carrying an arrogance that let her look down on others who'd displease her. “Like this lady looks like she's got some real anger issues,” Grim said plainly as if it were an actual fact. 

Yuu furrowed her brows at his comment, looking up to examine the woman herself.

“She does seem…important.” Yuu’s eyes flicked to the crown which topped the woman's head, “I wonder who she is-”

“You mean you don't know who the Queen of Hearts is?” 

Both Yuu and Grim turned to find a student at the other end of the stone path approaching them. The path had been surprisingly empty of students when she and the cat had first arrived, which Yuu had been more than happy about, up until now. It seemed that people were heading for their first class of the day and that this student was too, it made her wonder why he had stopped to talk to them. The teenage boy had fluffy looking hair the color of a ripe persimmon with bright scarlet eyes, and there was a strange looking mark of two bumps and a pointed tip at the bottom on the corner of his eye. Yuu had never seen that symbol before and she wondered if it had anything to do with this world’s magic. 

His clothes were unfamiliar to Yuu but they looked fairly well made-she couldn’t help but feel envious at how nice his uniform was in comparison to the baggy clothes Crowley had given her-he also had an armband wrapped around his left bicep, a red piece of fabric with a black stripe in the middle.

“Hearts?” Yuu wondered under her breath, looking back up at the stone woman, “I don’t see any hearts…”

Though she did notice that whatever the figure held in her hand had the same symbol that decorated the boy’s eye. Grim was now speaking to the student, “Queen of Hearts? Is she some sorta big deal or somethin’?”

“Of course. She was a Queen who lived in a maze-like garden of roses a long, long time ago.” The student crossed his arms over his chest as he too turned his gaze up to the statue, explaining, “She was a strict woman who valued order above all. Any sort of rule-breaking, no matter how small, was not allowed and every task had to be done to complete perfection without a single flaw. All her soldiers had to remain in a perfect line, every rose had to be painted completely red and she wouldn’t settle for anything less.  And not one of her subjects dared to defy her.”

Yuu was aware of how empresses and other royal women could be strict and demanding, it couldn’t have been any different then how the madam back at the Verdigris House had also been. It seemed that Twisted Wonderland was also similar in this manner by the way this student was speaking. Though Yuu was curious what the king was like, if he was just as powerful and intimidating.

She turned her attention back to the student, her curiosity getting the better of her, “Why did none of her subjects defy her?”

A sinister grin crossed the boy’s good-looking face, his expression making Yuu feel a bit unpleasant, “You wanna know why? Hm hm, it’s because the punishment for disobeying her was… immediate beheading !”

She blinked with mild surprise but it mostly had to do with his energetic response, it merely seemed misplaced as he was basically talking about executions.

Grim flinched, “Wah! Beheading?! That's kinda messed up!”

“I can sort of understand,” Yuu commented, observing the Queen high up on her stone pedestal, “Disobeying a direct order from one with authority…it could sometimes be seen as a betrayal, or an insult to those of higher ranking. Beheading is the extreme punishment…but this woman’s a Queen, a person of high ranking. To disobey her in the first place would be a fool’s choice.”

Grim gave her an odd look, “W-Well…when you say it like that…”

“Yeah, it's pretty cool isn't it?” The student marveled, his eyes filled with deep admiration for the Queen who stood over them on her stone pedestal. 

Cool…? His manner of speech was very informal. Yuu didn’t need to figure out much more from that to realize this boy was nobody special-not royalty or of a higher rank.

“I mean, no one would bother to obey a queen who was nice all the time, you know?” 

That did make sense. She could imagine how many sly government officials and nobles would take advantage of an overly generous and nice ruler. Somebody who was strict and dealt discipline when necessary would be able to receive far more respect than somebody who was not. Not to mention that they'd probably live longer too.

Grim nodded slowly, “Yeah, I guess you're right. A good leader needs to be strong. Ah.” The cat paused, “By the way, who even are you?”

“Ace,” the boy replied, a cheerful smile on his face, “Ace Trappola, I'm a first year at this school, as of today! Nice to meetcha!”

A first year? 

“And I'm Grim,” the cat said, putting his furry little paws on his hips, “I’m a magical prodigy who's gonna become the Greatest Mage who's ever lived.”

Did Ace notice them by any chance? The ceremony last night was supposed to welcome new students to the school, wouldn't that mean that this student had been there? He had also come up to them for no reason and started talking, was there something that he wanted from them? 

Grim pointed at Yuu, “And this useless kid-who's far less interesting-is my hench-human, Yuu.”

Yuu frowned at his words, since when had she become his ‘hench-human’? 

“Yuu? It's got an odd ring to it…”

She nodded her head, unsure if she was supposed to bow in respect but decided against it as Ace hadn't done so either. 

“...Nice to meet you,” she said stiffly, wondering if this student remembered her from the ceremony.

“Huh, you know you got like a really girly voice, what’s up with that? And you're so short too.” 

He wasn't that much taller than her though and she was physicially trying to speak in a lower voice...

Yuu cleared her throat nervously, “I’m a bit of a…um late bloomer, you could say. I'm still growing so hopefully...I'll be taller.”

“Ah, that makes sense, there's a lotta guys here like that. Honestly, you kinda remind me of this one kid I met at orientation last night-”

“Hey, hey! Tell me, Ace, is that lion with the scar also someone famous?” Grim cut in, now directing Ace’s attention from Yuu to the large feline statue. 

“Yup! That's the King of Beasts.”

She abandoned her lurking suspicions and wariness of Ace to gaze up at the lion statue with confusion. King …? A lion king? Maybe Yuu was sleep deprived, but she could have sworn Ace had just called that lion a king. 

Ace went on, “He was the ruler of the Savanna but he wasn't born into the throne. Because of the order of his birth, he had to win the throne by working hard and thorough preparation to get it.”

The way this student described it, Yuu would have imagined this lion “king” had to have a lot of perseverance and dedication to earn his title. But she wondered what sort of schemes a lion would come up with, as well as how a monarchy run by an animal could even work. 

She had to settle on the idea that it all had to do with magic. “...I wonder what sort of competition he had to go up against to have to work so hard like that,” Yuu mumbled thoughtfully, “A brother maybe?”

“And then when he did become king, he decreed that the hyenas would no longer be outcasts, but instead let them live amongst his subjects as equals.”

Hyenas? Why were the hyenas outcasts in this kingdom? Was it something that they did or was it merely the status of their existence, like how it was for Yuu? 

“Hmm, he sounds like a great guy! Not everyone can look past social statuses like that!” Grim commented, nodding his head thoughtfully. 

A king who looked past social status. Would there ever be an emperor in Li who could look past them as this lion had? How could an animal be more progressive than the people who ran her country? 

“And what about that lady? The one with the octopus legs?”

The lady in question did indeed have eight tentacles as well as a wide grin on her face, it looked far more sinister now that Yuu paid more attention to it. She held out a scroll in her hand and Yuu could squint and faintly see the bold inscriptions written on them, but there was nothing that she could decipher on it. 

Wonder what the parchment is for…

“Is she a Queen too?” Yuu wondered, “She looks like she led a very bountiful and healthy life given her more plump figure.”

“That’s the Sea Witch who lived in the underwater grotto,” Ace explained and Yuu blinked at his words before realizing he truly had said “underwater” and “sea witch”.

“Sea…witch?” Yuu repeated in confusion, “You mean she lived underwater ?”

“Yup and she basically devoted her life to helping troubled merfolk out of the goodness of her heart.” Ace nodded seriously, “For a price, she could fulfill anyone’s dreams and desires. Whether it be changing your appearance, finding love or anything else, she could do it. It was also said that her price was pretty hefty, but it makes sense when you consider that she was basically making wishes come true. Apparently she even helped a mermaid princess fulfill her dream of coming up on land.”

Merfolk .

Yuu knew of the merfolk that'd been told to her as tales back when she was just a child, mythological stories that had depicted these underwater creatures as tragic and malicious beasts with an almost demonic appearance. But from what Ace was saying and from the look of this statuesque woman, merfolk didn't seem to be as creepy as Yuu had believed. At least with the merfolk in this world.

Grim was deeply ingrained in this conversation as he energetically moved onto the next statue, a man holding a snakelike staff, “And how bout that dude? The one with the very big hat, who’s he?”

“That’s the Sorcerer of the Sands. He was the advisor to a dunce of a sultan but he was extremely cunning and perceptive. He managed to discover the true identity of a prince who had tricked the princess into falling in love with him, apparently the prince had actually been a street thief too,” Ace went on speaking.

“A sultan?”

“A king basically.”

“...How would a street thief have the ability to trick a princess?” Yuu wondered, speaking under her breath, “It sounds like the Sorcerer was probably the only intelligent person around if not even the sultan could have noticed.”

“They also say that the Sorcerer of the Sands had a magic lamp that had made him into the greatest sorcerer in the world and then he was able to become the sultan himself.”

“ Greatest Sorcerer in the world?” Grim’s eyes looked like gems with how brightly they sparkled, “Guess it’s true that a mage needs to be an excellent judge of character, huh? Now how about this one, this beauty over here?”

She looked at the fifth statue. A tall woman who appeared to be very beautiful and stern, she held what looked to be an apple dipped in some sort of liquid. 

“She’s a queen who was said to be the fairest in all the land. She had a magic mirror that she’d use to check her status and ranking, but it was said that if anyone dared to take her place then she’d do anything to get it back.”

Yuu nodded with a solemn face, “That sounds about normal…other than the mirror part.”

It sounded like some of the women in Yuu’s own world. Doing anything to remain beautiful and keep the only sort of advantage they had in a cold and merciless world. 

“Can you imagine how much dedication it would take to keep a record like that?” Ace added, “Not to mention, she’s supposed to be like a master at making poisons.”

Grim frowned slightly before speaking, “That sounds kinda scary.”

“You think so? I think it’s pretty neat, plus you gotta respect the hustle.”

“Y-Yeah, I guess…sounds like she was really good at fighting hard for what she wanted, and never gave up! But now that guy, the one with the flaming head, that guy looks terrifying!”

“Haha- ahem . Yeah, that’s the King of the Underworld,” the orange haired boy answered and Yuu glanced at him briefly, wondering if she had imagined him snickering. But when Yuu looked, Ace seemed as pleasant as ever as he went on with his explanation, “He single-handedly ruled a kingdom that was packed with a bunch of wild spirits.”

For a second, Yuu could imagine such a kingdom and an intense shiver slithered down her spine. She very much disliked the idea of a kingdom full of spirits and ghosts. Yuu happened to be sleeping in a building that housed three, the ones she had thought had gone away for good but apparently not, she couldn't imagine an entire kingdom of them. 

“He might seem scary but he was a reliable guy, he worked tirelessly at a job he never even wanted. What’s even more cool is that he was the one who ordered Cerberus, the Hydra and the Titans into battling for him.”

“...I haven’t a clue as to what a Cerberus or Hydra is…I don’t think I’d want to either,” Yuu muttered under her breath but Grim spoke over her, making it impossible to hear her, “ Wow . That’s seriously something. And t’think he could have that much power and not let it get to his head! I wanna one day be that powerful then I could order more than just one measly dumb human! Now what about that last one, the one with the horns?”

Grim had to get a dig in, didn’t he? 

The last statue was of another woman. All of the figures had held an air of power and arrogance but this statue was on an entirely different level altogether. She looked cold and aloof, with that stern expression on her stone face, and the grand horns that sprouted from her head made her seem all the more terrifying and powerful.

It was now that Yuu came to the realization that more than half of these statues depicted a woman, and ones who seemed to be revered and given admiration. And it was understandable given that they all appeared to possess great power and had some status of royalty or a similar standing. 

“That’s the Thorn Fairy who was said to live on a mystical mountain,” Ace described the horned figure effortlessly, “She was noble and elegant, and a master of magic and curses-even by the standards of these seven! She was able to summon severe storms and could cover an entire kingdom in thorns. She was even able to turn into a dragon.”

“...I’m still trying to wrap my head around the concept of magic…” Yuu said to herself quietly, “And now this…”

“It’s pretty cool, isn’t it?” Ace exhaled with a bit of a fond expression, not having heard what Yuu said, but then it changed, “ Not like some pathetic weasel and random short ass kid .”

“........”

“W-What?!” Grim sputtered.

Ace snickered before suddenly bursting into fits of laughter, doubling over and holding his stomach as if this was the funniest thing he had ever seen in his life. Yuu stiffened at the complete switch in his attitude, and she was starting to understand now. She had to admit, Yuu had been wary to begin with when Ace had come up to them in the first place. And it seemed she was right that he had some sort of ulterior motive to speak to them. 

“I…I can’t hold it back anymore!” Ace cracked up, wiping tears in his eyes from laughing so hard before giving her and Grim an insufferable sneering grin, “Aren’t you the ones who made orientation such a disaster? The magicless kid that the Dark Mirror summoned by accident and the dumb monster who nobody summoned at all. You guys were so lame it literally took everything I had not to start laughing my ass off right in the middle of the ceremony! Ahahahahahaha!”

Her hands tightened on the broom and bucket at the sound of Ace’s abrasive laughter.

Grim snapped angrily, voicing Yuu’s own thoughts, “Oi! You ain’t gotta be a jerk about it!”

Ace eyed the bucket and broom that Yuu was holding and started laughing again, “Damn, so then none of you got admitted?! And you’re janitors now?! What, did you beg the Headmaster to stay, even when you can’t be a student? Are you that desperate? Pfft, wow , seriously how lame can you get?! I’d rather just go home at that point!”

Was that how it would seem to others-that Yuu was still here because she would take whatever position that would allow her to stay at such a prestigious school? Even if it meant being a janitor?

But Yuu didn’t care about the status of this well-known school and she didn’t want to be a student-that was all Grim, not her. The only time she had begged Crowley was to let Grim stay on campus, not to mention the Headmaster had already been allowing her to remain without her having to ask. 

Even so, Yuu could at least give Ace some credit for his audacity at coming up to someone he knew nothing about and making comments as if he knew everything. Perhaps ignorance truly was bliss, how else would that explain the expression of delight scrawled all over the boy’s youthful features-even as it all derived at her and Grim’s expense.

“What…did you just say?!” Grim seethed, his chest puffing with barely contained rage.

Unlike him, Yuu hid her feelings well-only a slight downwards tilt to her lips was the only sign of her indignation.

“And you guys knew nothing about the Great Seven, didn’t even know who they were . Maybe you should go back to preschool before coming here, you know maybe then you could actually have a chance at getting into this school.” Ace put in another jab and she could hear Grim beginning to growl, a ferocious glare on his cat-like face. The student proceeded towards Yuu, who instinctively took a step back, before smirking in her face, “Though you’re probably better off where you’re at, I’d hate to think of ever going to school with someone as stupid as you.”

He gave her shoddy outfit and messy hair a onceover before snickering again and something inside Yuu flickered.

Discomfort and nervous at his close proximity and rash speech. But more so something else…

Who was Ace to speak to her in that way? He wasn’t some impressive military officer with years of experience and knowledge-no, he was just a boy. Even so, fueling the situation would only make it worse and she would rather avoid drawing any attention to her especially while here on campus. Attention would only start trouble. And potentially getting on the bad side of a student, one from a prestigious school, was also the last thing Yuu wanted. 

“I'm sorry if I’ve offended you at all by my ignorance,” Yuu said quietly, trampling her pride and feelings in the hope that Ace would lose interest and leave. “I’ll try my best to be more educated about things like this.”

It seemed to have worked as Ace scoffed, “What a wimp. Do you usually just let people walk all over you?” The student then casually shrugged, putting his hands behind his head with a smug look, “Well whatever, just wanted to tease you a bit and man am I glad I did. It’s been a blast. But since I’ve actually got classes to get to, unlike you two, I’ll let you get back to cleaning up our trash. Ha, see ya!”

The student turned away to continue on his way to the main building.

Yuu let out a sigh, “Grim, let’s go.”

Grim looked about to burst with rage, “Myah! And just forget what he said?! And you’re just gonna take what he says without fighting back?!”

“I’d rather not cause a scene and possibly anger the Headmaster.”

“Fine then. You run away like the dumb human you are! But I’m not gonna let that punk get away now!”

Before Yuu could blink, Grim had shot a large blue flame spiraling for Ace’s feet and she barely registered herself dropping her cleaning tools in her shock. The student exclaimed loudly in surprise, jumping back when the blue flame scorched the spot just where he was about to step.

“What the?!”

“Hmph! Don’t think you can walk away after making fun of me , the Great Grim and Master of Fire! I’ll make that dumb explodey-head of yours explode all over again, ya hear me!” Grim yelled, Yuu made a grab for the cat to get him to stop but he ran away to approach Ace, standing up but barely reaching the student’s knee. 

Ace was taken aback, “ Explodey-head?! You wanna talk about hair? Why don’t I shave ya till you're a wrinkly sphynx cat, huh?”

He pulled out an item from the pocket on his jacket, the same sort of odd looking paint brush that Yuu had seen Riddle and Azul wield back in the coffin room. Its gem was the same sparkling red color as Riddle’s and with the sun now shining brightly in the clear sky, it seemed to glow even more brilliant.

“Though unlike your wimpy friend, you’ve got guts-I’ll give you that,” Ace said tauntingly, “But you really wanna fight, midget? There’s a reason I got into this school and you didn’t, you know.” 

Another bright blue blast of Grim’s fire was sent towards Ace, this time directed straight for the student’s head.

“Grim!” Yuu finally spoke up, her voice ringing clear, “Don’t cause anymore trouble, don’t you remember what Headmaster Crowley said?”

“ Myah ! I don’t care! I’m gonna smoke his stupid mouth off his face!”

“Whose mouth are you calling stupid?!” Ace said with a wave of his paint brush, summoning a gust of wind to deter the pathway of Grim’s attack, “Ha! How you like that, huh?”

“Myah! That's not fair, he's blowin’ away my attacks off course!”

“Then maybe stop attacking, Grim,” Yuu reasoned, “Just let it go.”

“Never!”

“ Is there a fight going on over there? ”

Curses ….

“ Haha, sweet, a fight on the first day of school! ” 

“ Yeah! Get the little weasel! ”

Students were crowding around the fighting duo like the audience to a theatrical performance, and almost all of them were cheering on Ace who kept deflecting Grim’s attacks. The energetic swarm of teenage boys paid no attention to Yuu who they had nudged past to get a better view of the scene.  

What if someone got hurt? What if Headmaster Crowley showed up right now? He had specifically told her to keep Grim on a tight leash but what good was a leash that was easily burned off? Yuu remembered the Headmaster telling her she had the so-called “talent” for a beast master and yet she couldn’t control one cat. What exactly did that birdman think Yuu could possibly do to keep Grim under control when she had never once been in control of anything before? And now she’d no doubt be the one in trouble if Grim didn’t decide to stop before things went south, he might as well be the death of her.

Ace taunted the angrily huffing Grim, “Awwww, can’t hit me with your wittle fireballs?”

“Shaddup! I’ll definitely get ya!”

The crowd had gotten bigger, surrounding them while Ace and Grim dueled against each other, their magic flying everywhere as Ace kept deflecting the cat’s fiery attacks. Yuu gritted her teeth and picked her broom back up, if Grim wouldn't listen to her then she'd force him to listen to her. There was no way she was just going to stand around and risk getting into trouble with Crowley. 

With her broom in hand, Yuu pushed past the students, determined to make Grim stop. But she was too late.

“Take that!”

“Ha ha, you can’t get me that easily! With a bit of my wind magic and-!”

Fwooosh!

It almost seemed to happen all in slow motion. The flick of Ace’s wrist as he summoned yet another gust of wind to steer Grim’s flame away from himself with a smug grin on his face while Grim looked about ready to set the entire street on fire. Everyone’s heads turned in the direction of the blue blast as it careened straight into perfectly polished stone and it was then that everyone… everyone fell completely silent. The students who had been trying to walk past the crowd and the fight had stopped to stare with expressions of disbelief, and the ones who had been watching had all but stopped with their cheering.

“...Her face,” was all Yuu could manage to say.

“AHHHHHHH! Not good, the Queen of Hearts’s statue looks like it’s been barbequed!” Ace freaked out, a panicked expression on his once smug face. Already, the students who had been watching the fight were starting to run off to avoid being even slightly involved with this catastrophe. 

Grim, who also looked genuinely afraid, bit back, “That…that wasn’t my fault! You punk! If ya hadn’t kept blowing away my fire, this wouldn’t have happened!”

“You think I want to be burned alive?!” Ace snapped at Grim.

Idiot. Both were idiots !

Yuu had already learned how little Grim thought before acting but she didn’t think that even a student-one from a seemingly prestigious school-would be just as foolish. 

“It’s all your fault! Ya shoulda just taken it!”

“ What idiot would ever do that?! ”

She sensed his presence behind her before the person spoke and Yuu had to wonder how this morning had gone so sour. Wasn't she just thinking last night how good her luck was turning out to be? Yuu should've known that too much of it would only hint that it'd disappear all at once. And it had…

“What is going on here?! Stop this at once!” Headmaster Crowley said behind her and Yuu turned to see him drop down from the sky, stunning her into silence. 

…He just showed up out of nowhere. And surprisingly at the worst time.

Was…was he secretly watching her? His timing was too perfect to be a coincidence, it was almost as if he had been here the entire time.

Either that or it truly was an unfortunate coincidence.

It was too late for her to run now but even if she wanted to, Yuu was too terrified to do so. His gaze narrowed on the statue of the Queen of Hearts before finding Ace and Grim who both looked ready to bolt. 

“AH! I’m outta here! No way am I dealin’ with that lash of love again!” Grim had only started to run, along with Ace, when Yuu heard the familiar whooshing noise of a whip before the two fleeing idiots were stopped. 

They hadn’t even run for five seconds before Crowley caught up to them in a flash. 

He was scarily swift.

“ OW! ” Ace exclaimed loudly. 

“ Myahhhh! And I'm also still sore from yesterday!” Grim also complained. 

Crowley glared down at the two, “Did you really think that the two of you could run away from me?” He let out an impatient sigh, “Never has anyone so much as laid a scratch on my statues and now all of a sudden one of them is scorched! I should expel you all on the spot!”

Including me?

Grim had a deeply shameful expression, his ears pointed downwards as Crowley lashed out. Ace’s eyes widened at the principal’s words and he was quick to speak, “No! I'm…I’m really sorry! Just anything but expulsion!”

It was then that Crowley looked to Yuu who blanched in terror, her mouth dry and heart dropping. It hadn’t even been that long since he had left her alone at the Ramshackle dorm and now they meet again only for Yuu to be involved in this disastrous situation. But she had meant to stop it! 

Sadly, actions spoke louder than words as Yuu understood far too well.

“And you, Yuu! You were specifically instructed to keep an eye on Grim so he wouldn't cause any trouble you’re not doing a very good job at that,” Crowley said sternly, making her cringe before swiftly bowing low at the waist. “I'm really sorry, Headmaster Crowley! Please forgive my mistake!” She said, feeling her chest tighten uncomfortably, “It was all my fault that I didn’t stop him, I’ll be better at supervising him! I'm really sorry!”

Ace gave her a funny look to which she didn’t notice, speaking low under his breath, “Anyone could tell it wasn’t really your fault…”

Crowley sighed, “I should’ve known not to expect much but I suppose I could be generous and give another chance. And so Yuu, do be better at keeping Grim well-behaved while he remains on campus. It was you, after all, who vouched for his stay-I expect you to do the responsible thing and ensure he doesn’t cause havoc.”

Yuu gritted her teeth at his lecturing words but answered, “Yes, Headmaster Crowley.”

She straightened up, feeling a bitter resentment towards both Grim and Ace. If it weren’t for them then none of this would be happening right now. 

“Now as for you .” The principal’s attention directed to Ace who appeared to shrink in on himself at the change in tone directed at him. “State your name and grade.” Crowley demanded.

The boy grimaced before grumbling, “Ace Trappola…first year….”

“Hmph, now isn’t that ironic,” Crowley said dryly, “A Heartslabyul student damaging the Queen of Hearts’ statue, your dorm leader would be just as displeased as I am.”

The sight of the once prideful teenager with his head lowered in shame made Yuu want to grin with satisfaction but she refrained from doing so. 

“Now then, Trappola and Grim, in cases such as these, I would have you expelled for your actions. However , I am a generous Headmaster and seeing as this is only the first day of school, I will be lenient and only give out a task for you all to do.” The headmaster put his whip away and folded his arms over his chest. “So for today’s transgressions, you will all wash a hundred windows to make up for the trouble you’ve all caused. That includes Yuu as well,” Crowley issued out his sentence and both Grim and Ace noticeably deflated. 

Yuu was quick to reply, "Yes, Headmaster."

But the other two were more reluctant.

“ A hundred windows ?!” Both Ace and Grim exclaimed.

“There’s no way I’m cleaning a hundred windows!” Grim complained, “I already gotta a whole list of chores to do with that magicless human!”

“Would you like it to be two hundred?”

Hadn’t Yuu been thinking how she’d clean a hundred windows the day before if it meant gaining knowledge? She didn’t think she’d actually have to clean a hundred windows-it was as if fate had decided to take comedy in her distress. But it was better than a severe lashing so Yuu was hardly complaining.

Grim glowered at Ace, “This is all your fault. If ya hadn't made fun of me, this woulda never happened!”

“Wait, wait, wait Headmaster.” Ace pointed to himself in disbelief, “You mean I also have to wash them?”

“Did you not have a hand in causing this ruckus, Trappola?” The guilty look on Ace’s face was the only answer Crowley needed before continuing, “Then yes you do. I expect all three of you to meet after school in the cafeteria, do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, sir,” Ace muttered in defeat.

Grim mumbled under his breath at the same time, “Seriously can’t take a break….”

The school day had passed fairly quickly but it had taken almost its entirety for Yuu and Grim to clean from the front gates to the library, as per Crowley’s instructions. 

It didn’t help that Grim wasn’t the fastest at cleaning, his little paws weren’t good for holding a broom or mop. Most of the chores that he could do was wiping floors or dusting picture frames.

Thankfully, by the time that Yuu and Grim had finished, they still had some time to spare before meeting with Ace in the cafeteria. Which meant that Yuu could start on her own research about Twisted Wonderland in the library-Grim had begrudgingly followed along, claiming he planned on napping. 

Slowly turning the page of the book she had, having finished reading something about a place called "Atlantica." Sitting in a fairly comfortable armchair, Yuu spoke quietly, “It seems we are on an isle…if I want to get off it, I'd have to find a ship to carry me to the bigger lands. That’ll obviously cost a bit…and I need to figure out what I’d do after I leave this isle.”

Yuu examined the map of the world of Twisted Wonderland, and had to wonder what place would be the best to go to lie low. But so long as she was away from here than anywhere would do.

She placed her book on the table in front of her, next to a sleeping Grim, to count the remaining madol that Crowley had given her. Yuu only had five thousand madol-she had already spent more than a third of it for a meal for both her and Grim. It was definitely not enough for passage onto a ship.That might mean Yuu would have to stowaway on one. Either that or Yuu would have to figure out a way to get money and get it fast. 

She picked her book back up, flipping through the pages that described the continents of Twisted Wonderland.

“Hm?” Grim was roused by Yuu’s mutterings and he shifted to find a more comfortable position on the table which he had sprawled on, “Why are you reading that ? You should be figuring out a way to get me into this school first before planning a vacation, ya know.”

“I’m not planning a vacation, I just...like learning.” Her answer remained vague, not going into details that she was currently studying the details of this world as best she could.

“Yeah, but you’re wasting time thinking about that useless stuff when you can be looking for ways to make me a student.”

Yuu rolled her eyes with a sigh, “I have been thinking of ways, you know.”

“Huh, like what?”

She closed the book and gave Grim a sidelong glance, “From what we know so far, apparently you can only be enrolled if the Dark Mirror sees potential in you. Any other way would probably have to be through Headmaster Crowley. So I think we’d have to find a way to properly demonstrate your abilities to its fullest and show it to the Headmaster. In other words, you’ll have to work to impress him. If we could figure out a situation where your magic and determination could be best displayed, then that would be the ideal.”

Without warning, the loud bell sounded to signal the end of the last class. The noise caused Yuu to jump nearly an inch out of her seat, even startling Grim in the process.

Yuu shook her head, “That’s going to take some getting used to.” 

She took out the map that Crowley had given her earlier in the morning, wanting to recall how to get to the cafeteria.

“Well…I guess we should start heading over, I don’t want to think of how Headmaster Crowley would react if we’re late.”

“ Ugh , can’t we just skip it? Who’s gonna tell if we don’t show up?” Grim whined, getting back up.

“The Headmaster.”

The cat groaned at that but relented, following after her towards the cafeteria.

“Let me onto your shoulders, I don’t wanna walk so much before having to clean windows!” Grim ordered Yuu, and she made a face that he couldn’t see.

“You’ve got four limbs to walk on, Grim. Use them,” Yuu countered coldly, already assuming that this window cleaning was only going to be more exhausting with Grim’s incessant complaining. She had to hope that Ace wouldn’t be the same.

“But you’re my henchman, my number one minion!”

“No, I’m not-where did you even come up with that? And besides, you don't need any more rest, it'll just make you lazy.”

Grim let out a growl but stopped his attempts when he realized he wasn't going to win, instead following Yuu on his hind legs and he muttered under his breath, “You don’t let me get away with anything but let everyone else. So annoying, this is why I don't like you.”

It didn’t take long to reach the cafeteria, and Yuu plopped down at a table with her cleaning tools beside her. Grim hopped up on the table in front of her, a sudden intensity in his eyes when he spoke to her.

“Hey, ya know…why didn’t you fight back when Ace was sayin’ all that stuff to you earlier today?” Grim was sitting comfortably on the table and Yuu was about to tell him it wasn’t polite to sit on a table when he continued, “It’s been botherin’ me the entire day how ya just stood there and took it. And y’even apologized to him. You’ve been tellin’ me off since yesterday but then you just let Ace go without sayin’ anything.”

“Arguing with you is one thing, Grim,” Yuu said in response, and she looked down at her hands, “But it's completely different from arguing with someone like Ace. Anyways, the trouble that comes with escalating a situation isn’t worth the satisfaction, as I’m hoping you’ve learned from all this.”

He scrunched his face at that, clearly disapproving of Yuu’s answer.

“But I can’t have some wimpy doormat as my henchman, it looks bad on me . Ya gotta fight back when people say those things to you like how you did yesterday with me. But I mean if you’re gonna hold back then do it for me too, ya know?”

“Again I’m not your henchman, so I don’t actually have to listen to you, in fact you’re the one that’s supposed to be listening to me .” Grim stuck his tongue out at her and Yuu scoffed with a roll of her eyes, “Besides, you fight well enough on your own. Though it’s because of your lack of restraint that we’re in this mess to begin with, so you see how pointless it was in the end?”

Grim slumped at that and grumbled lowly, “I couldn't even land a hit though… and it wasn’t pointless. ”

His pitiable expression made Yuu pause in thought. Was he really that annoyed that she hadn’t tried to fight back? But why? It's not like he actually cared.

Thoughtlessly, Yuu patted Grim’s head to which the cat gave her a stunned look.

“Wh-what’s that for?” He demanded, swatting her hand away, “I'm not a cat! Don't pet me like one!”

Yuu blinked in surprise at her own actions and withdrew swiftly, looking at her hand with a bit of confusion. 

“I don't know,” she answered honestly.

He felt so soft…

“Grr, you're really annoying, ya know.”

“You've told me that before already,” Yuu said, propping herself up on the table with her hand. “But if it makes you feel any better, I was actually rooting for you to get a hit on Ace.”

Grim paused before grinning a little, “Really?”

“Really. It would've done that boy some good to have a few singed hairs.”

“Hehe, well then next time I'll get him for sure!”

Yuu shook her head, immediately regretting what she said. “You’re not going to have a next time, Grim,” Yuu argued with annoyance, “I still disapprove of your behavior, so don't take my words and use it as an excuse to misbehave.”

“Hmph, Ace is right, you are a wimp.”

Yuu fought the urge to roll her eyes again when she had a sudden realization.

“Speaking of Ace, he's still not here,” Yuu commented. ”Classes were supposed to end now, right? That bell sounded a couple minutes ago, I would have thought Ace would be here by now.”

Grim nodded, “That’s right! What's takin’ him so long-AH!” 

Yuu startled at the cat’s loud outburst. 

“Is he skippin’ out on us?! I bet you he's tryin’ to sneak off so that we do his punishment for him!” Grim exclaimed angrily, shooting up onto his feet, “That punk , told you we should've skipped!”

Yuu sighed tiredly, “And I told you that the Headmaster would probably notice our absence.  I'd rather not get into any more trouble with Headmaster Crowley. Let’s just do the window cleaning and get it over with.”

“What!?” Grim snapped at her, “You're just gonna do Ace’s punishment?! Let him off just like that?! No way! C’mon, henchman, we're gonna drag him back kickin’ and screamin’ if we have to.”

Before Yuu could protest, Grim had jumped off the table and dashed out of the cafeteria.

She had an underlying feeling that this was not going to end well. When did anything end well when it came to Grim?

“Grim, come back here! Let’s just clean the windows ourselves, it’s not that big of a deal,” Yuu tried to reason but Grim was not going to listen to her. Yuu chased Grim, bypassing several staring students, as they arrived at a classroom that was completely empty.

“ Ace ! Where are you?! Don’t ya try and skip out, ya jerk!” Grim yelled before sputtering at the emptiness, “H-Huh…there’s no one in here.”

All the students had already left the classroom, and it seemed fair to believe at this point that Ace really was going to avoid window cleaning. Yuu grimaced before muttering under her breath, “Must be nice to be so carefree. I would have never had the audacity to do something like this…”

“Hmph, excuse me but there is someone here. I’m here.”

Both Yuu and Grim yelped in surprise, turning to see the owner of the gravelly voice which had spoken. Eyes wide, Yuu pointed at the painting in surprise.

“You..y-you just spoke?” She gaped in shock, the portrait of a well dressed man wearing a pair of spectacles stared back at her, his own eyes blinking. 

“How rude,” the painting said, “Did anyone teach you it’s impolite to point like that?”

“Ah…sorry, I should know better.”

The painting sighed in exasperation, “And yes, I speak. Is it really that odd for a painting to talk at this school? There’s that lady on the other wall who talks and a few more gentlemen in portraits who do so as well. If the painting has a mouth then why would it not be able to speak, hm? It’s really not that hard to understand.”

“So…there are other paintings that speak?” Yuu wondered before a worrying thought flitted in her head. Did that mean paintings could listen in on conversations?

That wasn’t a pleasant thought at all. It seems it’d be better to have any secretive discussions kept elsewhere then the hallways and rooms of the campus.

And also, was the painting lecturing them? At this point, Yuu had to fault herself for being surprised when so many other strange oddities had occurred, she really should be getting used to this. But still, paintings back in her own world didn’t speak.

“Are you some sort of ghost?” Wondered Yuu, furrowing her brows at the painting.

He scoffed, “ Hardly . Unlike those wandering and restless spirits, I’ve been comfortable with hanging here for the past fifty years.”

“Fifty years…and stuck in one place? That doesn't sound at all pleasant to me.”

“Hmm? And why not?” The painting asked her, “I can do nothing all day, watch the world pass me by from the safety of my frame.”

“Well…I do suppose if you’ve got nothing to do-no people to please or expectations to meet-that a stationary life could be doable.” The man in the painting merely nodded his head in agreement but Yuu found herself muttering quietly so he couldn’t hear, “Imagine that. Staying in a frame-like cage for decades and all you have to do is nothing . I can’t tell if I’m envious or not…”

“Can we get to the point!” Grim snapped impatiently.

“Ah, yes, yes. You two seem to be looking for someone,” the painting said, bringing Yuu out of her bewildered trance at this strange wonder in front of her. 

Grim spoke up, “Yeah, we’re lookin’ for a guy called Ace. He’s got an ugly head of messy hair and a heart drawn on his face.”

That strange symbol on Ace’s face…that was supposed to be a heart? It reminded her of the statue of the Queen of Hearts and the strange item that she had been holding. 

Did people in Twisted Wonderland have different shaped hearts ?

“Ah, right…the new student, I believe?” The painting responded, “Today was the first day of class for all students…I think he went back to his dorm a while ago like the rest of the kids.”

“W-What?! So he is tryin’ to ditch us! Which way did he go?!” Grim demanded, his ears and tail standing straight up in a rage.

The painting was ever benevolent with replying, “If he went back to his dorm, then that would be in the eastern building, more commonly referred to as the ‘Hall of Mirrors’.” With a frown, Yuu pulled out the map from her pocket and looked at it in confusion. “Eastern building…?” Yuu wondered, spotting the tiny image of a domed structure with the label ‘Hall of Mirrors’, “You mean to say all the students on this campus stay in one building?”

It turned out that Yuu and Grim had passed by the building on the way to Main Street earlier in the morning. She didn't realize it was actually where the seven dorms were. How in the world did all seven of the dorms reside in such a small area, Yuu couldn’t imagine how crowded it’d be with all the students that attended this college. 

Maybe Ramshackle did have some perks. Like space .

“I'll get ya now, Ace! Ya can't run from me!” Grim was already off, running on all four legs, before Yuu had the chance to say anything in which case she ran after him with a frustrated groan. 

They ran across campus, passing by onlooking students whom Yuu had no time to pay attention to. She seriously had to thank Crowley for giving her a good pair of shoes because this was beyond tiring, Yuu couldn’t imagine how much worse this would have been if she had to run in those ceremonial shoes. Or even her hanfu shoes she’d wear back at the Verdigris House. 

Seriously, when was the last time she had run so much?

“Hurry up, henchman, you’re so slow!” Grim yelled back at her while still running forwards and Yuu followed after him. 

Yuu groaned, “Not fair you have four limbs to run on.”

When she entered the domed building, she was shocked to see that it was just a room decorated with seven large mirrors along the walls. The sun’s rays shimmered down from the windows up above, helping to illuminate the room along with the menacing green lit candles which hung on the walls.

Where were all the dorms?

But she couldn’t focus on her bewilderment right now as she spotted the persimmon colored hair that belonged to that insufferable Ace who was currently talking to himself. There was another student a couple feet ahead of him, headed in the same direction. Right towards a particular mirror labeled “Heartslabyul”, the same dorm title that Yuu had heard Riddle mention the night before. 

“You punk! Did ya think you could run!”

Ace whipped around at Grim’s exclamation and he sputtered at the sight of both Yuu and the cat running after him, “Ah, not good! They found me!”

He began to run for the mirror and Grim chased after. Yuu had to stop before the discomfort in her chest could worsen, her usual stamina leashed by the pieces of curtain wrapped around her torso.

Curses! Why couldn’t these people just do what Crowley had told them to do?! At this point, Yuu would rather just clean the windows herself. And in all honesty, if she could just leave Grin unsupervised then she really would have just cleaned the windows herself. 

“Not fair! I wanna skip out too! Get back here, pal!” Grim snapped, his tail swishing angrily.

“Who would actually listen to you?!” Ace yelled over his shoulder, “I’m not sticking around, have fun cleaning those windows on your own!”

“You think I wanna wash windows?! If I can’t get outta this then you definitely won’t!”

The two sprinted and Ace snapped at the student up ahead of him, “Get outta my way!”

The student looked back with a startled look before jumping back in surprise, allowing Ace to push past him and run directly towards the Heartslabyul mirror. 

“You there, stop him!” Grim yelled at the dark blue haired student, the boy’s bright cyan eyes darting to Ace and back at her in confusion. Similar to Ace, he had a marking on his right eye but it was black and looked flipped.

“What the hell is going on?” The teenager asked her.

Yuu took a few more struggling breaths, the binder around her chest making it hard to inhale properly, before clarifying for him, “He's skipping out on punishment.”

“Skipping out on punishment? How could he do that?!” The boy pulled out his own magical paintbrush with its ruby gem glittering on top, “Should I stop him by freezing his legs? Or maybe…um summon a rope? Or s-should I turn his legs to stone?”

“You can do all of that?” Yuu wondered with a hint of amazement. 

“Uh…um…not-not really, at least not yet.”

“Oh.”

“Doesn’t matter! Just stop him! Just do something, anything!” Grim snapped at the befuddled student.

“A-Anything will do? Huh…a-alright! Here goes anything!” His magic paintbrush began to glow, and he pointed it at Ace before speaking loudly, “I summon thee…umm… something heavy !”

Yuu closed her eyes at the bright flash, flinching at the light just as she heard a resounding noise that echoed in the room and a shocked yelp from Ace.

BANG!

“OUCH! What the?! A POT?!”

Her eyes snapped open and she gasped. 

Ace was flattened underneath a gigantic pot, effectively stopping him so that the other three could catch up to him. It squashed him flat and even as he wriggled to get out, Ace couldn’t free himself. 

“What the actual-! Damnit, I can’t move, why’s it so freakin’ heavy!” Ace groaned as he tried to get out from underneath the large pot like a squirming insect but after a moment of his attempt, he gave up with an irritable noise. Yuu bit her lip to refrain from laughing at the sight of the comically large dish on top of Ace, and she brought a hand to her mouth to hide the strained smile trying to force its way onto her face. Grim, however, had no qualms about holding back his amusement at Ace’s suffering as he pointed and cackled, “Bwahahahaha! Look at that! Look, henchman, look! He’s flattened to the ground! Serves you right, punk!”

“H-Huh…a cauldron? I…wasn’t really expecting that, I probably overdid it…” the student mused, his eyes wide at the scene that he had caused.

Yuu didn’t know whether to agree with him. Making a giant pot crush someone was definitely quite dangerous, had Deuce thought of that before summoning it? 

Ace glared at him, “Ya think?! Stop standing around and get this pot off of me.”

“R-Right.”

With the help of the blue haired teenager, Ace was able to push the cauldron off of himself and he slowly sat up. “Ow ow ow!” He rubbed his head sorely with a strained frown before furiously glaring at everyone in the room, “You better not have given me a concussion, you idiot! And you two couldn’t have just cleaned the windows yourselves? Why do ya have to keep bothering me?” 

Grim glowered at Ace, “It’s your fault that we got into this mess in the first place, so you’re gonna wash the hundred windows with us whether you want to or not!”

“Admittedly, I would have just done the window cleaning myself," Yuu mentioned, clearing her throat before sighing under her breath, "If only I didn't have to supervise Grim then I would have done it..."

“A hundred windows? Why do you have to wash a hundred windows…?” The blue haired student asked confusedly but then his eyes lit with clarity and he whipped his gaze to Ace, “What the heck did you do?!”

Ace sported a petulant expression as he replied sorely, “I was sorta messing around with the cat. Annnd…the statue of the Queen of Hearts may have gotten a bit…charred.”

“Not ‘may’ have. It did.” Ace shot Yuu a glare to which she promptly looked away, avoiding meeting his gaze out of discomfort.

The blue haired boy’s jaw dropped, “You damaged a statue of the Great Seven?! And the Queen of Hearts no less! Are you actually stupid, you’re literally a Heartslabyul student too!”

“How are you not expelled already?!” The boy asked Ace, “And how the fu- ahem …how could you get in trouble with the Headmaster on literally the first day of school?!”

Yuu immediately liked this new student. It seemed she had finally found a sensible person with a good head on their shoulders in this cursed school. 

“Oh, shut up.” Ace stood back up, brushing off his clothes with a sour look, “Who are you anyways?”

“We’re in the same class, how do you not remember me?” The student sighed with a shake of his head before answering, “My name is Deuce. Deuce Spade.”

Deuce looked at her expectantly to which she then spoke begrudgingly, “I’m Yuu. Nice to meet you.”

“...You’re me?”

“No. That’s not-”

“His name is actually Yuu, you idiot,” Ace answered, saving Yuu the trouble of explaining it herself.

Deuce nodded in understanding, “Right, you were the guy that the mirror accidentally summoned, right?”

“...Yes, that’s right,” Yuu answered reluctantly.

“Huh...you look a lot slimmer and...shorter than I remembered."

Yuu grimaced, pointing at her oversized clothes, "It's probably the clothes that's making me look different."

Ace butted in, "Did you not have anything else to wear?"

Yuu shook her head.

Deuce squinted at Ace, "And you are…”

His words trailed off.

“You don’t remember my name either, do you? And here you are calling me out for not remembering yours,” Ace said with a roll of his eyes, “Weren’t you the guy that Professor Trein kept having to wake up in class today? You know today’s literally the first day of school, how are you gonna survive a year if you couldn’t survive a day. And it's Ace by the way.”

“Says the one who burned a statue on the first day…but that’s beside the point! And don’t mention Professor Trein …he wouldn’t stop glaring at me the entire class. A-Anyway, how could you skip out on an order from the Headmaster?” Deuce crossed his arms over his chest with an unimpressed look on his face, “I can’t imagine having the nerve to do that…”

Yuu nodded in silent agreement, glad that there was a student who was actually being reasonable for once. 

Ace made a face, looking between her and Deuce before throwing his hands up in mock surrender, “Alright, alright…just shut up already, I get it. Let’s just get this window cleaning over with so I could forget any of this ever happened.” Yuu let out a relieved breath. Finally, things were starting to shape out alright and Grim could stop making her run around on campus. Speaking of Grim, he hadn’t spoken in a while since they had caught Ace…

…Wait a minute.

“Huh…?” Ace blinked as he just noticed too, surprisingly he was rather perceptive. 

Yuu’s heart dropped down to her feet, “ No .”

Ace whipped around, looking for the missing cat, “The furball! Where’d he go?!”

Oh, that little…that little… monster!

Yuu could just imagine Grim with a smug grin as he pranced free on the campus grounds, victorious at having snuck away without the three of them noticing. But what was worse was imagining Crowley spotting the cat without her there. That would spell trouble in a hundred different languages which was something Yuu had had quite enough of to last an entire year.

“I can’t believe Grim,” Yuu groaned, dreading the idea of running around campus again, “And just when I had thought he had learned his lesson from all this.” 

“Damn it! That little monster had me caught so he could run away himself?!” Ace pointed to Deuce, “Hey! You…umm…Juice?”

Yuu nearly laughed but turned it into a cough at the last minute.

“It’s not Juice ! It’s Deuce! Deuce ! With a D!”

“Whatever. This is partially your fault,” Ace shot back, crossing his arms over his chest, “So take some responsibility and help me catch that little idiot!”

Deuce started, “W-What?! How is any of this my responsibility?!”

The persimmon haired boy pointed at Yuu, “This useless kid can’t use magic.”

“Can’t use magic?” Deuce repeated in confusion before clarity struck him, no doubt recalling what the mirror had declared out loud the night before. 

“I’m not really a kid,” Yuu said offhandedly.

“Well you look like one so shut up,” Ace shot back without hesitation, he then pointed at Deuce, “And you dropped a cauldron on my head. That’s plenty of reason for you to take responsibility so you’re coming with us and we’ll get Grim.”

Deuce eyed the forgotten cauldron before reluctantly giving in, a disgruntled expression on his face, “Fine.”

“ Great , now let’s go. He couldn’t have gone far.” 

The two students ran out of the eastern building and Yuu muttered a foul word-that the madam would no doubt have slapped her for saying-under her breath as she forced herself to follow after them. Ace was right to assume Grim hadn’t gotten too far. They were able to catch up to him on the path where the statues of the Great Seven stood, the Queen of Hearts now washed off of scorch marks from this morning. 

“Myahaha, those suckers can clean a hundred windows without me!” Grim cheered to himself, now walking on his hind legs with an infuriating grin.

“You better stop right there, you furball!” Ace snapped, making Grim jump and spin around.

“Myah! How’d you catch up to me already?!” But his startlement was taken over by arrogance as he immediately started running, Grim then yelled over his shoulder, “Haha, you still won’t be able to get me anyways, slowpokes!

“Follow me, Juice, we're not letting that little runt run free. And Yuu, don’t slow us down!” Ace said loudly, restarting his run.

Deuce snapped, “How hard is it for you to say my name properly?!”

“Argh! Stop jumping around like that!” Ace exclaimed when they arrived at the cafeteria as Grim had leaped up onto ledges along the wall. He climbed higher so that none of the three teenagers could reach him, and the cat looked down on them.

“Myah ha ha! You can't get me when I'm all the way up here!” Grim taunted, making a large jump into the air and landing onto the lit chandelier with ease. The light fixture swung ominously in the air at the added weight, causing Yuu to hold her breath in fear that it might fall. When it didn't, she exhaled in short relief before calling up to Grim, “Grim, get down! We're going to get in trouble if you don't cooperate!”

“Cooperate shmoperate, I never wanted to wash windows and I certainly won't do it now! Just lemme off like how you were gonna let Ace off!”

“But Headmaster Crowley told me to ‘supervise’ you. I can't do that if you're not with me…at least get down from there.”

“No!”

“Coward, you had to go up where none of us can get you, that’s not fair!” Said Deuce, glaring up at Grim who stuck his tongue out at them, “How are we gonna get him now…? We haven’t been taught flying magic either so that’s not an option.”

Flying magic? So people here could fly? Yuu shook her head at the unnecessary thoughts.

“Can't you use your ink brushes to get him?” Yuu asked him, gesturing to the items that both Ace and Deuce had in their hand.

Both students paused at that. They looked at her with strange expressions on their faces.

Deuce sputtered, “I-Ink brushes?”

“Or um…the paint brush. That strange paint brush you use to do magic,” she clarified, not sure why the two teenagers were looking at her as if she had just told them the sky had turned green, “Can’t you use it to catch Grim?”

Ace choked out a short laugh, “You mean our magical pens?”

What the hell was a ‘pen’ ?

She cleared her throat awkwardly, “Um…sure, your magical pens.”

The blue haired student looked back up at Grim who sat comfortably up on the chandelier with the knowledge that he couldn’t be caught up there. “Hmm, maybe I could summon something. But what could I summon that could catch him?” Deuce twirled the so-called pen in his hand as he thought of what to do before perking up, “I’ve got it!”

“Did you come up with somethi-” Ace froze with unpleasant surprise when Deuce suddenly aimed his pen at him, and he backed away, “H-Hey…what are you doing pointing that at me? What are you planning on doing!?”

“I’m gonna launch you at him!” Deuce declared with brimming confidence that Yuu would have admired if not for what he had just said.

“What?!” Both Yuu and Ace exclaimed, the latter suddenly beginning to be lifted up off of the ground. She gasped in surprise and Ace began to panic as he was brought up into the air, “Hey, hey, hey! Are you kidding me?! Put me down!”

This was a bad idea. This was an incredibly bad idea. What happened to Deuce’s common sense?! Anyone could figure that this wasn’t going to end well.

“W-Wait a minute, Deuce,” Yuu tried to say, “Surely you have other ways of-”

“Make sure to grab him tight,” Deuce said, not listening to a thing either Yuu or Ace had to say, and he aimed his pen at Grim. 

“Myah! What the?!” Grim sputtered, seeing the fiasco happening below him.

“ And….GO! ”

“Don’t launch me, are you insane?! Stop! Stop! BWAHHHHHHHHHH!”

Yuu shut her eyes and covered them with her hands as Ace hurled towards Grim and the chandelier at a blinding speed. 

“ MYAHHHH! ”

CRASH!

Her eyes immediately snapped open at the sound, peeking from between her fingers and her hands dropped down to her sides with a gasp of dreaded astonishment. Chaos wreaked on the floor of the cafeteria where Ace and Grim now laid, surrounded by the mess of the chandelier. The dust which had collected on the chandelier and bits of debris from its broken crystals had blown up into the air from the dramatic crash, swirling before settling back down to reveal a disastrous sight.

They were so doomed. So much for wanting to stay out of trouble-trouble just couldn’t stop chasing after her .

“Un…believable,” was all Yuu could manage to say. She slowly turned her gaze away from the fallen debris of the chandelier to Deuce, words that she wished to say remaining stuck in her throat.  

Are you stupid?! Was what she wanted to say. 

How could someone be this careless?! She took back everything she had thought about Deuce. In no way was he at all sensical, he had no common sense whatsoever! Was this simply a trait all teenage boys possessed or was it just him? 

Though now that Yuu thought of it, Ace also lacked a decent amount of good judgement. And so did Grim!

They were all...so...stupid! And of course it had to be Yuu that had to be mixed up in their troubles! 

Ace coughed at the cloud of dust which encompassed him, and he swatted it away while pushing himself back up onto his feet with a grunt. 

“I can’t believe…you actually… did that!” Ace choked out before looking at the broken bits and pieces of the fallen chandelier around him with complete and utter disbelief. Grim, who was still lying on the ground, was left in a daze as he mumbled incoherent words. 

Yuu laughed shortly with hysteria, falling onto the nearest bench breathlessly and shaking her head. “I'm dead. I'm so dead,” Yuu said to herself, staring at the disaster of the chandelier. She dropped her head into her hands as if not seeing could make her believe none of this had actually happened. “Maybe I did something in a past life and Heaven has condemned me to bad luck. Or maybe I’ve just been cursed.”

“Yuu, don’t be so dramatic,” Deuce said before grimacing at the sight he had had a hand in causing, “I…forgot I should've softened the landing… and the chandelier …”

Ace turned on him aggressively, “You complete and total idiot ! Were you even thinking when you launched me at Grim?! I mean, sure we caught him but now look at the chandelier!”

“H-Hey, you weren’t coming up with any other ideas!” Deuce protested in his defense but Ace wasn’t listening as he scoped out the ruins and ran his hands through his hair with clear distress.

“This is really bad! If the Headmaster found out about this-”

“If I… found out about…what, dear Ace ?”

For what felt like the tenth time today, her heart dropped at the sound of the familiar voice. Yuu immediately stood up from where she had been sitting, every muscle in her body stiff with fear. Headmaster Crowley stood at the entrance to the cafeteria with his arms crossed over his chest in a seemingly calm manner. But with this situation, Yuu could tell he was anything but calm.

Yuu didn’t have to wonder how Crowley had found them this time, the sound of the chandelier crashing had been loud enough on its own without Ace and Deuce yelling at each other.

“Ah…Headmaster…” Ace trailed off at the sight of the principal. Crowley stalked forward, his words growing louder with anger as he approached the group, “You. THREE. AGAIN !”

“ What have you done?! ” He bellowed, coming to a complete stop before the mess of the once pristine chandelier, its lights gone out and crystals exploded out from underneath it, “Was burning a statue not enough for you?! Does causing immense damage to the school’s property give you any sense of satisfaction?! Look at what you’ve done to the chandelier!”

Yuu faintly heard the sound of Grim being roused from his unconscious state, but she didn't look back to see if he was alright. Instead, she immediately dropped to her knees in front of Crowley to put her head to the ground. Everyone looked down at her with surprised faces, including the Headmaster. 

“I'm so sorry, Headmaster Crowley!” Yuu cried out, “This was all my fault for not looking after Grim, I should have been more diligent in my task and I wasn't. But please don't kill me for my grave offense!”

The cafeteria went silent at Yuu’s pleading. In her mind, the only way to get out of this would be to accept fault and hope that the Headmaster would be merciful and not punish her or the others severely. That was the only way to survive in her world when caught doing something wrong. Apologize, beg for forgiveness and hope to be spared.

“Kill…?”

“K-Kill?”

Both Ace and Deuce shared a confused and concerned glance with each other. The awkward silence was far noticeable that Yuu dared to peek up at the trio looking down at her with surprise.

Crowley, who was just as taken aback as the duo teenagers, stammered, “N-No, I'm not going to ‘kill’ anyone. Great Sevens, child, where would you even come up with such a dark thought?” 

Yuu lifted her head with her own form of bewilderment, “But I've gone against your order concerning Grim’s supervision and as a result broke something, doesn't that merit a severe punishment?”

She heard Deuce say quietly, “It wasn't actually you that broke anything though…”

“But I'm not going to kill you, Yuu!” The Headmaster exclaimed in an offended tone, “I’m a principal , not some overbearing and ludicrous tyrant! Stand up, Yuu, there’s no need for the dramatics!”

Yuu felt her cheeks flush red in embarrassment. Sheepishly, Yuu got back up onto her feet, brushing dust off her pants and clearing her throat when she noticed everyone was looking at her as if she had grown two heads.

Unsurely, Yuu bowed her head a bit, “Sorry.”

Crowley let out a heavy sigh, covering his mask with a hand in exasperation, “Today is truly just full of unpleasant surprises, and I’ve had quite enough of them. I’ve been generous-truly I have been-in giving a second chance but no more !”

He placed his hands on his hips before declaring, “All of you are to be expelled immediately!”

“WAIT, EXPULSION?!” Both Ace and Deuce cried out.

Yuu also sputtered, "A-All?" She felt as if her mind was spinning what with all this confusion and unexpected turn of events.

Crowley meant her as well, didn't he? But wasn't he trying to find her a way back 'home'?

She was more than wary about assuming the Headmaster being truly forgetful, he couldn't possibly have forgotten about her situation. 

“Wait, Headmaster, I can’t get expelled! Please, I need to stay here,” Deuce started to beg almost immediately.

Crowley shook his head, dropping his hand to his side, with a severe frown, “Blame yourself for engaging in such foolish behavior.”

“I-I’ll pay for the damages,” Deuce tried again, “However much it costs, I’ll pay it!”

Crowley gave Deuce a skeptical glance, “You’ll pay for it? I’ll have you know that that chandelier was not some mediocre light fixture. It is… was a magical chandelier. It was gifted to us by a legendary artificer and was most possibly their finest creation. Its candles were powered by a magical energy source, enchanted so that they would burn for eternity.”

He looked down at the mess of the chandelier with a glum expression, Yuu would have thought him to be acting a bit melodramatic but given what the principal had told them, he had every right to look like that. 

“It has been here since the school was established. And I had hoped that it would be here for eternity….” Crowley sighed woefully before continuing and turning to Deuce, “So with both its historical value and the materials used to create it, I would estimate it to be worth no less than a billion madol. And you intend to repay that amount?”

Yuu cringed internally, that sounded like a lot of money.

Deuce’s face fell upon hearing the sum, “A…A billion madol?!”

“But Headmaster,” Ace butted in, “S-Surely you could just fix it up with your magical talent! You could just snap your fingers and have it back to normal right away!”

“I’m afraid that that is not possible, Trappola,” the principal replied sullenly, “Even magic has its limits, as I’m sure you’re well aware of. One cannot simply ‘snap’ their fingers to fix anything and everything. And most of all, the magestones-the figurative heart of any magical artifact-has been shattered. Fixing that is impossible.”

Magestone?

Yuu looked down at the heaping mess of the chandelier and now that she looked more closely, she did notice a crystal that looked fairly different from the rest. In fact…it looked similar to the gems which decorated Ace and Deuce’s ink-... pens . 

“So even if the chandelier itself could be fixed, without the magestone…the candles shall never light again.” The Headmaster sighed sadly before shaking his head, “Causing this extensive amount of damage to the school on the first day…allowing you all to stay would simply be putting the rest of the property at risk. And my wallet will not have it- ahem! What I mean to say is I won’t allow it.”

“No…way,” Ace said in quiet shock.

Deuce shook his head slowly, almost as if he were still trying to come to the realization of what was happening, “How…How am I gonna tell my mother? What would she say…I…after everything I've done…? Please, I can't be expelled.”

What was Yuu going to do now?

Getting kicked off the school grounds had its benefits, the first being that she’d be away from Crowley’s sight. But she still had a promise to fulfill to Grim-who was still unconscious right now.

“I can’t imagine how my mother would feel. Is there really no way to prevent expulsion?” Deuce asked in desperation and Yuu couldn’t help but pity him. Clearly being a student at this school was very important to him, it was a shame that he had to have been pulled into this mess.

But it was like what Yuu’s older sisters would say, that it’s better to not involve oneself in another’s business. 

She glanced over to where Grim was lying in the mess of the broken chandelier and her mind was running in circles of how she could possibly fulfill their deal now. A promise is a promise, and she didn’t take lightly to breaking one.

Surely there had to be a way.

But how would one go about replacing a chandelier that was probably worth just as much as a visitation with one of the Princesses of the Verdigris House?

“Well, there is one way that I might consider lifting your verdict.”

Everyone promptly redirected their whole attention onto Crowley. Yuu as well had turned her conflicted gaze away from Grim to the Headmaster before realizing he was looking right at her. But then he surveyed the others with a serious expression.

“You see, the magestone used for this chandelier was mined deep in the Dwarf’s Mine. If I were to be brought a replacement, it would be possible to fix it and I would then be able to lift the expulsion,” Crowley explained.

Deuce didn’t need any convincing to jump at the opportunity as he quickly declared, “We’ll bring one right away! If you’ll allow us to search for one, we’ll find the magestone right away!”

The Headmaster shook his head slowly, “But now you see, magestones are hard to come by nowadays, I can’t guarantee that you’d find any. Not to mention that the magestone for this chandelier was mined in the Dwarves’ mine which has been abandoned a long time ago, all of them should’ve been mined already. Besides, you’d have to find a stone with similar properties and I can say for certain that it’d be next to impossible to find another. That mine also goes quite far, your chances of getting lost in its tunnels are far more likely than you finding a magestone.”

Why would Crowley suggest finding a magestone if he was just going to say all of this afterwards? 

“Even if the odds are against me, if it means preventing expulsion then I’ll take the chance, sir!” Deuce said, his determination unshakeable. Yuu was struck in silent admiration at the boy’s resolution, his words shedding a new light on her impression of him. Though it was hard to say whether Deuce could truly back it up-willpower could only get someone so far if they didn’t have the means to reach their goal.

“Hmm…” The Headmaster gave them all an assessing stare, his eyes landing on Yuu before coming to his final decision. “Very well, I will suspend the expulsion for a single night if you truly think you can bring me a new magestone,” Crowley said. “However, should morning come and you four have not brought one back, then I will go through with my decision.”

Yuu fought off a look of surprise. Was he really about to send a group of teenagers out into an abandoned mine? If he truly wanted to, Crowley could probably just go himself to find a magestone to fix the chandelier but instead he was sending them out? 

Why was all of this even happening to her? Yuu could have sworn she hadn't been doing anything to merit such awful luck and yet here she was...

The blue haired boy noticeably puffed up, “Understood, sir. We’ll find and bring a magestone back right away. Thank you very much for this opportunity!”

Ace sighed, “Alright, let’s do this quickly and find that magestone. But how are we gonna get to the Dwarfs’ mine?”

“Should you wish to reach the mine, you’d best go to the Mirror Chamber,” Crowley explained, “Tell the Dark Mirror where you wish to go, and when you want to come back, return to the place where you had arrived and call out to it. Ah, but do be sure you’re all together, I’d hate for someone to be left behind.”

With a curt nod, the principal walked away to leave their group in the messed up cafeteria. It was then that Grim finally woke, his sluggish words reaching Yuu’s ear to let her know that he was up now.

“Wh…whas goin’ on?” Grim asked, rising up amidst the disaster of the ruined chandelier and looking to her for answers.

Yuu gave the cat an exasperated look.

If it weren’t for Grim then none of this would be happening right now. She could almost swear on her life that the talking cat would be the death of her.

“Grim…” Yuu shook her head tiredly, bringing a hand to her forehead when she felt it starting to hurt again, “How much more trouble do you intend to drag me into?”

Though to be fair...it hadn't been just Grim this time.

How was she going to make it out of this ordeal? And with two stubborn, idiotic and rash teenagers to top it all off. 

"This has got to be the worst day of my life," Ace complained, kicking at a nearby crystal shard. 

Chapter Text

“So this is where the Dwarfs’ Mine is…” Deuce said slowly as the group stood just a little ways from a small home deep in the forest, the branches creaking ominously in the cool breeze of the night. The crowded trees all huddled together, preventing the moon’s white glow to slip past their dark leaves and casting long dark shadows along the earthly path. It was…eerily quiet. 

She had to wonder just how far the Dwarfs’ Mine was to the college because when they had left, it had been just before dinner time with the sun just gracing the horizon. But out here it was nearly pitch black.

It was incredible. With just magic, people could be transported to almost anywhere it seemed, albeit it was a bit sickening. Yuu was still trying to understand how they had managed to go from one place to another in a blink of an eye. It was admittedly very dizzying, too much so that Yuu felt the need to puke.

“I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t eat much today,” Yuu croaked out to herself as she steadied herself against a tree. Fortunately, now that her feet were on solid ground she no longer felt a pressing urge to upheave her small lunch she had had.

“Apparently a long time ago, the mine was said to be filled with magestones. I wonder how busy it must’ve gotten…” Deuce trailed off as he too took in their surroundings.

Grim, who knew the gist of what was happening now, cringed, “Urgh…who knows what lurks there now?”

Yuu felt a cold shiver slither down her spine at Grim's words. 

Don’t think about it, Yuu. Don’t think about it…

Oh no, I’m definitely thinking about it.

“You think it’d be possible to encounter any…undead out here?” Yuu asked nervously. She wished she had some sort of weapon to defend herself with but all that was at her disposal were skinny twigs and small rocks which scattered the earthy floor.

Ace scoffed, “What, you watch too many horror movies, Yuu?”

Should she pretend to know what Ace meant?

“Well…if there are zombies-” He snickered, making Yuu feel slightly uneasy “-You won’t have to worry since they’d only go after people with brains.”

“......”

Her mouth twitched but she refrained from saying anything. She really didn’t think she liked Ace, he could never keep that insufferable mouth of his shut . 

“Funa?!” Grim's entire body jolted and he suddenly leaped onto Yuu’s shoulder with fright, “I don’t want my brains taken!”

“Grim, you’re getting dirt all over my shirt,” Yuu said irritably.

“Like I said,” Ace went on, that taunting look in his eyes making Yuu’s frown deepen, “zombies only go after people with brains . In other words, you’d definitely be left alone, Grim.”

It took the cat a moment to register the student’s words and almost immediately he raged right beside Yuu’s ear, “Wha?! You punk ! Like ya got any brains either!”

“Sure I do, I got more brains than all of you combined and you know it!”

Deuce gave Ace a withering glare before retorting as well, “As if, zombies would just walk right past you-they wouldn’t even stop to think to go after you .”

“ Huh? Hell yeah they’d come after me when I’m the only one around here who’s got actual intelligence.”

Yuu rolled her eyes with exasperation.

Idiots. She was surrounded by idiots. Were they seriously arguing about who was smart enough to have their brains eaten? Literally none of them were.

And to think Yuu had heard enough nonsense to last a lifetime. Though she supposed she had herself to blame for starting the conversation.

But Yuu couldn’t help it!

Their very surroundings were all shadowed by the looming trees, creating a bleak and dreary atmosphere that somehow felt suffocating despite being outside. It almost felt like the very trees would suddenly come to life and claw at her with their gnarled branches.

“ Anyways .” Deuce cleared his throat, refocusing on the task at hand as he said, “Now that we’re here, we should head over to the mine.”

He was looking at a wooden sign which pointed further into the forest, the engraving nearly faded but was unmistakably leading towards where they needed to go.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Ace said quickly just as the blue haired boy had begun to walk, “We can’t just go in without knowing what’s inside.”

“But then what are we gonna do?” Grim asked.

Yuu replied to him, pointing at the little house, “Maybe the people in that house would know more?”

They all turned their eyes to the lonely cottage sitting by itself in the forest, its lights out and no smoke coming out of its chimney. 

“I guess we can ask them about the mine, that would help,” Deuce commented while the others also agreed. They quickly approached the house but even up close, it looked quite small in size-it was rather quaint for a dwelling deep in the woods. 

“Is it just me or does this door look really tiny? Eh, let's knock and see if anyone's home, they could all be sleeping so maybe it'd wake em up,” Ace suggested.

Deuce nodded and hit the wood with a firm few knocks.

“Hello?” He called out, “Is anyone home?”

Silence. Only the sound of crickets answered Deuce’s call but nothing could be heard from within. No voices or sounds of the small home’s inhabitants.

“Maybe they’re all deep sleepers,” Yuu offered.

Ace spoke to Deuce, “Try again.”

The blue-haired boy gave Ace an irritable look but knocked one more time, unintentionally hitting the door with a bit more force and the door swung open on its own as a result. The rusty hinges whined in the silence, their sounds grating at Yuu’s ears and she noticed Grim’s ears also flattening at the harsh noise. Ace noticeably grimaced at the sound too and Deuce seemed to cringe. 

Clearly none of them had been expecting quite the skin shuddering welcome as everyone was quiet and no one stepped in or even said anything for a good moment.

“It wasn’t locked?” Deuce’s eyes were wide with bewilderment before getting a glimpse inside. 

“Heh…breaking and entering, nice Deuce,” Ace taunted lightly as he boldly stepped inside the house. The blue haired boy glared at Ace’s back but said nothing and they all followed after.

“This place looks like it was abandoned a long time ago,” Grim said with a sigh, “Ya know my nose is sensitive to dust! And I get enough of it at that Ramshackle building!”

“It does seem we’ve been occupying spaces far more dustier than usual,” Yuu agreed with a bit of resignation. But then she paused, shooting a glare at the cat before saying, “Also, get off my shoulder, Grim. I didn’t say you could get up onto it.”

“I don’t take orders from wimps like you. I’m the boss and you’re the henchman, remember? And henchmen do stuff for their boss, like letting them on their shoulders!” The cat swatted at her cheek to which she reacted by mercilessly pushing him off her shoulder by force, making him fall to the wooden floor with a plop .

“Funa!” 

Coldly, Yuu walked away with a “Hmph”.

The sight of neglected furniture and cobwebs was a familiar one. It had clearly been left alone for years given the cracks along the walls and ceilings, the dust that coated every surface and the gloomy silence which hung like a thick fog.

But for some reason, unlike the Ramshackle building, this little home carried an unexplainable sinister air.

Was it because of its lack of inhabitants? No…it couldn’t be that.

Then was it because it was so close to the abandoned mine? But if so, then why?

Or perhaps Yuu was simply letting her imagination run wild.

The moon’s small traces of light from outside slipped through the grimy windows, faintly illuminating their surroundings enough for Yuu to spot an old lantern, its candle within unused. A box of matches scattered the table, most of which had burned out save for one.

“There doesn’t seem to be anyone here,” Deuce spoke, looking around the abandoned place with skepticism. “Let’s look around and see if we can find anything helpful about the mine.”

Yuu didn’t fail to notice the rolled eyes that Ace did at Deuce’s suggestion but neither one said anything. They all ventured further into the house.

“Look how tiny these are,” Ace commented, nudging a chair with his foot, the piece of furniture only coming up to his knee. There were six more chairs, all of which were the size more suitable for children than adults. “Did kids used to live here? And there’s one, two… seven . Geez, it’s like a clown car in here.”

“Maybe a family once lived here?” Deuce offered with a slight shrug of his shoulders.

Ace made a face, “That’s…one big family. Wonder where they all went…”

Yuu lifted the now lit lantern-having picked it up and miraculously lit it with the one last match. The orange flames cast shapeless shadows along the floorboards, making it easier to see alongside the light of the moon. Yuu then noticed a set of stairs leading up, and she cautiously approached the railing.

It didn’t sound like there was anything up there. 

“Yuu, where are you going?” Deuce asked her from below.

Yuu looked down over the railing as she had begun to climb the stairs, pointed up and said, “I’m going to check what’s up there, maybe I can find something useful.”

Like a weapon…

“I’m coming too!” Grim declared to which Yuu didn’t bother arguing.

Who knew what could be waiting for the group deep within the mine and it wasn’t like Yuu not to want to be at least somewhat prepared. However, she understood her circumstance meant she might not actually get to prepare which made Yuu a bit irritable.

Those other three had their magic to defend themselves with but what about her? Yuu couldn’t exactly sing her way out of trouble should trouble come to find her, and lately it had been finding her quite frequently.

She had reached the top floor, the stairs having whined and creaked under her weight in a silent warning that they might break. There was only a single door, having been left partially open. Warily, she pushed it wider to step inside. Yuu looked down immediately when she heard the sound of small critters running away, the lantern lighting up the floor for her to see that she was leaving literal footprints in the dust.

“It’s like a bug haven in here and it's so filthy,” she muttered, “I can’t imagine how my sisters would react to places as depraved as this and the Ramshackle building.”

Grim huffed irritably, “I think anyone would be grossed out. I know I am.” 

Having had her gaze focused on the ground, Yuu hadn’t been paying attention to what was in front of her.

She ended up lifting her head just in time to run face-first into a cobweb still decorated with dried out corpses of bugs. 

“Urgh!” Yuu sputtered, wiping her face with a disgusted expression. She spat out the bits of web that had gotten in her mouth and had to wipe her hands on her pants, trying to get the sticky web off her skin. 

“Seriously?” She groaned, “ right in front of the door ?”

Grim snickered lowly at her to which Yuu gave him a withering glare, making him fall silent.

She shook her head before stepping completely inside the room, this time being more aware of not running into any other obstacles. Yuu felt bad enough that she had ruined a poor spider’s hard work, she didn’t need to ruin another.

“It’s a bedroom…Woah, but look how small those beds are, maybe this place probably was for children,” Grim mused slowly. There were seven beds, all of which were covered in dusty blankets thrown haphazardly across the mattresses. 

Yuu surveyed the small space, noticing there was something written on the bed frames. “Hey, look,” she pointed out to Grim, “There’s something engraved in the wood on all of the beds.”

Grim nodded, “Lemme see what it says! It’s so dusty so I’ll just- GAH !”

“Grim?” Yuu startled a bit at his sudden outburst. 

Grim had gone up to one particular bed, about to wipe off the dust from the engraving before having jumped back. “They’re literally everywhere!” The cat exclaimed to which Yuu came up, crouching down to see what had him so panicked.

……

“It’s just a spider, Grim.”

“ That is not just a spider. It’s huge!”

Yuu sighed, brushing the arachnid aside-it immediately scampered to settle a bit further away to remain unbothered.

“Shouldn’t you be used to them by now?” Yuu asked, meanwhile wiping at the bed frame with her sleeve, “The Ramshackle building is full of spiders and bugs, and they’re completely harmless. It’s nothing to get so worked up about.”

Grim scowled, “Of course you’d say that…”

Yuu didn’t press him on what he was trying to convey, instead pulling away to read what the engraving said.

“‘Dopey’?” Grim read aloud. Yuu went around dusting the remaining beds, her movement causing the flame on the candle within the lantern to flicker and cast shapeless shadows along the wooden floor. And a bit of dust rose up into the air which made Grim let out a sneeze and for Yuu’s own nose to itch uncomfortably. 

“What odd names,” she mused after a moment, having just finished shaking off the dust covering her sleeve, “There’s Happy, Sneezy, Bashful…Grumpy-Aren’t these all just adjectives?”

She held her lantern high up so the light illuminated the room a bit better, and so that Yuu could get a proper look at the sparsely furnished bedroom. There wasn’t anything special about this room. It was as plain as it could get, no curtains or decorations-nothing.

It was…kind of nostalgic in a way.

“And I wouldn’t be so sure that a family lived here,” Yuu went on, answering Grim’s previous question. “I don’t see any adult-sized furniture for parents anywhere, and this is clearly the only bedroom in the house. It could be that this place was an orphanage.” Yuu stepped over to the bed which belonged to the child named “Doc”, her eyes catching on something forgotten under the bed.

“Why would a buncha kids be livin’ in the woods?” Grim shook his head, “Sounds like a disaster just watin’ to happen.”

”Well…maybe the woods isn’t such a bad place for a family of orphans,” Yuu offered, “children can still survive on their own if they can adapt. Besides, if it weren’t for the dust, this place wouldn’t have been too bad of a place to live in.”

Yuu hummed in thought before continuing, “I mean, it’s obviously been a long time since anyone lived here given the neglect, but if it weren’t for that…I think this house would have been a perfect place to live in.”

“ Seriously ?” Grim gave her a look, “You mean this tiny place so far from anything? I’d rather live in a giant mansion or…or a castle, but not here .”

Yuu shrugged, “Just a personal preference of mine.”

A small and furnished cottage, out in the woods and away from any civilization. It actually seemed very peaceful to Yuu. Perhaps the children also felt the same way if they had been able to live comfortably out here on their own. 

Grim muttered something in response but she wasn’t listening anymore as she approached Doc’s bed. Yuu got down on her knees, placing the lantern on the ground, and she pulled out a scrap of paper that she had spotted underneath the bed. She held it out to the light.

“It’s…a map,” Yuu realized quietly, examining the squiggling lines that made up what was labeled to be the mine. It looked fairly old and Yuu had to blow off dust to get a proper look at the parchment.

There were three main tunnels-a few others as well- according to the map, but what made Yuu pause was how one of the smallest  was scribbled with ink-like it had been crossed off. The map was already close to unreadable but with the blackened out section, it was even harder to make out the red x marks mostly all covered by the ink.

Why would someone mark spots on their map with a red x and then scribble out the entire section? And moreso, why had this map been here in a children’s bedroom?

She stood back up with both the map and lantern in hand.

“Yuu.” Ace had come upstairs to find her and Grim, he spoke with a faint snicker, “Did you see a ghost or something? I heard Grim scream like he was getting murdered from downstairs and- whoa , Yuu…you’ve got a bunch of cobwebs in your hair.”

“ Funa ?! I do not scream like that!”

“Don’t worry Grim, screams like that sound a lot more high pitched than what yours sounded like,” Yuu reassured, “If anything, you sounded more like a wailing cat.” 

“ Yuu! Not helping!”

Ace quirked a brow at her response, “What, are you like the horror expert now, Yuu? ” He shook his head with a roll of his eyes, “You’re probably one of those people that watches all those serial killer TV shows and make it their whole personality. ”

Yuu had no clue what Ace was talking about.

“...I wouldn’t watch a serial killer,” Yuu said in confusion, “I’d probably be killed if I did.”

“Yuu…I’m not talking about literally watching them, I’m talking about TV shows…you know like movies ?” He had a condescending tone to how he was speaking as if this were common knowledge that everyone knew about.

Just nod, Yuu. Just pretend you know what he’s talking about.

“O-Oh, yeah…right,” Yuu said with a fake laugh, trying not to sound like an idiot. She ran her hand through her short hair, letting it come away to see the sticky strands of the web and she scowled, “And I ran into a web earlier. But other than that…Grim just got startled by a little spider.”

Ace scoffed at Grim’s expense.

“ Little ?” Grim guffawed, “You’d call that spider little ?”

“You didn’t think so?” Yuu questioned.

Grim gave Yuu an unimpressed look and pointed at the large spider that Yuu had held just a few moments ago. “ That is not little ,” Grim said firmly. Ace’s gaze followed to where the cat pointed and his brows rose.

“Yuu…when you said ‘little’, I thought you meant like a common brown house spider.” Ace made a face, “That thing looks like it eats baby birds for breakfast.”

“Hmm…I guess it does look like the sort to eat small animals. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.”

Grim huffed, “You know Yuu, I was startin’ to wonder why you kept tellin’ me to leave those spiders alone back at the Ramshackle building. But now I can kinda guess why…”

Yuu made a face before replying, “It wouldn’t be fair of us to kick them out of their homes when they’ve been there longer.”

“Yeah, but anyone else would’ve just gotten rid of the spiders instead of feeding them like what you did last night.”

The cat shuddered as he recalled Yuu's obsession with catching bugs and dropping them into webs with hungry spiders.

Both Ace and Grim were giving her unimpressed stares to which Yuu awkwardly looked away and cleared her throat.

“I don’t see the issue here,” she commented briskly.

“Hey guys, there’s nothing around here.” Deuce suddenly ducked to pass through the bedroom door, having interrupted the conversation. He remained close to its threshold as he said, “We’re wasting time just hanging around so we should just head for the mine-this place is like a ghost house.”

Yuu scowled at the term ‘ghost house’ but said nothing. She stood back up and brushed her pants off.

However, Ace visibly tensed with an irritable expression on his features. He snorted, giving the blue haired boy a sneering look, “Who made you boss? You remember what Crowley said, right? That mine’s super big, and we’re just gonna walk right in without any sense of direction?”

“We tried looking for someone or something to help us here but there’s nothing, we can’t just stand around and do nothing. How else are we supposed to find that magestone if we never actually start looking?”

“Without you ordering us around. We don’t need you to act the leader because you obviously don’t know what you’re doing either-I mean where do we start off once we go inside? We aren’t just gonna find a magestone lying around at the entrance.”

It was a fair point and Deuce knew it given his silence and frustrated expression.

“I did sort of find this map.”

Ace, Deuce and Grim all looked to her simultaneously which made Yuu’s eyes widen with a tinge of amusement. Did these three realize how strangely similar they were to each other? It was almost as if they were sort of meant for each other in a comically odd way. But what did that make Yuu among their group? The outlier?

“A map, you say?” Deuce came over to her before his eyes flicked up to her hair and he blinked as he pointed at her head, “Yuu…did your hair turn white or something?”

Yuu tilted her head before asking in confusion, “White…? Oh, I ran into a spiderweb.”

It was much harder to pull the sticky string off her hair and she quite honestly didn’t want to waste the time so Yuu had abandoned trying. Of course that meant her hair was absolutely filthy now.

How distasteful. Covered in webs and dust, Yuu would have to be extremely diligent in washing herself tonight after all of this was over. Though she dreaded using the shower again after last night. Yuu didn’t exactly appreciate being pelted with freezing water as if she were standing naked under a rain cloud. Not to mention the lack of products to properly wash herself. It was another few items to add to her list of what to buy from the school’s shop once they all got back.

“You’ve probably got a bunch of spiders running around in your hair,” Ace said with a grimace.

Grim shook his head in exasperation, “He probably wouldn’t care much about that.”

“Anyways.” Yuu cleared her throat to get them to refocus, she held the map out for everyone to see-Grim had clawed his way back up onto her shoulder, a rather painful experience given his sharp claws. “Grim, what did I just say about getting on my shoulder?”

“Get to the point, henchman.”

Yuu would have shoved Grim off again if it weren’t for the fact she held both the map and lantern. But given that she couldn’t, Yuu relented just this once.

“I found this when Grim and I were looking around the bedroom,” she explained, “But I’m not sure how this is going to help. I’m sure the mine’s a lot bigger than what it looks to be on paper.”

“It’s still helpful, at least we’ve got something to go along with,” Deuce said.

“What’s with that spot with the huge scribbles?” Grim wondered, referring to the drawn out tunnel with its blackened out section.

“You can see someone marked it underneath all that ink, we could start off by heading there and see why it’s all marked up like that,” Ace suggested, his eyes narrowing a bit as he continued, “But why would the person then color out the whole tunnel like that?”

“Who knows but we should get going now, right?” Grim’s voice wavered.

“Right. We aren’t going to find that magestone in time if we don’t start somewhere,” Deuce said and Yuu heard Ace scoff before muttering something under his breath.

And with that, the group made their way out of the abandoned house and down the forestry path. They made it over the bridge before seeing the signs which led to the Dwarf’s mine deeper into the woods. 

“I wonder if there even are any magestones left,” Grim said to Yuu, he was still attached to her shoulder and was staring at one of the wooden signs.

She side-eyed him briefly, “Given it's been years since the mine closed, I’d say the odds aren’t exactly in our favor.”

“So then what happens if we don’t find one? How would I even get into school?”

“...well, then we think of another plan.” 

The trees rustled in a cool breeze before making its way to Yuu, making her shiver at the cold. 

She seriously had to get some warmer clothes. Yuu wasn’t sure how the seasons worked in Twisted Wonderland but if it was similar to Li then it’d be autumn right about now. Which meant the chill would only get colder. 

I’d need to find a place to stay after I leave NRC , she thought, and I can’t be searching aimlessly for one during winter where the cold could potentially kill me-

Yuu sighed, rubbing her arms to generate a bit of heat, “It’d probably be best to fulfill my promise before winter arrives-”

“- Someday, my prince will come…And away to his castle I’ll go………to be happy forever I know… ”

All thoughts vanished in a flash, faster than a streak of lightning, and Yuu froze. Ace and Deuce went on ahead, unaware that she had stopped mid-step.

“Yuu? Oi, why’d ya just stop?” Grim asked her.

Yuu’s ears had perked up, and she realized the sound was coming from behind her. Warily, she turned back around to survey the still scenery of the cottage alone and forgotten in the woods.

But…there was no one there.

“Did you hear that?” Yuu ignored Grim’s question to ask her own.  

The little home sat amidst the dark woods, silent in the night  as the world went on to forget its existence. It was as if it were frozen in time. A strange sensation of melancholy washed over Yuu as she stared back at the house, a heavy feeling weighing in her heart though she couldn’t begin to understand why. 

“Hear what?” He wondered hesitantly, “Why are you looking back, Yuu? There’s nothing there.”

Grim hadn’t heard it? But it sounded so clear to Yuu that she couldn’t possibly have imagined it.

She was quiet for a second before answering, “I thought I heard a girl.”

Grim bristled, “A g-girl? Yuu, you’re freaking me out- ahem ! I mean…um…what was she saying?”

“She was singing,” Yuu answered.

“You sure it wasn’t just the wind?”

Yuu shook her head, “There’s no way it could have been the wind, it sounded so clear to me. Are you sure you didn’t hear it?”

Grim grimaced, “Maybe it was a ghost.”

It was Yuu’s turn to bristle up, “But there was nothing and no one at the house when we were there.”

If it wasn’t a ghost and if it wasn’t the wind, then what was it?

Yuu shook her head to dismiss her thoughts before turning back around, her lantern still in hand.

“Nevermind, just forget it. Let’s go.”

And with that, they caught up to Ace and Deuce, the song Yuu had heard still whispering in the breeze.

“... Someday when my dreams come true. ”

It was like a large gaping mouth, threatening to swallow Yuu and her group whole. Not a trace of light could be seen from deep inside the mine and she could already feel the chilled air from within begin to seep through her clothes. 

“We…w-we have to go in there ?” Grim stuttered, looking just as fearful as Yuu felt, “It’s pitch black in there.”

“But don’t cats have night vision?”

“I’m not a cat, Yuu!”

Yuu leaned her head away in discomfort at Grim’s loud outburst. Did he seriously have to yell right next to her ear like that?

“Do you really need me to come along?” Her hand that held the lantern tightened its grip as she stared into the all-consuming darkness, Yuu cleared her throat before continuing, “Wouldn’t a magicless person only be a nuisance?”

Deuce deadpanned, “Of course you need to come along, Yuu. This is so you don’t get expelled too, plus it’s better to have more people searching.” 

“...If it weren’t for Grim, I’d love to be expelled,” she muttered dryly under her breath so no one could hear.

Ace turned to both Yuu and Grim, he had the map that Yuu had found in his hand-she had given it to him a couple minutes prior to arriving here.  “Ha, are you guys scared?” The boy smirked at the expressions on both Yuu and Grim’s faces, “You guys are like two peas in a pod, just a pair of scared wimps.”

“Myah?! Don’t lump me together with that useless human! I’m not a wimp and I’m not s-scared of anything!” Grim snapped, effortlessly falling for Ace’s taunts. He leaped off of Yuu’s shoulder who let out a relieved sigh at no longer having his weight on her. His chest was puffed up with confidence-most of which Yuu was convinced was just an act-and Grim walked forward. “I’m takin’ the lead!” He declared, “You all follow me! I’ll show ya just what the Great Grim is capable of, got it?!”

He was about to step in before he paused and he glanced back at Ace. “Um…so which way do I go?” Grim asked.

“Idiot,” Yuu said under her breath with a shake of her head.

Together they ventured forth into the darkness, Yuu’s lantern lighting the pathway. Grim was at the head of the group but it was Ace that had the map, using it to guide everyone to where the middle tunnel was.

As they walked, Yuu didn’t skip out on the opportunity to get a good look at their surroundings. She had never been inside a mine before so the curiosity in her was flaring up. 

There were dull crystals still embedded in the walls of the mine, rocks scattered the ground from decades of being mined. And forgotten along the pathway were pickaxes, small in size that even a child could hold. A track ran throughout the tunnels, an upturned cart spilling out rocks and other debris onto the stone ground. 

“ Achoo !” Grim sneezed at the musty air of old rock dust which encompassed the group-even Yuu’s nose was itching at the chalky smelling atmosphere.

“Hey Yuu, you know I’ve been wondering,” Ace started, his voice echoing down the mine, “Why are you even here with us trying not to get expelled? You weren’t actually accepted at NRC so it wouldn’t have mattered if you went back home. Did you really wanna stay a janitor that badly?”

Yuu had a feeling that someone would ask questions at some point. And while Ace was an idiot, he wasn’t entirely stupid-as Yuu would begrudgingly admit. 

Deuce spoke as well, joining in on the conversation, “Maybe the pay for a janitor at NRC is good.”

Whether or not she was being paid, it didn’t matter as Yuu didn’t have a home to go to here in Twisted Wonderland. But she wouldn’t dare to tell either of these two boys a thing about herself and her so-called “home” back in the red-light district. In fact, Yuu didn’t want to say anything to these boys.

They didn’t need to know anything about her when Yuu had no plans of staying at NRC.

Even so, Yuu answered-if only not to be brought under suspicion, “Crowley is paying me five thousand madol a week, I’d say it’s fairly decent as he’s also given me a place to stay.”

Though her living conditions had much to be improved on…if they could even be improved on at all.

“Wait, wait, wait!”

Suddenly, Ace stopped to turn on her, a baffled expression on his face. Yuu’s eyes widened and she stepped back out of instinct.

Had it not been for the fact Yuu was holding her lantern, she would have started to fidget with her sleeves. For now, she settled for nervously digging her sharp nails into the palm of her other hand.

“ Only five thousand? You’re joking, right?” Ace pressed on.

Yuu didn’t understand his reaction, why did he look so shocked? “Is that too much?”

Ace was taken aback by her response, “Too much? In this economy? Not even close! You’re getting paid the bare minimu-no, no actually you’re getting paid less than the minimum wage! My older brother earned way more at a part-time job, why in the Great Sevens would you stay here if you’re getting paid less than a fast-food worker?”

“Is that even legal…?” Deuce wondered, “I don’t think my mom would hold back if she knew I was being taken advantage of like that.”

Yuu furrowed her brows, replying to Deuce, “You mean she wouldn’t want you to work and earn money?”

“It’s not about that , it’s about being given what you deserve after putting in your time and effort.”

“But isn’t it better to get something rather than nothing regardless?” Yuu wondered, “I’m grateful that I’m even getting paid. Besides, it’s not like the work is that hard or terrible.”

There were far worse jobs than just cleaning so she really didn’t have much to complain about.

“But it’s not like you can’t find a better place to work at, Yuu. By the way, do your parents even know the Headmaster is exploiting you like this?” Ace questioned. “They’d probably want you back home if they knew about this.”

Her hand unconsciously tightened on her lantern. Something suddenly burned in Yuu’s chest, a small yet red-hot flame that flickered briefly before it quickly vanished. 

… I don’t want to think about them.

Yuu cleared her throat, “My…parents…don’t know anything but it’s fine. Besides, the money is really more of an afterthought to me. I promised Grim I’d get him into school which is really why I’m here.”

Their group continued on their way into the mine. Moving further in, the light at the entrance slowly disappeared and it was only by Yuu’s lantern that they were able to find their way in the dark.

Thankfully, the topic about her parents dropped as her divergence away from it worked. 

Ace’s brows raised at Yuu’s response, a skeptical expression on his face, “You? Get Grim into school?”

The boy scoffed, “You know that’s gonna be impossible, right?”

Yuu answered uncomfortably, “I’ll admit it is a difficult task but I just need time to come up with a proper plan.”

Grim nodded along, “Yuu’s already been coming up with ideas! I’ll be a student in no time at all and then I’ll get to learn how to do super cool magic!”

“Ideas?” Deuce questioned, “Like what? If the mirror didn’t admit him then how else would he get in?”

“It was only one,” Yuu answered, “I considered that maybe impressing the Headmaster could be an option…though I’m still doubtful. It’d help if there was a big problem or some sort of…adversary that Grim could face to show off his skills against. Maybe it would convince Headmaster Crowley…”

Even just speaking it aloud, Yuu couldn’t convince herself that it was a well thought out idea. But…it was better than nothing for now.

“But Yuu, you’re not gonna find that anywhere on NRC. It’s a school, not some sort of battleground or whatever,” Ace countered, and though he was blunt with his speech, it didn’t seem he meant it in a rude way.

Deuce made a face in response before saying, “Though I wouldn’t say our school isn’t unproblematic. But yeah, it’s not like we’ve got monsters just popping all over the place like in a video game.”

Video…game?

She was hearing so many new terms. It made her wonder if writing a dictionary to note all the words she was unfamiliar with in this world would be helpful.

Nevertheless, Yuu grimaced at what Deuce and Ace had to say. “It was just an idea. Of course…I already know it’s probably an unlikely one.”

“You know you don’t have to keep your promise, right?” Ace said. “It’s not like you signed a legally binding contract or anything.”

Yuu could literally sense Grim’s eyes on her and she didn’t have to look to see the worried expression on his face. 

“B-But he can’t go out on his promise!” Grim said hurriedly.

Ace gave Grim a sidelong glance, “What’s keeping him from not-?”

“I wouldn’t break it.”

Yuu’s voice was firm as she spoke truthfully. She was staring at her right hand, the one holding the lantern, and was looking at a small faded scar which decorated her wrist. 

Everyone had fallen silent at Yuu’s statement as clearly none of them had been anticipating the seriousness of her tone.

“‘A promise is a promise’,” she went on quietly, “I was taught a long time ago to keep my word, and I was also taught what happens if I don’t. So no, I won’t ever break the agreement I have with Grim or any others that I might make in the future.”

“Yuu…” she heard Grim say.

Yuu brought her gaze back up, noticing that everyone had stopped once more to turn to her. Deuce had an expression of admiration that she realized was directed at her . Even Ace sported a begrudging look of respect.

Despite that, he still grumbled, “You know…you’re an annoyingly good person. Even back when you were apologizing to Crowley and talking about the window cleaning stuff…you just seem so, well I don’t know, different from the people on campus? I guess that’s the best way I could put it.”

“He kinda makes me think of those RSA people,” Deuce added with a thoughtful nod, “He’d probably fit in better with them then the people at our school.”

“RSA…” she echoed in confusion.

Again it only seemed to make sense that Yuu should begin writing down an extensive journal of all the vocabulary used here in Twisted Wonderland.

“Yeah, it’s our- wait a minute .” Deuce stopped suddenly and everyone fell silent at his abrupt pause.

Ace’s gaze flicked around the mine with a bit of a nervous expression, “What now?”

Deuce spun around, pen aimed at something in the darkness behind Yuu, “There’s something there!”

She whipped around herself, Yuu’s heart nearly coming to a faltering stop at Deuce’s exclamation. 

“W-What?! What’s where?!” Grim demanded, eyes darting along the walls.

Both her and Grim shouted in fear when a pair of ghosts appeared out of thin air, blocking their way out of the cave and approaching slowly. What was with this world and ghosts?! Looking at the duo in front of their group, Yuu couldn’t tell if they were similar to the pranksters back at Ramshackle. Even so, she still didn’t like that they were coming closer to them. 

“Oh? Hee hee hee! Visitors! The first in ten years!” The first ghost said, floating closer to Yuu and the others. 

The second ghost swirled around them, “Do stay awhile, stay here and make yourselves at home…for you’ll be staying here forever !”

They were joking…right?

“Myah! G-Ghosts!” Grim screamed.

Ace snickered, putting up an act of bravado, “Grow a spine, scaredy cat. You seriously expect to be admitted to NRC when you can’t even handle ghosts? You’re making it even more obvious that Yuu’s an idiot for promising anything to you.”

“Okay besides that, ghosts are the least of our worries right now, we'll distract them and then make a run for it,” Deuce said, remaining calm but he was noticeably tense where he held his pen. With a bright flash, Deuce sent a weak flame careening towards the two ghosts. They vanished into thin air but it was certain that they weren't gone for good. But given the chance now, everyone ran deeper into the cave to get as far away from the ghosts before they could reappear. 

“Hee hee hee!” A ghost laughed behind them and Yuu looked back to see it fast approaching, “You can't run forever!”

“Go down that tunnel!” Ace said, pointing. He was still holding onto the map meanwhile casting a strong gust of wind to send a ghost reeling back. 

Everyone except Yuu was able to use magic to defend against the ghosts as they ran further into the mine, but no matter how many times Ace summoned his wind or Grim shot his signature flame, the ghosts kept coming back. 

“Ah, not good,” Yuu heard one of the ghosts suddenly say, “That’s where it lives, let's get out of here before it sees us.”

It was only now that when the group came to a stop after a couple minutes of running, with Yuu panting and wiping sweat from her brow, were they able to catch a breath. 

How deep did this mine go on for?! And they had yet to find a single magestone. Yuu looked around, still finding only dull crystals, some of which had been mined and lay on the ground abandoned along with the mining tools. 

“Did…did we lose them…?” Deuce wondered, squinting at where they had run from though it was a far distance away now, “I thought they were still onto us and my magic wasn’t even doing a thing. But they just disappeared?”

Ace bit back with a snicker, “Maybe you're just not as good at magic as you think you are.”

Yuu’s brows drew close together at Ace’s tone, disliking where this conversation was headed. 

Deuce didn’t fail to rise to Ace’s taunt, he turned on the other student with a sneer on his lips, “Oh, and you think yours is so much better?! All you’ve done is blow ghosts a couple feet away!”

“You both suck!” Grim butted into the argument even though no one had even been talking to him, “I’ve been doing the most work here, ya know?!”

Yuu grimaced at their loud voices bouncing around the walls, and she had the urge to tell them all to be quiet. They were like a bunch of squabbling children, immature and loud.

But she was more distracted at the thought of why the ghosts had abandoned their chase. And what was it that one of them had said? It seemed important to know.

“Who was it that got us into this mess in the first place?!” Ace snapped at the cat, “If it weren’t for you climbing up onto that chandelier, it wouldn’t have fallen in the first place and we wouldn’t even be here!”

“Not my fault the idiot threw you at me!”

Deuce stiffened with irritation, “Maybe none of you should have been skipping out on your window cleaning!”

“Oh, we’re going there now?! Cause if so, then it’s Grim’s fault for torching the statue!”

“Myah?! That was because of you, explodey-head, not me! And if you wanna go that far then it’s your fault that you made fun of me!”

Yuu tuned out their arguing to look around the mine, silently wondering what had happened to the ghosts. They had been hot on their heels so why had they suddenly stopped now? It didn’t seem like everyone else’s attacks had been doing anything so how was it that the ghosts were no longer around. 

“Guys! We gotta focus and find the magestone quickly, we can’t waste time arguing when if we don't get back in time we’ll all be expelled!” Deuce exclaimed loudly, growing impatient with the pointless bickering.

“Yeah, which is why we don’t need you to order us around,” Ace said. He got up in Deuce’s face as he sneered, “You know you really piss me off when you think you can just tell me what to do. Who the hell even voted you to be leader, huh? Because I certainly didn’t.”

Their aggravating voices were echoing down the mine, almost so loud that had Yuu not been paying attention then she wouldn’t have heard it. Slithering against the stone walls, a noise like no other made it to Yuu’s ears and she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. There had been a reason why the ghosts had stopped pursuing them. And that reason was coming right towards their group.

“Um…” Yuu said finally, her voice wavering. 

Hearing Yuu suddenly speak was what caught everyone's attention and they stopped to look at her. 

“Does anyone else hear that noise?” She asked hesitantly.

Grim and the others fell silent to listen and now that the mine was quiet, the noise was much more clear as it echoed down the tunnel to where they were.

“ Magestone…iiiivvv….youuuuuu…. ”

“I-I hear it,” Ace said, turning around to face the direction of which the noise was coming from.

Deuce tightened his grip on his pen, “If it’s more ghosts then we’ll just have to fight them off.”

“ Aaaalllllll……miineeeeee…”

“It doesn’t sound like a ghost,” quavered Yuu. She squinted in the darkness, spotting a reddened light coming their way.  Whatever evil spirit it was, it was causing the very mine to tremble and it was its gurgling words that propelled Yuu into going into action.

Without another moment to waste, Yuu picked Grim up by the scruff of his neck-the cat let out a yelp-before finding a secluded spot to hide in, a low ditch that hid them from view. Deuce and Ace followed along, and Yuu immediately blew out the candle in her lantern.

Carefully, she looked over just in time to see a sight that had her heart coming to a full stop.

“Not givinggg……my stones goooooo… away !”

And there it was. 

For a second, Yuu thought she was seeing things but then a sudden roar shattered that thought as it caused the very ground she stood on to shake.

Out of the darkness, splitting from the shadows was a monster beyond anything Yuu could have ever imagined. Its round glass-like head was filled with a dark liquid that looked similar to ink, sloshing around and dripping from a decently sized crack. Where its face should have been was nothing but smooth glass, aside from its fracture, and yet it spoke with a dark and gurgling voice that made Yuu’s heart turn cold with terror. Given it could speak, Yuu wouldn’t dismiss the possibility of it having sight. 

It possessed a body that stood intimidatingly tall, wearing torn rags that might have once been some sort of jacket. It looked human. If not for the sludgy substance that made up its body then it'd almost look human. But it was not. Whatever this thing was, it was most definitely not human.

It sludged forward, carrying a red glowing lantern and a rusted pickaxe that had seen better days, and with every move, bits of ink spilled out from its head. Heavy steps, if it could be called that, caused the ground to tremble as it roared, “Get out! Stones….aaaare mineeeee!”

It scoured the scene, looking for Yuu and the others. It lifted its reddened lantern high up as it turned around slowly.

“ What is that thing?! ” Deuce asked in a hushed whisper.

Yuu gave the boy an incredulous look.

He didn’t know what that bulbous looking demon was either?! So this wasn’t some sort of normal creature like a talking cat.

“ No one said there'd be monsters like that !” Grim said, a bit too loudly, that the monster whipped around in their direction. They all dropped lower immediately, and Yuu clamped her hand over Grim’s mouth. Everyone held their breath as they sensed the monster approaching.

She pressed a hand to her own mouth as she dared to look over the ditch. The monster was so close but it couldn't see them and so it turned away once more. 

Yuu let out a small sigh of relief, and dropped her hands from both her and Grim’s mouth. The cat gave her a small glare but didn't say anything. 

“Now I think I get why the map was scribbled out like that and why the ghosts had stopped chasing us,” Yuu said as quietly as possible. “It's because of that thing.”

Ace crumpled the map and shoved it in his pocket, then he responded, “It's also probably why the mine must've been abandoned.”

Had Crowley known about this? There was no way the Headmaster couldn't have known there'd be a giant monster dwelling in the mine. 

“But forget about that,” Ace said in a low voice and he looked over the ditch as well, “Didn't you guys hear what it said? It said something about stones.”

Yuu heard Deuce gasp softly, “Stones?”

“ ...stonessss aarrrreee mine…go…go... ”

“So there are still magestones left,” Deuce realized, his eyes wide and hopeful. 

“I guess so, but that thing is in the way,” Grim said, pointing out the obvious, “And even as a talented mage, I don’t think I’d be able to defeat it.”

Yuu’s eyes flicked towards the pickaxe of which the monster was holding. While its tip looked dull and was probably not as sharp as it had once been, it probably wouldn’t be very nice to be on its receiving end. Not to mention the lantern of which it held, a similar one to the one Yuu was holding, could deal some serious damage if swung with enough force. 

But what was with its glass head? That strange liquid inside looked strangely like ink but Yuu had to wonder if it wasn’t something entirely different.

Yuu heard someone moving and she looked to find Deuce heaving himself up and out of the ditch. Her eyes widened and before she knew it, Yuu had grabbed his arm.

“What are you doing?” She said in a panicked whisper.

“There are magestones in this mine, I can’t just stop now when we’re so close. So I’m going in.” That look of determination came back but Yuu couldn’t find it in her to admire it this time. Yuu didn’t admire stupidity and right now, Deuce was being extremely stupid.

“Are you insane?!” Ace said in a hushed tone as he was similarly baffled at the boy’s declaration. “That thing’s more than twice your size, what the hell can you possibly do!?”

“I don’t care, but I can’t leave now knowing there are magestones. And I’ll do whatever it takes to get one.”

Deuce pulled his arm out of Yuu’s grip-he didn’t have to put in much effort to do so as he was fairly stronger than her-and he stood straight up before yelling, “Hey, over here, freak face!”

“Shit, it's gonna see us now too!” Ace cursed. 

The monster turned in their direction, focusing on Deuce who had his pen at the ready. Without a moment to spare, the creature lifted its pickaxe and brought it down onto the student, however Deuce was swift as he dodged the attack with ease. The tool embedded itself into the stone ground, shattering it into rocky shards that exploded up into the air with a loud and disturbing crack . 

Grim let out a loud yelp to which the monster shifted its focus to where they were hidden. Ace had already scampered off and Yuu didn’t wait as she grabbed a hold of Grim once more before fleeing her spot as well. And just in time as well as the pickaxe came swinging down in the exact spot where she had been hiding. 

Taking advantage of the monster’s distraction, Deuce summoned a weak flame shooting straight for its body. It sizzled against the sludgy substance, burning a small hole into the monster. Yuu noticed how a small trickle of black liquid squirted out before the hole effortlessly healed itself, not obtaining any true and lasting damage.

“My attack did nothing against it?! How is it doing that?” Deuce exclaimed, still summoning his magic to attack the monster but to no avail. It turned on him to which the boy gave up using his pen, pocketing it, before lunging at the beast with a strong kick.

“Is he an actual idiot?!” Ace sputtered, “He’s gonna get himself killed like that!”

Yuu gritted her teeth, feeling a frustration roil in her chest. Deuce couldn’t defeat the monster, couldn’t he see? If he couldn’t summon more powerful attacks and if his only strength was brute force, then there was no way the boy could beat that creature!

Deuce’s kick hit its mark but it wasn’t what any of them had been expecting.

“That thing just absorbed his foot!” Grim said horrified.

Yuu lowered down at Grim’s level and held out her lantern before saying, “Grim, light the candle. We need to get out, Deuce isn’t going to be able to beat it.”

A grisly expression covered Deuce’s face as he realized his kick hadn’t worked the way he had planned, and instead his leg had sunk into the black substance. 

“Damnit! Seriously, what the hell is this black stuff?!” Deuce said, gritting his teeth as he pulled his leg out and leaped out of the way just before the monster swung its lantern at him. But he was a fraction of a second too late and Deuce was hit with enough force that it sent him careening to the ground. He landed with a thump , making a grunt as he made impact with the rocky floor. The monster loomed over the fallen boy and it raised its pickaxe to deliver a fatal and potential final blow.

“Agh, shit! That thing’s got Loosey-Deucey on the ropes! As if I’m gonna let em!” Ace stepped up with his pen in hand. His wind broke its concentration on Deuce as the strong gust made impact with its body, making a slight cut into the substance. And just like last time, it spilt a few drops of its inky liquid before the wound healed. The force of Ace’s magic merely caused the monster to stumble back but it was enough to steer its attention onto him.

“What the-! Does this thing just not ever get injured, what the actual hell?!” Ace exclaimed, “Not a single one of my attacks are even working!”

They weren’t?

Yuu straightened back up, holding her now lit lantern. The liquid that spilled onto the ground had evaporated into mist, it had only been a small amount that it didn’t seem to do anything. But Yuu didn’t think she imagined the amount of ink in its head having decreased after having lost a few drops.

Ace’s next attack was aimed at the head instead but it was as ineffective as Deuce’s kick to its body. Yuu made to dash over to the blue haired boy who was struggling to his feet, yet she froze to the spot with terror when the monster roared furiously, “ BEGONE! GET……OUT! ”

In her mind, she was screaming at herself to get out. To save her own skin and leave these idiots to fend for themselves. 

This would be so much easier if they were selfish, middle aged men. If that were the case, Yuu would have no qualms of saving herself and only herself.

The monster was forcing Ace into a corner and Yuu gritted her teeth, she frantically looked around for something to distract it with. Not caring for what to use, Yuu picked up one of the toy sized pickaxes in her free hand before whipping it at the monster’s giant head. Being a large target, Yuu had no trouble hitting her mark and the glass scratched-just barely-at the impact of the mining tool.

The creature stumbled back with a thundering roar that caused the mine to shake and for walls to crack from the sheer force. Yuu’s eyes widened at the drastic reaction as the monster dropped its pickaxe to press a hand to its faceless head. 

“ RROOOAARRRRRR !”

“It’s head…” Yuu said in quiet shock, her mind working to fully register what she had just seen.

“Myah! Yuu, you got its attention on us now!” Grim yelped when the monster turned to Yuu who backed away instinctively, “Get away from me!”

Yuu didn’t have time to dwell on her thoughts as the creature advanced.

The cat spat out his blue flame, its bright light reflecting dimly in the dull gems and crystals embedded in the stone wall of the mine. His attacks were as useless as a moth’s wing in a spider’s web, but without them, it was almost certain that Yuu would not have been able to see it reflected by something bright. A glimmer of a brightened stone-outshining the rest in the all-consuming darkness-was guarded behind the monster.

“Did any of you see that?!” Yuu suddenly yelled, her heart racing with adrenaline, “Something’s sparkling behind it!”

Ace and Deuce looked to where she pointed, and Ace gasped, “I see it!”

“Could…could that be a magestone?!” Deuce's eyes widened.

Ace gritted his teeth, shaking his head, “Agh! Forget it right now! We need to get out first!”

The monster loomed over Yuu and Grim, snarling with dripping black liquid, “ CAAAAN’T HAAAAAVE IT!!!!!! ”

“Yuu! We’re gonna get pounded into tuna paste, we gotta book it, and fast!” Grim yelled at Yuu.

“R-Right!”

There was no time to think, the only thing that could be done was to run. And run as fast as possible. Everyone sprinted back the way they came with Yuu’s lantern lighting the way, and miraculously staying lit thanks to its sturdy design.

“Come on, Yuu!” Deuce grabbed her by the arm, pulling her along as the group ran as fast as they could out of the mine and into the dark forest. Branches whipped past Yuu as they all ran a far distance from the cave and its monstrous inhabitants. The terrifying beast had left them alone as soon as they were out of its territory-the mine-but Yuu could still hear its gurgling roars that woke birds and sent them scattering from their nests with blind fear. The inhuman noise resounded in her ears like fierce waves crashing against each other, and Yuu had to look back just to double check that they weren’t still being chased. 

Finally, they arrived back at the abandoned house.

“Did w-we lose it?” Grim huffed, collapsing in an exhausted heap. Yuu, who Deuce had let go of, leaned back against a tree before sliding down it to sit on the floor, putting a hand to her still rapidly beating heart and she tried to catch her breath. Yuu’s makeshift binder felt like it was crushing her ribs with every desperate inhale she took, her hand gripped her shirt tightly as she focused on getting in as much oxygen as possible.

After a good long minute, Yuu could manage to speak and fill the silence.

“You took a hit from that monster, does it hurt at all?” Yuu asked shakily, eyeing Deuce who straightened back up with an exhale. 

“It just feels like someone ran into me with all their force,” he answered, “It's nothing severe…no ribs broken so I think it's ok.”

Nodding her head, Yuu fell silent as the weight of the situation pressed down on their group.

Ace grimaced and he breathed slowly, running his gloved hand through his hair tiredly, “Geez, but what the hell was that thing? No one said there'd be anything like that.”

“Well, it's definitely not any sort of ghost,” Deuce commented heavily, glancing back in the direction of the mine.

No kidding, was what Yuu wanted to say.

Everyone went quiet. Yuu could feel the desperation seeping into their group as they all paused to take a breather, letting the sounds of the dark woods fill the tense silence. A cool breeze, colder than it should have been for this time of year back in Li, rustled the leaves of the trees and the short ends of Yuu’s tangled hair. 

Was winter in this world just as cold as back in her own world, or was it colder? 

“We should just give up and go home. I'd rather take the expulsion if it means I never have to deal with that thing again.” Ace finally broke the silence, a reluctant resignation in his voice as if he had already accepted defeat. He put his hand in his pocket and he frowned, sighing, “Damnit. The map…it must’ve fallen out while we were running.”

Deuce stilled and Yuu herself felt conflicted.

This was Yuu’s way out of NRC and that was a good thing. She could be kicked off campus and never have to see Crowley ever again. But then…Grim…

Yuu shook her head to herself.

It’d probably be better for it to end like this, there could always be other chances of getting Grim into school. Maybe…

No. There was no way Yuu would be able to get Grim enrolled in school, who was she kidding?

“ Don’t screw with me. I’d rather die than face expulsion ,” Deuce said quietly at first, but then he turned to Ace, “There’s a magestone right in front of us, and you want to go home?!” Yuu flinched at the sharp edge to his once gentle voice. The sudden loudness had startled a few birds out of their nests and it almost seemed to echo in the silence of the dark forest.

But Ace only laughed, undeterred by this sudden burst and stood to his feet, meeting Deuce’s hardened glare head on.

“You talk big for someone who sucks at magic but sure, if you wanna go so badly then go back yourself, I’m not gonna kill myself for nothing,” Ace bit back without hesitation and Yuu could see Deuce bristling with tension-his fists and jaw clenched, the furrowed brows and the sneer on his lips-before he lashed out, startling both her and Grim.

“Oh, is that right?! Then go home like the spineless, pathetic coward that you are!” Deuce snapped, getting up in Ace’s face as if to intimidate him. 

But Ace only grinned with that infuriating look, not backing down and he met Deuce’s glare without flinching, “Ha, coward ?! Who do you think you’re talking about, huh?”

Yuu watched the two agape, but it was more to do with Deuce’s sudden change. That expression of anger, the threatening stance and how he spoke. He looked intimidating for a boy who seemed so soft-spoken, and it was very much unsettling to see the drastic switch in his mood. 

Grim sat close to Yuu, and he spoke to Deuce in a nervous voice, “Hey…Deuce, did I just imagine it, or did you, like,…turn into a totally different person just now?”

Deuce gasped suddenly and immediately backed away from Ace, his face sporting a guilty expression. He cleared his throat, “S-Sorry…lost my cool there for a second.”

Yuu sighed wearily after a moment and looked back in the direction of the mine. She could almost imagine that monster standing just a couple ways in the cavern, waiting for them to come back in with its rusted pickaxe at the ready.

“So…what now?” She asked quietly.

Grim spoke to the two students, “Can’t you guys just use your magic and go ‘ bam! ’ with that thing?”

Yuu was curious too. She would have thought that with magic, it’d be simple to conjure something to defeat the monster. Deuce could easily summon that large pot and Ace was good with summoning wind, couldn’t they just make up something else?

Deuce answered Grim’s question and Yuu’s unspoken one, “Using magic at a greater scale, or using different types…those things require training.”

“It’s why we’re not as good with defensive magic or other kinds just yet,” Ace added, turning to Yuu and Grim, “But that’s why there are magic academies, it takes a lot of training and practice before you can use it with just the snap of your fingers and turn your thoughts into magic. Bluntly speaking, you're screwed if you lose your cool.”

Turning thoughts to magic…

“I’d assumed magic was just something you could do without thinking…” Yuu said offhandedly, “You all seemed to be able to summon things so easily, I didn’t consider that it would be so limited.”

“Huh…you really don’t know much, do you, Yuu? I guess that's what happens when you've got no magic. But yeah, we can only do so much, we’re only good at what we know,” Ace explained patiently to Yuu, “But if magic’s your specialty or if you’ve got better experience, then you can use it more instinctively.”

“Oh, so that’s why Grim can only summon fire.”

Grim startled at having the conversation lead to him, “Myah! Hey, I’m just gettin’ started, ya know?! Once I become a Great Mage, I’ll be able to use a whole lot more magic.”

“But we should get back to the point. We need to figure out a way to defeat that creature and get the magestone,” Deuce cut in, reminding everyone of the situation.

Ace scoffed, shaking his head, “Yeah…just like the time with the chandelier, right? You ‘figured out a way’ and now look at where we are.”

So then…if Ace and Deuce can only use what they know…

Yuu frowned slightly, thinking back to the monster back in the mine. So then was it even possible to defeat it if these three could only use a limited amount of magic? It’d be much easier if there was some sort of weakness that they could take advantage of…

“It’s head…” Yuu muttered to herself, too quiet for anyone to hear, and then something clicked. The wheels were turning. “It healed faster than those two could summon attacks…but it still lost its black liquid. And the amount in its head had decreased…could it be that…”

That maybe that inky substance was like blood…an important fuel source to keep it going. So then what happens once it runs out…? Would it die?

Too many unanswered questions. It’d be better to take a safer route then face it head on. Perhaps mislead it. But then they’d need another weakness to target, something to distract it with so Yuu and the others could snatch that magestone. 

… Magestone . 

Speaking of stones…wasn’t this the perfect chance to hit two birds with one? Now that Yuu was thinking of it more clearly…this could be a good opportunity to get Grim into school. If Crowley was told of Grim’s capabilities with helping to fend off a monster, there was a chance that the principal might consider his admission. 

“We just fought that thing and it didn’t do shit,” Ace sneered at Deuce, “So what exactly is your plan, genius? Cause’ I certainly don’t trust you to come up with anything sensical. It’ll be just like with the chandelier, you’ll only make things worse .”

“What?!”

Deuce’s exclamation brought Yuu out of her thoughts, and her attention focused on the two students. Both of whom were fighting. Again .

Seriously, when were they not fighting? Yuu felt like she was surrounded by squabbling children, and hearing their arguing continue since they first met was starting to grate on her nerves. 

If only they could just cooperate, at least temporarily so they could-

Ah… that’s it. They were all thinking about this individually, of course the monster would be undefeated if everyone only fought it on their own, using their limited magic.

Ace went on, holding nothing back as he said to Deuce, “You couldn’t damage it with a single hit earlier and now you’ll ‘figure it out’? It’s gonna end the same, and you know it.”

Yuu heard Grim quietly mutter beside her, “They never stop arguing, do they…”

“I don’t care! If you’re not going to come then I’ll go myself, and I’ll get that stone no matter what it takes!”

Something in Yuu flickered at that. Slowly, she stood up onto her feet, brushing dirt off her pants as she did so. 

She hesitated for a moment but seeing how serious Deuce was, to the point it actually did look like he’d go back to the mine himself, Yuu finally spoke.

“What if you actually died though?”

“Like I said it’s-huh?”

The forest went silent. Slowly, both Ace and Deuce turned to her at her sudden words, having fallen silent. 

“Would there even be a point of doing all this if you end up as food for the rats?” Deuce’s face paled and she paused before her eyes darkened. “Just know if something like that did happen, I’m not venturing into the mine to collect your body….”

Grim cringed beside Yuu, giving her a grimace, “Yuu…you can be pretty blunt sometimes. And a bit dark too.”

“Y-Yeah, that’s…that’s actually a really morbid thing to say, Yuu,” Ace said slowly with a wince, shaking his head, “I honestly think you should stop watching horror, I think it’s rubbing off on you.”

Deuce gritted his teeth, “But I can’t stop now, what would my mother say if I got expelled on the first day? I…I don’t know what I’d do if…”

“Are you saying your mother would rather you die than be expelled from school?” Yuu wondered, tilting her head.

“No!” Deuce exclaimed, gripping the front of his shirt as he shook his head vehemently, “Of course she wouldn’t want that, I-I just…” He trailed off before looking down at his feet, falling silent.

What an idiot.

“You just don’t want to dishonor her,” Yuu finished for him. She couldn’t understand Deuce one bit. Was all this determination simply for the sake of his mother? He truly must be so naive, to think of risking his life for the sole reason of not disappointing and bringing shame to his family. It was a completely useless way of thinking.

Slowly, she exhaled, fixing a pointed stare in Deuce’s direction as she spoke, “But…wouldn’t the most dishonorable thing be to die a pointless death? You gain nothing from wasting your life, you wouldn’t be helping anyone.”

His hand dropped to his side, visibly clenching it as he replied earnestly, “I won’t die. I’m gonna beat that monster, no matter what.”

“How?”

“H-How? Um…well I-”

Grim sighed, “You don’t know, do you?”

The forest went back to its silence, leaving everyone to stem in their thoughts.

She fought off another sigh, seeing the gloomy looks on everyone’s faces, desperation and hopelessness. NRC must be a very prestigious school if these two boys looked as if their whole lives had fallen apart. Could they truly not figure out what they needed to do? 

What a pain. She’d rather not be the one to suggest a plan but it seemed it couldn’t be helped. Yuu would have to put a little pressure to get things moving if she wanted to get her way. 

“‘Retreat one step, and the sea and sky are boundless.’” Yuu finally said. The three troublemakers all looked at each other with bewildered expressions, but Yuu continued nonetheless, “Sometimes it’s better not to rush in, sometimes it’s necessary to take a step back to look for a better solution. ”

“But we’d just be wasting time if we do that,” Grim told her with a huff. “We ain’t got all night, ya know?”

Yuu nodded, “That’s true. We’re on a time limit and if that monster were weaker, then it probably wouldn’t be a big deal. However, limited in abilities as we all are-” Everyone looked uncomfortable at the mention of their powers. “-we’d be wasting the same amount of time only to lose as to making a real plan and succeeding.”

“Hah!” Ace scoffed suddenly, interrupting her before she could say anymore, “‘Plan’, you mean working together and being all friends and shit, right? If you wanted that to ever happen, we’d have to be those prissy RSA kids. Seriously, Yuu, how lame can you be?”

Again with that RSA nonsense. What even was RSA?

Yuu’s brows furrowed in confusion, “How does strategizing have anything to do with making friends-?”

“As much as I hate to agree with him, Ace’s right. There’s no way we’d ever work together,” Deuce also interrupted her, his tone serious.

Yuu had already guessed that that would be the reaction. She made to explain her case but Grim beat her to it.

Why does everyone keep interrupting me right now?

“Yeah but…getting expelled on the first day of school sounds pretty lame too,” he said sullenly, “Maybe even lamer…”

Slowly, Deuce slouched in defeat and Ace’s mouth opened only to sputter out, “Well…I mean that’s…”

Grim’s words had worked far better than whatever Yuu could have said. She’d have to treat Grim to some tuna as a reward once they got back-though Yuu still had to get him some from the night before. 

“Also, making plans doesn't have to mean you need to be friends,” Yuu added, “Just that it’s a temporary alliance of sorts. It’s an effective way of planning out a course of action that can possibly guarantee you a major victory.”

“Temporary alliance?” Deuce and Ace echoed back.

She nodded, “You all have different strengths and weaknesses, and on your own it doesn’t account for much when faced with a powerful enemy. But if you combine it all, you can cover the areas of which you lack by allying yourself with someone who has the skills you need to succeed. And once that's done, you can go your separate ways.”

“Ah, it’s like what we did with the ghosts at Ramshackle, right Yuu? You’re magicless so I had to cover ya for that,” Grim pointed out. He didn’t mention that he had also needed her to direct his attacks but Yuu decided against bringing that up.

“So what I mean to say is, you don’t have to trust each other completely to work together or even be friends. But if you want something and you can’t get it on your own, then use the people whose strengths and skills will help you to succeed. That may mean you work alongside each other temporarily but it also means you're that much closer to getting what you want,” Yuu finished saying. 

There were many situations that Yuu could think of that involved people allying themselves with others despite their differences, if only for a short while, to get what they wanted. It was a common occurrence in the world that she lived in, especially in the red district, and it wasn’t a surprise that Yuu had caught onto it quickly.

Both Ace and Deuce were quiet as they registered Yuu’s words but she didn’t know if their silence was a good thing. Now that she had finished, she felt a bit self-conscious.

Did she talk too much? She had been a bit caught up in her explanation to realize that maybe saying a bit less would have been better. Admittedly, Yuu preferred to keep her mouth shut as she felt it brought less attention to her. It was a bit ironic that Yuu hated being at the center of attention, especially when she had been brought up as a courtesan, but…it couldn’t be helped.

Finally, Ace exhaled slowly in mild surprise to say, “Yuu…you sound like some sort of twisted wise old man…where’d you even learn to think like that? Cause’ when you talk like that, I could see why the Dark Mirror would bring you to NRC, even if by accident.”

What was that supposed to mean? 

“Yeah…you also sound really mature when you explain it like that,” Deuce added, “By the way…how old are you anyway?”

“I’m seventeen.”

“...You’re only a year older than us but you already sound so… wise …” Ace muttered before changing the subject, “But I guess you're right…none of us can defeat that monster on our own.”

“It’ll still be difficult altogether, but our chances of winning are better. And Grim, I was also thinking that this might be a good way to get you into school,” she said to Grim who gave her a doubtful look.

“Wait, wait,” Grim interjected, coming up to Yuu and pointing to himself, “How is this gonna make me a student?”

“And what are we even going to do?” Deuce added.

She fought a grimace, realizing she was going to have to talk a whole lot more now.

Maybe I should’ve stayed quiet…

Chapter Text

This was a really, really bad idea. 

Yuu stood at the entrance of the mine with her lantern in hand, her heart already pounding in her chest as if telling her what an idiot she was being. She should have never spoken up and suggested this idiotic plan, but it was obviously too late to take it back now when the other three idiots had agreed to her idea. It appeared idiocy was contagious, and Yuu had caught it.

“You really think everything’ll go as planned?” The cat asked her, staring into the dark void of the mine, “I’m sca…no um I mean…I’m hungry, ya know?

“If it goes as planned, then we may have a chance of convincing Crowley to make you a student,” she replied but then grimaced a bit, “But we should prepare for the worst, you never know what may happen.”

“Geez, Yuu.” 

Somebody smacked her on the back, taking her by surprise that she almost bit her tongue. She slowly turned to frown at Ace, who was the one who spoke, “Don’t get all stiff, loosen up and go with the flow. The worst won’t happen cause’ we’re not gonna let it happen.”

“...Right.”

The planning had gone longer than Yuu would have liked and she could feel the pressure of the time limit pressing down on her. But they had to succeed. If this was Yuu’s only chance of getting Grim off her shoulders then she’d take it, and then Yuu would run away and forget all about these people.

This was only a temporary alliance after all. There was no use in thinking about what everyone was going to do after they won, if they won.

Both Ace and Deuce went to hide amongst the trees while Yuu and Grim stood at the entrance of the mine.

“I can’t believe I suggested this,” she said, scowling into the darkness, “Would it be too late to take it all back?”

“Yup!”

“...you really don’t have to sound so enthusiastic with your reply, Grim.”

But Yuu figured it probably was too late to back out now. 

Yuu sighed aggravatedly before holding her hand up in the air, swinging a rock she had found in the nearby stream close to the forgotten house.

Grim didn’t waste a second as he yelled into the dark mine, “Look at what we just found! A nice and shiny magestone, and it's all ours myahaha!”

Yuu still held the rock up in the air, holding her lantern in her other hand.

Her heart felt as if it jumped out into her throat when she felt the ground shake beneath her feet. Yuu’s eyes spotted the red lantern growing closer as the monster raged towards her and Grim.

“I…must be an actual idiot,” Yuu said to herself just as the creature emerged.

“ GIVE……BAAAACK…STOOOOOONE! ” The monster roared with all its might, the very vibrations of its bellowing could be felt in Yuu’s bones to the point it felt she might shatter. It was so loud that had she been any closer, Yuu’s ears might’ve actually burst.

“C-Come g-g-get it if y-y-y-ya want i-it!” Grim stuttered in terror before both him and Yuu turned to lead the monster out of its domain and towards where Ace and Deuce were waiting. 

Yuu looked over her shoulder to see it hot on their trail, falling right into their trap as Yuu had planned. 

“Grim, Ace!”

“Already on it!” Ace bounced back, pushing out of the bushes as he said, “One extra large tempest coming up!”

“Myahaha, and get a taste of my super fiery special combo!” Grim spat out his signature blue flames to combine with Ace’s own magic. Together it swirled for the monster’s head, causing it to stumble back in disorientation. 

Yuu’s eyes narrowed on the scene, already panting, though she still muttered, “It’s as I thought magical attacks…are ineffective against its head. But what about its body--”

“Haha! Look at that!” Ace said gleefully, “Even Grim’s shoddy ass flames can turn into an inferno with my wind power!”

“Myah! Shoddy?! ” Grim snapped with anger in his blue eyes, “Ya really can’t keep that stupid mouth of yours shut !”

Yuu didn’t have time to ponder on her thoughts as she called out for Deuce.

“Right, right,” Deuce said before he closed his eyes to take a deep and steadying breath, “Alright just picture the biggest …and… heaviest thing I know…”

His eyes flashed open with that signature look of determination and he shouted, “I summon thee, cauldron !”

Yuu was struck by a sense that she was familiar with this scene as Deuce’s large cauldron came crashing down on top of the monster. 

SMASH!

The sound of metal hitting glass echoed as the pot slammed into the monster’s head, immediately forcing it to collapse to the ground. 

“Myahahaha!” Grim laughed unfiltered, “Look at it getting crushed like a bug! It’s just like when Ace got flattened into a pancake back in the mirror chamber!”

Ace stiffened before lashing out angrily, “You really don’t have to bring that up!” He then muttered under his breath, “I'm never gonna be able to forget that, will I?”

The cauldron held the monster down to render it incapable of moving but its head was still intact much to Yuu’s surprise.

“It didn’t break?” Yuu’s eyes narrowed in confusion, “But I thought it would-”

“Yuu! Let’s go now!” Grim shouted loudly.

Yuu was startled out of her mutterings, recalling the next part in their plan. Deuce and Ace were already sprinting down the mine, and Yuu followed after them with Grim by her side. 

“ NOOOOOOOOOOO! ” The monster yelled after them, fighting to free itself. The cauldron Deuce had summoned on top of it kept the creature down, struggling and roaring with a fury and desperation that made Yuu’s skin shiver.

“Alright, where is that magestone,” Ace said loudly as they stopped at a familiar convergence of tunnels.

Deuce furrowed his brows, “It was this tunnel, wasn’t it?”

“No way!” Grim exclaimed, “It was that big one over there!”

“Shit! Did no one remember which way we went?” Ace facepalmed himself, “You can’t be serious.”

“Ya know, maybe if ya hadn’t dropped the map it wouldn’t be like this!”

“Shut it, furball!”

The monster roared, the sound echoing down the walls of the mine, reaching to where their group stood. 

“Damn it, we gotta hurry!” Deuce said irritably.

Yuu took a deep breath, “It was supposed to be the smallest tunnel, if I recall. But…they all look the same to me.”

The four of them stood undecidedly. 

Curses . Yuu had completely forgotten that Ace had dropped the map, no doubt lying somewhere deep in the mine. How were they going to get that magestone if they didn’t even remember where it was?

Hell, none of them had even gotten a good glimpse of it to see where in the walls it was embedded. 

“Grr, well we can’t just stand here!” Grim said impatiently, “Let’s just pick a tunnel-”

“And get lost in the process?” Ace butted in.

Deuce gritted his teeth, “Damn it. Yuu, what should we do?”

All three of them looked at her.

Her hand went up to the front of her shirt instinctively as their desperate eyes landed on her. Yuu swallowed stiffly, glancing around the multiple pathways with uncertainty.

She wasn’t a leader. And yet these three had followed along with her plan, depending …on her .

What…what was this feeling in her chest? Like her heart tightening, their expressions pulled at something in her soul and a realization struck her hard. Was it a wish or a desire? Yuu didn’t think she had ever had this feeling, this…this want to succeed. Had she ever felt this way whenever she would play Go with her customers? She had always wanted to win her games but wanting victory at Go felt so much more different than wanting a victory here. Here and now.

And it was because she didn’t want to let her group down.

Yuu had been the one to make the plan, in a sense she had made the decision that everyone else had agreed to. She couldn’t assume they trusted in her completely, but they were still expecting her plan to work. To win .

Come on, Yuu, she thought to herself. There should have been something that she had recalled from back when they had previously walked these mines. 

“If I remember correctly, we followed along those wooden floor things,” Yuu said, pointing to the railroad tracks. 

Deuce scrunched his face at Yuu's description, “You mean the tracks? Didn't you know what they were called-?”

“ We dig, dig, dig…dig, dig, dig, dig up……from early morning to night- ”

Yuu screamed abruptly, cutting off Deuce's words, “Gah! Curses, what was that?!”

Ace, Deuce and Grim were startled as well, flinching at the sound of Yuu’s sudden shout. They all looked at her as if she had gone mad. Ace and Deuce had reflexively tightened their grip on their pens.

“Yuu, what is it?! W-What are you talking about?” Deuce stammered with uncertainty, his eyes filled with concern.

Ace frowned, “Yeah, what the hell? Don’t just scream like that for no reason.”

“Did those ghosts come back?” Grim asked, his face turning frightful though he tried to hide it with false bravado by saying, “If they did, I’ll smoke em as soon as I see em!”

Yuu’s eyes widened, her face contorting in confusion, “What…what do you mean? Did none of you hear that sound?”

“Yuu, I swear if you’re trying to pull a prank right now, now’s not the time,” Ace said irritably, however he still nervously glanced around, clearly unsettled by Yuu’s questions.

She shook her head, “I’m not kidding around. I heard something, like…like people were singing.”

“Singing?”

“ We…dig, dig, dig, dig, dig, dig, dig up everything…….in…sight -”

Yuu whipped around in the direction of the faded song, her already pounding heart beating faster. She stared down a tunnel, her eyes squinting to see who was singing so deep in the mines.

“There it is again,” she said. “It sounds like a whole group of people are singing.”

“I don’t hear anything, Yuu.” Deuce frowned in confusion before continuing, “Are you alright? Maybe you’re just imagining it…after all………anyone here……mine…”

It was just like the time at the cottage, back when she had heard the song of a girl. How come she could hear these melodies while nobody else could? Was she truly losing it?

Perhaps being involved with so much trouble was having some sort of…mental effect on her. After all, Yuu was aware of traumatic events being able to crush a person’s sanity to dust. Maybe these series of bizarre events had traumatized her?

Nonsense. That was utterly ridiculous to think. A talking cat and learning about magic could hardly qualify as a traumatic event…or at least that was what Yuu had thought. But maybe it actually was?

Even so, that didn’t ignore the fact that for some reason, Yuu was hearing things that nobody else was. And these songs…it felt like falling into a trance, her body almost being pulled by a string. Gently guiding her to wherever the source was. 

Was it the melody that she heard? The words? What was it exactly that made her want to follow? None of it made sense, she wasn’t the sort to go skipping off down a dark tunnel because she heard voices all of a sudden. But it was urging her to go, like someone was pushing her to move.

Almost without thinking, Yuu actually stepped forward.

“Yuu!” Deuce had grabbed her arm, startling her out of her stupor, “Didn’t you hear me? There’s no way you would’ve heard people singing, this place is supposed to be abandoned, remember?”

“As if we don’t have enough problems already, now Yuu’s hallucinating shit,” Ace muttered with a sharp exhale.

Immediately after Ace had spoken, the sound of the monster reached where the four of them were.

Grim bristled, “Guys, we ain’t got time for this! That monster’s gonna get loose anytime soon!”

Yuu shucked out of Deuce’s grip before rubbing at her forehead, an ache beginning to grow along with her bewilderment. 

What had just happened? What the hell was wrong with her?

“ We dig……up diamonds by…the score- ”

Yuu inhaled sharply at the sound, her ears straining to catch the rest of the verse. Why was it only coming from the tunnel in front of her? And it was getting fainter too. 

“Is it possible that…?” Yuu furrowed her brows, briefly noticing that this path had tracks. And it did look fairly smaller than the others. 

“I think we should go down that way,” Yuu said almost without thinking, pointing at the tunnel where she could hear the bouncing rhythm of a working tune. 

Everyone else shared skeptical looks. 

“Yuu, maybe we should-”

And she was already running, not letting Deuce finish his sentence. Carrying the one and only light source, everybody else had no choice but to follow. 

“Oi, henchman!” Grim snapped, catching up to her, “You just heard voices and now you're chasin’ after em?!”

Yuu fought a cringe, knowing how bad this might look. “The tunnel we went down was smaller than the rest, and it had these tracks. It can't be a coincidence that I heard that song as well, coming from this direction.”

“But nobody else heard it, Yuu, you can't just assume-huh, w-what the…?” Ace spotted something up ahead and his eyes widened. “Hey, that's the map I dropped!”

Grim and Deuce looked at each in bafflement then at Yuu. However, she had her ears trained in the direction of the song, unable to pull her focus away as she headed down. 

The orange haired student picked up the map as they continued following after Yuu. 

“ We dig up…diamonds……diamonds by the……score, ” the song continued, growing softer the more Yuu chased it, “ A thousand rubies, some…sometimes more …”

Yuu's eyes widened as she came to a stop. She didn't notice it until now, but her breathing was labored and her head felt light. 

“I-It stopped,” Yuu panted, her legs giving out after so much running. However, instead of landing on the ground, somebody caught her before she could fall. 

“You mean the singing?” Deuce said, having been the one to catch her. He helped her to sit down on a rock so she could catch her breath. 

Yuu nodded and opened her mouth to speak, but before she could Grim let out an exclamation. 

“Look!” He said, pointing up at a wall and what was embedded in it. “That's it! That's the magestone!”

Deuce's eyes lit up and Ace grinned victoriously. 

The magestone brightened in the dark, the light from Yuu's lantern reflecting off its surface. It was there. They had found it once again. 

“Well, let's not waste a moment longer,” Ace said, pocketing his pen and picking up a small sized pickaxe before hacking at the wall around the stone. Deuce followed suit, and with their combined efforts the wall began to crack. The clank of steel on rock echoed in the mine, bits of rubble falling out as the minestone loosened. 

And then suddenly, they all heard it. Yuu was back on her feet immediately.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

“ NOOOOOOO……GIIIIIIIIVE STOOOOOOOONE !”

The magestone fell from its spot and Deuce was there to catch it. But no one had time to celebrate, not when the monster barged into the light with a burning fury that could match the sun’s blaze. 

“ THIEVESSSSS!!!!! GEEEET OUUT!!!! ”

“AHH!” Grim screamed, “It got free! We’re trapped!”

“Not yet, we’re not,” Deuce countered, pocketing the magestone before waving his pen at the monster, “I summon thee, cauldron!”

SMASH!!

“It’s still moving!” 

The monster, so full of rage, shoved the cauldron off as if it were nothing as it advanced on their group.

Deuce let out a sound of frustration and desperation as he went on, “AGAIN! Cauldron! And…um… another cauldron! And again!”

“ Dude! ” Ace snapped, “Do you know how to summon anything other than a fucking cauldron?!”

“Shut up!”

A heaping pile of cauldrons, huge and heavy, pinned the monster to the ground and Grim exclaimed, “Let’s get out of here now!”

Without further ado, they went back the way they came. Thanks to the map in Ace’s hand, the group was able to safely make it out of the mine and they entered the woods.

“We gotta get somewhere safe before we can summon for the mirror,” Deuce said, grabbing Yuu’s arm as they ran so she didn’t fall behind. 

“Let’s…h-head back to the cottage,” Yuu managed to say in between gasps of air. 

“Right, that thing wouldn’t follow us all the way to-”

“ GEEEEET BAAAAAAACK……HEERREEEEE, THIEVESSSS!!!!!!! ”

Ace’s words were severely interrupted at the sound of the monster, and they all looked back to see it on their heels. Faster than anyone had ever expected.

“ GREAT SEVENS! It just shoved off all those cauldrons like it was nothing?!” Ace cursed, “And how is it even faster?!”

Yuu gritted her teeth as she tried to push through but every muscle in her body was screaming at her to stop. And her chest, it ached so badly to simply breathe that Yuu feared it may as well just burst right this instant. 

Could the others hear just how loudly her breathing was? How erratic and short it had become? Could they hear her rapidly beating heart, how it thundered and dulled out all the sounds in the forest?

It was one foot in front of the other, one breath after the other. Until it wasn’t anymore.

“Ah.” Her mind went blank for a split second but it was enough time for her outstretched leg to give out the moment she took another running step. Deuce’s grip on her arm wasn’t enough to keep her from crashing into the earthy ground, shattering the lantern as it went out. The glass shards from the lantern cut into her hand but Yuu didn’t notice as she collapsed.

“Yuu!”

Who said that?

She couldn’t figure out who it was that said her name. All that Yuu could focus on was trying to breath. But her binder, that cursed thing, was like a snake’s tail-coiled around her chest and squeezing every last bit of air from her lungs with each desperate gasp.

“Damn it, we’re not gonna outrun it like this, Yuu isn’t doing too great!” Deuce said, though Yuu couldn’t hear in her struggle to take in enough oxygen. As she tried to pull herself together, the others turned to face the oncoming creature.

Ace sported a grim but determined expression, his brows furrowed and his eyes focused as he gritted out, “Aw, fine! We’ll just fight that thing head on! Let’s pulverize that asshole into the ground!”

The orange haired boy gave Deuce an insufferable smirk before saying, “Try not to wet yourself, Deucey!”

“Right back at ya!” He scoffed back.

Grim also spoke, “And I’m gonna show all of ya why they call me Grim the Great!”

“You three…” Yuu breathed out, getting back to her feet but having to lean against a nearby tree. She clasped her bleeding hand to her shirt, stricken with what she could only describe as fear.

“We got this, Yuu!” Grim said to her, “You just stand back and watch us!”

“And don’t forget, we still got an advantage with the advice you gave us,” Ace added on top of Grim’s reassurance.

My advice was merely theories! There’s no proof it’ll actually work! Yuu wanted to shout at him but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Not when they bravely stood against the towering monster.

“ ROARRRRRRR!!!! ”

And so it began.

Ace and Grim, whose powers were mainly elemental, slashed at the monster’s body. Each attack landed and caused gaping holes to form, ink spilling only for the wounds to heal once more. The two of them were nimble to avoid getting hit as the monster swung its brightly lit lantern down or its misshapen pickaxe.

It was a storm of flames, shades of blues brightened the darkened forest as it engulfed the creature and its bulbous form. Yuu had half a thought to be concerned whether the trees might set on fire but that faded away when she noticed it.

“Look at that!” Grim cried out, “The ink in its head, it’s decreasing!”

“Hah! So it’s like that, huh? We’re gonna bleed it out till it's nothing but a sack of dust!” Ace aimed another cutting wind at its body.

SMASH!

Deuce had launched a cauldron at the monster’s head, and much to Yuu’s surprise, it didn’t so much as crack. The large fracture across its face was still the only one, and it didn’t so much as spread. She had expected the glass to have shattered after suffering so many blows to the head, but it was as if it was made out of something entirely different then glass. 

It didn’t make sense to her. What was that head made out of?

However, it seemed to send the monster into a flurry of panic when it dropped its pickaxe to try and cover its face. 

“That also doesn’t make sense.” Yuu couldn’t understand why the monster would be so startled of its head being hit when it looked to be indestructible. If it was so worried about it breaking, then there must be a way for it to break.

Furious, the monster lunged at Deuce. It swung its lantern at him, whooshing in the air and aiming straight for the boy’s head, but the motion was slow—slower than it had been before. Deuce needed no special ability to be able to duck such a sloppy and languid attack, dodging effortlessly.

“It’s getting weaker! All that ink in its head is going down, myahahah!” Grim exclaimed, using his fire power to burn several holes into the monster’s body. Ink spilled out, and continued to spill out.

Yuu watched on and her eyes widened, speaking to herself, “It can’t heal anymore. It’s lost so much of its strength now that I wonder if…”

“Hit it again, Deuce!” Yuu suddenly called out to the blue haired boy. 

Deuce grimaced, “But my attacks don’t even leave a scratch, it's not gonna do anything!”

Nonetheless, the boy spoke to summon another cauldron.

Ace and Grim worked together to blast a gust of wind and fire, encompassing the entirety of the upper half of the monster—distracting it and causing it to stumble around blindly. Using the opportunity given by the distraction, Deuce cast one more giant pot. This one was sent careening with a brilliant speed, shooting and landing directly against the monster’s fractured face.

SMASH!!

It sounded like the crystals that had shattered on the cafeteria floor—back when the chandelier had fallen and this entire mess had begun. Remnants of leftover ink splattered up into the air as well as sharp shards of glass that had exploded the moment Deuce’s cauldron had made impact. 

The moment appeared to drag on as the monster slowly fell limp, like a motionless puppet with its strings now cut. Its outstretched hands had fallen to its sides, the one holding the lantern had let go, causing the light to blow out as the lantern fell to the ground. What remained of its head were merely short and jagged edges of broken glass, but almost its entirety had been blown off. 

And it stood headless for a still moment that seemed to last forever before crumpling forward onto the grass with a resounding thud .

In the silence of the forest, where not even crickets or frogs chirped, sizzling ensued as the limp form began to crumble away into dust, the sludgy substance that had made up its flesh dried up and was deteriorating faster than the remaining ink could spill. And before long, all that remained of the bulbous beast was a giant pile of dust that blew in the wind and the tattered remnants of its clothes.

And the first thing that registered the victory in Yuu's mind was the utter silence. Her ears could no longer hear the deafening roars of the monster but instead the soft rustling of leaves in the wind. The same wind that blew the last of the dust away. The quietness settled over her and her group as they slowly—but surely—realized what had just happened.

“It’s…it’s gone,” Deuce was the first to speak, his voice low with the same disbelief that everyone else felt.

Ace had a look of utter incredulity as he exhaled, “Is it over?”

A lightness seeped into Yuu’s heart and, without meaning to, let out a breathy laugh, “You guys did it.”

“W-We did,” Grim uttered before a grin covered his fluffy face, “We did it! We won !”

Out of nowhere, Ace let out a loud groan of exhaustion as he fell to the ground. He laid back in the grass, his pen discarded by his side as he rubbed his head, “I’m so ready to go back.”

“Myahaha! Did ya see that, Yuu?!” Grim ran up to her, pulling at her pant leg excitedly as he pointed to himself, “Did ya see how great I was!? That monster didn’t know what hit’em, I was like whoosh and fwoom and then bam ! It didn’t stand a chance against me , the Great and Undefeatable Grim.”

Yuu got down and ruffled his head, careful not to pet him with the scratched part of her hand, “Yes, Grim. You did a good job.”

His expression turned from one of pride and gratification to one of pure contentment at Yuu's words. His smile seemed to get even bigger as well. 

“Now wait just a minute, pipsqueak,” Ace said, pushing up into a sitting position. “ I did the most work, you know.”

Deuce frowned, “But I was the one that landed the final blow.”

“That means nothing, if it weren't for me, that monster wouldn't have been weak enough for your cauldrons.”

“Funa?! Hey, that was all me! I was the one that weakened it!”

Yuu sighed with a shake of her head, standing straight before saying, “You all defeated it. It wasn't just Grim, all of you did a good job.”

A small smile graced her features before saying teasingly, though with much genuinity, “You three work well together, good teamwork is what I should say.”

“Blegh!” Ace exclaimed, “Don't say such cheesy lines, Yuu.”

Deuce nodded erratically, “Y-Yeah, teamwork had nothing to do with this. There's no way I can actually work well with that guy.” He pointed to Ace. 

“And I was the one that did most of the work, there was no teamwork ,” Grim huffed in exasperation, “Seriously, henchman, weren't ya payin' attention?”

Yuu bit her tongue, “I’m sorry. I didn’t think what I said would be…’cheesy’.”

What did that even mean?

Ace rubbed the back of his neck with a tired sigh before getting up onto his feet, he looked to her and spoke, “But as much as I hate to admit it, Yuu, if it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t have stood a chance.”

“......me?” Yuu pointed at herself with a tilt of her head, “What do you mean by that? I didn’t do much, and I wasn’t any help with the fight.”

“He’s right, Yuu,” Deuce interjected, “Unlike the rest of us, you remained clear minded and thanks to that, you were able to come up with a plan and give us level-headed instructions.”

“There was also that part where you figured out which tunnel to go down,” added Ace with a slight nod of his head. “Still have no idea how you did it but I’d say it helped a lot. And I doubt any of us would’ve figured out what to do or how to beat the monster.”

“Hehe, my henchman’s pretty smart despite his looks,” Grim cheerfully said to which Yuu couldn't decide whether to take it as a compliment or insult. 

What did he mean ‘despite her looks’? 

Even so, she fell silent at their words and for some reason, she could feel a bit of warmth in her face. Clearing her throat awkwardly, she ran her fingers through her messy hair self-consciously.

“Well anyways, I'm glad we managed to get that magestone,” Deuce said, changing the subject. His shoulders dropped with exhaustion. “Thank the Sevens, I won't be getting expelled.”

Yuu also let out a relieved sigh, feeling her heart beating more steadily. “I'm just glad this is all over,” she said herself, silently planning to go back to the Ramshackle building and take off her binder before going to sleep. What a day it had been, Yuu could go without any more trouble for the next century. All the adrenaline from this adventure had worn off, leaving her boneless and ready to pass out on the spot. Yuu could just imagine how heavenly her worn out, misshapen and lumpy bed would feel after this hell of an experience. 

“Alright, alright, we get it.” Ace shoved his pen into his pocket, crossing his arms over his chest as he said, “Everyone's ready to go back, so let's just go then. I'm wiped too, so I'm all for going back to campus.”

Grim was plopped on the grass, it seemed that even the energetic ball of fluff could be rendered exhausted. “Myahh,” he groaned, “All that fightin’ has made me so hungry. ”

He pushed up onto his hindlegs with a pout, “Carry me, henchman-ah…wait a minute, what’s that smell?”

Everyone else paused, looking at each other with confusion.

Grim skipped over to a browned patch of grass, the exact spot where the monster had crumbled to dust.

“What’s this?” He picked something up with a curious but hungry expression. It looked like a rock.

Deuce answered hesitantly, “Remnants from that monster?”

“It looks like a magestone.” Yuu looked to Deuce with a questioning expression, “Do magestones also come in black?”

He shook his head, “Never seen one that was black before.”

“Hmm, well whatever it is…it smells good .”

“You can’t actually be serious?!” Ace said, taken aback by Grim’s comment.

Yuu’s face scrunched up in distaste, “Grim…don’t-”

“Down it goes!”

Without further ado, Grim swallowed the rock whole to which everyone startled in both disgust and shock.

“Urgh! He actually ate it?!” Ace exclaimed and made a grossed out face.

Yuu sighed, muttering under her breath, “Great…to think I was done with all this troubling nonsense. Turns out I’m going to have to deal with a cat with food poisoning now. Hopefully, Grim actually gets admitted into school so I don’t have to deal with this anymore.”

As if on cue, Grim stiffened suddenly and his eyes widened, “Urgh?!”

Deuce took that as a sign of distress and asked, “Hey, you alright?”

“...Yeah, this is why you don’t eat things off the-”

“This…this is…so, so… DELICIOUS !” Grim bursted out, interrupting Ace and leaving him and everyone else stunned.

“ Huh ?!” Deuce and Ace blurted out. Yuu winced at the sound.

Grim’s eyes were closed and his paws were on his cheeks as he savored the taste of the rock with a delighted expression, “ Mmmmm , it’s got this rich, full bodied flavor and paired with this aromatic sweetness. It tastes like flowers are bloomin’ right inside of my mouth! And it’s so good !”

Disgusting. Utterly revolting. Yuu didn’t know how else to describe what she felt with Grim at that moment, she just simply couldn’t understand how one could possibly eat a rock . And not just any rock. One that was most likely remnants of that sludgy ink monster.

YUCK.

Ace voiced his disgust far more clearly than Yuu as he said, “Blerrrgh, monsters really do have different tastes from us.”

“…I guess so,” Deuce said, eyeing Grim in bewilderment, “Though even then…most people wouldn’t even eat some mystery object off the floor without a thought.”

Yuu shook her head disapprovingly, “I suppose gluttony can extend further beyond actual edible food…”

“Whatever, it’s tasty and I’d eat it again if I could!” Grim assuredly said, opening his eyes once more to snark up at everyone, “And don’t worry, my stomach isn’t weak like yours!”

“Yeah…just don’t come crying to me when you’ve got yourself a sick stomach,” Ace scoffed down at him with a roll of his eyes.

“Or me…” Yuu muttered offhandedly.

Deuce coughed awkwardly before saying, “Well, in any case, we need to get the magestone to the Headmaster.”

“Right, time to go back,” Ace agreed all too readily.

Yuu, however, was only dreading the dizzying sensation that was bound to come as one of the boys called out for the mirror and their surroundings turned to mist.

“Unbelievable! You mean to tell me that you actually went to the Dwarfs’ Mine? And not only that, but you even brought back a magestone?!” 

What?

“What…?” 

Headmaster Crowley had already been standing in the mirror chamber, his hands occupied with holding a pile of papers. It was not long after he had arrived that Yuu and her companions had returned, the former clinging to somebody’s arm as she tried to regain her balance—Deuce had been gracious enough to let Yuu hold onto him during their mirror traveling.

With a brief explanation and the blue haired boy pulling out the magestone from his pocket to show the Headmaster, Crowley let out his exclamation. And he continued after the group’s collective verbal shock at his words, saying, “I didn’t actually think you’d manage to pull it off, much less even go in the first place. And here I was about to summon you all to officially expel all of you.”

The Headmaster looked down at his pile of papers pointedly. Yuu frowned at his reaction, had she misread him from back in the cafeteria? Surely he had expected them to go, if not, then why would he have suggested the solution in the first place? 

So confusing, Yuu couldn't get a grasp at this man's intentions whatsoever.

“Myah?!” Grim exclaimed loudly, “You were busy expellin’ us while we were gettin’ our butts kicked by a giant monster!?”

Yuu, who had dislodged from Deuce's arm, watched with a skeptical eye as the Headmaster perked up, his demeanor immediately shifting from one of supposed shock to one of genuine interest.

“A monster?” He repeated slowly, “What’s this about a monster?”

“There was a scary lookin’ monster in the mines!” Grim explained with impatience.

Ace added with a nod of his head, “Super big and gross looking, and it nearly killed us.”

Crowley gave the group an assessing look.

“Yes…it does appear you are all a bit… disheveled for a lack of better words,” he said, a genuine sheepish expression turning his lips down into a small frown. “Come, we’ll discuss this further in my office.”

Tacky, unaesthetic and lacking any personality of any sort.

What a horrendous display of interior design for an office, void of any decorations besides a few portraits which floated in midair. And the curtains looked as if a child had chosen them, purple and decked with green stars and moons. Yuu couldn’t figure out if what she was seeing was actually the office for a supposed prestige Headmaster of a well known college or a child’s imagination.

Actually, that was doing children’s imagination a great disservice, in fact this room possessed no creative imagination of the kind. They say that how a person’s room or personal space is furnished and decorated, reflects their mind.

So in this case, what did this office have to say about Crowley.

That he was empty headed? Lacked imagination?

Either way, Yuu felt an immediate distaste for the sparsely furnished office.

“Hmm, so from what you’ve told me,” Crowley said, he was currently seated behind his desk, and had listened to their explanation, “A monster was living in the mines, and the four of you worked together to destroy it, and then brought back the magestone?”

Ace sported a begrudging look as he grumbled under his breath, “I wouldn’t call it ‘working together’.”

“What did Yuu describe it as? More like…we just happened to share the same goal…” Deuce commented, looking similarly embarrassed.

Yuu nodded in agreement though didn’t add anything. She was currently too focused on listing off all the things she disliked about Crowley’s office, the curtains being the first on her mental list. If she had been more energetic then she’d probably be more willing to engage in this discussion, but Yuu was exhausted. Her criticizing the room’s design was what was keeping her from falling asleep where she stood. 

But then a noise that sounded like someone choking pulled her from her revelry. And Yuu was wide eyed in stunned silence at the Headmaster collapsing onto his desk with more dramatic flair than an entire theatrical performance.

“Oh, gracious…. ohhhhh !” 

No one said a thing as they all were shocked, but the crying only got worse.

“Is…he crying ?” Grim, who had taken advantage of Yuu’s exhaustion to coerce her into carrying him, said in disbelief. His ears flattened at the wailing of which the Headmaster let out and even Yuu felt inclined to cover her ears as she grimaced at the unpleasant noise. 

Crowley had begun to sob into his folded arms on the table, appearing to be truly emotional. 

What was going on?

What could have made him begin to cry? Was it something they did? Yuu couldn’t think of what may have offended him that he’d start to sob like some sort of overgrown child. 

Maybe he was truly in misery that Yuu and her companions had returned with an actual magestone. Had he wanted them to fail? Why else would he be so emotional like this? 

But what remained to be true, was that Yuu had never expected Crowley to burst into tears like this. Everything about him was an enigma, from his manners to his intentions and to his reactions. 

Why couldn’t he be less puzzling so Yuu could at least anticipate his motives?

“I’m so confused,” Yuu found herself saying, her brows furrowed with both concern and wariness.

Courtesan habits made her inclined to go up and comfort the sobbing man, but sense held her back so she merely watched the spectacle dumbfounded.

“What’s this guy’s deal? Who starts sobbin’ in public at his age?!” Grim exclaimed with loud perplexity. 

Yuu shrugged with a reply, “You’d be surprised, men are often quite emotional.”

The cat looked up at her with a questioning look. 

“To think,” Crowley continued through his sobs, “In all the decades that I’ve worked at this school, to think a day would come when my students would join hands to defeat a common foe! Oh, I am simply moved to TEARS!”

“‘Decades’…?” Yuu repeated to herself with incredulity. But he didn't look a day past thirty?!

“W-Wait just a minute now!” Deuce interjected hurriedly, “In no way were we joining hands, I would never do that with that guy!” He pointed at Ace in emphasis of his statement. 

Ace added on, similarly offended, “Yeah, there was no joining of hands. Literally gross . Also, how old exactly are you, Headmaster?”

Crowley didn't spare a moment for the two students and their protests, instead he immediately stood from his seat to come around the desk and approach Yuu. She bristled, unintentionally squeezing Grim a bit tighter than necessary. 

“Yes, I am most moved. This incident has proven my intuition was right about you, Yuu,” Crowley said firmly, placing his hands on his hips as he stared down at her with his beady yellow eyes. “My doubts have been erased and I am now absolutely, a hundred percent certain that you possess the skills of a beast master!”

That again?!

Yuu shook her head, “I don't understand what you mean by that, Headmaster Crowley. What sort of skills are you referring to exactly?”

Because I can assure you, you’re most definitely mistaken.

He ignored her question to continue saying, “My students, you see, were all selected by the Dark Mirror itself to attend my college. And as it would have it, it does not take into account the egos and personalities of these self-important and haughty, selfishly conceited and badly mannered teenagers . It is as expected, that with great power begets such prideful personalities. And so most students are self-reliant and too self-centered to even think of cooperating with others.”

Grim,unimpressed, spoke, “He just completely slandered his students like it was nothin’…”

Both Ace and Deuce seemed disgruntled at the Headmaster’s continuous rant of his students, seeming to forget that two of them were listening to everything he was saying. 

“But you, Yuu— ahem , excuse the rhyme,” Crowley went on, “You possess no magic whatsoever. Yet despite that—or perhaps because of it—you were able to convince those who can wield magic to work together to achieve a common goal.”

Yuu fought against saying that she had merely “convinced” these students to use each other for their own personal gain. That wasn't exactly what the Headmaster was assuming, if Yuu could properly interpret his words to some extent. 

It seemed he was getting the completely wrong idea of her intention. 

“That everyday, mundanely humdrum and lack of any speciality that you possess may be exactly what this school needs!” The Headmaster proclaimed with great excitement.

Yuu’s eyelid twitched with suppressed aggravation but she said nothing.

“I'm not Yuu but even I feel offended,” Ace uttered under his breath, shooting her an empathetic stare. 

Crowley turned serious before saying, “Yuu, I am convinced that people like you are necessary for the future of this school. It is my educator's intuition that tells me so.”

“Right…” she dumbly replied, not getting where Crowley was headed with this discussion. 

“Now as I am most pleased with the results of this outcome,” the Headmaster addressed the two students beside Yuu, “Trappola and Spade—”

The two boys noticeably straightened, looks of seriousness crossed their youthful features as they prepared for the Headmaster’s next few words.

“I hereby revoke your pending expulsion.”

“...R-Revoke? You mean…I don’t have to go home?”

“Nobody will be going home tonight, Spade,” Crowley replied with a subtle nod of his head. 

Deuce let out a huge exhale, his hand going to his heart with a relieved expression, “Thank the Sevens, I swear I’ll never cause trouble again. Thank you, Headmaster!”

“I can’t believe we actually avoided expulsion,” Ace breathed out in disbelief before his shoulders slumped tiredly,  “I’ve never been through so much in one day, I could literally collapse right now.”

And then Crowley refocused his gaze on Yuu, and he broke into a wide grin. He flourished his arms before him as if he was about to announce something spectacular, and that he did, “Furthermore, Yuu, I am granting you the qualifications necessary to attend Night Raven College!”

A moment passed. And then a second one.

In fact, time may have just stopped right then and there as the build up to havoc only increased amid the silence. A pin could be heard dropping onto the floor after Crowley’s words rang loud and clear in the room, and there was no denying that what he said was exactly how he said it. 

 Nobody had anticipated such a shift in the conversation, and one that no matter how long it took to accept, remained an utter surprise.“...What?!” Everyone in the room suddenly exclaimed after overcoming the shock, all except for Yuu.

“…………………”

“Yes, yes, I am overbearingly gracious that I've rendered you speechless!” Crowley said gleefully, “Oh, I've truly outdone myself, if I do say so myself. You will attend Night Raven College starting tomorrow, and you'll be enrolled as a first year student along with your companions.”

Student. Attend. College.

Yuu didn't think it'd take her this long to process a few sentences, but with the combination of unwanted surprise and exhaustion, her mind went utterly blank. A total clean sheet of paper, empty and completely void of any thought whatsoever.  She didn't even realize she had dropped Grim, who was not anticipating to be let go before falling to the floor. Her arms hung limp at her sides as her entire body took a shock from the declaration. Her heart may have just stopped as well, or maybe her breathing did?

Yuu heard herself dumbly say, "I can't go to school, somebody like me could never attend a school."

"Nonesense, Yuu,” Crowley cut her off, misunderstanding her words, “I didn’t forget your unique situation, so I already took into account your lack of funds and knowledge of Twisted Wonderland.”

“Considering there's currently no way for you to return home, and that you are a minor, it is thus the campus’s obligation to provide what is needed,” Crowley explained, “You will be given the uniforms and I will continue to offer an…allowance of sorts so you may purchase meals, out of the school’s budget of course— ahem ! Furthermore, I will see to it that you are provided with the textbooks and other school necessities needed for your classes.”

Hold on…what did Crowley mean when he said he didn’t forget? Wouldn’t that mean he hadn’t forgotten Yuu’s situation back in the cafeteria, back when he had threatened to expel her and the others if not for the excursion to the mines? 

So then, what had been his intention? Had he been trying to find a reason to expel her? But that didn’t make sense because Crowley could have done that from the very beginning and kicked her off the school grounds. Yet it certainly couldn’t have simply been to fix the chandelier, there were factors in all this that had her mind reeling with doubt. Puzzle pieces not fitting the mental image Yuu was trying to conjure for Crowley and his actions. Had it all been a test? But for what?

“Most certainly, however, there is a condition,” Crowley added, crossing his arms over his chest. “As you possess no magical ability, you wouldn't be able to attend or participate in classes. And for that reason, Grim—”

The cat perked up immediately upon hearing his name, having been sullen at being dropped again. But Yuu was no longer paying attention to what was being said, her mind racing to understand the reasoning for this decision.

“—your actions have proved to me your capabilities and potential to become a mage. As such, you will share a single enrollment at Night Raven College with Yuu and attend classes alongside him.”

Grim blinked before his face lit up, and he gasped, “W-Wait, so you mean…you mean I get to go to this school?! And not as a janitor, but an actual student?!”

“That is correct. However, there must be no more accidents or unruly behavior on my campus, is that understood?”

Yuu felt Grim tugging at her pant leg, looking up at her with overflowing joy and excitement, “Yuu! You did it! You got me in!! Myahahah, I'm a student now! Just you wait and I'll be the greatest mage that ever lived in the entire world, no…not just the entire world but the whole universe !”

Crowley frowned, “You're not listening to a word I'm saying, are you—?”

“I FINALLY DID IT! Yuu, praise me for the great mage that I am!”

Yuu said nothing, having heard not a single thing anyone had said in the last few minutes.

“...Nevermind, don’t say anythin’ then.”

“He’s probably still in shock from the acceptance into NRC,” Deuce told Grim.

Ace snickered, “Really? Look at his face, not a thought behind those eyes.”

“Ohh, yeah. My henchman’s so weak, anythin’ would make him speechless like this. He’s probably so happy he can’t find a way to show it.”

Meanwhile in Yuu’s mind…

This wasn’t supposed to happen. I did not expect this to happen. How is this even happening? Why am I a student all of a sudden, this makes absolutely no sense.

Yuu didn’t think she had even done anything to merit this sort of result. All she did was make a plan and get the others to follow along with it.

Well, that and she had also heard voices that for some reason had helped back in the mines. But Crowley wouldn’t have known about that.

“ Ahem ,” Crowley cleared his throat to redirect their attention to him, “Anyways, with that said, I will now present to Grim the magestone that is issued to every student here.”

“A magestone, huh?” Grim said.

“That’s right, and while it is usually attached to the ‘magic pen’, I suspect that your paws cannot handle such implements,” the Headmaster continued pleasantly, “Therefore, I have a custom solution just for you.” With a wave of Crowley’s hand, a flash glowed and a bright purple stone appeared on Grim’s furry neck, embedded in his collar was the magestone that now twinkled in the light. 

“ Ah , I am simply too generous and kind. Is it even possible for someone to be as gracious as I? Truly I surpass everyone in terms of generosity and kindness.”

Grim gasped in delight, touching his collar with awe before he began to gloat, “Ah, sweet! Look at that! A magestone collar, only to be worn by the legendary archmage, Grim!!”

“Hmph, still not listening to a thing I say, are you?” Crowley shook his head, already sounding as if he was regretting his decision. He cleared his throat once more, “Now, Yuu…”

“.................”

“Yuu.”

“.................”

“Yuu? Great Sevens, have you just been staring off blankly like this the entire time? Come back to us, Yuu.”

A loud snap sounded in her ear and she jolted, shouting immediately without thinking, “I decline!”

Crowley blinked in bewilderment, his hand still outstretched as he had snapped his fingers to bring her mind back to the present. 

And Ace, Deuce and Grim all looked at her strangely. 

“Decline? Decline what?” Crowley wondered, tilting his head with genuine confusion. “Yuu, how much of what I just said did you actually hear?”

“H-Huh?”

“About Grim?”

“He…Grim is…um.” Yuu grimaced as she met Crowley’s gaze with guilt, “I’m sorry…what were we discussing again?”

Crowley facepalmed himself, letting out a long sigh, “Yuu, I understand you must be quite tired after these past two days so I realize I may be pushing your limits but please bear with me a little longer. It is true that Grim will be a student alongside you, and the two of you will attend classes at Night Raven College.” He regained his composure and straightened up as he went on to explain, “But as you may have already come to know, through experience, Grim is a wild card that needs to be kept on a tight rein. I am expecting that you ensure there are no further incidents after tonight.”

“R-Right…”

Yuu had no way of telling Crowley that she wished to reject his offer, both because she didn’t want to be a student and that she didn’t plan on staying. It would no doubt be taken as a sign of disrespect, especially after he was clearly quite excited and proud of himself already. 

“No way!” Ace bursted out laughing, “That’s quite the promotion, Yuu. From janitor to student to prefect, all in one day! That’s gotta be a Night Raven first.”

“Ah.” Deuce perked as he came to understand what the other boy was saying, and he mused, “I see…if your dorm is just the two of you, and Headmaster Crowley is putting you in charge of Grim…that makes you the dorm prefect.”

“A magic-less prefect, huh. It certainly sounds ridiculous but I guess if it all works out, then whatever!”

Yuu fought a grimace and refrained from slouching her shoulders in dread. These people had no clue just what sort of ill fortune this was for her. 

Her, a student ?! The mere thought of it had her internally recoiling. 

There was no way she was going to avoid attention this way. Everyone would know that she was an anomaly, a magic-less person who somehow got accepted into a magic school. Yuu could already guess that there would be some people who wouldn’t be too happy with her. And on top of that, she had never had a very thorough education. The arts was all she had been taught, Yuu knew nothing complex like number systems or science because as a woman, it was not her right to learn. 

With all this in mind, Yuu didn’t plan on staying as a student. Or staying altogether.

“Well, good luck to you, prefect,” Deuce said pleasantly, “With your brains, I’m sure you’ll do great here.”

Yuu forced a grin at the kind boy’s words, replying in a faintly strained voice, “I appreciate the sentiment.”

“Prefect, huh?” Crowley mused on his own, “Yes, I suppose that this would make you a prefect. In that case…”

The Headmaster went around his desk, pulling a drawer and rummaging through it. 

“I just so happen to have a job for you, and that title will make it all the easier to dump work—ahem, I mean to entrust a few tasks to you,” he explained, coming back to Yuu to hold something out to her.

Without thinking, Yuu held out her hands for Crowley to plop the strangely misshapen object.

“It’s a ghost camera.”

Yuu immediately held it far away from her. 

Great . Crowley makes her a student and now he gives her a cursed object? 

What in the Heavens was he thinking?

Ace came up beside her to look at the object. “Ohhh, my grandma told me about those,” he observed with mild interest, “Aren’t they, like, super old magical artifacts? Like decades old?”

“Magical artifact?” Yuu repeated slowly with uncertainty.

“They are not ‘super’ old,” Crowley retorted, “ ahem , though…it was most likely invented when your great or great-great-grandmother was a child.”

“So it is super old then—”

“It’s a camera enchanted with a special kind of magic, essentially it allows the user to photograph not just the subject’s physical form, but parts of their soul itself,” the Headmaster went on to explain.

“That sounds…really shady,” Deuce commented.

“They’re called memories. Essentially, when the soulbond between the photographer and subject deepens, the memories captured in the photos come to life within the frame. In a sense, the photographs become animated almost like videos. And depending on how strong of a bond, the memories can even take physical form and come out of their frames.” Crowley was filled with excitement as he said, “Isn't that what you youths would call ‘wicked cool’?!” 

“So then it's ghost photography? Didn't people used to think this camera was a bad omen or something?” Deuce wondered. 

“Indeed, hence the name ‘ghost camera’,” Crowley replied. “When people saw memories jumping out of their frames, they'd get spooked and yell, ‘Ghost!’. It got to the point where people were deathly afraid of being photographed by such a camera.”

“That sounds like more trouble than it's worth,” Ace muttered under his breath.

Yuu frowned in confusion before asking, “Does that mean it’s not a cursed object?”

Crowley scoffed, “‘ Cursed ’? Hardly” —He stopped suddenly and his face shifted into an expression of offense as he realized— “Yuu! D-Did you really think I’d hand over a cursed object to you like this!? Great Sevens, you never cease to wound me with your distrust! And I honestly have to wonder who you take me for for you to assume such a thing!”

Ace shook his head with a sigh, “I think we should all be getting used to Yuu’s cynicism by now.”

So then…there weren't any actual ghosts inside the so-called camera? Tentatively, Yuu pulled it back closer to get a better look at the gadget. 

What did the Headmaster mean by capturing memories? And what were photographs and photography? Yuu was mildly curious, albeit a bit wary, of the item in her hand. She couldn't help being curious, after all, she had never seen something quite like this before. And the fact that Yuu was also able to hold it, especially since it seemed to be some sort of special artifact, had her all the more interested. 

What seemed to be the front side, with the glass circle, was directly in front of her. She could scarcely see her reflection in the glass. Her finger felt the top of the object and she paused.

What was this strange button on top?

But before she could sate her curiosity and press down on it, Crowley continued, “In any case, Yuu, I am giving this to you so that you may photograph and capture memories throughout your time here. More specifically, I'd like you to record any… ahem mischief by certain students—” He looked at Grim. “—and make a photographic journal. Consider it as writing a weekly report but just with images.” 

A journal? Just how exactly was this camera supposed to work? 

Did it write on paper? But how was that possible? The camera in her hand looked to be only slightly smaller than her face, how was she supposed to make reports with this miniature object? 

Hmm. How much does this even cost?

“Anyways, I do hope you greatly appreciate my kindness and graciousness, seeing as I've given you a precious magical artifact. There aren't many items such as these that even non-magical people can use, it's indeed quite rare.”

Yuu bowed her head slightly before uttering, “Thank you, Headmaster Crowley.”

“Yes, yes, I am truly gracious, it's astounding.” Crowley grinned. “Now, now, the hour is very late and you all have classes tomorrow. I shan't keep you all night, so off you all go. Any further discussions can be held on a later day.”

Classes. As if. No way was she sticking around to attend a college full of immature teenage boys, and with a suspicious man as the Headmaster to boot.

“Yes, sir!” Deuce said rigorously.

Ace groaned, “Finally.”

And just like that, they were ushered out into the hallway where all four of them headed back to their prospective dorms. 

The wide arches of the hallway, opposite to the stoned wall, showed the expanse of the campus and the starry night. Clouds were splotched along the sky, every so often covering the silvery moon and its light—casting shadows onto the grounds. Through the wide open space, the cool breeze blew in as Yuu and the others walked down the hallway. She stayed a few steps behind them as her mind was preoccupied at the moment to think to catch up, her hands idly fidgeting with the camera. 

Grim was skipping merrily on his way, singing, “La, la, la, la. Haha, at last! I’m finally a student at Night Raven College!” 

Amidst the cat’s cheers and gloating as if he hadn’t gone through a night of chaos, Deuce and Ace could hardly retain the same energy. 

Deuce exhaled in relief, a sound which carried out the last of his stress and worries for the moment, “We did it. I can’t believe we actually managed to avoid expulsion, and just by a hair.”

“I hate to agree, but no kidding,” Ace replied, putting his hands behind his head as he walked on. 

Their steps echoed in the empty hallway, bringing about a serene ambience as it was only the four of them. Even with Grim’s excited words, the world seemed to be a bit more calm and quiet than how it had once been when they were all rushing to avoid expulsion. 

“La, la, la, la, la!” Grim sang happily, he then stopped to give Deuce and Ace a confident look, “Just you wait, I’ll be the top mage on campus in no time, and you two will be eating my dust!”

“Heh, let’s see if you can actually follow through on your words,” Ace challenged though there was no bite to his words.  He grinned as he shrugged, “But still, good for you for making it in, even if you’re only half a student.”

Deuce hummed thoughtfully, “So I guess that means we’re schoolmates, huh? In that case…Grim, Yuu—ah, where is Yuu?”

He looked beside himself where he had thought she was still walking beside him, Ace also paused.

They all turned around to see Yuu, a dazed out look in her eyes as she stared down at the camera. Noticing that everyone had stopped, she did too and looked up in surprise to see they were all looking at her.

“Hm? Forgive me, what were we saying?” Yuu asked.

Deuce frowned and Ace furrowed his brows.

The latter nudged the blue haired boy and he said to him in a hushed whisper, “You really think this kid’s gonna survive here?”

“Headmaster Crowley seems to think so.”

“...Huh.”

Yuu tilted her head in confusion at their whispering, unable to hear what they were saying. “Did I do something wrong?”

Deuce shook his head, “No. It’s nothing. Anyways, I was just saying I look forward to attending school with you and Grim.”

“Oh.” She was a bit surprised to hear that. From his tone, it sounded like he was being truly sincere. And knowing Deuce, from just the short amount of time that they had worked alongside each other, Yuu believed him. 

An uncomfortable feeling settled in her chest as Yuu had admittedly been just thinking how she was going to leave NRC tonight. Now that Grim was a student, her promise had been fulfilled. Even if he was only half of one, it still counted in her book. Which meant Yuu had no obligation to stay here, her promise didn’t involve keeping Grim in school. There had been no agreement to the duration of his stay, so if he got kicked out, that wouldn’t be her problem. 

It was cold, even Yuu could admit. But she could only take care of herself, it was the way of her world…her life. These three would never understand but it didn’t matter. They were just the few of many people that were insignificant in her life, in time Yuu would forget about them—she always did at some point.

“Me too,” she said to Deuce with a small grin.

“Ah, alright, alright,” Ace cut in, “Can we quit it with all this mushy stuff? I’m gonna actually puke if we keep saying things like this. By the way, which dorm are you gonna be in? Technically you weren’t actually assigned to one.”

Grim was the one who answered, “We’re stayin’ at the Ramshackle building.”

“You mean that dirty old building on campus?”

“Hmph, yeah. It’s filled with ghosts and spiders but I guess it’s our dorm now.”

Ace nodded, “Well, at least you're not stuck with some scowling idiot in Heartslabyul like how I am with this guy.” he gestured to Deuce who, in fact, immediately scowled.

“At least it’s better than that dumb, loafing grin of yours,” Deuce retorted.

“Who’s the one that nearly started crying after almost being expelled, you crybaby?”

They continued to banter back and forth as they kept walking, however it didn’t seem overly aggressive or mean like how it had been when they had first met. In fact, their squabbling was amicable like two friends taunting and egging the other on.

In all honesty, they were a rather good fit for each other. 

Despite herself, Yuu couldn’t help smiling. 

“Hmph, those two were basically made for each other,” Grim said with a snort.

She couldn’t agree more.

With their backs to her and Grim, Yuu tentatively brought the camera up—it was upside down and facing her, not that she noticed.

“Capture memories, hm?” She murmured to herself. Yuu waited for the camera to do something, but it didn’t. 

“Yuu?”

Still nothing.

“How does this thing even work?” She said irritably to herself.

Slightly annoyed, Yuu lowered the gadget before shaking her head and saying, “It’s nothing. Let’s go back, Grim.”

Memories …

She was leaving tonight anyway, so what did it matter?

“Damn it, damn it, damn it.”

What was with that red headed brat? It was just a tart. Why’d he have to go and throw a damned temper tantrum like some overgrown baby? Ace grumbled bitterly to himself as he pushed past the rusty iron gates of the old building where Yuu and Grim resided. He couldn’t get a break, could he? It was one thing after the other.

First it was the window cleaning, then the near expulsion and now his damned neck was wearing a stupidly heavy collar—what else was next?! 

But one thing was for sure…

“There’s no way I’m going back to Heartslabyul, there is no way!” Ace said angrily, stomping up the steps. “I get my magic stolen all for eating a damned tart, who even does that?! That stupid Riddle, how was I supposed to know it was his? And isn’t this overreacting a bit?! No…no, not a bit—a lot!”

Ace didn’t know why Ramshackle was his first thought of where to go after having left Heartslabyul. He had only known Yuu and Grim for a day, it wasn’t like they had become friends all of a sudden. Great Sevens no!

But the fact was that he knew them. Knew Yuu. At least enough to come in the middle of the night and burden him with his problem.

Besides, Yuu was far better to be around than that tyrannical Riddle. While the former had his extremely odd antics, dark cynicism and sometimes that withdrawn look, he was at least tolerable. It seriously got Ace wondering how he’d developed all that because it was definitely not like the other guys on campus. 

Yuu didn’t even know what a magical pen was, which was common knowledge, it was as if he had been living under a rock his entire life. Either way, Ace was here now at Ramshackle house and he fully intended to rant furiously about everything that had just happened.

Ace couldn’t feel bad about interrupting Yuu and Grim’s sleep, not now when he was already at the door.

“I mean, technically, he is my senior,” Ace reasoned with himself, “he wouldn’t not take care of his helpless and totally innocent younger schoolmates.”

With a deep breath, he was about to raise his hand to hit the rickety door when all of a sudden it swung wide open, hitting him square in the nose.

“Gah! What the–?!”

“Eek!”

Ace stumbled back, pressing his hand to his face as he blinked in a daze at Yuu.

For a moment they stared at each other in stunned silence. Yuu looked to be holding a makeshift bag of sorts, made of a stale old bedsheet, but his clothes remained the same. Ace’s first thought upon seeing him was why he wouldn’t have changed into other clothes before bed, but then the shock wore off and Ace pointed. 

“What the hell are you doing still up?!” Ace asked as if he hadn’t been about to wake the whole house a few seconds ago. He glanced at the bag and back at Yuu, already starting to wonder where the hell this guy had been going.

Yuu’s brows furrowed, and Ace could see the visible confusion but also…something else. Fear? Not like startled fear, but as in actual terror. The expression was gone as quickly as Ace had spotted it but he knew for certain he had seen it.

What had that been for? 

“Curses,” Yuu said, breathing out in what Ace could only assume was relief as he pressed his hand to his heart, “I thought you were somebody else.”

“S-Somebody else? Who else would’ve come here late at night?”

The brown haired boy shook his head, “No one, really. I was referring to the ghosts, they appear all over the place without warning and I’m terrified of them.”

Huh.

“Right…”

Yuu paused as if only now realizing Ace’s presence. He blinked, his gaze immediately zeroing in on the heart shaped collar around the latter’s neck. In a matter of a few slow seconds, Yuu’s expression fell with what seemed to be dread. 

“...Why…are you even here?”

Chapter Text

“I’m sorry, but let me get this right. So, you ate something that wasn’t yours? Annnd…you’re mad because you got caught?” 

“Damnit Yuu, don’t make it sound like I’m the problem!”

“Uh-huh.”

“Don’t sound so unconvinced!”

In the lounge, Yuu found herself sitting beside Grim as they both gave the most unimpressed stares at the blubbering student—a plant could shrivel from their combined looks. Grim had woken up after Ace had practically barged in, and the cat had come into the room with quite the attitude. Which was more than fair since he had been fast asleep but moments ago. 

“All this because of a tart ?” Grim said dryly.

I missed my chance to escape because of this ?

Yuu’s head was starting to hurt with just how ridiculous this all was. And just when she thought her migraines had been letting up recently, turned out Ace was just the right stressor to bring one right back.

Curse you, Ace.

“How was I supposed to know it was his? Besides, I only ate one of the three tarts, it’s not like I ate all of them!” Ace reasoned angrily as if he thought that would help his case—which it didn’t, “I mean, there were THREE really big tarts! It shouldn’t have been this big of a deal! And , Riddle didn’t even write his name on them, which only proves my point that I’m innocent! Yuu, you believe me, don’t you?”

Riddle? That name sounded familiar, where did she hear it from again? 

“And so now you want to stay here?” Yuu repeated his previous words, growing aggravated by the second. And even more so, she was utterly bewildered that she was the one that Ace had come to.

He couldn’t have found someone else to bother? Yuu had thought that their time and struggles together ended back in the Dwarves Mine—so why was he back ?!

“Would you want to go back to the place that basically cut off your arms and legs?” Ace asked her.

“Am I misunderstanding something?” Yuu tilted her head, blinking at the collared boy in confusion, “Your arms and legs are intact.”

“You wouldn’t understand, Yuu. I’m a mage, having my magic cut off is literally the same thing as getting my head cut off.”

“You’re not using that word the way it’s supposed to be—”

Grim nodded in agreement, “I remember that short psycho totally did the same to me, it felt like the worst thing to ever happen.”

“Hm—oh.” Yuu remembered now. “That short red headed boy from the ceremony. Wasn’t he the one that was threatening to behead people? He did the same thing he did to Ace to you, didn’t he, Grim?”

“Urk—don’t remind me…”

Riddle. She idly rubbed her roughly bandaged hand, having wounded it back when she had fallen during the Dwarves’ Mine incident, as she mused silently to herself. Yuu didn’t really have a good impression of him, in fact she didn’t have one at all. 

That short time in the mirror chamber hadn’t been enough to fully grasp the personality of this Riddle boy. The only thing she recalled was his distaste of her and Grim for breaking rules at a formal event, which Yuu could admit was called for. 

She herself had been brought up to follow rules and social etiquette, if somebody had barged into a formal event where she had been performing her qin, she’d be equally annoyed. Only difference was she couldn't behead people—or in this case collar somebody. 

Yuu sighed, leaning back against the cushions of the sofa, “Ace, you're rather fortunate, you got off quite easily.”

The boy sputtered, “G-Got off easily ? Yuu, you’re supposed to be taking my side right now.”

“But stealing is a criminal offense—I’m not really the type to defend criminals. And I know of stories where people’s tongues would get cut off for eating food they shouldn’t have” —Grim silently cringed, putting a paw to his mouth— “or hands crushed for stealing. But all you got was a collar.”

“I regret ever coming here.” Ace slumped in his seat across from her, looking defeated and glum. “Shoulda known you’d find some way to make this all gory and dark—which, by the way, nobody does that around here. I swear you probably watch too many fictional movies…”

Grim recovered from his grossed out reaction to Yuu’s words before speaking, “Anyways, those tarts were probably for a party. If there were three, then wouldn’t that mean it was for several people or maybe a birthday party? Maybe Riddle was saving it for that.”

“A birthday party?” Ace looked to be racking his brain to remember but then he shook his head, “How would I have known? It wasn’t like anyone said anything, again…there was no name on the dish—in my book that means it’s first come, first serve or you lose, you snooze.”

“How do you even come up with that?” Yuu wondered, seriously concerned with this boy’s manners. 

“Siblings.”

“Siblings?”

“Yup.”

Odd. Yuu never recalled a rule like that with her little sibling, or maybe it was too long of a time to remember. 

She mentally shook herself to refrain from parting from the subject for too long. 

What she needed, however, was for Ace to leave. It was truly fortunate that it had been him and not Crowley that she had run into whilst about to depart. Yuu had packed as much stuff that she could somehow sell, including the ghost camera and some small picture frames, into a makeshift bag of an old blanket and had planned on running away—taking the remaining madol that Crowley had given her earlier in the day. 

From her knowledge of this isle, there would no doubt be some sort of ship that would take her to the mainland. Yuu had been thinking she’d try to either sell off enough items to purchase a ticket or stowaway. Either way, none of that would be happening if she couldn’t get off this cursed campus in the first place.

Grim had fallen asleep swiftly after all the ruckus they had been through so Yuu had immediately taken advantage of it to sneak out. But of course fate would be so cruel as to deliver a troublesome young Ace to her front door. Was this the Heavens way of saying there was no way she’d be able to escape?

Now that I think about it, do the Heavens even exist in Twisted Wonderland?

No matter. Yuu would simply get Ace out of here as soon as possible. 

“By the way, what’s with that bag?” The boy suddenly asked, and Yuu fought to keep from cringing. “You were about to leave with it, weren’t you?”

The said bag was now sitting by her feet, and now that the subject had led to it, Grim blinked a few times and then whipped his eyes to Yuu, “Leaving?”

“Only for a short while,” she lied, “I needed to check out the shop on campus, I felt we’d be needing some supplies and I needed to buy Grim his tuna.”

Grim’s ears perked at that.

“Then what’s with the camera?” Ace questioned.

“To ‘photograph some photographs’. I wanted to test it out.”

Yuu didn’t actually know what the hell that meant but it seemed to be a satisfactory answer as both Ace and Grim dropped the subject. However, the former gave her a strange look that Yuu missed, her eyes having dropped to the bag at her feet so she couldn’t see the boy’s slight frown. 

“Either way, ya can’t just barge in here,” Grim protested, “This is for Ramshackle dorm students only .”

Ace scoffed, “So then I’ll transfer, not that big of a deal.”

“Ya can’t just transfer in. Only Yuu and I can be Ramshackle students!”

“Why just you two, trying to keep Yuu all to yourself, hmm? What, you in love with him?” Ace snickered.

“No! He's my henchman, you butthead !”

It was like a torrent of arguments raining down as the two bantered back and forth, reminding Yuu how much she missed actual silence . Her skull was on the verge of breaking from all the pounding, not even rubbing at her temples could soothe the ache she was feeling. Oh, what she wouldn’t give for some sandalwood incense at this moment.

“—like I said, I’m not going back to Heartslabyul so I’m staying here for as long as I want.”

Oh no he won’t. 

“Ace,” Yuu finally butted in, “What about Headmaster Crowley, would he let you switch? I don’t really think this is an official dorm—I’m not sure you’d really be able to stay here without somebody’s permission.”

“Pft, who cares about permission?”

“ I do—though it hardly matters what I care about... ahem —Anyways, you said you came here right away, does that mean you already tried to apologize?”

Her question was met with silence, Ace having gritted his teeth and slumped lower in his seat. 

Yuu stared at the boy for a still moment before shaking her head, muttering, “Why am I not surprised?”

“Hey! I was kinda busy at the time,” he retorted, looking as if he had just bitten a sour orange. 

Grim scoffed, “Busy whinin’ you mean?”

“Shut it, furball—I mean I…well, why should I have to apologize?”

Yuu said nothing, her face said it all to which the boy grimaced. 

“Ace—”

“As if I'm apologizing to some kid with a temper issue!”

“Isn’t he older than you? You should be treating him with respect.”

“Respect, my ass ! And he's just a year older not like some wise old grandpa! I mean, he acts like a kid.”

You're acting like a kid!

Yuu had enough of this ridiculous conversation. She was trained to deal with adult men, not bratty children who couldn't understand the term ‘ temporary alliance .’ 

She wanted to tell him off, let him know just how infuriating he was being, but Yuu resisted the temptation. Instead, she exhaled slowly before saying calmly, “Maybe Riddle would have forgiven you—though it does seem far-fetched—and you wouldn't have had to come all the way here. Especially so with how far this building is from everything else and the fact that it’s the middle of the night.”

Ace rubbed the back of his head with an uncomfortable look. 

Yuu continued, “Before making claims that you'll transfer to Grim’s… ahem— our dorm, could you at least try to be reasonable? It doesn’t make sense for a brilliant student such as yourself to downgrade to our level.”

“ Downgrade ?” Grim repeated in disbelief, gaping at her with mild offence but Yuu ignored him.

“But I was being reasonable,” Ace muttered under his breath, staring down at the ground with a slight pout. After a silent moment, he raised his head and surveyed the place, no doubt taking in the neglected dorm that Yuu and Grim had been straddled with. Finally, he sighed, “Alright. Fine, I'll apologize.”

Yuu’s body relaxed from a tension she hadn't realized had been in place, relieved that she'd likely be getting rid of Ace soon enough. After this, she'll leave for sure. For sure , she'll get off this campus. And hopefully before anything else bad happened.

Yuu stood up, smiling, “Great, then I guess you'll be going back now. Make sure to be genuine with your apology and—”

“What do you mean I'll be going back now ?”

“ — Huh?”

Yuu’s smile faltered and she looked down at Ace from where he was seated, a stubborn expression crossing his youthful features. 

“Like you said, it’s the middle of the night and it’s a far walk back to the Hall of Mirrors. I'll go tomorrow — ” He paused to land a dead serious stare at Yuu “ — and you're coming with me.”

“........................... Why ?”

Ace stood up and approached her, crossing his arms over his chest as he said, “‘Temporary alliance' remember? You're all…well mannered and stuff, so maybe Riddle would be less of an ass— ahem …less angry if you came with me. Plus, this was all your idea to begin with.”

“An alliance means we both get something out of it,” Yuu reminded him, trying to keep the stiffness out of her voice. It was like being stuffed with a ramrod iron, causing her body to tense up with discomfort. 

“Hey, I mean, when I'm forgiven, I won't have to transfer. Isn't that what Grim wants? Even though I'm like the best guy to join your dorm, it's what you want, right?”

Yuu wondered just how easy he expected this apology to go, he seemed a bit too confident for her taste. Nevertheless, he was right, she did want him gone. And seeing that this was the best option, without trying to force an outcome, Yuu would bear with it. 

She gritted her teeth before uttering, “Fine.”

At her one-worded response, Ace grinned victoriously, his cheerfulness a stark contrast to her bleak despair. It felt like staring out at a bland field of colourless grass, her bright plans of escaping dashing away faster than the fall of a pebble. 

“Heavens help me,” Yuu said under her breath, shaking her head in exasperation.

Grim finally spoke up, having dozed off up until now, “Huh? W-What said who did what now?”

Yuu ignored him to speak to Ace, not wanting to seem discourteous as it appeared she was now hosting an unwanted guest,  “We don’t really have any spare rooms. Most of them are on the verge of collapsing but I could try looking for one that’s mostly intact.”

“‘ Mostly intact,’ he says, like I’d ever believe that,” Ace dryly muttered, “I could just sleep in your bed, Yuu.”

She paused.

Grim snapped at Ace, “Like hell you are! There's no space for you, you can sleep on the couch.”

“You two are small enough as it is, you could fit one more—”

“I'll sleep on the couch,” Yuu butted in.

Grim sputtered, “What? Why? You’d let him have your bed?”

“It’s fine, he’s only here for one night and I’d feel responsible if he didn’t sleep well under my care.”

“Why you—you’re never this nice with me!”

Ace snickered, “Guess he likes me better than his boss, huh?”

Grim growled low at the boy in response, his eyes narrowed and mouth open as if ready to shoot a ball of fire. But then Yuu cleared her throat, giving the cat a stern look, “If you start spitting flames all over the place, I’m kicking you out of the building to sleep outside.”

“You’re proving my point, Yuu! And there's no way I'm sleeping next to him, he probably snores.”

“I do not snore, you lint-wad.”

“Well, I’m not riskin’ it.”

“ You two ,” Yuu groaned, rubbing her temple in suppressed aggravation, “Figure this out on your own someplace else please, I’m going to sleep on the couch.”

I’m never going to get out of here .

“Hurry up and paint those roses!”

Surrounded by mist, a black and white image appeared out of nowhere. Yuu’s own presence was nonexistent, as if merely a ghost, as she watched in bewilderment at what played on before her. 

What’s happening? Where was she?

Was that…paper? A paper person? They were paper thin, literally . With odd designs on the back and front, swishing back and forth as they moved.

They dipped their paintbrush into a bucket of red paint, the only vibrant colour Yuu could see, and with a swish of their wrist, slathered the paint onto the roses of a tree. 

What the—why’re they painting roses?

“Slather them quickly, as aforesaid!” Another paper person cried out, running out of the mist and into Yuu’s blurry vision.

“Hurry, hurry! There are still roses left to paint!”

“Why are you painting these white roses red?” A little girl asked the very same question that Yuu had. Similar to the previous paper people, the child had come out of nowhere, as if appearing out of thin air. Her clothes were foreign to Yuu, what with the puffy skirt and apron, a delicate ribbon tied in her hair.

“Why? Oh, what a silly question. Isn’t it obvious?” One paper person answered, their front and back sporting the same design that Ace had drawn on his left eye. “We planted the wrong trees, and instead of blooming red roses, they’re all white!”

Another paper person added, “The Queen of Hearts likes her roses red. If they’re white, we’ll lose our heads!”

“So now we’re painting the roses red!”

Before Yuu could try to make sense of anything, the world shimmered around her before dissipating into fine mist—

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Yuu’s eyes shot open to a cloud of dust swirling around her. 

“Blegh!” She immediately coughed, sputtering out particles as she slowly sat up to the sound of someone pounding at the front door. Yuu fanned her hand, parting the dust which had risen from the mere knocking, and she groaned as she felt her head swirl. “Migraines again,” Yuu muttered, rubbing her temple with a grimace. She furrowed her brows as she surveyed her surroundings, trying to remember why she was lying here on the couch in the lounge and not in bed.

Hadn’t she been in the bedroom? Yuu could’ve sworn she had seen the mirror in the bedroom before falling asleep… or had that been a dream?

“A dream,” Yuu mumbled, massaging her head still, “Roses…hearts—ugh, what sort of insanity am I conjuring up?”

“Hey, who’s at the door?” Grim said, the cat having slept on the separate armchair in the living room instead of in their usual bed. He coughed as well, snapping tiredly, “They’re stirring up all the dust!”

Groaning rather inelegantly, she got up onto her feet, still dressed in her clothes from the previous day, and went out into the hallway.

“Is it Headmaster Crowley again?” Yuu wondered blearily, mentally preparing herself for the worries a visit from the principal often brought. Grim followed on her heel and Yuu opened the door before her eyes widened, her sleeping wearing off as a mild surprise took over her.

“ Deuce ? Oh, what's all that you're holding?”

“Oh, hey, Yuu,” the blue haired boy started, looking awkward with what looked to be some sort of torn up bag, “I was on my way here to find Ace when I bumped into the Headmaster. Apparently he was going to give this backpack to you but he said he had some work to finish and asked me to do it instead.”

Ace! Right! That’s why she had slept in the lounge last night, Yuu nearly forgot about him.

Grim frowned, looking up at the item in Deuce's hands, “That looks like something you'd find in the trash.”

Yuu eyed the misshapen object that Deuce held, still feeling a little disoriented from her rough sleep on the couch. 

“It’s quite torn up,” Yuu agreed with Grim, noticing the holes and rips in the bag, a few pockets missing their zippers. Deuce handed it off to Yuu, who curiously examined it. She pulled on the only functioning zipper, brows rising in silent surprise as it opened up a large pocket. 

“There's something in here,” she realized, moreso to herself, pulling out a handwritten note from the Headmaster.

Deuce cleared his throat, changing the topic, “Anyways, did Ace come here last night, like I said, I was looking—”

“Yeah, he’s sleeping in our bed like a big baby,” Grim cut in, the look of a petulant toddler on his fluffy face. He gave Yuu a glare, “Had the worst sleep ever because Yuu couldn't fight back for our bed. It was so cold and dusty.”

“I never said you had to sleep in the lounge with me, Grim,” Yuu countered offhandedly, digging into the backpack. 

“Of course I had to, I only share a bed with you, not some explodey-head idiot who probably snores in his sleep!” 

Yuu heard the sound of footsteps coming into the hallway before the boy in question butted in, “I said this at least a million times last night but I don't snore.” 

Ace approached them all at the entrance, his orange hair stuck up in odd places and a small trail of dried drool at the corner of his mouth. He was tugging at the collar around his neck, seemingly trying to adjust it as he scowled. He came to a stop in his steps as he spotted Deuce. 

“Eck…what are you doing here, Deuce?” Ace sputtered in a mix of surprise and displeasure. 

Deuce raised a brow as he took in Ace's state. The disheveled school uniform that he'd slept in, his ruffled up hair and the obvious, heart shaped collar around his neck. 

“You really don't know when to not cause trouble, do you?” Deuce started off, and not too kindly, “And it figures you'd drag Yuu into this.”

Ace groaned, rubbing at his face as he asked dryly, “Did you come all the way here just to say all of that?” 

“How could I not?” Deuce shook his head as if in disapproval, “Everyone in our dorm knows you ate the Housewarden’s tart, had to come here to tell you what an idiot you are.”

“Tch, thanks. I definitely needed to hear that from you of all people.” Ace grumbled something nonsensical under his breath before managing to grumble out, “By the way, is…he still mad?”

Grim tugged at Yuu's pant leg, both of the Ramshackle students uncaring of the conversation between Ace and Deuce. “Yuu, whatcha got there? Did the Headmaster pack the tuna he owed me in there?” He asked.

“No…just a bunch of clothes. And what looks to be— whoa , that's a lot of paper.” She pulled out a notebook, her eyes wide as she took in its size. “This is so much, do you know how much this would all be worth?” 

Grim tilted his head, “Like a few madol. Why, is it special?”

Yuu hunched down to shove the opened notebook in Grim's face. “It's paper , Grim,” she said, “ Paper .”

He gave her a funny look, snickering, “You're weird, Yuu. Of course it's paper, it's not that big of a deal.”

Not—NOT THAT BIG OF A DEAL?!?!

“Or course it's a big deal, Grim,” Yuu urged, “Do you know how valuable paper is? The Headmaster must be trying to buy my trust with this…this abundant amount of paper.”

Oh, but it won't work. It. Won't. Work.

She stood back up, carefully putting the notebook back into the backpack. “I'll have to find the Headmaster and return it as soon as possible,” Yuu said to herself before pausing. 

Or maybe she could take it with her when she left, Yuu could earn a fortune by selling this amount of paper. 

“ You call that ‘not at all mad ’?!” 

Both Yuu and Grim returned their attention to the two Heartslabyul students, Ace sporting a baffled expression. 

“He collared three other students just because they didn't get up on time?! He definitely still sounds mad to me,” Ace said, running his hand through his already messy hair in distress, “Argh, this is gonna be a real pain in the ass.”

“You’re not going back on your decision to apologize, are you?” Yuu intervened hesitantly, bringing the boy's attention to her. 

“Tch, of course not.” Ace gave her a light glare as he continued, “You think I wanna be stuck with this collar?”

“Right, sorry. Then I guess we should get going soon, might as well get it over with.”

And then I can get the Hell out of here . 

This bag, while tattered, would be the perfect item to put everything she needed inside. Once Ace had finished his apology, or when none of them were paying attention, she wouldn’t have to return to Ramshackle before escaping and getting off campus. 

“Classes won’t start in another while so we got enough time to go to Heartslabyul,” Deuce commented, his eyes flicking around the hallway of the building. He had an expression of disbelief and disgust as he examined the sheer neglect and countless webs of spiders.

Yuu spoke under her breath, staring down at the bag of clothes, “ Classes . The very word sounds so wrong when I say it.”

“Funa! Wait, this means I’d get to see what some of the other dorms look like,” Grim gasped, “ Myaha . Count me in on coming!”

Ace facepalmed himself, “This isn’t a damn field trip.”

“In any case,” Yuu spoke up, lifting the backpack, “Let me get ready first.”

“I swear I think the Headmaster just gave you whatever he found in the ‘lost and found.’”

The group of students walked alongside the pathway towards the Hall of Mirrors. In the brisk chill of the early morning air, Yuu didn’t know whether she wanted to cry or thank the Headmaster.

“It is…very unflattering,” Yuu admitted begrudgingly to Ace’s comment, looking down at her uniform with a grimace. On one hand, having such unfitting clothes meant her identity could remain a secret, meanwhile on the other hand, it looked as if she had just scrounged up clothes from the trash.

Deuce gave her a concerned look. “I mean…I guess the uniforms are kinda expensive. But it looks like you’re wearing a uniform two times your size, it makes you look smaller than you actually are.”

“I don’t mind the sizing that much, it’s moreso the colouring…The—what’s it called again…the dress shirt —?” Yuu gave Deuce a questioning look to which he nodded in affirmation “ —ahem , yes, the dress shirts, they aren’t supposed to look this… yellow , right?” Yuu tried to adjust the uniform jacket given to her, briefly noticing a few missing buttons and a tear just under her right armpit. She eyed Deuce and Ace’s uniforms, feeling a sense of envy hitting her at how they looked far more crisp and pristine. 

“Well, I guess as long as it doesn’t smell,” Deuce offered pitifully, trying to make light of Yuu’s clothing dilemma to no avail.

“Right…there’s that…”

Yuu stopped for what felt like the hundredth time during their walk to the Hall of Mirrors, reaching down to roll her pant legs back up. They just kept falling down! Yuu silently hoped that she wouldn’t end up tripping on them and getting hurt, injuries would make her escape plan far more difficult to put into action.

“I wonder if that was the crow’s strategy,” Yuu muttered to herself, straightening back up as she continued to awkwardly walk along the path.

Ace scoffed as he watched the shabbily dressed student waddle beside him, “Crewel’s definitely gonna throw a fit when he sees you, Yuu.”

“No kidding,” Deuce added before shuddering slightly, “I can already imagine his glare. Headmaster Crowley really threw you under the bus, huh.”

Yuu grimaced, not liking the sound of that at all. And what did Deuce even mean by a bus?

“Who’s this Crewel person? You two are making him sound like some sort of demon.” Yuu felt her blood chill at the thought of a demon being on campus, and she nervously asked, “He…he wouldn’t curse me because of how I dress, would he?”

Ace shrugged, “I dunno, he seems pretty capable of cursing anyone for anything, if you ask me, so maybe he would.”

Yuu’s heart spiked with fear at that, Ace’s vague confirmation making her already imagine the worst should she encounter whoever this Crewel demon was.

She really had to get off of campus quickly.

“Myahaha! Check me out!” Grim cheered as they passed by other students, unconcerned of the three students’ conversation. The cat preened and puffed out his chest for them all to see the glittering purple gem. “I’m a Night Raven College student coming through, haha! Betcha don’t have a gem as shiny as the one on my collar. And it’s definitely way better since I can still use magic!”

As if on cue, Ace immediately bristled up beside Yuu and he snapped, “Hey! Shut it, pipsqueak!”

Grim smirked up at the boy, “You should be callin’ me Grim the Great, seeing as I can use magic and you can’t. Maybe instead of being a student, you could be the school’s new janitor, myaha!”

Yuu’s fears momentarily subsided and she stiffened when Ace gave her a glare, “Aren’t you going to say anything to him since you’re the only one he listens to?”

She exhaled slowly in exhaustion, addressing the cat, “Grim, I think Ace has suffered enough. And it’s unbecoming of a student of a prestigious school to gloat so brazenly.”

“Not my fault it’s so easy to do,” Grim snickered.

Clearing her throat, Yuu suddenly asked Ace, “By the way, shouldn’t we get a tribute or some sort of gift to express your regrets? Typically, the apologizer offers something to make up for losses.”

“Pfft, are you kidding?” Ace scoffed, “I’m not getting Riddle anything. I mean, this was just a misunderstanding, I don’t see why I should.”

He walked on ahead, forcing Yuu to follow along despite her concerns.

If anything, I can trade with the paper…

They arrived at the Hall of Mirrors to which Yuu immediately recognized the mirror for Heartslabyul from the previous day. She stopped suddenly, recalling the bewilderment she had felt the first time she had stepped foot into this building. 

“Wait, I was wondering this from last time,” Yuu started to which the three paused and turned back to look at her, “But where are the dorms? All I see are a bunch of mirrors and that’s it.”

Deuce raised his brows, “Did you forget we can travel through them? It’s the same thing as the Dark Mirror.”

Her heart dropped to her stomach at the boy’s response. 

“So, you mean we have to let it pull us in again?” Yuu asked, her mind immediately going back to how she first arrived here in Twisted Wonderland. 

“Yuu, did you not know anything about NRC before enrolling?” Deuce asked her, and the way his question sounded made it seem like Yuu was the idiot here. 

Yuu fought the urge to say that she technically didn’t willingly enroll in Night Raven College. She figured mentioning that would lead into a topic that she didn’t want to talk about. 

“Also, mirror traveling is pretty common, I’m not sure why you’d be so surprised,” added Ace.

She cleared her throat, nervously twisting at her hands as she said, “It’s not that I'm surprised, I…just don't like it very much. The swirling and the noises make my head hurt.”

Ace grabbed her arm and started to tug her forward, “Well, in any case, you're gonna have to suck it up. My apology isn't going to speak for itself, right?”

“It could definitely be spoken without me though,” Yuu sighed, not resisting as Ace dragged her up to the mirror. She stared into its dark depths, a mix of emotions pooling in the bottom of her stomach. 

The surface shimmered and before she could prepare herself, a bright light flashed from within and shot out towards the group. The ground beneath Yuu’s feet disappeared and she clung to Ace’s sleeve, squeezing her eyes shut at the pressure and dizzying motions. It was like floating in midair but at the same time she expected herself to start falling at any moment.

Oh, I hate this!

Yuu had her focus wholly concentrated on not throwing up, and she thanked the heavens she hadn’t eaten breakfast yet. How embarrassing would it be if she threw up on Ace? 

“ Ugh , I’d rather not think about it,” she said to herself, unaware she had spoken aloud.

Just as soon as the motions began, it suddenly dissipated to which Yuu could feel solid ground at her feet. 

“Yuu, you can let go of me now.”

She nodded stiffly, opening her light pink eyes only to immediately close them once more  with a cringe.

“Ack, so bright ,” She commented with a grimace.

“ Woah , look at how vibrant and colourful everything is!” Yuu heard Grim say, his words feeding into her curiosity as she struggled to peel her eyes open. She squinted before feeling her jaw drop.

Her hand fell from Ace’s arm as she gaped like an idiot at the scene before her. But then she immediately snapped out of her stupor, quietly chiding herself, “Yuu, you should’ve expected something completely unexplainable, stop being so surprised.”

Before her lay a dirtless and pristine cobblestone path, leading towards a large palace decked with red, white and black. The vibrant colours contrasted starkly with the bright green of the lawn where perfectly trimmed hedges grew around perfrectly trimmed trees. 

Along the pathway were trees, deliberately cut to form the similar shape that decorated Ace’s left eye. And growing on their branches were roses as red as blood. 

Grim didn’t cease his gawking as he marveled, “This place is a hundred times better than Ramshackle! And you were planning on transferring out ?!”

“I share the sentiment,” Yuu briefly added.

The cat looked at Ace in disbelief and envy, and possibly even offence. 

“I’d never wanna leave this place, you really are stupid.”

A flash of ire sparked in Ace’s scarlet eyes before he snapped, “Literally shut your loud mouth before I use my magic—”

“What magic?” Deuce cut the other boy off with a snicker, “You mean the magic Riddle sealed off?”

“ Urg , I swear to the Great Sevens! When I get this damned collar off, I’m blowing both of your asses into the dirt, you hear me?!”

Grim and Deuce glanced at each other with shared smirks, the former snickering and meeting Ace’s scowling face, “Not if I burn your butt first.”

“ Grim ,” Yuu warned, not needing another ‘Great Seven Statues’ incident, especially when everything around here was highly flammable.

Burning down a dorm is not the impression I want to make.

The cat stuck his tongue out at Yuu and she bristled on the spot, “I’m the boss here, not you. Ya can’t tell me what to do.”

“You mannerless pest,” Yuu said to Grim, her patience wavering. Deuce and Ace shared a bemused expression as she attempted to continue, “Where I’m from, you’d be—”

“Hey, lookie here! A few of our first years lighting it up first thing in the morning, haha!”

Yuu’s sentence cut short as the group of first years looked onto the lawn and towards the source of the sudden voice. 

“Ah, someone was here the entire time?” Grim grimaced, suddenly looking sheepish. 

Yuu gave him a cold glare, muttering under her breath with a shake of her head, “Lucky break.”

“You betcha!” A boy replied to Grim’s question cheerfully. 

Raising her eyes, she spotted the boy sitting on one of the lowest rungs of a wooden ladder surrounded by buckets of red paint. His light orange hair was trimmed just below his pierced ears, the front part pulled back while leave two strands to frame his face. 

“Could hear you guys from a mile away—oh, though it seems it’s not just our first years, I see you brought along some adorable little buddies too.” The boy winked at Yuu. She bit her cheek at the gesture, slightly narrowing her gaze as if trying to understand the unreadable glint in his green eyes. 

Ace sputtered, “ Buddies ? You’re getting the wrong idea here.”

“ Yeah , nobodies ‘buddies’ around here,” Deuce agreed before wondering, “By the way, what are you doing with all that paint?”

The green-eyed boy scoffed, gesturing at his painting equipment with unnecessary dramatics, “You blind or what? Like, what does it look like I’m doing?”

Deuce noticeably stiffened beside Yuu at the condescending tone.

“I’m painting the roses, duh .”

“W-What? Why?”

“Painting the roses?” Yuu echoed, suddenly getting a feeling she had heard that phrase before. And not too long ago either.

“Oh Great Sevens, pfft—you really are newbies, in all caps too,” the boy laughed, a sound that sounded strangely forced, though Yuu couldn’t be sure. He stopped just as soon as he started, his eyes widening briefly in sudden recognition.

“Wait, wait. Hold the phone, I know you!” He stood from where he was sitting and approached the group, his strides as confident as his growing grin, “You’re the ones that completely annihilated that several billion-madol chandelier, aren’t you? Great Sevens, you guys are literally famous!”

Ace groaned, “We’re never gonna be able to forget that incident, are we?”

The boy stopped in front of Ace, pointing at him, “ And you —” Ace flinched back now that the topic had landed on him ”—You ate the Dorm Leader’s tart on the exact same night! Pfft, haha! Oh, this is gold! I gotta get in on this before anyone else or before the topic dies down.”

Yuu had no time to prepare when the boy’s arm wrapped around her shoulder. Yuu stiffened upon contact, not expecting to then be suddenly pulled into his side. She paled, trying to ignore the discomfort in her body as she warily eyed his hand on her shoulder. He wedged himself into their group, bringing his other arm to hold up a thin-sized rectangular block. 

“W-Wait—” Yuu tried to say, glancing at the rectangular and gaped with utter confusion when she saw her face on its surface.

“Gimme a sec, just a quick selfie…annnd done!”

He released her to which she let herself breathe, having unconsciously held it in response to his close proximity. 

The boy stepped away, tapping away as he spoke, “You’re all cool if I post this on Magicam, right? I’ll tag you so gimme your names real quick.”

Yuu wiped at her shoulder with a faint grimace, still able to feel the uncomfortable heaviness of someone else’s hand on her.

“I’m Deuce Spade,” the blue haired boy said.

“Ace.”

Grim finished, saying, “I’m Grim, and this is my henchman, Yuu.”

She snapped out of her stupor at the sound of her name, refocusing her attention on the conversation.

“Annnd bam! Posted.” The boy grinned as if he had just won a race before perking up, “Ah, right. Guess I should introduce myself too. Cater Diamond, I’m a junior here at Heartslabyul.”

He crossed his arms over his chest, keeping that cheerful expression as he added, “You can just call me Cater. Or Cay-Cay if that’s your vibe. Anyways, nice to meetcha.”

Yuu cleared her throat uncomfortably, still finding his cheerfulness rather artificial, “Nice to meet you too.”

“Oh, aren’t you the prefect from that rundown dorm? I heard about you, the magicless student in old Ramshackle,” Cater said, finally seeming to actually notice her. His green eyes looked her over and his brows briefly furrowed before the expression disappeared. However, Yuu didn’t fail to notice him trying to subtly wipe his hand on his uniform.

I get it…my uniform’s disgusting , Yuu wanted to say but held herself back.

“I guess you kinda fit the…um… aesthetic — ahem ! Anyways, I can’t believe somebody actually lives there, I’ve seen people post on Magicam and it looks like hot garbage. You couldn’t pay me to actually spend a night in that gloomy dump,” he went on, seemingly uncaring about filtering his words in the slightest. 

Yuu bit her cheek, needing to avert her eyes so as not to fall into the temptation of speaking back. Thankfully, Grim had her covered as he guffawed, “Y’know, pal, all you’ve been doin’ is talkin’ trash! I’ll have you know I’m gonna be the Greatest—!”

“Ah, damn! What am I doing, I’m wasting time chatting!” Cater cut the cat off, having taken a glance at his rectangle with a look of distress.

Yuu, confused how looking at his magical rectangle would suggest such a thing, frowned and debated on asking. But she didn’t get the chance when the green eyed boy addressed them again, shoving his item into his pocket, “Hey, you kids wanna help paint some roses? Might as well since you’re here and I’m running outta time here.”

“I’m pretty sure we asked this before but why exactly are you painting the roses? They look fine as they are now,” Ace said in response, glancing at the white flowers in full bloom on the trees. 

“Pfft, you serious right now?” Cater shook his head in mock disappointment, folding his arms over his chest, “Red roses are all the hype these days, don’t you know? So much more photogenic, something like that or whatever. Plus, if I don't, it's off with my head.”

“That phrase again,” Yuu commented under her breath, furrowing her brows, “And so casual too, it's like the meaning doesn't even exist.”

Cater let out a tired sigh, surveying the endless trees of white roses, “And then of course I gotta paint the flamingos right after for the crochet tournament. So, ya know, can't stick around talking.”

Grim sputtered, “You're painting flamingos now? What else you gonna paint, the grass? Why not just keep things the regular colour?”

“A tournament?” Deuce echoed, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, “So like…for a birthday? That'd explain why Dorm Leader got mad at you, Ace. That tart was probably for his birthday.”

Ace took a deep breath, putting his hands together as he faced Deuce, “I said this before, and I'll say it again to get it through your thick skull. There. Was. No. Name. On. The. Dish.”

The blue haired boy glared at Ace in response to his insult, the expression reminding Yuu of when he had lashed out. 

“Wait, wait, wait, you guys,” Cater butted in, effectively stopping a fight before it began without meaning to, “It's not Riddle's birthday.”

“ Ha! See, I told you!” Ace sneered at Deuce. 

Grim scoffed, “You said nothing.”

Sighing in exasperation at their bickering, Yuu ignored them and asked Cater, “So then, is it somebody else's birthday?”

“Nope.” The boy shook his head.

“No?”

“It's no one's birthday, actually,” Cater explained, earning everyone's attention now as he continued, “You two should know this, Deuce and Ace, it's our dorm’s traditional unbirthday party.”

Deuce echoed, “Unbirthday party?”

“Really, need I explain everything? Unbirthday—meaning it's no one's birthday. Our Dorm Leader picks a day when no one has one and we have a cute little party. Ah, though the preparations are hardly little , there's so much to be done.”

“But why—?”

“Again, with the questions!” Cater sighed, a flicker of annoyance shimmering in his green eyes before it vanished. “Can't you guys see I'm busy? I need these roses to be red, like yesterday. So, like, can you guys help out—might as well after I answered a few of your questions. It'd be simple with a little magic—though Acey’s got his magic sealed and Yuu can't even use magic, so you guys would have to do it the ‘ol’fashioned’ way.”

“Recolour the roses with magic?” Deuce seemed unsure as he took out his pen, frowning down at it. 

Grim shared a similar expression as he grimaced, “Can't say that I've ever done that before.”

This was not how Yuu had planned for her morning to end up. Why did it feel like she was constantly getting dragged into things she didn't want to do? Yuu debated refusing, however she couldn't win over her upbringing as much as she would've liked. 

“Well,” Yuu started, feeling like she was being dragged through a desert, “It'd be rude to refuse.”

“Haha, that's the spirit, Yuu!” Cater exclaimed, plopping a bucket of red paint into her arms. 

She gasped, trying not to drop it and spill all over herself. 

Ace groaned, “Seriously? Why'd we get dragged into a side quest of all things?”

“No time to complain, Acey, get those roses painted!” 

Yuu could swear right now that her arm felt like falling off. She didn’t keep track of how many roses she had painted but her arm could tell, and it had been a lot—at least for her.

“Curses, I can’t even feel my hand,” she gritted out, plopping the painting brush back into the bucket and shook her hand. It tingled like getting pricked by pins and needles, a result of keeping her arm lifted up for too long.

“Ah! Fuc— ahem , I-I mean shi—ah damnit!” 

Yuu bit her tongue at Deuce’s comical stammering, watching as he turned yet another white rose into a shade of neon blue. An exasperated cry sounded on her other side as Grim blasted another batch of flowers with his blue flames.

“Geez, you guys,” Cater said in mild disbelief, “I didn’t think it’d be this hard for you firsties. Maybe painting them on my own would’ve been better…”

With a wave of his pen, the boy put out the flames, leaving the roses a bright red. He did the same to the roses Deuce had been working on, seemingly putting in absolutely no effort. 

The blue haired boy watched with envy, grimacing as he said, “Juniors are no joke, I don’t even know how you could’ve done that so easily.”

“Ahah! Just a little practice, Deucey,” Cater laughed lightly.

“Guh— Deucey ?”

Cater came up to Yuu and Ace who had been working on the same tree, both having to paint the roses by hand. 

“Hm, not bad, not bad,” he offered, nodding his head. However, he finished off the last white roses before continuing, “Though you guys aren’t that efficient either.”

Ace grumbled, “If it weren’t for this collar, I’d be doing this way faster than you can blink.”

The boy groaned, dropping his own paintbrush into a bucket of red paint. Sullenly, he massaged his arm as he said, “Can’t we just leave the rest? There’s only a few left, and besides, the white ones still look nice paired with the reds.”

“No can do. Tradition is tradition,” Cater answered without pause, flicking his wrist and suddenly all the remaining roses turned bright red. Yuu's eyes widened as she marveled at how quick the magic had worked. “You can’t have an Unbirthday party without red roses, same as how you can’t play crochet without seven-coloured flamingos as mallets and a hedgehog for a ball.”

Yuu made a face, “Should I even bother to pretend to know what he’s saying?”

“Nope, it makes no sense to me either,” Grim said, standing next to her before speaking to Cater, “What sort of ridiculous rules are those?”

“Even I’m a little overwhelmed by the complexities,” she added with a frown, bringing a hand to her forehead.

Cater shrugged, “They say the Queen of Hearts was the one to make up the rules.”

“You mean one of the Seven?” 

“Full points, Yuu!” Cater gave her another wink, snapping his fingers at her, “And our Dorm Leader, Riddle, is a stickler for tradition. Way more than our previous Dorm Leaders, that’s for sure.”

“What resolve,” Yuu murmured, “A person who sticks to their rules, it’s admirable in a way.”

Cater raised a brow at her comment, he tucked his strand of hair behind his ear with a bemused grin, “Eh, I guess you could say that. Though, I do admit he can be a bit…well, extra.”

Ace scoffed, “No kidding. Which reminds me, I didn’t come here to paint roses, I need to talk to Riddle. Please tell me he’s here.”

“Hmm, probably,” Cater mused, seeming to remember Ace’s predicament, “I’m guessing you’re ready to apologize, right? Did you bring an apology tart?”

The group fell silent. Yuu felt her shoulders droop as she held back a sigh, already knowing how much time she had most likely wasted.

Ace sputtered, “An apology tart?”

“Forgive me, Cater,” Yuu spoke hesitantly, “But does it have to be a tart? Couldn’t Ace offer something else as a form of apology?”

Deuce frowned at her, “Like what? We didn’t bring anything like a gift.”

Yuu dug through her bag, having left it aside to paint the roses. Everyone watched as she pulled out the stack of papers coiled with wire, the same stack that Crowley had given her. 

“Yuu…don’t say what I think you’re gonna say,” Grim grumbled, his ears flattened to his head.

“Paper is incredibly valuable, couldn’t we offer it as an apology on behalf of Ace?” Yuu said, ignoring Grim’s comment.

The group fell silent a second time, including Cater. A breeze softly blew across the lawn, rustling the leaves as the silence lasted for a good while.

Woah, they’re all so surprised! Though…perhaps it was rather ridiculous for a shabby looking boy to suddenly pull out a stack of paper. Back in Li, this much would cost more than a fortune—

Suddenly, Yuu heard Ace groan and then a smacking sound, a result of the boy facepalming himself. On the other hand, Deuce had started to choke, coughing into his arm as he avoided Yuu’s gaze.

She frowned in bewilderment at their reactions, “What? I’m sorry, is it too much?”

Cater laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck as he answered, “Yuu, you’re joking, right? Like, you didn’t actually just offer paper as an apology.”

“As much as I’d like for it to be true, this kid doesn’t have a sense of humor. Like, at all,” Ace sighed, shaking his head.

“So he’s being serious ?!”

“I-I don’t understand, did I offer too much?”

“Yuu, you just offered a notebook. Those things cost less than fifteen thousand madol at the bookstore!” Ace exclaimed, taking her stack of papers and shoving it back into her bag.

“H-Huh? Is that a lot…no…?” Ace’s jaw was clenched and if she didn’t know any better, Yuu would think he looked embarrassed. Embarrassed? Because of her ? The boy shook his head at Yuu and she began to trail off pitifully, “It’s…It’s not a lot. Oh… oh . I…I thought that…my……”

Her cheeks felt suddenly hot like having been kissed by the sun and she pulled at her sleeves self-consciously. Yuu avoided meeting anyone’s eyes, feeling like a complete fool.

“S-Sorry.”

Deuce recovered from his coughing ordeal, speaking up, “That was— ahem —unexpected.”

“Great Sevens, I should’ve recorded that.” Cater cleared his throat, giving Yuu a strange look as he said, “Yuu, it’s like you didn’t even know what a notebook was.”

…Curses.

Yuu tried to rack her brain for an excuse, however, she only came up empty save for one option. 

“I’m…I’m probably really tired, I’m so sorry,” Yuu apologized, making herself seem as pathetic as possible while she rubbed at her temple, “I didn’t sleep well last night, I had to give Ace my bed since I didn’t want him to be uncomfortable at Ramshackle. I ended up sleeping on the couch even though it was so hard and lumpy.”

Ace reeled back, sputtering, “You literally volunteered to—”

“Ah, I should probably sit down. I might say something more ridiculous if I keep standing, oh —and my head hurts too.”

Grim rolled his eyes, grumbling under his breath so no one could hear, “Layin’ it on real thick, ain’t ya?”

However, Deuce fell for it immediately, sporting a concerned expression. He helped her to sit on the lower rungs of the ladder. “It’s okay, Yuu. If anything, this is all Ace’s fault,” he said confidently, “He should’ve slept on the couch instead.”

“ Guh , how’d you immediately shift the blame on me?!” Ace snapped.

“Ace is always the one to blame,” added Grim with a solemn nod of his head.

Cater clicked his tongue at Ace, folding his arms like a disapproving parent, “Acey, don't you know it's rude to jump into somebody else's bed?”

“Now hold on a minute, you're making that sound way weirder than it has to be.”

“You’d think being a Heartslabyul student would mean you have manners,” Cater sighed, shaking his head, “So rude of you to not offer to sleep on the couch, messing with poor Yuu's sleep.”

“I literally just said— urghh ! Ok! Ok! I get it! Now can we please move on?! We’re talking about an apology tart, right?”

Cater perked up, “Ah, I completely forgot about that for a sec. Yes, an apology tart to replace the one you ate. Though by the looks of it, you guys don’t have one, huh?”

Grim replied, “We came here first thing in the morning. It ain’t like we got the time to go shoppin’ right away.”

The conversation shifted and the mood along with it as Cater grinned almost apologetically, almost . “Yeahh, about that,” the boy drawled, twirling his pen in his hand, “The Heart of Queen’s Rule 53 states, ‘Stolen items must be replaced.’ And seeing as you don’t have what you need, I can’t let you in.”

“Wait, what?!” Ace exclaimed, clearly taken aback, “Damnit, I should’ve kept my mouth shut…”

“Anyways, it’s a must for the residents of Heartslabyul to obey the rules. Letting you slide would be off with my head, so…” Cater narrowed his eyes, grabbing his pen tight and holding it close to him as he spoke in a lower tone, “I’m gonna need you to leave before Riddle spots you, Ace. You don’t mind, do you?”

“Wait, wait, wait!” Grim butted in, “You got us to paint all your stupid roses and now you’re just gonna kick us out?!”

Deuce stiffened, gritting his teeth as he added, “You tricked us, you already knew Ace didn’t have a tart but didn’t mention anything until now?”

Cater shrugged uncaringly, “Then you should go over the rules so something like this doesn’t happen again. Either way, Ace has got to go—and seeing as you three are siding with him on this, that includes all of you as well.”

Yuu stood up immediately, slinging her bag over her shoulder as she nervously spoke up, “Um…well then, I’ll just be going then. Excuse us for intruding.”

“Hm, see? Yuu gets it.”

Ace snapped, “The kid’s got no spine, and he doesn’t speak for the rest of us!”

“Unfortunately, Ace, I’m not listening either way,” Cater said, still grinning only now it appeared far more menacing than it had been a few seconds ago. His pen began to glitter and the orange-haired boy jerked back.

“Hey! You guys!” He shouted at Deuce and Grim, “Do something cause this guy looks like he’s actually for real.”

“W-What do you mean us? ” Deuce sputtered, “This whole thing is about you to begin with.”

Ace shot him a pleading look, “Come on, man! I can’t even use magic, gahhh— Great Sevens, he’s coming at us!”

Sparks of light emitted from Cater’s pen and suddenly Deuce, Ace and Grim were dragged into a sudden battle against their upperclassman. Even against Deuce’s random attacks and Grim’s spitting fire, the trio were swiftly defeated.

And in a matter of minutes, the group stood in front of the front gates of the Heartslabyul dorm.

Cater gave Yuu an almost apologetic smile, ignoring the groans from the other three students, “Sorry, Yuu honey, hate you had to see that side of me.”

She didn’t know whether to cringe or speak so she settled for a mere nod.

“And as for you, Acey, make sure you bring that tart next time, m’kay? Bye-bye!” The boy said with a cheerful wave before the gates slammed shut in their faces.

The group fell silent as they were left with no choice but to fall back, and they all headed towards the mirror that’d return them to campus.

“Dude.” Ace had his shoulders slumped in defeat as he trudged along the path, “What was that? Our hits didn’t do a thing, they all just completely missed as if he’d vanished on the spot.”

Yuu stayed silent, also slightly bewildered by what she’d seen.

Deuce rubbed the back of his neck sorely as he wondered, “You think it was some sort of illusion magic? That’d make sense as to why we couldn’t even do anything against him.”

“Either way,” Grim cut in, his arms folded across his chest as he sported a petulant pout, “That chump just got us to do his work all for nothin’. We musta looked like a buncha losers to him.”

“Guess we really do have to get a tart, maybe after class we could figure something—”

The sound of a bell suddenly went off, interrupting their discussion.

Deuce and Ace both stiffened and Yuu had nearly jolted out of her skin, “What’s that blaring noise?”

Deuce cursed, “Shi— ahem …I-I mean damnit, that’s the first bell. We're gonna be late to class!”

Yuu fought a scowl at the mention of classes, wishing there was some opportunity to slip away unnoticed. However, Grim ended up jumping onto her shoulder, something that took her by surprise. 

“Grim, how many times—”

“Come on, Yuu! We gotta run,” Deuce said to her, already speeding for the mirror. 

“Funa!” He cried out, making Yuu cringe, “We’re gonna be late to class, henchhuman! Get goin’! I can’t leave a blemish on my first day at Night Raven College. Go, Yuu!”

She bristled, trying to pry him off of her shoulder to no avail as she said, “I’m not your steed! And you can run much faster on your own anyways.”

Giving up with an exasperated groan, Yuu began to run after Deuce and Ace. 

“Hey, by the way, what class are you guys in?” Ace asked Yuu and Grim.

Yuu frowned unsurely, “Um…the Headmaster wrote 1-A on his note to me, does that mean anything?”

“Oh, that’s our class,” Deuce said, giving Yuu a small smile, “We’ve got potionology first period.”

Ace choked, sending a pitying look her way as he gave her outfit another onceover, “Good luck with that.” He then muttered to himself under his breath, “Potionology…m-maybe I won’t need magic for that.”

Potionology? What even was that? 

Yuu panted lightly as she tried to keep up with the others, silently cursing when her pants started getting in the way.

This was going to be a disaster, wasn’t it? Yuu could only hope she could get out of this place soon enough.

Chapter Text

“ Hellooo~ Yuu? Twisted Wonderland to Yuu.”

Her moment of revelry snapped at the sound of her name, and Yuu unconsciously paused her nervous fiddling. 

“Hm?” Yuu focused on Grim whose paws were tugging on her sleeve, pulling her hand away from her other sleeve as she’d been twisting at the fabric.

“I was tellin’ ya somethin’ but ya weren’t listenin’.”

“Hmm— oh , sorry, I didn’t realize I was that out of it,” she sighed, momentarily frowning to herself. 

Yuu hadn’t even realized she’d dozed off. 

“Everyone has a book, were we supposed to get one too?” Grim asked her, gesturing at the table next to theirs where Ace and Deuce sat. Ironically enough, they’d chosen to sit together.

Yuu quirked a brow, “A book? If you want, you can check the bag.”

She handed the torn up bag to Grim, letting the cat rummage through it. As he looked for the textbook, Yuu idly rubbed her bandaged hand while feeding her curiosity by looking around. 

“So this is what a classroom looks like,” she mused to herself thoughtfully, eyeing the shelves of books and vials as well as the mini cauldrons on everyone’s table, “It’s larger than I'd expected.” 

And bright too. From the windows where sunlight streamed in, Yuu could make out the courtyard down below, as well as a few struggling students trying to make a last minute dash for class. 

Then of course, sitting in the middle of the room was a large cauldron, already emitting steam that smelled both burnt and almost sour. Yuu wrinkled her nose a little, muttering under her breath, “It’s like that tea from that old apothecary.” 

The recollection made Yuu make a slight face and she pressed the sleeve of her jacket to her nose.

“Must be boiling something similar to stone root,” She muttered to herself.

“ I can’t believe I have to be in class with this damned, stupid collar ,” Ace hissed loud enough for Yuu to hear, slouching on the table with a groan. He pitifully hit the table with his fist as he continued, “I swear, once I get my hands on that Riddle…”

“You'll what? Whine like what you're doing now?” Deuce uttered, his gloved hand idly fidgeting with his pen. He moved it between his fingers before trying to randomly balance it on his nose as he continued, “And by the way, you shouldn't blame the house warden. You broke the rules so it's obvious you'd get in some sort of trouble.”

Ace gritted his teeth, reaching out to flick the pen off of Deuce's nose when saying, “ Yeah, yeah , I get it.” He turned his face into the table, his words muffled but still distinguishable, “But now I've gotta get a tart ?! How the hell am I even gonna do that?”

Bitterly picking up his pen from the floor, Deuce gave Ace a glare that the latter didn't notice. 

“Well.” Deuce rubbed the back of his head, “You could just buy one.”

Ace lurched up from the table, laughing at Deuce, “Pfft, you really think I’m gonna waste my money buying crap for somebody who doesn’t deserve it?” He shook his head fervently, making an ‘X’ with his arms as he emphasized the words, “ No. Way . Not to mention, I already used up my monthly allowance to buy a new pair of gym sneakers . ”

“So then you'll have to make one.” Deuce fiddled with his pen, idly balancing it on his nose again as he hummed in thought,  “We could probably just find some recipes online, or in the library. But, I'm not really that great at baking stuff, I'd be worried it'd turn out burnt.”

“ Great , not that I expected anything anyways.”

Deuce dropped his pen, clicking his tongue, “ Tch , like you'd do any better. You probably can't even boil cup-noodle without making the noodles all soggy.”

The sound of Deuce’ pen falling onto the table caught her focus and she subtly glanced in their direction. Her eyes caught on Ace’s collar and she couldn’t help but make a small scowl, silently cursing the object.

“Hmph, why the heck did ya bring this ?” Grim interrupted her thoughts, pulling her attention away from the Heartslabyul duo, “You’re not gonna be takin’ random pictures, are ya?” 

Grim suddenly pulled out the camera that Headmaster Crowley had given to Yuu.

“I didn’t want to just leave it at Ramshackle,” Yuu replied swiftly, taking the device from Grim. 

The cat scoffed, “No one’s gonna steal this old piece of junk, much less from Ramshackle.”

The only thing she bothered to do was shrug in response, intentionally leaving the subject hanging without further elaboration. 

“But forget about that,” Grim demanded, swatting his paw dismissively in the air before gesturing at the entire class, “ This is way more exciting than your stupid camera!”

“...I can't say I disagree, the thing doesn't even work,” Yuu said dryly, “Anything would be more exciting than the camera. But I'd hope it'll be worth more than it looks.”

Grim snickered, “Yeah, yeah, whatever. But I mean look at this place! That giant cauldron is so cool too! I betcha I’m gonna be acin’ this class, how hard could mixin’ up random plants be? Gonna make some sick potions and get named the Greatest in potion making!”

“Yeah, right,” Deuce butted in, having grown tired of talking with Ace. “I could bet a few madol you’d be the first to blow something up by accident.”

“ Pft , as if,” Grim shot back, glaring at the blue-haired boy, “If anyone’s messin’ things up, it’s you .”

Back and forth, their banter continued, and Ace would every so often put in a snide remark. 

“ Potion making ,” Yuu muttered to herself, turning over the camera in her hand idly before stuffing it back into the bag, “ What am I even doing here —?”

Smack .

Yuu flinched when she felt something hit her head, more startled than hurt. And she looked down at the sight of a crumpled up piece of paper that’d fallen onto the table, blinking at it in bewilderment. With her uninjured hand, she tentatively picked it up.

“You should know that if you blow anything up, Professor Crewel will probably skin you alive,” Ace mockingly warned Grim, gesturing his head at the center of the room.

“But isn’t blowin’ up stuff the whole point of this school anyway?”

Deuce choked, dropping his head into his hand as he sighed, “Do you have any idea how school actually works? It’s not just all fun and games, you know.”

“Heh, is this the ‘honour student’ in you talking?”

“Urk—Shut it, Ace. I’m just trying to take my studies seriously………”

The sounds of voices faded out as Yuu held the ball of paper in her hand. But a couple of snickers from the other side of the room didn’t seem to escape her notice.

She could already guess what this might be, a threat perhaps? Something to scare her at least. Even so, Yuu slowly unfolded the piece of paper.

“Lost, cobhead? The janitor room is just down the hall, think ya mighta missed it.”

The messy scrawl on the note was already difficult for her to distinguish but the insult it was trying to convey was…a bit underwhelming.

‘Cobhead’. Like…cobweb and head?

“But…I like spiders.” She glanced in the direction the piece of paper had been thrown at her, spotting a few boys smirking at her smugly. Bristling at meeting their eyes, Yuu dropped her gaze to the note before crumpling it up while she felt her ears heat up.

“Oi, by the way,” Grim spoke to Ace and Deuce, “Where’s our professor, hasn’t the last bell gone off?”

The two students shared a glance before Deuce shrugged before answering, “I dunno, maybe he got a stomach ache just before class.”

“ On the contrary, Mr. Spade .” 

The class all turned to the doors that had just swung wide open, nearly coming straight off their hinges as a man strode right inside. 

Yuu’s eyes widened and she had to consciously keep herself from accidentally dropping her jaw to the ground. 

His skin was utterly flawless and his makeup—Yuu could imagine several women in the Red District would gnash their teeth at such impeccable skill. The shading of his eyeshadow, the crisp line of his eyeliner—it brought the greys of his eyes out, making them appear almost completely silver. 

And then his hair . What a sight! The black and white? The contrasts and boldness, paired with his outfit as well, this man exuded style as if it was the very air he breathed.

Who even was this person?

And here she’d thought Crowley was flamboyant, meanwhile this man could literally cause chaos if he were to walk the streets of her world. 

“Professor Crewel,” Deuce choked, his cheeks turning red with indignation at being overheard.

… Crewel ? This was Professor Crewel?

From what Deuce and Ace had shared, Yuu had imagined someone much more intimidating. So she certainly wasn’t expecting this.

“Rather than a stomach ache, I’d say a headache would be more accurate.” The man, Professor Crewel, stepped into the center of the classroom. He had a pointer in his hand that he slapped onto his other palm, and he grabbed it as he huffed irritably, “ That blasted crow had the audacity to summon me for a meeting FIVE MINUTES before the final bell. His timing, I see, is as always impeccable —but if he ever tries that with me again, I’ll turn him into a stuffed crow before shipping him across the seas myself!”

“ Urk —somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning,” Grim whispered under his breath to Yuu who felt a cold fear begin to seep into her. 

Beautiful or not, a man who was angry was not a person Yuu wanted to be in the presence of. She furtively glanced at the doors a few feet away.

“And all about the new puppies. Instead of telling me all of this beforehand, he had to waste my class time. Ridiculous !” Professor Crewel took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose as he paused. In his smooth voice, he slowly calmed down, “No matter. We’ll begin at once, my young pups—so all of you, turn your textbook pages to what we’d started yesterday on the basics of biology for fungi and plants. Turn to your current partners to discuss what you’d read yesterday and then we’ll go on from there.”

The sounds of a few stifled groans and the turning of pages flitted about in the classroom, and Yuu looked around in confusion. Chatter soon filled the room, voices merging together to sound like white noise or crashing waves that faded into the background.

Grim pushed at her arm, “Get the textbook out, Yuu.”

“I thought you were going to do that,” she said in a hushed voice, grabbing her bag to rummage through it. “What textbook even is it? There’s at least five in here.”

Everyone else already had their books opened, making Yuu frantic as she confusedly pulled out a random textbook.

Grim scowled, gritting out to Yuu, “The guy didn’t even say what it’s called and all our books look so much more outdated—our covers aren’t even the same!”

“ Ahem .”

Both Grim and Yuu flinched, and with much difficulty, they slowly raised their gaze up at Professor Crewel. 

“I don’t believe this is a class for the Analysis of Magic,” he uttered with exasperation. With his pointer, he smacked the textbook Yuu had randomly chosen, making her flinch. “‘Introduction to Potionology’, do you have the book or not, Yuu and Grim?”

Her blood nearly stopped flowing for a split second when the man said her name, and Yuu had to remind herself it was probably because Crowley had told him. 

“R-Right,” Grim cleared his throat, finding the proper book and bringing it out.

“Hmph.” Professor Crewel studied the two new students with a sharp gaze before he spoke once more, “So, you two are the ‘special case’ that Headmaster Crowley talked to me about just a few minutes ago. I still don’t understand the reasoning behind your presence but as long as you don’t disrupt my class and cause a ruckus—like what I heard had happened yesterday—then I could care less.”

Yuu nodded her head, unconsciously beginning to pick at the loose threads of her sleeves, “Yes, sir. I can assure you I won’t cause trouble, Grim as well.”

“Heh,” Grim grinned up at Crewel, pointing at himself with a puffed up chest, “Yeah, I’ll be better than all yer other students—I won’t need to cause trouble when I’ll be too good at this school stuff to even bother!”

She internally groaned, fighting the urge to hide her face.

“Well, Grim, I do hope this confidence isn’t misplaced,” Crewel drawled unimpressed, “It takes discipline and hard work to get good at this ‘school stuff’, which I would expect you to possess.”

Professor Crewel gave Yuu a dubious look, clearly he didn’t take their words to heart, though Yuu could hardly blame him.

But it was his quiet pause that unsettled her the most, awkwardly watching as the man gave her a critical eye. It made her stomach twist much like a worm trying to avoid being eaten, and it certainly wasn’t pleasant.

He huffed dryly, crossing his arms over his chest, as he finally spoke again, “Though I must admit…I hadn’t expected much but Great Sevens , it looks like a mangy old rat in a dumpster found a needle and decided to play seamstress with rags.” The man gestured with his pointer at Yuu’s outfit as he disdainfully sneered, “Even some of my most mangiest mutts can dress better than this, it’s as if you’re trying to offend me. And were you perhaps playing at being a bird’s nest, should I go find some eggs for you to warm up with that disaster of a haircut? I’m sure you’d hatch an entire batch .”

Yuu looked back down at the table, tasting blood in her mouth from unconsciously biting down on her cheek. She could feel a heat of embarrassment coating her cheeks.

“I’m sorry,” she said weakly. What more could she possibly say? It wasn’t like she could really blame Headmaster Crowley for all of her appearance, not to mention she was partially glad her clothes were unflattering. Nevertheless, Professor Crewel’s words were like daggers to her pride, if she really had any left. 

“Oi, now hold on!” Grim interrupted, jumping up onto the table. “My henchman here didn't do nothin’. Even if he looks like a dusty old hairball, it's because of that cheapo Headmaster of yours.” 

Dusty old hairball ?

Crewel’s eyes sharpened, “The Headmaster?”

Grim pointed at Yuu’s clothes before answering, “Was the one that gave Yuu his uniform. So aside from his hair, everything else was Crowley.”

“Grim, stop it,” Yuu said, tugging Grim back. She hesitantly met Crewel’s grey gaze, saying, “Forgive me, sir, for Grim and my appearance.”

“ Yuu , there you go again, apologizing for everything!”

“You don't have to get so defensive about this. Like I said, it’s fine” 

“It’s not fine! You're my henchman, of course I have to.”

“But it's just clothes, so like I said—”

“So then…this is Crowley’s fault, is it?” Yuu perked on the spot, focusing on the man in front of her once more. Crewel's features darked as he bit out, “I should’ve known that irresponsible crow would do this. When he told me he’d ‘handled it all’, I had my doubts—and rightfully so, it would seem.”

He spotted her bandaged hand in his examination and he paused. The injury had been from back at the Dwarves’ Mine after she’d tripped and fallen, having cut herself on the shattered lantern. 

She’d almost forgotten about it. But now with Crewel looking at it, Yuu self-consciously tried to slip her hand under the table.

“ Stay , don’t you dare hide that from me.” Yuu froze when Crewel’s pointer slapped down lightly onto the uninjured part of her bandaged hand, his eyes grew stern as he questioned, “Tell me now, what is this?”

Yuu hesitated, swallowing hard before answering, “An accident, sir.”

“I can see that . But are those… rags you used to bandage your hand?” 

“N-No, I..they’re just curtains—I cut up some pieces to—”

Crewel bristled, snapping aloud, “ Curtains ? Curtains ?!” 

The professor’s outburst drew the attention of nearby students, Ace and Deuce included.

“Puppy,” the man exhaled in exasperation, “You’re either willfully ignorant or just plain foolish—do you know how much bacteria can get into your injuries if you use just anything to bandage yourself? Are you trying to give yourself an infection ?”

He pinched the bridge of his nose with his red-gloved fingers, closing his eyes as he took a deep breath. 

“Did Crowley know and he just sent you off without getting you checked?” He pressed, looking about to blow steam right out of his ears.

“I…I didn’t actually tell the Headmaster,” Yuu admitted awkwardly.

Crewel scoffed, “ Unbelievable . Do you have no sense of self-preservation? Regardless of the fact that that blasted crow should’ve noticed, you should be prioritizing your health.” With an indistinguishable mutter from the professor, he turned to move back to the center of the room as he added, “You’re to head to the infirmary straight after class, do you understand? I’ll give notice to Professor Trein that you’ll be late to his class today.”

No sooner after that, Crewel addressed the classroom to begin his lesson, completely shifting gears now.

However, Yuu was frozen in her seat, feeling her heart slowly settle down as she echoed in bewilderment, “ Infirmary ?”

“UGH!” Grim let out a frustrated groan as they left class, the bell having gone off to finally signal the end of it. 

Yuu mentally shared his sentiment, feeling as if she’d been in a drug-like haze—nothing, absolutely nothing , had stuck with her during that entire hour and a half of lecturing. Was she sure that the professor hadn’t just been spouting complete nonsense? It felt like the words he’d spoken didn’t even exist. Was this what students usually went through? How utterly draining .

But another factor that had her drained was the fact Ace and Deuce were still with her. Did somebody glue these two idiots to her side without her knowing? 

“I still don’t get what the hell mycelia is,” Ace sighed, adjusting the collar around his neck stiffly, “I swear, Crewel goes way too fast with his lessons.”

Deuce grimaced, “And I’ve never really been that good at biology, there’s way too much stuff to memorize.”

“I didn’t think there’d be so much either,” Yuu couldn’t help but add, massaging her forehead as she walked beside the group, “I only know the biology of what happens during se—”

“Why couldn’t we have gotten to the good stuff?” Grim interrupted Yuu with a huff, “With the makin’ potions an’ stirrin’ things up in that giant pot? I didn’t sign up for this just to sit all day !”

Yuu slowed down as the others continued walking, recalling Professor Crewel’s words. She glanced down at her injured hand, biting on her lip in silent thought. 

The infirmary, hm?

So she could just walk around the hallways without anyone around, could she?

“I could leave now,” Yuu realized to herself. A renewed sense of energy practically zapped her and Yuu lifted her light pink gaze before calling out to the three students, “You can go on ahead without me.”

The others turned, their attention now focused on Yuu.

She cleared her throat as she lifted her bandaged hand, “I should do what the Professor said and get this looked at.”

She shifted the bag on her back, feeling antsy to separate from these three.

“Oh, that’s right,” Deuce responded, rubbing the back of his neck as he continued, “Do you know the way to the infirmary? If you want I can take you there.”

Ace darted to her injury as he muttered, “You didn’t think to tell anyone last night? Or when we were painting the roses?”

“Well…it didn’t seem that important,” Yuu answered the boy, “And besides, I was using my uninjured hand to paint.”

She turned to Deuce to reply to his offer, “And that’s alright, I still remember a bit from when I was a janitor for a day yesterday. Besides, I still have the map the Headmaster gave me.”

Grim ran up to her, “I’ll come with ya—!” 

“No, it’s alright, Grim.” Her words were abrupt, stopping Grim in his tracks. But Yuu continued smoothly, “ One of us should still be in class, we wouldn’t want to miss anything important, right?  Professor Crewel only mentioned that I would be late, not you—it wouldn’t be a very good start to your school year if you were late on the first day.”

“ Urk …I mean, I guess you’re right,” Grim grunted, huffing slightly with a slight irritated flick of his tail. 

Yuu nearly let out a sigh of relief but held back as she continued, “It’s fine, it’ll only be for a quick check-up, I’m sure.”

She gave him a reassuring closed-eyed grin. 

A second bell went off, causing her body to jolt at the abrupt sound and she noticed a few passing students beginning to rush to their next class. Deuce similarly looked about to run as he said, “Ok, we should really get going, guys.”

Grim looked up at Deuce before nodding in agreement.

Ace rolled his eyes, “Yeah, yeah. Another boring class with Professor Trein but whatever.” 

The orange haired boy shot Yuu an unreadable look but then turned away with the two other students.

“Come straight to class after you’re done, Yuu!” Grim shouted back.

“I know, I know.”

Once they’d turned the corner, Yuu let out a huge sigh of relief and rubbed her temple in exhaustion. Around her, the last remaining students all disappeared into their classrooms, leaving Yuu standing in the hallway alone.

“Great Heavens, I thought they’d never leave,” Yuu muttered to herself, pulling out the map of the school from her pocket, “Now…let’s see.”

With a quick examination of the piece of paper, she nodded to herself before starting down the opposite way she’d gone. She had her bag, and had everything she needed to make her exit. All that was left was to actually leave .

Yuu turned the corner, her heart rate picking up as she continued down the deserted hallway. Her footfalls echoed in the silent corridor, each step causing her heart to yearn more and more to be far from this cursed place. 

She’d leave campus, find her way to a port and find a ship to sail across the sea—Yuu would go so far that no one would be able to find her. Grim could figure out how to stay here on his own, and Ace could figure out a solution for his own dilemma with that collar. She’d made no promise to him, so she owed him nothing.

Yuu recognized the flight of stairs she’d taken earlier to get to the potionology class with the others, her heart racing as she ran down them like a bird swooping down in the air. Her hand held tight to the railing as she swerved to head down the second flight. She wasn’t walking anymore, she was running—driven by the sole desire to run away.

What would she do after she escaped? She knew how to survive in her own world to some degree but what about this one? 

I just need to get off this island! Yuu thought to herself. And then I can figure it out from there, forget everything else, I just need to escape—!

Smack!

Upon rounding the corner of the staircase, she hadn’t anticipated somebody else to be right in her path and immediately smacked face first into them. Yuu had no time to react, her momentum too great to stop or prevent the collision from sending her and the other person tumbling down the stairs.

“Ah!” She cried out as they fell down the short few steps, landing in a heap of limbs and bruises. Her breaths came out in short pants as she struggled to rein in her disorientation from the sudden collision, barely noticing she’d landed on top of whoever she’d ran into.

“ By the Heavens ,” she thoughtlessly cursed, wincing when she felt a sharp pain in her injured hand.

“ Jamil !”

Yuu groaned a little, feeling dizzy from the impact and fall, and a warm wetness was spreading on her palm, seeping through her curtain made bandages.

“Jamil, are you alright?!” Somebody from the top of the stairs cried out.

“ Shit ,” the person beneath her cursed, reeling Yuu back from her daze abruptly. 

Her body went colder than the bottom of a frozen lake, and she could’ve sworn every thought in her head instantly vanished as she realized what she’d just done.

She gasped, scrambling off of the boy, “Oh Heavens, I’m so sorry! I-I wasn’t anticipating someone would be there, I…”

Her words trailed off as the boy sat up, rubbing the back of his head with a disgruntled expression. Yuu blinked a few times, slowly sitting back on her heels.

His eyes glittered as he met Yuu’s startled ones, slowly narrowing as he took in her shabby appearance. The boy lowered his hand from his head, his lips pressed into a thin line as he assessed her. 

A silent pause hung over them, and even Yuu’s thoughts were momentarily blown off track. 

Like an onyx stone freshly polished , Yuu randomly mused in her head as she studied his dark gaze. She noted his long hair as the boy shifted, and she lingered on the length with a sense of envy.

“...I was…just going to the infirmary,” Yuu numbly finished, using her ready-to-go excuse without thinking.

Then her eyes dropped to the boy’s black and red sweater, and a cold sweat began to form at the back of her neck.  There was a dark splotch on the fabric and upon feeling her soaked bandages, Yuu didn’t need to be a genius to know what that was.

Quick and light footsteps from somebody else hurriedly came down the stairs, and Yuu glanced up before bristling in mild recognition. 

“ Jamil! ” The boy began to cry, “You didn’t break anything, did you? Are you hurt? Bleeding? Maybe we should go to the infirmary to get you checked.”

She’d seen this boy already, the one with the short white hair and brilliant red eyes. Her more vivid memory of him being from when Grim had set his butt on fire two days ago at the ceremony. His outfit, however, was completely different from back then, the dishevelment of his clothes possessing a carefreeness that reflected his youthful and boyish appearance. 

He ran over to the boy Yuu had knocked over, panicking and fussing like a mother hen as he attempted to help the latter up.

The black-haired teenager huffed slightly, standing back up on his own as he shrugged off the white-haired boy’s hands, “I’m fine, Kalim, I don’t need to go to the infirmary, nothing serious hurts. Besides, we’re already late to class as it is—I had told you it’d take a while to show that first year to his class.”

“A-Are you sure? That looked like a really bad fall, we should get you looked at just in case. Ack ! Jamil, is that blood on your sweater?! Ahhh! We really need to get you to the infirmary quickly, maybe you hit your head? Do you feel a bump or anything?”

The boy, Jamil, looked down at his sweater with a neutral expression though his jaw subtly clenched at the small stain of dark red blotting his clothes.

At his companion’s persistent worry, he took out his pen from his pocket to wave it over his sweater, “...This isn’t my blood.”

The splotch of liquid evaporated into thin air, appearing as if it’d never been there in the first place. Meanwhile, Yuu paled as he turned to her after he’d finished his spell, an unreadable look in his dark eyes.

Was he mad at her?

Of course he was! There was no way anyone wouldn’t be mad about getting knocked down a set of stairs! Yet his silence made it hard to understand what he was thinking.

The white haired boy, Kalim, followed Jamil’s gaze to Yuu as if just remembering she was there as well. He gasped and he came to her immediately.

“AH! You took a nasty fall too, here…let me help you up. You’re not hurt or anything, are you?” Yuu hesitated slightly when Kalim offered his hand to her, the golden bangles on his wrist catching the sun almost as brightly as the concern in his round eyes. She lowered her gaze uncomfortably as she stiffly shook her head.

“No…no…I’m fine,” she said, ignoring the boy’s outstretched hand and stood up by herself. She cleared her throat, showing him her dirty hands before speaking, “Sorry, I didn’t want to get your hand dirty or anything.”

“ What the —” Kalim startled, “Your hands! Was that from the fall just now?”

Yuu shook her head again, “No, my wound just reopened…”

She held her hands closer to her chest now before turning to Jamil, trying her best to avoid his piercing gaze as she instinctively bowed into a ninety degree angle. 

“Please forgive me,” Yuu said rapidly, tightening her fists at the discomfort in her body, “I wasn’t looking where I was going, I’m truly sorry for running into you.”

Part of her was conflicted upon whether she should be kneeling instead but then she couldn’t help but recall the last reaction she’d gotten when she’d done that. So she settled for this.

She heard a sharp sigh come from Jamil before he spoke, “Good grief. You’re making this a bigger deal than it is, just watch where you’re going next time.”

Yuu cringed internally at his words, straightening up once more to face the duo. 

“But Great Sevens, you were running faster than a cheetah, were you that worried about being late for class?” Kalim butted in, tilting his head in question, “It’s still just the first week so I think you’d be alright if you were—- ah , wait a minute!”

Yuu jumped at the boy’s loud outburst as he pointed at her in recognition.

“I remember you!”

His companion frowned, questioning Kalim, “You’ve met this guy before, Kalim?”

Kalim laughed brightly, the sound echoing in the empty hallway, “ Of course ! You remember how I came back to the dorm with my robes all burnt?”

Jamil narrowed his eyes in all seriousness, a stark contrast to the blinding smile of his partner. 

“Well, this guy was there at the ceremony—he can’t use magic but his familiar was the one blasting fire everywhere. But you know, now that I think about it, it was actually pretty interesting— hahaha ! I don’t think we’ve ever had a ceremony that exciting before, I mean other than what had happened with Floyd and Riddle last year, hahaha !” Kalim grinned as if recalling a pleasant memory.

Yuu recognized one of those two names the boy spoke, recalling a certain redhead, and Ace who'd been collared by him just yesterday. 

The long-haired boy was silent as he processed Kalim’s words, his brows furrowed and a slight tilt downwards to his lips. But Kalim didn’t seem to notice as he came up to Yuu with that blinding smile that put her more on edge than a knife.

She stiffened as he leaned in towards her, “By the way, I don’t think I remember your name. I’m not good at remembering stuff that well so I might’ve heard back in the ceremony and just don’t remember. But, I’m Kalim!” He gestured to himself grandly, “Kalim Al-Asim, I’m a second year and the Housewarden for Scarabia. And the guy you ran into is Jamil. He’s my friend and also the Vice-Housewarden at Scarabia, he’s a second year too.”

“Scarabia?” Yuu echoed in bewilderment, taking a step back at the overwhelming brightness exuding from this student. 

“But anyways, were you looking for your class?” The boy continued without pause, gesturing to himself and Jamil, “We were just on our way to our class after helping a first year find his—though you should probably see the school nurse for your hand first before going. In any case, if you need anything, just let me know. Or even Jamil here! Jamil is always super nice, and he’s super smart too, so if you even need help with schoolwork or something else, I’m sure he’d gladly help you out if you just ask.”

“Kalim—”

“Oh, also, seeing as you're a first year here, you probably don’t know many people, huh? We should be friends, I’m sure we could—”

“ Kalim . Good grief, you’re overwhelming him,” Jamil cut him off with slight exasperation on his face. 

By the Gods, Yuu had never thought the sun could reincarnate into a human being. She could swear her face had burned off just by how bright, warm and friendly this complete stranger was to her. 

“Oh, whoops— haha , sorry, sorry,” Kalim apologized, rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish grin. “We should really go to the infirmary to make sure you’re alright—ah, but before that I should probably learn your name. Also, I don’t see your armband, what dorm you from? I’ll admit, I’ve never seen a uniform like yours before—I never knew the dress shirts could come in yellow.”

She hesitated for a moment but the boy’s red puppy-dog eyes had her relenting and she reluctantly answered, “Um… ahem —I’m Yuu.”

There was a quiet pause.

“...Wait! Your name is Kalim too?!”

Was Yuu not a common name here in Twisted Wonderland?!

She frantically shook her head, quickly explaining, “No, no. I mean my name is Yuu. And I’m from…um…Ramshackle.”

Kalim blinked in confusion before his eyes lit up with understanding, and he clapped his hands as he said, “ Oh , I see! Yuu . I was going to say that knowing someone with my name would be a bit confusing, but also super cool too. But, hmm...” The boy placed a hand on his hip and the other on his chin as he mused, “I can't say I've met anyone with the name ‘Yuu’ before but it sounds really nice. Like all small and cute, I guess that’s why it’s your name.”

He finished with a cheerful laugh, the sound echoing along the stone walls of the hallway. 

Small and cute?

Yuu was practically his height, she literally stood just a centimeter or two below him, and he was referring to her as small and cute?

“Ramshackle, you say?” Jamil cut in, “You mean that old building way past the botanical garden?”

Yuu nodded.

A flicker of surprise flitted over his features. “No one’s occupied that building for a long time, from what I’ve heard,” Jamil mused, looking Yuu over curiously, “And you're magicless, yet Crowley has let you stay?”

“It’s a bit complicated,” Yuu replied awkwardly.

He raised a brow at her answer but didn’t press the subject. “In any case, apparently he was already heading to the infirmary, Kalim,” Jamil said, turning  to his partner.

“Huh? Really?” the white-haired boy questioned, looking around the hallway in confusion, “But…the infirmary isn’t in this direction, it's like way over on the other side of the building, isn't it?”

“You’re right. And this direction only leads out into the courtyard.”

Yuu fought a cringe when the two boys faced her once more.

“Did you lose your way, Yuu?” Kalim asked worriedly, his brows drawn together, “Well, then I guess it’s good we ran into you— ah , I mean that you ran into Jamil, we could go together and show you where it is.”

Well, that’s just my luck, isn’t it?

Yuu couldn’t blame anyone for herself this time, had she been looking where she was going, she would have avoided this. She mentally chastised herself, her window of opportunity slamming shut just as quickly as it’d opened just because she couldn’t have slowed down. 

She hadn’t even made it out of the cursed building !

“It’s not in this direction?” Yuu echoed innocently, appearing confused as she made an emphasis of squeezing her wounded hand, “Professor Crewel had told me to go after his class because my hand isn’t properly bandaged—though now the wound is open again and bleeding all over the place. But you mean to say I’m not even going in the right way? Hah , how foolish of me—I must be a real idiot.”

“Ahaha, it’s alright, Yuu,” Kalim reassured kindly, giving her a sympathetic smile and a small pat to her shoulder, “It’s probably super confusing for a first year like you.”

She nodded her head, sighing tiredly and letting her shoulders droop. 

“And I’ve made you two late for class, I’m truly sorry.” Yuu gave them both an apologetic look, “I wouldn’t want to burden you two, if you could just tell me where to go, that’d be good enough for me.”

“I mean it wouldn’t be too bad, or anything. But if you’re sure then that’s fine too—besides, Jamil wanted to head to class right away anyways, right, Jamil?”

Kalim turned to his partner, naively following along with Yuu’s words to her relief. 

Jamil glanced from Kalim and then to Yuu. He was silent for a moment though she couldn’t figure out why it’d take this long to agree. It wasn’t like there was anything else to say—they could just give her the directions and she’d pretend to listen. And once they’d left, Yuu would continue on her way.

Though she’d make sure not to run into anyone again—

“On second thought, Kalim,” Jamil finally said, interrupting Yuu’s thoughts, “I think I should go to the infirmary. Just to double check nothing was seriously injured—so we could probably go together.”

—Huh?

“You don’t mind, do you?” 

Kalim gasped in concern, “So you did get hurt?! Jamil, why didn’t you say so earlier?! Yes, we should go—Yuu, we’ll come with you since Jamil needs to go too.”

“I meant I just want to double check, not that I think I have any injuries.”

Because he didn’t . He’d literally said seconds ago that he was fine ! 

What did he mean he wanted to go to the infirmary now ? Jamil had said originally that he didn’t need to go, and even Yuu could tell the boy didn’t look that hurt despite the minor fall. 

So why was he saying all of this all of a sudden? If they were both coming with her, Yuu would have to follow along or else she’d seem suspicious. But… her escape…

Why did it have to be this ridiculously difficult?!

Yuu fell silent as she thought to herself, mulling over her options in the short time she had to respond with something clever. All she needed was an excuse. Something to give her a chance to slip away.

Yet there was a small part of her that felt…unsettled. The black-haired teenager in front of her had kicked her off-balance so effortlessly but something about him had her wondering if he knew this would affect her. Was it the glint in his eyes? The too polite expression on his face?

No, I’m probably imagining things.

Yuu managed a polite smile, though a small trace of unease lingered in her eyes.

“That does make sense, I wouldn’t want to get lost again, especially with my hand still bleeding,” she said, laughing lightly to herself. She shifted her hands closer to her chest, her fingers unconsciously digging into her bandaged palm. “I really hope I didn’t hurt you too badly. I wouldn’t want you to miss class or anything because of me. I—" She paused, blinking and glancing down at his arms, trying to make it look like she was more concerned about his well-being than anything else.

“Though…you don’t seem to be hurt at all,” Yuu mused, acting surprised as she looked Jamil over. “If you’re not feeling too bad right now, wouldn’t it be a waste of time to go to the infirmary?” But then Yuu shrugged before smiling softly, and she kept her tone as genuine as possible as she continued, “I mean, if you really think you should get checked, then of course, we can go together— Jamil , was it? But I really wouldn’t want you to waste your time, when I’ve already done so, if it turns out to be nothing.”

With slight movement, Jamil lifted his head by an inch to subtly look her down. It was such a minute detail that had Yuu not been eyeing him carefully as she was now, she wouldn't have noticed. And it chilled her to the bone.

Yuu didn't like it. Yet there was nothing she could think of to figure out why she didn't like it. Jamil seemed pleasant enough, his voice steady and calm. 

“I’m sure it’s nothing,” Jamil shrugged before returning his own small smile, “But it's better to be safe than sorry, I wouldn’t want to neglect any injuries. Besides, I’m sure it’d ease your worries, Yuu , to know you didn’t harm me if you heard from the nurse herself that I’m fine—I wouldn’t want you to feel guilty for me . ”

Standing between her and Jamil, Kalim, with his pleasant grin still in place, blinked from one person to the other. Yuu, on the other hand, was struggling to keep from digging any harder into her bleeding hand. 

Jamil had her cornered, whether unintentionally or intentionally—and he had her stones outnumbered and stuck with nowhere to go. 

But when did this game start? 

When she had said she'd been heading to the infirmary? Or when she ran into him?

Yuu had to convince herself it was just her bad luck, surely…surely this wasn't all just a subtle form of revenge on his part, right? 

Nevertheless, a defeat was a defeat. Yuu could see clearly that her chance had slithered away as quickly as a snake.

“True,” Yuu nodded in agreement despite her inner turmoil, “You make a fair point, I'd probably be worrying the entire day wondering if you were okay.”

As if!

Kalim clapped his hands, the sound pairing with the jingling of his bracelets, “Well, that’s settled then.”

Yuu fought off a sigh, following the two students as they led the way.

The group of students finally stopped in front of a pair of doors with the label “Infirmary”. 

Already, Yuu could smell something that itched at her nose coming from within, and she felt a sneeze coming on. 

“Here we are!” Kalim announced proudly, his hands on his hips as if he’d discovered a treasure chest. 

“Here we are,” Yuu repeated numbly. “I didn’t realize we’d have to literally walk throughout the entire building.”

“Yeah,” Kalim laughed lightly, rubbing the back of his head, “Pretty inconvenient, huh? But hopefully your injury was okay on the way.”

Her hand was in fact still bleeding, not as much as before but her dingy bandages were now completely soaked red and useless. 

She nodded at his words, “It’s alright, your concern is appreciated though.”

The boy gleamed at that before turning to Jamil. “What about you, Jamil? You doing okay?”

The black-haired student paused, studying the infirmary doors as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“You know,” Jamil began before sighing, “Now that I’ve walked a bit, I don’t think it was as necessary as I thought. Kalim, I think we should just head to class. I can go over whatever we missed later after school.”

“.......” Yuu could think of nothing that was at all pleasant to say at the moment.

On the other hand, Kalim perked up, “Oh, thank the Sevens! Are you sure, you’re really okay? I mean, I was super worried for you, Jamil. But seriously, I think you need to stop overthinking things so much.”

“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind,” the other boy said, his tone flat. 

Before anyone else could say anything, the doors to the infirmary suddenly opened and the person that stepped out caused Yuu to reel with disbelief.

“Were you three just going to stand out there for the entirety of the second period?” The woman who’d just come out questioned, “There’s no need to be shy, come in. I could hear you speaking quite clearly, and…” 

She trailed off upon looking down at Yuu’s blood covered hand, and her nose wrinkled, “I could smell that quite clearly as well.”

“Excuse us, Miss Darling,” Jamil cleared his throat, drawing the woman’s attention back to him, “Kalim and I were just here to show Yuu the way to the infirmary, but we should get going now.”

You little—!

Yuu looked back at the woman, Miss Darling, with both bewilderment and apprehension. She wore a simple blue dress and a white apron, her sleeves rolled up. And her frizzy hair was a swirl of caramel, brown and white—almost as striking as Professor Crewel’s hair colour. So nothing should have come as a surprise, even if the clothes were somewhat unfamiliar. But the thing Yuu had to fully process was that this person had dog ears. Big, fluffy and drooping dog ears that reached to where her ears should have been.

“Well, let’s fix you up quickly so you can get back to class,” Miss Darling said, ushering Yuu into the infirmary.

“I—o-okay,” she stammered, stepping into a room full of beds. Yuu squinted at how much brighter this room was compared to the hallways, what with the bright sunlight streaming in through the windows. 

Miss Darling addressed the Scarabia students, “And you two should let your professor know you were with me to excuse your tardiness.”

The two boys uttered their thanks before leaving, but not before Yuu subtly shot Jamil a glare at his back.

That sniveling, nosy, cunning little brat!  

He’d definitely just walked her to the infirmary knowing she didn’t want to go. What a way to handle a grudge.

“Now, just come sit here so I can tend to this.”

Sitting on a bed, she watched as the school nurse skillfully treated her hand. Within minutes, Yuu had been given stitches after having her wound cleaned, and now the new white pristine bandages were properly tied.

“Goodness, you look like a half-chewed up dog toy,” she said, finishing the last of the bandages, “You said you’d come from your potionology class? I’m surprised Professor Crewel didn’t snap up a new uniform for you the minute he saw you, though he’ll most certainly do so now. Either that or he’ll bully the Headmaster.”

“I hope he doesn’t,” Yuu responded quietly, flexing and curling her fingers to feel the security of the bandages. “I wouldn’t want to feel indebted.” 

“Hmm, that’s much like most of the students here,” Miss Darling chuckled a little.

“There now.” The nurse withdrew to stand at her full height, “Honestly, you should have just come to me immediately instead of trying to do this yourself.” Miss Darling gestured at the pile of blood stained curtain scraps, disapproval clear in her brown eyes.

“Forgive me,” Yuu said hesitantly, “I didn’t know.”

Yuu averted her eyes uncomfortably, still feeling slightly bewildered that it was a woman who was tending to her.

She silently wondered if this woman was from a higher class. It wasn’t that uncommon for women of prestigious families to be involved with some medical practices, but it was usually only families that were already associated with medicine. 

In other words, this woman was likely an anomaly—one of the few lucky ones who struck gold in their chance of fate. 

That’d make the most sense , Yuu thought to herself, watching as the nurse left the bedside.

“Well, there’s nothing much to it now,” the nurse sighed, “The magic healing balm I used should fasten the healing process, but if the stitches come undone again, you come straight back here.” She turned to Yuu when she didn’t hear an answer, and she sharply cleared her throat, “Is that clear?”

Yuu jolted, “Yes, I understand, Miss Darling.”

“Now off you go, I don’t like it when students take up beds unnecessarily,” the woman said, waving off her hand to dismiss Yuu. She huffed under her breath, “Though I must admit…”

Yuu had slid off the bed, patting the blankets to smooth out any wrinkles. 

“I hadn’t expected to see a magicless student in my infirmary,” Miss Darling mused, giving Yuu an assessing onceover, “It appears I’d been left out of the loop with the news.” Her voice grew quieter as she glanced at the bloodied bandages, making it impossible for Yuu to hear, “And his scent…what a confusing mix of smells. Almost……as if he’s—no, it couldn’t be that , it must be from his potionology class, there’d be no other reason for him to carry that scent. But the blood…”

Oblivious to the woman’s muttering, Yuu faced her to bow a little. It seemed this more subtle gesture was more accepted than her kneeling.

“Thank you, Miss Darling, did you want me to pay for the treatment?” She went through her pockets, begrudgingly pulling out a few of the madol bills she’d saved.

“W-What? Payment?” The woman tipped her head laughing, exposing a bit of canines, “That’s a joke if I ever heard one, of course not, Yuu dear. Now go, go. I wouldn’t want you to miss any more classes, though I doubt you’ll make it for second period.”

After a bit more convincing from the nurse that Yuu didn’t have to pay because she was a student, she finally stepped out into the dimly lit hallway. 

Yuu’s steps echoed in the emptiness as all the other students were all attending their classes, leaving the place barren and quiet.

“I guess coming here wasn’t all so bad,” she mumbled to herself, examining her bandaged hand. “But now I have to go all the way back…”

Stifling a groan, Yuu made her way throughout the main building. Heading for the exit and being much more careful to not encounter anyone, managed to reach the courtyard without issue.

“Great Heavens.” Yuu gave the main building a withering scowl, “Even with a map, this place is more puzzling than a game of Go.”

RIIINNNNGGG!

Yuu jolted, the sound of the bell ending class going off.

Her feet moved on their own as she sped to hurry off, not letting the bell finish as she hurried towards the path that’d lead off campus. 

“Curses, did it really take me that long?” She gritted her teeth as she ran.

She made it to the main street, the seven statues standing proudly as Yuu slowed her pace. There were students everywhere, all heading in different directions for their classes. Uncomfortable, she pulled her oversized jacket closer to her, hunching to avoid attention as she kept her eyes down. 

Just to the gates , Yuu urged herself mentally, come on, Yuu .

She’d already made it outside, she really was so close .

On her right side, she could make out a large field of healthy green grass. Further up ahead, the front gates to campus stood just beside the field, beckoning her to it with its ominous spirals and metal spikes. 

There were already so many students on the path, it wasn’t like anyone would notice one slipping away. 

An eager grin slowly cracked its way onto her face. 

Yes! Yes, she’d done it! 

Just a few more steps and she could make a sprint for her life all the way to a port. 

I can finally leave! I’m finally free—!

“Hey, isn’t that Yuu?”

Yuu froze dead in her tracks, her smile faltering.

“Oh, he got here pretty quickly for fitness.”

“Myahaha, of course he would, he’s my henchman after all. Hey, Yuu! Wait up!”

“No,” she whispered under her breath, clenching her fists, “Please, please just let me have imagined those voices. Please, don’t let it be them.”

She slowly turned to see Ace, Deuce and Grim. 

Cursed. She knew it. She had known all her life she’d been cursed with the worst bout of luck because what the hell was this?!

No, no, no, no, no, no! You idiotic children! Yuu wanted to scream, feeling the urge to drop to her knees with despair. Could they not leave her alone for even a second?!

Grim ran up to her and Yuu had to physically build up the effort to force a laugh, “Grim, you couldn’t have come sooner, could you?”

Curse you, Grim and all your fluffiness!

“Of course not,” Grim said, “After that booooring history class, I hurried all the way here to actually do some cool stuff! Like flying.”

The two Heartslabyul students reached her, and Deuce started, “I thought you’d at least make it back for the rest of second period, did something happen?”

Everything. Everything had happened. From running into Jamil to walking in the furthest direction to the exit and then back again, and now this.

“Just…got a bit lost,” Yuu said sheepishly, appearing embarrassed as she rubbed the back of her neck, “Even with Crowley’s map, this place is really confusing.”

Ace smirked, placing his hands behind his head casually, “I mean, if you’re dense, I guess it would be.”

Tch, you little…

“But, now we’ve got third period,” Deuce said, gesturing at the sports field, “In my opinion, it’s not as bad as potionology or history.”

Yuu dragged her eyes to the field and she could hear a man shouting from all the way over here and a whistle being blown.

Just what sort of torture was in for her now.

“Hey, um, is Yuu okay? He’s been slumped over the table like that since the beginning of lunch.”

Somebody poked Yuu’s shoulder and all she could manage was a groan.

She heard Ace snicker, “Just leave him. Vargas’s class was obviously a pain, not to mention afterwards when Grim ran off.”

Yuu barely managed to nod her head, utterly too exhausted to care for etiquette in what seemed to be the first time ever. Lack of sleep,  Crewel’s lengthy lecture than everything in between that and lunch, it all formed the recipe for complete defeat. Which was what Yuu was.

Defeated. Physically and mentally. But especially physically.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this but I absolutely despise school,” she muttered painfully into the cafeteria table.

“Pfft, you and me both, henchman,” Grim sighed to which Yuu raised her head with a scornful expression. 

She pointed in the cat’s face, “Don’t you dare give me that, you’ve caused me the most amount of trouble this entire day.”

“Bwah—what the hell y’mean?!”

“Running about on campus? Skipping your classes on the first day?” Yuu listed, ignoring the fact she’d done just that herself. “Now you’ve cost me, literally. I was trying to save money but because you ran off, I had to be indebted to these two.” She gestured to Ace and Deuce who were currently digging into their lunch, their treats that Yuu had paid for them a result of Grim’s misbehaviour.

She bonked the cat lightly on the head, making Grim’s face scrunch up, “Bad Grim.”

“Well,” Deuce spoke up, taking pity on the scolded Grim and diverting Yuu’s attention from him, “At least you’re still covered for meals. It seems the Headmaster did do something right.”

Yuu glanced down at her plate, food she’d never seen in her life emitting mouthwatering steam and her stomach growled. She reluctantly admitted, “Yes…that is something to be grateful for.”

“But is it the five-day meal plan or the seven-day?” Ace asked, “My parents signed me up for the seven, probably thinking I’ll blow the dorm kitchen up like my older brother.”

Yuu recalled the conversation she’d had with the ghost that’d been serving the dishes.

“Seven-day,” she answered Ace, toying with an unfamiliar noodle dish with red sauce and twirling the noodles around her fork. Grim had his own separate dish, an omelette he’d called it. That too also smelled incredibly enticing, almost comforting with its warm savory scent. Yuu could only imagine how it’d taste.

Deuce hummed, “I did hear the cafeteria gets exlcusive menus every so often, though I'm guessing that would cost a bit extra.”

“What I have now is more than enough.”

Grim had begun to dig into his omelette and his eyes widened, shining brightly as if he’d just seen heaven itself, “MMMMMMMHHHHH, so good! The fluffiness, how it melts on my tongue—I could eat a hundred of these if there weren’t a limit of dishes here!”

Yuu tentatively tried her own dish, stilling for a moment as the sweet yet savory sauce hit her taste buds. She had to restrain herself from actually moaning at the taste but couldn’t help but cup her cheek in bliss.

“Heh, you two really are like two peas in a pod,” Ace teased her, unwrapping the plastic from his chocolate croissant, “What, never had a good pasta before?”

In her trance-like bliss, Yuu slowly shook her head in answer.

Meanwhile, Grim, who swallowed half his omelette in nearly one bite, addressed Ace and Deuce across from them at the table, “By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask, but are all the dorms on Night Raven College like Heartslabyul?”

Yuu wasn’t paying attention, sitting alone on the opposite bench and in another world where flavors and textures merged together like beautiful scenery. Sure, she’d had rich and nutrient heavy food at the Verdigris, but this… was something else entirely. 

“That’s way off, Grimmy.” 

Without warning, Yuu was suddenly sandwiched between two people as they took a seat on either side of her. 

She gulped her food on instinct, forgetting to chew before swallowing. And with a wince, she hunched over her plate as she felt the lump of food painfully slide down her throat, pressing a napkin to her mouth to stifle a cough.

“Ah! It’s you! What the hell ya think yer doin’ sittin’ here after what you did?” Grim snapped at the student sitting beside her.

The boy laughed, his voice immediately recognizable. As soon as Yuu recovered, she uncomfortably turned to see Cater, his expression lighthearted and pleasant—a sharp contrast to what’d occurred a few hours ago at Heartslabyul.

He answered Grim’s question, “Now, now, don’t hold it against me—I was just following orders or it would’ve been off with my head. Besides, out here, I’m just normal Cay-Cay so you’re good.”

“Good?” Ace echoed, clearly still bitter about what’d happened as well, “Oh, we’re far from good. You tricked us into painting your roses before kicking us out!”

Cater made a small sigh, leaning his elbow on the table as he pushed his food around on his plate, “I’ve been meaning to say this but ‘tricked’? That’s a bit harsh, you know. I was in a cinch, and you guys didn’t seem to mind helping out. You get me, right, Acey?”

“Ugh, you know it’s super weird hearing someone call me that.”

Deuce added more quietly, “Same, I’d rather not be called anything other than Deuce. Not Deucey.”

A new and unfamiliar voice interrupted with a lighthearted chuckle, “Hm, that’s just Cater showing he cares. He doesn’t mean anything rude by it.”

Yuu wished she could switch seats with anyone to get out of her position, stuck between two unfamiliar guys—one who she felt uncomfortable with and this new one—wasn’t her ideal situation. 

She picked at her food, no longer interested in eating now that her stomach was fluttering with nerves.

“And…who are you?” Ace asked the guy seated next to Yuu. 

He had dark green hair like the colour of the forest and sported glasses with a round black frame. And similar to the rest of the students at the table, he had a red theme to his uniform as well as the ribbon tied around his bicep.

The student adjusted his glasses as he cleared his throat, “Oh, I completely skipped over introducing myself, sorry about that. The name’s Trey. Trey Clover.”

Yuu studied him silently, finding his voice rather soothing for a teenage boy. It certainly matched his more mature features, she wondered if this was her first time meeting someone who wasn’t always so… loud .

“I’m a junior at Heartslabyul, same as Cater,” he added before catching Yuu’s staring. 

She tensed a little when his golden eyes met hers, even as he gave her polite smile before continuing, “Ah, so you must be Yuu, is that right? The magicless student that lives in that du— ahem , I mean the ‘rustic’ dorm as the prefect.”

“I…” She blinked in confusion, “How did you know all of that? I don’t believe we’ve ever met until now, um…Trey.” 

The green haired student slightly jerked his chin in Cater’s direction, “Heard everything from him. From the chandelier incident to now—you’ve had quite a lot going on for you it would seem.”

She averted her gaze awkwardly, picking at the seams of her sleeves as she muttered, “I suppose you could say that.”

“In any case, thanks for looking out for our boys yesterday.” Yuu made a small ‘mphm’ sound when Trey firmly patted her shoulder, “And I hope Ace didn’t cause you any trouble last night, I’d heard he’d gone to your dorm to stay over. Apologies for any inconveniences he might’ve caused.”

Something flickered in her chest, almost like a little ember slowly seeping warmth into her soul. She felt it spread to her cheeks to which she quickly cleared her throat to dismissively say, “It’s nothing worth mentioning.”

“Hmph, ‘inconvenience’, don’t talk about me like I’m your kid or something, Trey,” Ace huffed, propping his head on his hand with a petulant expression.

Cater waved his hand as if to dispel Ace’s complaints as he jumped in, “Hey now, we’re all from the same dorm—minus Yuu and Grim, of course—but we really should try to get along. Let’s just start with getting your guys’ numbers.”

He pulled out his rectangular box that had had Yuu bewildered the first time she’d seen it. 

Deuce didn’t seem to mind too much as he immediately recited a bunch of numbers that left Yuu even more confused. Ace begrudgingly complied, doing the same as the previous student.

Why were they speaking in numbers? Was this some other form of language in Twisted Wonderland?

Yuu watched as Cater tapped on his box, the back of it designed with red diamonds that matched the marking on his cheek. 

“Okay, now it’s Yuu’s turn!” The energetic boy declared, shifting in his seat to scooch a bit closer to her. And Yuu felt the little hairs on the back of her neck bristle, getting close enough to smell a tinge of spice and something nutty from Cater. Almost like poppy seeds and cinnamon.

“W-Wait, my turn? For what?” She stammered dumbly, “I…um…why do you need numbers?”

“To DM you, obviously!” Cater laughed, “Come on, I’ve got to have the Ramshackle prefect in my contacts—we could be like total BFFs, you know? I mean for a raggedly dressed kinda guy, you’re not too bad looking—though you’d probs look way cuter if your uniform actually fit you. But I can tell we’d def make a great pair.”

What sort of words was he speaking?!

Should she refuse? Or accept? But Yuu didn’t even know what he was asking! Clearly he wanted her to speak a few digits, had it been ten that Deuce and Ace had shared? The first three digits they’d spoken had been the same, so did that mean she could just do the same and list a few random ones afterwards?

Either way, Yuu didn’t want to get into another notebook incident like what’d happened a few hours ago.

“Umm…okay,” Yuu said tentatively.

Cater leaned in, letting her see his item and the display of numbers on its lit surface.

After a few quick seconds of Yuu spouting whatever numbers came to mind, Cater withdrew with a grin. 

“Sweet!” Cater cheered, tapping a few more times to write down Yuu’s name into his contact list. “Here, I’ll send a message so you know it’s me, you can check it later though—you seem like the sort to be super shy irl but more lively online. Kinda like a few people I know.”

Yuu nodded her head, pretending to understand whatever nonsense he was saying.

“Ahem , Cater, I think we kinda got off topic,” Trey said with a sheepish expression, his brows drawn together almost in an apologetic manner.

“Oops, you’re right—my bad. Anyways, what were we talking about again?”

“The dorms, yes?”

“Mhm, right.” Cater pocketed his item as he said, “Hehe, it’s always super fun mentoring the younger students, so then—”

“Wait, wait,” Ace interrupted, straightening in his seat, “Before you get into the other dorms, I wouldn’t mind learning a bit about ours first. Like especially with the ‘Queen of Hearts rule number blah blah blah ’ sorta stuff.”

Trey went along with Ace, beginning his explanation by asking, “You’re aware of the Legendary Queen of Hearts, aren’t you?”

All four of the younger students nodded their heads.

“So you’re aware she essentially ruled over a Kingdom that was particularly unique, and she enforced strict orders and rules to maintain peace.”

Yuu idly twirled the loose threads of her sleeves around her fingers, listening intently to Trey’s little lesson. She wondered what sort of King would let his woman do as she pleased so freely.

“But basically, our dorm pays homage to the Queen of Hearts,” Cater carried on, “Everything from our uniform to our armbands and traditions are all based on her, and by default, we also live by the rules she’d created.”

“The Queen?” Yuu echoed curiously, “What about the King?”

Cater answered, “They say he loved the Queen so much that he’d do anything for her, ah—but he wasn’t as influential as his Queen.”

“Oh, so he was like…a figurehead, then?” She mused quietly.

“In any case, the degree to which we adhere to rules really depends on who's the housewarden,” the green-eyed boy continued, unconsciously tugging on one of the ends of his hair, “We’ve had some in the past who were more lax but…”

“With Riddle, he’s never been the type to put anything less than one hundred percent into his responsibilities as housewarden.” Trey crossed his arms over his chest as he finished, “So we’ve been honoring the Queen of Hearts’ rules to the utmost extent possible.”

Across the table, Ace heaved a defeated sigh, “Just my luck…”

“One hundred percent,” Yuu echoed as well, “That takes a lot of dedication and effort, how respectable.”

So there were students on this campus that were actually admirable and not just idiots like Ace and Deuce.

“Enough about Heartslabyul already.” For once, Grim seemed to actually be invested in a bit of learning, and he pressed Trey and Cater, “Tell us about the other dorms, what are they like?”

“I’ve only heard of another dorm, I think…Scarabia was its name?” Yuu recalled the two students from that dorm that she’d met. 

The green-haired boy answered, “Yes, that’s the one based on the mindful personality of the Sorcerer of the Sands. You can tell which students are a part of that dorm usually by how well they do in academics. I think they’re…oh, over there, you can see their armbands.”

Yuu and the others glanced in the direction that Trey had gestured to, and sure enough she spotted two familiar faces sitting at a table further away.

“I actually met those two, the housewarden and the vice-housewarden,” she admitted, not noticing the surprised expressions on Deuce, Ace and Grim’s faces, “If this isn’t too much to ask, but are they also really good at academics?”

That would explain why Kalim had been boasting about that irritable Jamil’s skills.

“OMG, Yuu, and here I thought you were too shy to meet anyone else.” Cater pouted a little, giving her hair a ruffle to which she fought off a grimace, “Not gonna lie, I’d kinda hoped I could keep you to myself for a bit longer—hehe, just kidding. But actually, Kalim scores around the average, sometimes a bit lower. And there’s nothing particularly outstanding with Jamil’s scores either.”

“Oh.” She didn’t know why, but she felt sort of underwhelmed by Cater’s answer. Yuu let out a small contemplative hum, unable to help herself from trying to tidy up her messy hair a bit. 

Deuce gave her an impressed look, “When did you get the chance to meet them, Yuu?”

“When I was looking for the infirmary, they…kindly helped me find it,” Yuu replied.

“Anyways, aside from Scarabia, there’s five others.” Trey steered the conversation into a more thorough explanation of the rest of the dorms

“Savanaclaw is the one based on the King of Beasts, most of the students are more of the rugged sort as you can tell almost immediately—” he gestured at a particular guy who stood a good head taller than Yuu, and once again she was struck with disbelief at animal ears sprouting from his head and a fairly bushy tail “—they excel the most at physical classes like combat and fitness. Not to mention their housewarden is the captain of a sports team here at NRC.”

Yuu fought the urge to ask if the housewarden also had animal ears but decided against it, not wanting to interrupt Trey.

“Then there’s Octavinelle, the guys with the silver and purple armband are a part of that dorm. Same as Scarabia, their students typically have most of the high academic ratings.” Trey adjusted his glasses as he lowered his voice a little before adding, “Just a fair warning, it’d be best to avoid asking for help from their housewarden—”

Grim interrupted Trey, “And who’re those people? There’s a girl at that table.”

“A girl?” Yuu repeated, glancing towards where Grim had pointed to, finding herself startled that there in fact was a girl sitting a few tables away from them. 

Immediately, Yuu meant to ask Trey how that was possible but then Deuce spoke first.

“What’s she doing at our school?!” He blurted out, his cyan eyes widening with disbelief.

Ace rolled his eyes, “You two are actually morons, girls don’t attend NRC.”

“Wait, so then… that’s a guy?!” Grim yelled, drawing the eyes of other students close to their table.

“Dumbass,” Ace scoffed, “Of course he is. I actually met him back during orientation when I’d ski—I mean…yeah, I met him.”

A prick of pain shot into Yuu’s hand, suddenly realizing she’d unintentionally clenched her injured hand a bit too hard. 

Of course there wouldn’t be girls here. She was the only one, hidden amongst this school full of boys. Yuu didn’t know why she had also immediately jumped to the same conclusion as Deuce and Grim, it wasn’t like it was actually possible. But she wondered if this made blending in with the student crowd easier if there were students who looked more feminine. It certainly helped her case.

And yet, a small part of her wondered how these three would react if they ever found out. ‘If’ being the most important word because of course she’d never let them know.

Cater laughed lightly, “Hey, there’s no fuss. But speaking of girls, there’s a portrait in the west hall who’s a real beauty. Her name’s Rosaria, I could introduce you to her, if you want?”

This was too strange, Yuu was completely on enemy territory.

“A painting?” Ace gave Cater a baffled look, “No way, that’s not happening with a two-dimensional person, even if she is cute.”

“Aww, come on, who cares how many dimensions she’s got!”

Yuu cleared her throat, feeling all too discomforted by this discussion, and addressed Trey, “So then, what dorm are they from?”

He chuckled, “Yeah, we strayed a bit off topic, huh. It’s Pomefiore, their students are among the best at potions and casting curses.”

“O-Oh.” Yuu shot another glance at the group of Pomefiore students, not liking Trey’s explanation one bit. 

“They’re also pretty serious about their appearances, you could say it’s basically a dorm full of models,” Cater added, and he pulled out his rectangular box again as he continued, “Their housewarden, Vil Schoenheit, is actually super famous. He’s got like over five million followers on magicam—hmm, here, see?”

He showed Yuu a picture of a beautiful looking man, his face familiar to the one she’d seen two days ago in the mirror chamber.

Whatever terms Cater used was lost on Yuu but she could see why this particular student could become popular. 

“Next,” Trey continued, drawing Yuu’s attention back to him, “There’s Ignihyde, they’re not exactly the outgoing sort—especially their housewarden. Most of the time, they take their courses online if they can.”

Cater nodded, “They’re like the complete opposite of us fun-loving Heartslabyul students.”

 “So like all doom and gloomy?” Grim wondered thoughtlessly.

Trey’s golden eyes widened and he immediately responded, “No need to put it that way. They’re just more known for being pretty reserved and serious compared to the rest of the other dorms.”

Yuu shot him a disapproving glance, “Grim, you shouldn’t assume things like that.”

“It’s okay, Yuu,” Trey chuckled, waving his hand dismissively, “But anyways, Ignihyde students are most known for their skills with magical-energy engineering—so they’re almost always super good with tech.”

Again, terms Yuu didn’t understand.

She might actually just start writing all of these words into a notebook to use as her own personal dictionary.

“So then, that just leaves…umm…Dia…Dianiamniam, was it?” Deuce tried to say, his question ending in a mumble as his confidence in pronunciation faltered.

“ Pfft —‘Niamniam’, he says,” Ace chortled, his shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter before he swallowed it down to correct the blue-haired teenager, “It’s Diasomnia, you had like…one third of it right before crashing and burning.”

Deuce stiffened, his face turning an embarrassed shade of bright pink, “I-I just misspoke, I knew it just fine, okay?”

The third year sitting beside Yuu hummed, looking over her head before spotting whatever he’d been searching for, “Mhm, right over there at least twenty or so tables away are the students from Diasomnia, you can tell by their neon green armbands.”

All the first years perked, meanwhile Cater continued, “You could say they’re the real celebrities of campus. Super hard to approach, they make the rest of us regular folk seem like complete schmucks in the mud. And their Housewarden is that to the max.”

Indeed, they seemed to give off a different sort of aura compared to other students. And Yuu could make out how the tables closest to them were practically vacant, it seemed like no one else felt comfortable sitting nearby. But there was one particular student who caught her eye, sitting between a boy with silver hair and another with lime green hair. 

She realized she’d actually met him before, the pale little boy with those round magenta eyes. The one whose voice had sounded much more deep for a child like himself.

As if speaking part of her thoughts aloud, Ace said, “Is that a kid over there?”

“Oh, that guy?” Trey frowned a little, glancing at the Diasomnia student whose short black hair was streaked with magenta, “He’s no kid, he’s a junior like Cater and I. Goes by—”

“Lilia. Lilia Vanrouge.”

Within a single blink, Yuu found herself face-to-face with the very boy they’d been talking about. And he dangled upside down in front of her, his pleasant grin showing small, white fangs.

Yuu stared silently for a second, then another, before she reeled back with a startled yelp and nearly fell back off the bench. 

Similar to her, the other students at her table all let out some exclamations of surprise, even Cater and Trey were taken by surprise. 

“H-H-How’d he get here so fast?!” Grim stumbled over his words.

The boy, Lilia, righted himself up but remained floating in midair as he chuckled at Grim’s outburst, “Hehe, a teleportation spell, of course. I must admit, reactions like yours never cease to amuse me—first years are always so much more jumpier.” His delicate shoulders shook as he laughed merrily, seeming amused with himself before clearing his throat.

“But nevermind that, I had happened to overhear—by chance of course, I was not paying any particular attention or anything—that you firstlings were intrigued by our dorm.” He crossed his legs, appearing to sit even though he stayed aloft above their table. He spoke, his baritone voice resonating within her very bones, “And it is as Trey has said, while I may possess a cutie-patootie, baby face, I am actually far older than you would think.”

Trey choked on a cough beside her, fixing his glasses on his face as he muttered, “‘Cutie-patootie’, he says.”

“Regrettably, I do wish you would have approached us to ask your questions,” Lilia said, a cute frown forming onto his childish features, “We are quite welcoming. After all, we are fellow students so you needn’t be so shy, I can assure you it’d be our pleasure to be better acquainted.”

Welcoming, he says . Yuu subtly glanced over in the direction where the rest of the Diasomnia students were sitting. And they in fact looked quite the opposite of what Lilia had claimed.

The silver haired boy had a stern expression on his face, eyes narrowed and brows drawn together as if he were subtly glaring at something. Already, he was intimidating enough that Yuu didn’t want to know what it’d be like to interact with him. Then there was the other student, the one with the lime green hair. He noticed her staring, and the boy crossed his arms before tilting his head up in a condescending sneer. 

She quickly looked away. But Yuu couldn’t help but recall what Cater had said about their housewarden, and she felt chills just thinking of how much more intimidating he must be if his dorm was like this.

“Nevertheless, I apologize for appearing over your meals like this,” the Diasomnia student went on, and his magenta eyes landed on Yuu. They lingered on her, narrowing by a fraction, but was a change too small for her to notice. His momentary pause ended as he focused on the rest of the group, “But should you wish to know a little more about us, you need only ask—and don’t be too intimidated by our housewarden, in fact, I might even ask you to invite him sometimes to your fun little events. He’d be most thrilled, I can assure you.”

Clearing his throat, Lilia grinned, “Now then, if you’ll excuse me, I shall take my leave. I truly look forward to a good school year with you all.”

In an instant, he vanished and was back in his seat almost twenty meters away. 

Yuu’s table was silent for a still moment, and Yuu was still trying to process just how quickly the boy had come and gone. He spoke with such cheerfulness, it was such a stark contrast to the seriousness of his Diasomnia peers.

Ace slowly leaned over the table to whisper rapidly to a similarly unsettled Trey, “So, he can just hear us from that far of a distance?!”

“Well, Diasomnia does have a few…um, well, I guess you could call eccentric individuals,” Trey answered with difficulty, rubbing the back of his neck. “But most, if not all of them, are extremely talented in magic. Especially their housewarden, his name is Malleus Draconia. And it’s honestly way easier said than done, in terms of ever getting close to Draconia unlike what Lilia said.”

Yuu’s ears perked a little, recognizing that unique name from when she’d heard it back in the mirror chamber. And it had almost the same reaction of apprehension.

Whoever this Malleus Draconia was, he certainly seemed frightening enough just by Trey’s explanation. She had to make sure not to ever encounter the individual. Certainly a magicless student like her wouldn’t have a reason to ever cross paths with him, neither should he happen upon her by chance if they ran in completely different circles. 

‘Chance’…

Yuu had to remind herself that her luck had never been that great, and a reluctant part of her wondered if she’d jinxed herself already.

Cater cringed beside her, adding on, “Yeah, he’s actually ranked one of the top five most powerful mages in the world. Super dangerous and stuff, ya know?” Then he shrugged, “Though that isn’t to say our own housewarden should be taken lightly, he can be just as intense.”

Ace let out a scoff from across the table, rolling his eyes as he said, “That’s a complete understatement. The kid’s a menace with the temper of a madman, he—” The table’s atmosphere suddenly grew tense, and Yuu had a really bad feeling when a certain red-headed boy approached Ace from behind. “—couldn’t be more ridiculous when he offed my head for only eating a tart. Probably just wants to boss everyone around like a petty tyrant, using his whole ridiculous ‘rule obsession’ to keep everyone under his thumb.”

“‘Ridiculous rule obsession,’ you say?” 

Deuce froze up at the sound of the new boy’s voice, slowly turning to see him with growing fear in his cyan eyes. He poked Ace in the shoulder, “Umm, Ace, behind you.”

“What? Knock it off, Deuce,” Ace snapped but turned around anyways, “What do you mean ‘behind me,’ I was just going to say his ‘rule obsession’ is completely out of controooll— gah , housewarden!” 

With eyes like a stormy sky, they glared down at the orange-haired student with a ferocity that sent a shiver down Yuu’s spine. 

Ace let out a nervous laugh, a strained grin spreading across his features as he said, “I-I didn’t realize you were…right behind me, when did you even get here?”

“In time to hear what you had to say,” the new boy said in a menacing calm voice, making Ace cringe in his seat, “But do continue, Trappola.”

“Ahem, Riddle!” Cater butted in with a placating laugh, “You’re looking as cute as ever today, what’s up?”

Riddle shot the other boy a reproaching look, “Cater, keep running that mouth of yours and you’ll lose it—along with the rest of your head.”

Yuu cringed at the student’s threat. He said it so casually as if he didn’t even consider it as a brutal method of slaughter. 

But from what she’d gathered with the collars, it wasn’t like he was actually slicing off heads. In fact, Yuu could almost bet her soul on the assumption that this boy had never actually seen an execution before. He spoke with too much propriety and arrogance, not someone who’d know much of the more gruesome aspects of life.

Grim gasped, shooting up from where he’d been sitting on the table, and he pointed at Riddle, “It’s you! The guy who put that weird, ugly dumb collar on me at the orientation ceremony!”

Letting this cat speak like that was not a good thing, and Yuu was already on him, snatching him from the table as she scolded, “Grim, don’t cause any trouble, you hear me?”

At his outburst, Riddle focused on Yuu, his gaze narrowing on Grim with clear disdain, “‘Weird’ and ‘ugly’? How dare you label my unique magic with such crass and rude terms. While the Headmaster may be lenient against rulebreakers—much to my displeasure—I will not be as forgiving, which calls for measures such as my spell.”

He approached Yuu’s side of the table, glaring down at her now as he looked her over. This was her first time seeing Riddle up close like this, and had she not heard him speak, she would’ve assumed he was a very nice boy. 

Smooth porcelain skin, youthful features and his round eyes all gave off an almost childlike image. But that image was distorted as his nose wrinkled with distaste upon studying Yuu’s haggard appearance, and the boy scoffed while folding his arms over his chest, “And you , you certainly don’t disappoint my assumptions, how can one handle their dormitory students if they cannot handle themselves. You do not even display an ounce of admirable traits.”

Unbeknownst to her, Ace stiffened as well at Riddle’s harsh critiques. “The hell did Yuu do, he didn’t even say anything to him,” he gritted out, too quiet for anyone to hear.

Yuu felt herself shrivel from within, and she instinctively bowed her head as she said, “Forgive me, I can assure you I’ll keep Grim from any more trouble. And, I’m truly sorry for what had happened during the orientation.”

Grim growled at her, about to snap with something to say, but Yuu clamped her hand over his mouth.

“Hmph.” Riddle didn’t look impressed, and he responded, “You’d broken the rules, having brought your cat to a formal event and then disrupted our ceremony—had I been the Headmaster, I’d have sent you home in an instant.”

She immediately thought of the Verdigris House, and the food she’d eaten suddenly took a nauseating turn within her stomach. Yuu cast her gaze downwards, unconsciously tightening her hold on Grim’s fluffy form. 

“I do not tolerate rulebreakers in the slightest, so know that should you break any henceforth from now on, I’ll see fit to discipline you in place of the Headmaster,” he swore to her. Then he muttered under his breath, “Honestly, what is that man thinking—with how he tolerates rulebreakers, I can see why this campus is so run over with unruly students. Rules are meant to be followed, not just guidelines that can be ignored, otherwise …everything just falls apart at the seams. ”

Yuu caught his last sentence, a small flicker of understanding making it impossible to find fault in his actions. 

Rules were meant to be followed. The whole reason her life had dived so down into hell had been because of the people around her who’d broken them. Nevertheless, even if she could agree with him, Yuu didn’t want to speak much more with him.

Somebody cleared their throat, and Riddle redirected his attention away from her, much to her utter relief. Ace had cut in suddenly to speak, “So, um, anyways…you wouldn’t mind taking off my collar now, would you, housewarden? I learned my lesson and all that.”

With the red-headed boy turned away from her, Yuu released her hand from Grim’s mouth with a slow and shaky exhale. Letting him go, he jumped back onto the table but not before shooting her a scalding glare.

The shorter boy lifted a brow, “Did you now? From what I’d heard a few seconds ago, it would seem to me that you need a bit longer to reflect on your actions.” 

Ace deflated on the spot.

“Not to mention,” Riddle continued, his voice taking on a stern and intimidating tone, “In accordance with the Queen of Heart’s Rule 53, you are required to replace what you’d stolen. So I will not even consider removing your collar until you learn to comply with our traditional rules.”

“Tch, what an actual pain in the ass—”

“Ace Trappola,” Riddle snapped with a voice harsher than a whip, making everyone at the table flinch, “You will answer with a  ‘Yes, Housewarden.’ Not your nonsensical complaints. Is. That. Clear?”

Ace immediately straightened in his seat, replying instantaneously, “Y-Yes, Housewarden!”

Both Trey and Cater were turned away from the heated interaction, Deuce had gone slightly pale and Grim had stiffened in her arms. The very air pressed against Yuu’s nerves, and she was sure everyone else felt the same suffocating tension. 

No one dared to utter anything more, to which Riddle let out a sigh, “Good grief, I’m doing this for your own good as well, you know. With your magic sealed away, you won’t cause trouble in your classes—they’re all theory based anyways, given your first year curriculum—to which you can apply yourself better without distractions.”

Ace appeared to restrain himself from retorting something, his lips twisted into a grimace. 

“Hmph, now that that’s been said,” Riddle continued, adjusting his uniform jacket, “If you’ve all finished your meals, you’d best depart for your next classes immediately.”

He stared down the students at the table with a haughty expression before he declared, “The Queen of Heart’s Rule 271 clearly states, ‘One must leave their table within fifteen minutes of completing their lunch.’ Any student of mine who ignores this rule will see their head cut off.”

Deuce scratched the back of his head, “There’s even more confusing rules—”

“I believe you meant to say ‘Yes, Housewarden!’”

This time both Ace and Deuce obeyed, shouting out, “Yes, Housewarden!”

Riddle nodded in mild approval, “Good.”

“Ahem, Riddle,” Trey finally joined in, “You don’t have to worry too much while I’m looking out for them.”

“I would hope so,” the red-headed boy said, turning to the third-year student, “As the Vice-Housewarden, you have an example to set and I expect you to do so that’s befitting of the Queen of Heart’s spirit. Thus, these indiscreet conversations should be avoided.”

“Apologies, Riddle, but I’ll keep that in mind.”

The Housewarden gave one more nod in response, turning away from the table at last as he muttered, “Now…as per rule 339, I must have my lemon tea at once now that I’ve finished my meal— tch , yet I have to acquire my two sugar cubes myself. It should be a violation for the school to run out of sugar cubes...”

Twang, twang .

Yuu jolted, cringing as she grimaced, “Ah. What was that?” 

Grim huffed, “You mean that kid’s voice? Yeah, it’s got me on edge too.”

“His voice? No, that…that hadn’t been a…” Yuu trailed off, turning her head to watch Riddle walk away. 

Riddle……had he heard it? After all, that twisted sound had come directly from him.

It’d happened so suddenly. Like the sound of a guqin snapping its string, emitting a noise that felt like nails dragging on a pane of glass. But it’d been worse. Something warped and misshapen as an accidental sharp in a ballad, even painful with its dissonance.

Out of nowhere, Cater dropped his head into his hands with a cry that startled her out of her revelry, “Great Sevens, I swear my blood had frozen to ice!”

It wasn’t just Cater who’d let out a relieved sigh, all around them, Yuu could make out hushed whispers from other students.

“Shit, was that the Housewarden?” One student said not too far from where they sat, “I was sweating buckets, I’d completely forgotten we weren’t supposed to eat hamburger steak on Tuesdays. Thank the Sevens he didn’t catch me.”

“I’d slept during my classes, I was so sure he was here to off my head.”

“Ugh, why did he have to be our Housewarden?”

Yuu bit down on her cheek, glancing at Trey who seemed unsettled by the whispers he’d overheard. He propped his elbow on the table, leaning into it with a tired sigh, speaking at last, “You know…Riddle really isn’t a bad guy.”

The trio of first years all shared similar expressions—doubt, hesitance, exasperation. 

“Aha ha, I can tell you three don’t believe me.” Trey sported a sheepish look, and he cleared his throat before continuing, “I mean, he may be a bit sharp-tongued but he’s got good intentions for our dorm.”

Ace scoffed at Trey, “Good intentions? Did those intentions involve dragging Yuu for absolutely no reason?”

She mumbled quietly, “I didn’t really mind—”

“Of course you’d say that, Yuu,” Ace cut her off, shooting her a glare, “But I’ve realized for a while that you’re a bit of a wuss, you never actually say anything to defend yourself. Are you really that big of a doormat?”

Both Cater and Trey didn’t meet the boy’s sharp gaze and Yuu suddenly felt incredibly awkward sitting between them.

“I…it’s not like he was wrong—”

“And also, Riddle wouldn’t have collared me if his intentions were ‘so good,’ ” Grim interrupted, the blue flames in his ears flickering and his tail swishing with aggravation.

“But Grim,” Yuu chided, trying to ignore the feeling Ace’s words had sparked within her chest, “That had been your fault to begin with. You shouldn’t have misbehaved during the orientation.”

The cat growled low, puffing his cheeks at her scolding before muttering, “But it’d been so rude, shutting off my magic like that. Not to mention the collar was so heavy. I mean what’s the big deal with it?”

With Riddle gone, the atmosphere returned to some semblance of normal. And it seemed everyone had become less tense, making it easier to speak freely.

“‘What’s the big deal?’” Cater echoed, his voice sounding less forceful than when he’d spoken to Riddle, “It’s Riddle’s unique magic.”

“Oh, he’d mentioned that earlier,” Yuu realized, “What even is a…unique magic?”

Deuce was the one that answered this time, “Isn’t that the magic that’s specific to a single person, right?”

Cater nodded but Trey spoke up first, “Generally speaking. There’s much more involved with it but you’ll learn that in class soon enough.”

Yuu fought off a scowl, she didn’t want to stay in class long enough for anything. Even if she did find herself a little bit curious, escaping was more important. 

If only her attempts hadn’t been ruined both times today. It was going to be practically impossible to separate herself from the three other first years without raising suspicion now.

“But anyways,” Cater carried on, “Riddle’s unique magic essentially seals away the magic of another, as our lovely friend Ace here would know.”

The said boy muttered a few choice words under his breath but no one paid much attention.

“The magic is called ‘Off With Your Head.’”

Both Yuu and Grim cringed, the former feeling a chill at the name.

“Isn’t that a bit melodramatic?” She wondered hesitantly, absently rubbing her neck.

Cater shook his head, “No way, Yuu. You’re magicless so I guess you wouldn’t understand, but for a mage to lose their magic is like…literally the same thing as getting your head cut off.”

No? No, it wasn’t? Ace had said almost the exact same thing but Yuu still couldn’t fully grasp the severity.

Yuu didn’t say anything more but she was a bit put off by how little they took that phrase seriously. She didn’t think any of these guys had ever actually seen a head roll after it’d been severed from a body, if they had, they wouldn’t say this stuff so casually.

“So that’s why all the students at Heartslabyul try really hard not to break any rules,” Cater went on, taking Yuu’s silence as understanding. “But as long as you follow them, it’s not too bad.”

Ace took a moment to process the other student’s words, his features becoming more exasperated by the second. And he groaned, “Then…there’s no way you’re ever letting me into the dorm without that tart, huh?”

Shrugging with an apologetic grin, Cater answered, “That’s rule 53 for you, my hands are completely tied. Same as Trey’s.”

“Ah.” His eyes lit with recollection and he added, “Which by the way, just an FYI but Riddle like’s getting the first slice of a tart. You’d best get him a whole one if you actually want him to forgive you.”

Ace gave Cater a baffled look, “A whole one? You’re joking, I don’t have enough money to buy a whole ass tart! Cater, can’t you help a guy out? Like you said, we should try getting along, can’t you throw me a bone here?”

“Hey now,” Cater chided, shaking his head, “Following rules and getting along are like two separate things.”

The boy seated beside Ace mused thoughtfully, “Then you really will just have to bake one.”

“Ugh, I’ve never actually made a tart before though,” Ace replied to Deuce with a groan.

“Well, in that case, why not ask Trey for a few baking tips,” Cater suggested casually, “After all, he’d made those three tarts himself.”

The orange haired student dropped his jaw, “What?! No way. You made those, Trey? I thought they were straight from the bakery or something—that’s amazing.”

The third year chuckled, “I appreciate the compliment.”

“Trey, please, you gotta help me now,” Ace begged, putting his hands together as if in prayer.

Yuu had been listening silently for a while before she realized something, and she spoke to Ace, “If Trey’s helping you, does that mean you don’t need my help, Ace?”

The boy paused, blinking in surprise at Yuu but before he could respond, Trey spoke up.

“We do actually have most of the ingredients and tools in our kitchen.” The green haired boy smirked a little, crossing his arms over his chest, “But I’m afraid I’ll need something from you in return.”

Ace slouched, “Aww, you can’t be serious. You’re not actually gonna charge a freshman, are you?”

“Ha! Who do you take me for, Ace?” Trey laughed, heartedly amused, “I wouldn’t take money from a freshman, so you’re good. But I would need you to gather a few chestnuts for me.”

Deuce and Grim echoed, “Chestnuts?”

Nodding his head, the third year explained, “Riddle’s been wanting a chestnut tart which, as the name implies, requires chestnuts.”

Surely, Ace wouldn’t need Yuu for this. Trey had said only a ‘few,’ there was no need to have that many helping hands.

“Hmph, well…I guess that’s not too bad,” Ace muttered. He let out a sigh, meeting Trey’s golden eyes, “So what, how many you need for a tart?”

The other student rubbed his chin thoughtfully, humming next to her as he seemed to mentally count the required amount.

“Probably about…two or three hundred.”

Yuu’s eyes widened in surprise but it was Deuce and Grim who shouted, “That much?”

“And then there’s the whole ordeal with needing them boiled, shelled and then pureed,” Trey went on, listing the steps on his fingers. 

No way was she getting roped into something so tedious.

And it seemed she wasn’t the only one to think that as the grey cat jumped into Yuu’s lap, and he deadpanned to her, “Let’s go, Yuu.”

“Ahem, I think I’ll be going too,” Deuce added, already beginning to stand from the table.

“Hey, hey, hey! Now just wait a minute, you guys can’t be that heartless!” Ace cried, jumping to his feet in desperation.

“Come on, Yuu, we’re supposed to be heading to class by now anyways,” Deuce said, coming to her side. 

“O-Oh, yes…” She stood up from the bench, holding Grim in her arms.

“Yuu too?!”

Cater raised his hands, getting everyone to settle down as he spoke lightheartedly, “Now, now—come on you guys, don’t you all know baking together could be a memory to treasure? Plus, they say food always tastes better when you make it together.”

She’d never heard that saying before in her entire seventeen years of life. 

“I never made any promises involving baking,” she muttered, feeling disgruntled by the thought of doing something without anything in it for her. “Nor have I actually baked anything before, I only know how to cook a few simple dishes.”

Trey quickly attempted to reassure her, saying, “It’s alright, Yuu, it’s not as hard as it may seem. Besides, chestnut tarts taste the best when they’re freshly baked—something only the ones who made it get to experience.”

She gave him a hesitant stare, slowly realizing that she really didn’t like it when these guys tried to appear all kind and nice. It made her incredibly uncomfortable, even more so as she had to remind herself they had no clue she was a girl. 

If they knew, their behaviour and treatment towards her would be totally different. 

Without warning, Grim leaped from her arms, making her gasp as he jumped back onto the table with a wide grin, “Well, when you say it like that, I’ll collect a thousand chestnuts to get a taste!”

“Grim—” 

The little glutton. 

“Come on, Yuu, just this once!” He said to her, “Don’t you wanna try a fresh chestnut tart too?”

She fell silent at that. Yuu had in fact been a bit curious as to what a chestnut tart was, she’d been trying so many new foods lately and she couldn’t deny she was intrigued. Her eyes darted from Trey to Ace and his collar, then to Grim who was looking up at her with his big shiny eyes.

It…it couldn’t hurt, could it? After all, she wasn’t likely to find another opportunity to escape campus anytime soon, so perhaps…she could indulge in a bit of childlike curiosity.

Just this once.

“I suppose I can help out a bit,” she finally relented.

“Yippee!” Grim cheered.

Cater clapped his hands excitedly before speaking, “Now that’s more like it!”

“We’ll meet after school in the cafeteria kitchen,” Trey explained, getting up from the table as well just as the school bell went off, “And before heading to the kitchen, make sure to bring the right amount of chestnuts—you should find some in the woods behind the botanical garden. But in the meantime, you three should head off to class.”

Ace came over to her, grinning victoriously as he ruffled her hair, “Yup, so you’re not getting out of this just yet, Yuu.”

She stiffened, waiting for him to withdraw before trying to smooth her hair back down. 

Nevertheless, a small smile—both out of exasperation and something a bit…warmer—made its way onto her face, and she couldn’t help but sigh, “No, I guess I’m not.”

Cater hummed a small tune as he walked alongside Trey to their classes. They’d departed after the first years had left, and now it was just the two of them as they passed by fellow students.

“You seem to be in a good mood, Cater,” Trey noted with a slight smirk.

Shrugging, Cater stopped his humming to answer, “Well, of course. It’s not everyday we meet such interesting people.”

The left side of the corridor was opened up, windowless arches letting in the cool breeze from outside. It ruffled with Cater’s hair to which he idly toyed with, twirling a lock around his finger.

“True enough,” Trey agreed, looking out at the scenery as he mentioned, “You weren’t lying when you said the Ramshackle prefect seemed a bit shy.”

He recalled the brown haired first year, his eyes having been a unique shade of pink—almost like the sort of frosting Trey would use to decorate a cake for a spring event. His features had also held a softness to them that reminded Trey of the Pomefiore boy by Rook and Vil’s table.  Given his decent looks and that peculiar perfume of flora, Trey couldn’t help but imagine that if Yuu cleaned up a bit, he’d probably even fit in with Vil’s dorm. Most Pomefiore students could often drench a room in their fragrances with how strong they’d wear it but Yuu’s had been more muted. Less noticeable unless he were to get closer to him.

“Did he tell you where he’s from?” Trey wondered to Cater, “I was a bit surprised the first time you’d told me the magicless kid from the ceremony would be a student here.”

Cater shook his head, “Nope, no clue. But he’s a bit odd, don’t you think? I told you what happened with that notebook incident, didn’t I? I’m still kinda hung up about that, not gonna lie.”

“Hmm…maybe he was homeschooled for a bit,” Trey suggested, but he knew that likely couldn’t be the entirety. 

“But can you really blame him for being a bit reserved? Poor guy’s magicless at a school for magic, not to mention his clothes are atrocious—stands out like a sore thumb.” Cater shook his head pitifully, “But anyways, you think Riddle’s okay?”

Trey paused, coming to a stop in the hallway. 

Cater, who’d been continuing on, realized his partner’s absence, and turned back around.

“I…don’t actually know,” Trey admitted, running a hand through his short hair with a sharp exhale, “He seemed a bit more…”

“Tense? Stressed?” Cater offered.

Trey was silent for a moment, dropping his hand as he said, “I’m sure it’ll pass. We just…should be a bit more careful around him, I don’t want to upset him when we’ve hardly even begun the school year.”

Trey figured that Cater had expected that response, but it wasn’t like he’d argue either—Trey knew he didn’t want to cause any further trouble either.

“Either way, baking him a new tart should set things right.” Cater watched as Trey nodded, and they continued to head to their classes. 

The orange haired student was silent for a while as they neared their respective classrooms.

“By the way,” Cater said at last, “We’re planning on bringing the tart to the Unbirthday Party, right? That being the case, seeing as we’re inviting Yuu and Grim, maybe we should find some spare clothes for—”

Ding!

Trey blinked in surprise, glancing at Cater as he stopped at the sound of his phone going off. He pulled his device from his pocket to check the screen.

“Hey, look at that!” Cater exclaimed with a grin, swiping the screen up, “Yuu actually texted me, maybe I was right and he’s more talkative online. Aww, that’s actually kinda cute, I bet you he’s gonna be like ‘It was nice talking with you, Cay-Cay! Hope we can be BFFs!’”

Trey scoffed, rolling his eyes dramatically at Cater’s exaggerated speech.

“Hmmhmm,” Cater hummed happily, his thumb pausing as he read whatever Yuu had sent him. The boy blinked once, and then a second time before he drew his brows together, “……… huh?”

Trey watched as Cater’s face turned from cheerful to confusion and then to bafflement. Intrigued by this dynamic display of expressions, Trey peeked over to look. 

“What’d he send you, Cater?” Trey asked, reading the text messages.

****YUU****

“Heyyyyy!!!! This is Cater BTW! Cater Diamond from Heartslabyul ofc <3! text me when u get this 😚😚”

“🖕🖕🖕🖕How the actual fuck did you get my number, Diamond? Don’t tell me Ruggie gave it to you.”

****END OF MESSAGE****

Trey choked, “Ruggie? As in Ruggie Bucchi? Uhh—ha ha…Cater, that can’t be who I think it is.”

Cater laughed nervously, “There’s no way Yuu just gave me his number, how would he have known it?! I couldn’t have mistyped, I’ve never done that in my life! W-Wait a minute…”

He furiously tapped on his screen, hitting send with a look of growing mortification.

****YUU****

“K now hold up. Wut u mean by Ruggie? Who in Twisted Wonderland is this? Is this not Yuu?”

“Dumbass, did you text the wrong number? 🤦”

“There’s no way I’d get it wrong, I def typed it in right?!”

“Sure you did. But last time I checked, my name was Leona Kingscholar not Yuu or whatever.”

****END OF MESSAGE****

“No way…no…way……NO……WAY! There’s no actual way this just happened!” Cater exclaimed, shutting his phone off in the blink of an eye. Trey almost expected the other guy to throw his phone across the hallway given the utter mortified look on his reddening face. 

Unbelievable. Trey didn’t think he’d ever seen Cater look like this ever since he’d met him. 

Cater dramatically dropped to his knees, his head hung low as he said, “I’ve…I’ve been rejected. I’ve given out plenty of fake numbers to people I didn’t like, but there’s no way it just happened to me.”

Trey scoffed, “That’s what you’re concerned about? Not the fact you just accidentally texted Leona of all people?”

Just as soon as he’d gotten to his knees, Cater stood back up, brushing off the dust from his pants. He sighed, “Damn, Yuu’s actually real cold. Didn’t think he’d have it in him.”

The green haired student patted the other on the back with a small but amused grin. 

“Maybe you scared him off, Cater,” he laughed to which Cater shot him an exasperated glare, “But you gotta admit, who would’ve thought the number Yuu’d given you was Kingscholar’s?”

Cater shook his head, scoffing as well, “It’s embarrassing as hell, I hope to the Great Sevens Leona doesn’t mention this. Either Yuu gave it to me on purpose or this was just some serious bad luck.”

Chapter Text

He didn’t bother showing up to his classes today, it’d only been the second day of the school year and Leona was already through with everyone.

Crewel and the rest of the staff could chew his ear off all they’d like but Leona couldn’t be bothered to attend their tedious lectures. 

Because for a prestigious college supposedly meant to challenge its students, Leona could sleep the entire school year away and still pass with flying grades. That was…if they didn’t mark attendance and if Leona didn’t deliberately skip his exams.

Underneath the warm sun hanging above the botanical garden, the lion prince was sprawled on the grass with his hands behind his head. His ears could pick up the sounds of insects and birds twittering away, and the sound of water from the nearby stream trickling between rocks. 

It wasn’t too bad of a place to take a nap, and it’d been Leona’s chosen spot to relax since he’d come to this school. He’d always enjoyed the heat of the sun on his face, it wasn’t as strong as it was back home but it was suitable.

Nevertheless, some things couldn’t all be swept away by the sound of trickling water or by the comforting warmth of the sun. Like the matter with his family back home, or more specifically his older brother, Falena.

Just thinking about the argument he’d had with the older prince before leaving the palace for NRC had Leona bitter and irritable. It’d gotten so predictable, Falena always had been. Never listening to what Leona had to say when it came to their country’s problems, always saying Leona wouldn’t understand the hardships of running a Kingdom—

“Tch.” Leona threw an arm over his eyes, blocking out the sun. And he couldn’t help but think how nice it’d be to also block out that too fresh memory in his head.

“I’ll make him see,” Leona said low under his breath, “Even if I have to get my hands dirty to prove I can rule a kingdom, and then I’d make him listen.”

Ding!

The sound of his phone went off in the tranquility of the botanical garden, the device vibrating in the grass beside his head. He let it sit for a minute. Leona knew who it most likely was, not that Heartslabyul herbivore of course—he was still wondering how that’d even happened.

But then, Leona slowly uncovered his gaze, staring up at the sky that was separated by the clear glass of the garden’s dome. And like a lazy cat, or more accurately a lion, he blindly reached for his phone with a sigh. 

****RUGGIE****

“Hey, you better not be napping when I find you, we’ve got after school classes rn.”

****END OF MESSAGE****

A scoff escaped Leona and he carelessly tossed his phone back to the grass without answering Ruggie’s message.

“I could care less,” the lion yawned, bringing his hands back behind his head as he let his vibrant green eyes fall shut. 

His breaths came out evenly as he slowly settled into a doze, the sun’s heat was like a blanket that pulled him deeper and deeper into a comfy state. There was no point in ruminating over his argument with Falena right now, what mattered most was taking his afternoon nap. After all, it was the perfect time. Classes should’ve finished by now, meaning nobody should be hanging around this place. And Leona could actually get some decent rest.

Soon enough, the noises around him turned to a quiet hum as a warm fuzzy sensation took over him. The leaves rustled in the trees from whatever ventilation was coming in and out, the birds were chirping their merry tunes and Leona drifted off.

“Ahh, is this perhaps a blessing of good fortune at last? How else could one explain our encounter? Surely, this was meant to be.”

Reflexively, his ears stiffened upon detecting a sudden noise nearby. In the tranquility of the botanical garden, Leona could faintly make out someone talking.

 “.... hehehehe ……what a pretty little thing. Such long legs, and your body— mhmm —I’d love to give it a delicate stroke— hehehe …”

A low growl began to build in his chest, he tried turning onto his side with his back to wherever the sound was coming from. He tried to ignore it. But whoever was speaking was disturbing his mentality, almost like a certain creepy, obsessive hunter who had a knack for putting people on edge.

Leona was already irked enough as it was, and having his nap disrupted before it could even start, by whatever this person was saying, was not helping. 

Great Sevens, the guy just wanted to fucking sleep. 

Why were there people here in the first place? Last time he checked, school clubs didn’t start until the second week of the semester and classes had been over. This was his space when nobody needed the place, his spot where he could avoid the noisy teenagers. 

So why were people in his space?

His sharp hearing could make out the person talking, their tone sweet to a nauseating degree, “Perhaps I should take you with me, I’ve got a nice place where you can rest, lots and lots of food—wouldn’t you like that? Hehehe, I’ll fatten you up so nicely, you’d never think to leave me~”

Okay, what the actual hell?

Leona lurched up from where he’d been lying, his eyes a furious glare as he looked for whoever was saying such disgusting words. His ears flicked up, turning a little in the direction of the sounds and his eyes landed on a cluster of trees. Irritably, Leona pushed to his feet, his lion tail swishing behind him.

Coming just a few feet from the trees, something tickled at his nose to which Leona instinctively sniffed. He came to a sudden halt, his nose wrinkling with bewilderment as he sniffed at the air again. 

“What the hell is that?” He gritted to himself, making a face.

He’d been too drowsy to have noticed a few seconds ago but now that he was fully aware, he realized there was something really weird in the air. A scent coming from the individual behind the foliage.

Not like Crewel’s potions of foul ingredients or the overwhelming power of a Pomefiore student’s perfume. But like a bundle of odours, all clashing together to hide something almost foreign beneath it all. It was discomforting—he’d never smelled anything like it before. And Leona didn’t like that.

Stealthily, he came around a particular trunk, the tree’s branches shrouding over a student who was crouched down and focused on something in a bush. He had his gaze downcast, not noticing that Leona had spotted him. The lion came to a stop at the oblivious idiot who’d dared to bother his nap, and he studied him with a growing sneer. 

He looked kind of familiar. Had Leona seen this herbivore before?

The kid had a messy cut of short brown hair as if he’d cut it himself. And his uniform was a mess of overly sized clothes that looked like it’d been dug out of the lost and found. 

Leona didn’t really care that much about his outfit, hell, Ruggie wore oversized and second-hand uniforms all the time—though at least Ruggie’s clothes didn’t look like a painting of stains. Nevertheless, Leona couldn’t give a damn about this guy’s appearance, it was whatever he was doing that was bothering him. That and…that odd scent.

Feeling his irritability rise, Leona leaned his arm against the trunk, peering down at the student before interrupting whatever he’d been doing, “Hey, can you shut up?”

The student’s sentence cut off as he stopped and whipped his eyes up to meet Leona’s. 

The garden fell silent as Leona narrowed his gaze on the boy’s pink eyes before dropping to what he was holding in his hands. One of the kid’s limbs was wrapped in bandages but that wasn’t what caught his attention.

Was that…a spider? And a pretty big one at that, bright neon colours streaked across its body and it had legs the size of Leona’s pinky finger. And it was just…resting in this kid’s hands like it was nothing. 

A spider? This kid ruined my nap just to talk to a fucking spider? Who even spoke to spiders the way this idiot had anyways?!

Creeps, that’s who.

Leona remained quiet too as he looked over this mouse-like teenager. For a split second, he caught himself wondering if this was one of Schoenheit’s students—but there was no way that’d realistically be possible. Twisted Wonderland would flip upside down if that’d ever happen. Even if the kid had the looks for a model—almond shaped eyes with long lashes, round cheeks and a delicate nose—there was no way this student was from Pomefiore. Vil would actually burn the world down if Leona ever mentioned this to him. 

But then, there was no armband around his bicep. No dormitory? And no visitor lanyard either. What the hell was the meaning of this?

The boy’s pink eyes blinked once, and then a second time, before widening with startlement.

He shot to his feet, still cradling the spider in his hands, “Forgive me, I shouldn’t have been talking so loudly. I was only searching for some equipment but I’d gotten distracted, I didn’t mean to disturb you, sir.”

Formal speech? And the kid clearly hadn’t hit his growth spurt, he knew plenty of young guys whose voices hadn’t deepened yet—some of whom were on his Magift sports team.

But Leona wouldn’t think someone like this would sound this polite. Like the stuck up nobility from the palace, the ones who’d talk his ear off about how great it was that Falena was managing the Kingdom. And it actually irked him even more, especially after his argument with his older brother a few days ago.

Damn, was he actually pissed.

“Hah,” he scoffed at the boy, slowly stalking forward—a hostile predator cornering the weak prey, “You really shouldn’t have talked so loudly.”

The kid stepped back nervously, but there was nowhere for him to go except getting backed into a tree. 

With a heavy thwack , he immediately braced his arm beside the herbivore’s head. The kid visibly jumped, and the prince could hear his heart heavily beating, could practically taste his fear.

Snarling in a low and warning voice, Leona lowered his head to speak, “I was about to take a nice quiet nap when I heard your wimpy voice—but now that you’ve ruined that, I’m a bit ticked off. So a little apology ain’t gonna cut it, herbivore.”

Leona glared down into the kid’s fearful pink eyes, and the boy averted his gaze like a submissive cub tucking its tail between its legs. It was so predictable that it almost amused the prince. Almost. Had he been in a better mood, Leona would’ve just dropped it but it was this kid’s bad luck that he’d encountered him like this.

“I should just eat you on the spot, then I might actually feel a bit better,” Leona growled, making the boy flinch.

Tch—what a coward. As if Leona’s day couldn’t get even more irritating than by watching some pathetic runt piss their pants, at least show some backbone—then this would be somewhat satisfying.

But before Leona could say or do anything, the boy suddenly spoke up, “You’re right.” 

The prince rose his brow by a fraction in condescension. Leona watched as the kid slowly lifted his gaze once more, yet somehow kept his head angled low. A gesture animals did to display they meant no threat—passive, placating. 

“By my ignorance,” the kid continued carefully, “I ended up disrupting your peace. As such, an apology would be too little to compensate for your distress.”

That glint in his pink eyes, it wasn’t just fear—though the emotion was the most vivid and noticeable—but there was also something…a little more interesting. Behind him, Leona’s tail began to slowly flick from side to side as he studied the kid’s expression.

……Hmph, so the herbivore’s got a brain, does he?

How did she end up in this situation?

Looking back on it now, Yuu had no way of knowing how her actions would have led to being trapped between a tree and a man. A man with ears and a swaying tail that flicked from side to side like an annoyed cat. His tanned skin looked as if he’d been kissed by the sun itself, and she found herself envying the length of his luscious brown hair. It was the second time Yuu caught herself wishing she hadn't cut her own. 

She’d only come here to look for the equipment needed for harvesting chestnuts—the others were here as well, having separated momentarily. But one thing led to another and Yuu had veered off the path, putting aside her task when she’d come across something that’d taken her breath away.

The said ‘something’ was currently sitting in her hands.

Regardless, as much as Yuu would love to sit here all day and swoon at the beautiful spider she’d found, she couldn’t do that with this towering individual in her way. 

He’d come from out of nowhere, talking nonsense about a ruined nap as if she’d known he’d been nearby. But she hadn’t! 

There was a still moment after she’d spoken, the sounds of birds chirping and insects buzzing now filling the silence. It set the backdrop to her thrumming nerves and her rapidly beating heart like a butterfly struggling in a spider’s web.

She cleared her throat nervously before continuing, “If there’s any way to make it up to you, I would do so if it means you’d forgive me.”

The young man scoffed, leaning in close, “You shouldn’t make offers like that to just anyone, herbivore. I could make you do something you’d really not like.”

“I know,” Yuu said, “But I doubt anything you’d ask for can be all that bad.”

If he doesn’t know my identity, then he can’t ask for the worse.

“Trying to butter me up, are ya?”

“Merely seeking to right a wrong, sir.”

The air was far too tense for her liking, and his eyes were like searing flames burning into her soul. It was discomforting, almost like he could see right through her. And she didn’t like that.

Curses, she shouldn’t have left Grim! Yuu had let herself wander off, a moment of vulnerability that she thought she could afford when she’d caught sight of a cobweb off the path. And now she’d ended up here. 

Alone. Caged in with nowhere to go. She blamed her weakness for spiders because she knew she wasn't this foolish. Yuu swallowed hard, finding it difficult to even breathe with how suffocating this pressure was. It made her entirely skip over the fact he smelled strangely like sandalwood. 

“Hmm, I knew you seemed familiar,” he said in a low voice. Admittedly, she thought his voice also sounded familiar. However, Yuu couldn’t quite place where she’d heard it from. He was wearing a uniform with his sleeves rolled up, albeit disheveled and missing the jacket, and his yellow armband was instead tied to his pants. 

He didn’t look like the typical student, not like the sort of young teenagers she’d seen so far. Nonetheless, if what Trey had explained hours ago about the dorms, this more rugged looking guy must be a student from Savanaclaw. 

“You’re that herbivore that caused a ruckus at orientation,” the student recalled, tilting his head, “Weren't you supposed to be sent home? The hell you doin’ walkin’ around the school wearin’ a school uniform?”

 “R-Right. We’d come to…an arrangement of sorts,” Yuu said carefully, “It’s rather complicated.”

The long-haired student raised his brow, “Is it now?”

Orientation? He’d been there too? But all she could recall were figures with hoods, other than Kalim and a few other students. 

But then, her thoughts vanished. Any attempt to retrieve her memory on that day was abandoned as the student lowered his head to her neck. And Yuu went utterly still. 

The garden around them continued to thrum with nature—like the slow trickling of a nearby stream or the few chirps from a swooping finch—but Yuu’s world had frozen. All she could hear was the heavy tha-thump, tha-thump of her beating heart and a buzzing in her head. And all she could see was—

Her room. 

A bed. 

A dark night where the moon had turned her back.

Her hands instinctively clenched tight, forgetting the small life she’d been holding, as she felt a cold slimy sensation along her skin like phantom hands. It wasn’t the same when Cater had wrapped his arm around her shoulders—because she hadn’t been alone that time. But this stranger…

He had her caged in, his arm blocking her from escaping, and she could feel the heat emitting from his body suffocating her. He’d gotten too close. Way too close.

Close enough that he might…that he could—

Her ears caught onto a huffing sound, startling out of her panicked state for a split second. It was enough time to realize with bewilderment that she was…being sniffed? Her head was running in circles, trying to comprehend what this person was doing.

“W-What—”

“Hmph.” The man’s voice had her cringe, her hands feeling slimy all of a sudden and her heart still racing. “You…you reek of too much of everythin,’ I can’t even make sense of it. Magicless, that I can tell—but… it’s not natural.”

What was he able to smell? He couldn’t figure anything out just by sniffing her, could he? 

Could he?!

“I-It’s probably my perfume,” Yuu hurried to say, panic squeezing her heart as hard as she’d crushed the spider in her hands. “I was trying a new perfume, but I’m not sure what the ingredients were—they’re most likely from somewhere exotic. Perhaps…that’s what you’re…… noticing…”

She slowly trailed off as the student withdrew slightly, lifting his head to glare into her eyes. And she could see it clear as day, something she’d been trying to avoid since the day she’d arrived here.

Suspicion. It glowed in his green eyes like a warning, sending unpleasant shivers down her spine. Yuu had only just met this person and already, he knew something was different about her. That wasn’t good. Not at all. 

“Oh, I can smell your perfume just fine,” Leona scoffed condescendingly, “And a whole bunch of other nonsense.” His voice dropped low to a rumble as he sneered, “Just what the hell is with you?”

Her gaze wavered like the rest of her entire being—fear; a growing sprout that blossomed in her heart, seeping coldness into her veins. 

“Yuu!”

Her body flinched, but the tension around the both of them flickered for a split second.

The student paused, tilting his head at Grim's voice, and he echoed, "'Yuu'?"

“Leona!”

He stared for a moment longer making a growling sound under his breath before slowly pulling away, and he looked over his shoulder.

Meanwhile, Yuu let out an unsteady breath, the pressure in her chest lessening as she released the air she’d been holding in. Blinking to disperse her stiffened state, she unconsciously glanced down at her hands before grimacing at the mess.

She’d killed it. Her trembling hands had crushed the life of the very creature she’d been admiring. A shudder of disgust came over her, recoiling at the state she’d rendered the innocent spider. All because of her.

“Leona, where’d you go? Come on, we've got after school classes,” someone spoke, a boyish voice with a slight nasal tone. “You can't skip them unless ya wanna be in the same grade next year.”

The student in front of her sighed before grumbling, “Stop your naggin’.”

His arm was still blocking her way. But with him suddenly distracted like this, it opened up the perfect opportunity. 

Looking down at the dead spider, she offered it a silent apology before she wiped its slimy body onto the student’s arm.

The student’s ears shot upright and his tail went completely stiff as he lurched back at the noticeably unpleasant feeling on his skin. 

“What the f— ugh!” His face contorted with disgust, looking down at the mess of crumpled up legs and spilled guts smeared onto his arm.

Not daring to waste a second, she ran off.

“Hey!”

She pushed past the branches, a few strands of her hair snagging on them as she stepped back onto the path. 

“Yuu! There you are!” She heard Grim yell and she turned in the direction of his voice. He was running towards her. “Deuce found the gloves and stuff, let’s get to pickin’— myahah!”

Not saying a word, she rushed to him before suddenly picking him up, holding him in her arms.

“W-Whoa! Hey, don’t just—gah, Yuu, you’re squeezin’ me!”

“Let’s go, right now,” Yuu urged, hurrying to get as far away from this place. Her steps were light but quick, and she didn’t dare to look back. “I might have made him angrier so we gotta go.”

Grim squirmed in her hold, grumbling, “Huh, made who angry? Yu, what the hell’s with ya? I turned around and you were gone, where’d ya even go off to? And now…”

He looked up at her for once falling silent, and his large blue eyes widened with a hint of apprehension.

“Y-Yuu?” He asked slowly, “Um…are you…?”

“Fine. I’m fine.”

“You look kinda sick. And…you smell weird too—were you with someone, Yuu?”

“Shut up—I said I’m fine ,” Yuu snapped suddenly, her sharp tone making Grim flinch but she ignored it.

Why was everyone saying she smelled weird?! How was she supposed to know that people in Twisted Wonderland had a different sense of smell? And what even about her could they sense?

As they neared the exit of the garden, Yuu’s eyes flicked back one last time, a growing sense of unease stirring within her.

This was why she needed to leave NRC.

Chapter Text

“Nice, Yuu, you catch on pretty quick.”

“...Mm,” the boy responded, his eyes trained on the chestnuts he was currently peeling, “Your instructions were very thorough, so it’s mostly because of you.”

Trey raised a brow at that. 

“No need to be so humble, you should know that people aren’t like that around here.”

The kid didn’t respond to that, though Trey did notice a faint tilt downwards of his lips. He couldn’t begin to understand what it was that Trey had said to displease him.

Yuu was quiet, as Trey had been expecting. Working silently but diligently, a comically sharp contrast to the other rambunctious first years, the brown haired student peeled the chestnuts not speaking a word. He’d noticed it during lunch but the boy really had a knack for saying the least amount of words as he possibly could. 

It was admittedly off-putting, considering how often Trey was surrounded by more chatty individuals.

In the cafeteria kitchen, the nutty smell from the boiled chestnuts filled the air as everyone worked on the tasks Trey had given out. Ace in particular had his brows furrowed, a slight sheen of sweat on his forehead from having to do everything manually rather than with magic.

The persimmon haired boy let out a huff, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. He’d discarded his uniform jacket on a nearby chair, along with the other students, and he tiredly leaned against the counter. 

“Why does a mont blanc need so many steps?” Ace questioned Trey, adjusting the heart shaped collar still locked around his neck. “You know, this is totally unfair. Everyone else can use magic to do things lickety-split, don’t give me as much stuff to do.”

Trey crossed his arms with a faint smirk at the student’s complaining, “Yuu seems to be doing just fine, and he doesn’t have magic.”

Ace let out a deep sigh, grumbling something under his breath before he went back to working.

Together, the five students worked to puree the nuts into a sweet smelling paste. And Trey, who’d been standing next to Yuu, had noticed how the brown-haired boy was staring unusually long at the food processor. Not thinking much of it, Trey started the machine to grind everything down.

A sharp intake of breath from Yuu was quickly overwhelmed by the sound of whirring, though the third year didn’t miss how he seemed to flinch. 

“How…?” Trey heard Yuu trail off, the boy had inched a bit closer to him unconsciously, leaning over with mild intrigue.

Clearing his throat awkwardly, Trey switched off the processor before addressing the Ramshackle prefect, “Yuu, would you puree the rest of this? It just needs to be at a good enough speed to be broken down. I need to get the ingredients for the shells.”

Yuu startled, looking from him and back to the machine, “Um…yes, s-sure…I’ll do it.”

“Ace! You put too much in, the food processor’s gonna break!” Deuce yelled, and the two Heartslabyul freshmen began bickering loudly. They were using an extra food processor to make the work faster but seeing how argumentative they were, Trey could bet Yuu would likely finish before them.

Trey turned away, sorting out the ingredients he needed—making sure not to forget the oyster sauce, of course. Given this was for the Unbirthday Party, he’d decided to make a bigger sized portion and a few smaller ones for the first years to try. 

With all that he required for the pie shells and the cream out on the counter, he turned back around to see Yuu staring confusedly at the food processor. His hand was hovering over the buttons but remaining aloft without touching anything.

“‘Pulse’? He said ‘good enough speed’, how do I…?” Trey heard him whisper before watching with perplexity as Yuu randomly started pressing the pulse button. And not just once. But multiple times. 

Feeling strangely discomforted at watching Yuu struggle with this, Trey came up to him, interrupting, “Um—ahem, prefect?”

Yuu paused, looking up at Trey blinkingly.

The third year student reached over to press a button before he said, “You have to turn it on first.”

Cater wasn’t wrong, Yuu was…kind of odd.

Ace let out a groan of relief, “Finally done! Ugh, my feet are killing me from standing for so long.”

“Sheesh, I never realized how tiring baking can be,” Deuce added with a sigh, wiping his brow with the back of his hand.

Sitting on a nearby stool, Grim was leaning over the table as he peered into the bowl of chestnut paste with a hungry look. “Myaha, it smells so good—”

“AH! Hey, don’t touch that, Grim!” 

The cat cried out in outrage when Deuce grabbed the scruff of his neck, preventing him from getting his paws into the paste. “You’ll waste all our hard work if you touch it with your dirty paws,” Deuce scolded the struggling Grim.

“Funa?! My paws ain’t dirty, I lick’em everyday,” Grim retorted, “They’d definitely be cleaner than your hands.”

“Prefect,” Ace whined, throwing his hands behind his head casually, “Grim’s messin’ with our hard-worked paste, aren’t you gonna do anything about him?”

Silence.

“Umm…prefect?”

Thankfully, Trey stepped in before she had to answer—she’d been too lost in thought to process what anyone was saying—and he spoke, “Great job, now all that’s left is to add some sugar and butter to the paste. Ah—and we better not forget the oyster sauce.”

Whether it was the fact she was thinking about other matters or her exhaustion, Yuu didn’t register what the student had said. And when Trey slid the ingredients over, she automatically took the bottle of oyster sauce. 

Meanwhile, the other three students startled, “Oyster sauce?!”

“Yes, it’s actually a secret ingredient most chefs use to bring out the flavor of their pastries……it’s………”

‘Just what the hell is with you?’

Yuu grimaced at the memory of that low, timbered voice from that interaction in the garden. She’d been feeling ill at the image of that student’s green eyes glaring into her with suspicion. In fact, this entire time she’d been silently ruminating all of the possibilities of what that guy might’ve deciphered already. 

Her otherworldliness? Her identity? 

In which case, she should be prioritizing how to best disguise herself than what she’d already done. 

“A bit of makeup, maybe, and perfume,” she mumbled to herself, tapping a finger on the bottle of oyster sauce unconsciously.

“Huh, I guess what Trey said would sorta make sense,” someone close to her said, though Yuu was scarcely paying attention.

“I mean people eat curry with chocolate, don’t they?”

A laugh sounded in the kitchen, still not stirring Yuu out of her thoughts.

“Pfft, you guys actually thought I was serious?” Trey said, startling the other three students.

Ace was silent for a moment before he snapped, “You were messing with us?!”

“There’s no way oyster sauce is used for baking,” Trey shook his head as if in disappointment,  “Hahaha, honestly, you’re all NRC students, you should know better than toooahhh—wait… wait, Yuu, I was joking!”

Plop.

“.........”

“.........”

“.........”

She startled at Trey’s cry, blinking in bewilderment, “Hm?”

A loud groan of disbelief came from Ace as he collapsed onto a stool, dropping his head into his hands, “Do you believe everything anyone tells you?”

“No, never. ”

“Then why did you add the oyster sauce, huh?”

Oyster sauce? Yuu looked at the bottle she held, her brows knitting together as she realized she’d added something to the mixture without realizing. 

“Ace, you’d fallen for Trey’s trick too, you probably would’ve added it if he hadn’t said anything,” Deuce added not too helpfully, earning himself a glare from the other boy.

Curiously, she brought the bottle to her nose to sniff,  causing it to wrinkle at the tangy smell.

“That’s salty, would it really go well with this paste?”

“Yuu, clean out your ears, for Sevens’ sake.”

A choked sound came from Trey, and everyone turned to him just in time to watch as he suddenly burst out laughing once more. The carefree expression made him look far more boyish as he filled the kitchen with his laughter. 

“Great Sevens, Yuu, I can't believe you'd actually add it,” he said, coming around to calmly scoop out the sauce, “It's fine, we didn't mix it in so we can still salvage almost all of it.”

Yuu bit her cheek, feeling a hint of warmth coat her face and she immediately set the oyster sauce aside.

Grim huffed, folding his arms over his chest as he said to Trey, “Y’know that’s real unsettling how you lied so easily. And here I thought you were an actual nice guy, four-eyes.”

Crossing her arms over her chest, Yuu shook her head.

“Grim,” she said, taking on a lecturing tone as she went on quite seriously, “No matter how decent a person looks, you should never trust them. In fact, it’s oftentimes the seemingly nice people who have the worst intentions.”

Trey choked on a cough, adjusting his glasses awkwardly, “No need to take it that far, Yuu, I was just teasing.”

“Ohhh.” Grim nodded his head nonetheless, his eyes lit up with intensity, “Got it!”

“Yuu, I don’t think you get to say that,” Ace gritted out, pointing at the tablespoon of oyster sauce mixed with the paste.

She paused for a split second before speaking, “I’m sorry, I hadn’t been paying attention.”

“Now, now, all’s well,” the green haired boy quickly stepped in between the two first years—the orange haired boy glaring in exasperation at Yuu—and Trey changed the subjects, “In any case, it seems there isn’t enough cream, we’ve got more paste than I’d anticipated—even with the little bit that was scooped out.”

He rubbed the back of his neck as he glanced at the ingredients on the table.

“Do they sell cream at that store on campus?” Deuce asked Trey, “I could go get some right away.”

“That’d actually help quite a bit.” The older student took out a small note to write on as he continued, “And if you don’t mind, seeing as you’ll already be down there, could you pick up these items too?"

Trey handed the note to Deuce, the latter reading over aloud, “Eggs…milk. Sure—ah…though, I don’t think I’d be able to carry all of this on my own.”

The blue haired student turned to the Ramshackle prefect, “Yuu, would you mind coming with me?”

She perked, not wanting to be caught distracted again and she nodded.

“I’ll do my best to help.”

“Wait, wait! If Yuu’s going then I’m going too,” Grim declared, “Can’t have my doormat of a henchman getting into any trouble.”

A delicate bell signaled their entry as Yuu, Deuce and Grim stepped foot into the rustic building. Immediately, she could hear the tingling of self-moving trinkets and the smell of sweet burning wax hung heavy in the air. 

Blinking a few times to adjust her vision to the sudden dimness of the interior, she took a moment to gawk at the items on display. There were items she’d never seen before, much like that loud, noisy slicer thingy that Trey had used to puree the chestnuts. 

“Whoa, I know this is my first time here,” Deuce started, standing beside her, “But I didn’t think it’d look at all like this.”

Yuu couldn’t help but respond, “There’s so much variety, I don’t believe I’ve seen so much for sale in one place.”

The red district had always been busy, especially during the night. Brothels, of course, were the main attraction. But people would also set up stalls to try and usher passerbyers to purchase their wares. Yet they’d often only sell one type of merchandise or produce, never so much like what this shop offered.

Taking only a few more steps into the shop, the door suddenly slammed shut. And the lanterns and candles went out, the smoke itching at Yuu’s nose, and in an instant the room was swallowed up in darkness. Yuu instinctively grabbed Deuce's sleeve, the sudden change also causing the boy to tense up.

“W-What the—?” Grim stammered aloud, voicing the two other students' startlement. 

The sound of a tiled instrument struck a run of notes, building up to a crescendo just as a single light switched on. And beneath it was a man with a charming grin. He had rich brown skin, decorated with white markings that almost seemed to glow in the dim light. Though, upon closer inspection, she noticed the markings were actually bones—as if he was wearing his skeleton on his very skin. With a smooth flick of his wrist, he tipped his hat off in a showy gesture before he offered the stunned first years a wink. 

“Welcome, my little imps!” The individual greeted with a lively tone, “To Mister S’s Mystery Shop—that’s me, of course! But y’all can call me Sam.”

“O-Oh, um…thanks,” Deuce managed to say, similarly taken aback by this rather theatrical entrance. 

Grim climbed up Yuu’s back with his sharp claws, making her wince, as he attached himself to her shoulder. And he whispered to her, “What’s with this guy?”

Without warning, the lights flashed back on before the man threw out his arm to gesture to his wide variety of merchandise, saying, “Come in, come in! You’re in my world now, of trinkets and wares! I’ve got sales! I’ve got trends! Anything and everything that you can buy!”

Out of nowhere, something was shoved in Yuu’s face.

“Bwah—h-hey, what’s the big deal?!” Grim cried out as Yuu flinched back, realizing that a shadow was offering her an item.

The man smirked, placing his hat back on his head before saying, “‘The big deal’, you ask? How about two for fifty off on all school materials? Ain’t that a drop dead deal right there! Or even buy three to get one twenty percent off on all shapes of vials? What more could a student possibly need? But only for a limited time, so ya better hurry quickly!”

“Oh, and don’t mind my friend here,” he added casually, gesturing at the shadow that retreated back into a dark corner, “He’s just an old pal from the other side.”

“The other side?” Yuu echoed in bewilderment. What was that supposed to mean?

“Y-Yuu, we should buy something! What if we miss out on something super awesome?!” Grim urged her.

“With what money?” Yuu retorted, not falling for this man’s business tactics. Trey had given them some madol to cover the costs of the ingredients, so using that was out of the question. And Yuu only had a few bills left from what Crowley had given her as her “weekly allowance”, and she’d rather save what she could.

She shook her head as she added, “And we don’t need anything other than what we came here to get.”

“Agreed,” Deuce added before clearing his throat and addressing the salesman, “Uh—ahem—Sam, do you have eggs and a few more of these items on my list?”

“And add on some canned tuna while you’re at it!”

“Grim, we didn’t come here for tuna.”

Sam peered at the note for a second before clapping his hands, “Indeed, I do have all of that. Now gimme just a sec.”

Deuce blinked in bewilderment, “Huh, guess this place does carry everything.” As the man turned away, Deuce addressed Yuu, “Guess that’ll work out for you when you need stuff for the weekend.”

Furrowing her brows, she took a moment to glance around the shop, her eyes pausing on a particular display. 

“How fortunate,” Yuu murmured unenthusiastically. As Deuce waited by the counter for the products, Yuu couldn’t help but approach a wall, her interest caught by the stringed instruments hanging on pegs. They were different from what she knew, some that looked familiar and others with intriguing designs. 

She mused to herself, “‘Anything’, he said. Though I doubt he’d sell a guqin.”

Her attention shifted when the salesman came back out from the back of the shop, holding all the needed ingredients in a bag. 

“Here we are,” Sam declared, setting the items on the counter, “It’s a bit heavy for thin bags like these, I can offer a large reusable one at just thirty percent off today—just for you three!”

Grim was quick to jump at the chance to say, “We’ll get one—!”

“No!” Both Yuu and Deuce cut the cat off.

The blue haired student cleared his throat before addressing Sam, “J-Just this is fine.”

In a few short minutes, the three of them were once again outside. Grim had dropped back down to walk on the ground, a pout on his features as he grumbled about Yuu and Deuce being cheapos. 

“There were so many sales, we coulda got so much more stuff,” he huffed, his fluffy ears having fallen flat to his head with evident disappointment. 

“That’s the point, Grim,” Yuu sighed, carrying the bag of ingredients with both hands as the trio walked back towards the main building. Unconsciously, she tried to shift the tightness of her grip on her injured hand, making her uninjured one bear most of the weight. 

Looking up at the towering spires, their shadows streaked across the ground as the sun slowly settled behind them. With the light disappearing to make way for the night, Yuu could see the sky tinged with a salmon pink before fading into a midnight blue. The moon was already hovering bright above their heads, a small edge of it having reverted to shadows.

Whether it was the tranquility of the scene or the sound of rustling leaves in a soft breeze, Yuu felt a gradual fatigue sink into her bones.

It’d been a long day. And despite herself, Yuu found herself imagining just lying down in her bed at Ramshackle and going to sleep. She mentally shook herself, rest could wait, couldn’t it?

“Oh, Yuu.” The sound of her name caused her to blink, pushing her exhaustion aside for the moment. And she glanced at Deuce who was walking beside her. 

“Let me carry that bag,” he said, reaching out to trade their bags, “Your hand is still injured and that one’s probably heavy with the cans and eggs.”

Deciding it wasn't worth protesting, she let Deuce take the bag and she took the lighter one. Despite the fact her hand was injured, Yuu had to admit it didn’t hurt as badly as before. Whatever ointment that the nurse had used was clearly doing wonders, it made her think of how MaoMao would probably be interested in it.

Further up ahead, she could see a pair of students heading their way but she dismissed them, figuring they were heading back to their dorms for the night.

“I’m pretty much used to carrying groceries,” the boy started suddenly, catching her attention so she turned to glance at him. He was looking up at the sky, his features softened with a hint of nostalgia. “My mom would always buy so much at timed-sales, and I’d end up carrying all of her heavier bags.”

“...’timed-sales’...I’m going to assume that’s a shorter way of saying limited time sales, right?”

The boy nodded, “Something like that. And since I’m the only man in the house, I always take care of any fixing or heavy-lifting. But now that I’m here, I’m wondering if my mom’s doing alright without me.”

Yuu was silent for a moment before speaking quietly, “You’re worried for your mother? Does being away make her unable to do much?”

“No, not at all. My mom can do anything,” Deuce answered with an unbreakable confidence, his certainty in what he said evident. “But it’s like you said, I’m a bit worried sometimes. I guess I just don’t want her to overwork herself or anything.” 

“You do seem to think about her quite a bit,” Yuu commented.

He shot her a sheepish grin, “Is it that noticeable?”

She thought for a moment before murmuring to herself, “Perhaps it’s easier to notice something you don’t have.”

“Hm? Sorry, I didn’t hear you properly, what did you say?”

“Nothing,” Yuu smoothed over and shrugged, “Just that it seems evident to me that you care for your mother.”

“I mean, of course I do,” Deuce said, his cheeks turning a light pink from what Yuu would assume was embarrassment. He averted his eyes, continuing, “Though, I seem to make my mom worry a whole bunch. Even when I care and worry for her, I can’t seem to do things right for her.”

A faint crease formed between her brows from how she frowned, but she didn’t get a chance to say anything when suddenly—

Smack! 

They had reached halfway past the Great Seven Statues when the three first years were caught off guard. The two passing students that Yuu had seen earlier up ahead had stepped into their path, and the taller one—a boy with white hair and a condescending smirk—had run right into Deuce. The sound of something crunching echoed in the evening air, and it would’ve been a satisfying sound had it not hinted at what had likely broken.

“Oi! Deuce, I think those eggs just completely—” Grim had begun, only to get rudely cut off.

“Hey—watch where yer goin’, fuckin’ loser,” the student interrupted, leaning down into Deuce’s face with a fierce and intimidating twist of a sneer. It lit his eyes with a malice that called for trouble.

Deuce, however, took a slow step back, his gaze cast down into the bag. His hands tightened on the handles as he gradually lifted his head to give the white haired student a look that sent shivers down Yuu’s spine.

“You stepped in my way.”

The red-head beside his friend snickered, coming up to Deuce and shoving him in the chest, “From what I saw, it seemed like you were in our way. First years should be making way for their upperclassmen all the time, don’t ya know that? It’s kinda the rules here at NRC. Y’know, respect your seniors and all that shit.”

Upon further observation, she could make out the armbands of their uniform—the colour matched the same one that Deuce had. So they were also Heartslabyul students? 

“Whata buncha punks! Ya clearly stepped in our way on purpose!” Grim snapped, baring his teeth as the fire in his ears flashed bright. “And what’s the deal? We ain’t done nothin’ to ya!”

“Haven’t done anything?” The white haired boy echoed, he made a pointed glance at Yuu and Grim, “The very fact that you two are here’s enough to ruin my day. This is a school for people with magic, you know, people with actual skills.”

Grim growled, looking like he was strangling himself trying not to set these two students alight. And Deuce, well, Deuce had gone silent. But his cyan eyes didn’t stray from the boy who had shoved him, his face unsettling to anyone who’d pay attention.

This wasn’t going well. If Yuu, Deuce and Grim made any more trouble, they could all get hurt or worse. 

She had to get out of this, if not everyone than at least her.

“We didn’t mean to offend you,” Yuu tried to placate them, holding the bag of ingredients tight to herself unconsciously. “We’ll stay out of your way, so if you’d be so kind to let us go with just a warning—”

She had a feeling that groveling all the time wouldn’t always work in her favour. Yuu didn’t need to entertain hundreds of men to know that some people were just cruel for the sake of it. 

But this was getting exhausting.

“Hah! You’ll get more than just a warning, runt,” the red haired teenager laughed, his hand bunching into her collar as he yanked her forward. She bristled with discomfort as the student glared her down.

“You ended up here by mistake, don’t think the whole campus hasn't heard what happened.” The young courtesan gritted her teeth, digging in her heels to prevent being pulled in any closer. She had dropped her bag, causing boxes of ingredients to spill out onto the cobblestone, and her hands trembled at her sides with the urge to wrench herself free. The same student tightened his grip, lifting his other hand up in a closed fist as he grinned menacingly, “So don’t blame us for acting this way. Everyone wants a piece of you, I’m sure—you mock the very reason this school was made. And I’m sure there’s a whole lot of other guys waiting to sucker punch you in the face, so don’t mind me being the first to do it.”

Yuu squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for impact.

“Yuu! Let my henchman go, don’t think I won’t torch you into a BBQ skewer!” 

Whack!

Yuu cried out, her arms raising to defend her face as a fist swung and collided. 

“Guh!” The hand holding her shirt’s collar dropped, and Yuu stumbled back upon being abruptly released.

And the first thing she felt was a firm hand grabbing her sleeve, not pain. Yuu looked to see what had happened before getting pulled behind Deuce, the boy shoving his bag into her arms as he stepped forward.

“Wha—Deuce?” 

“Damnit!” The student who’d been threatening Yuu had tripped backwards on his feet, a hand holding his cheek. There was a red imprint getting brighter and bigger with each passing second, making the boy’s face look like a swollen bug bite. 

Deuce smirked, clearly satisfied with the hit he’d landed.

Yuu, on the other hand, was baffled. Not the fact the boy in front of her had punched the other teenager in the face, but that he’d stepped in front of her. Had physically pulled her behind him as if to defend her.

The boy was firm in his stance, his back straight with confidence; he almost seemed like a soldier, dependable and…safe—

What a weird thing to think.

The other teenager gaped at Deuce, his face contorting increasingly with anger, “You’ll pay for that, freshie!”

“Huhhhhhh?” Deuce’s voice had dropped in pitch, sending shivers down Yuu’s spine, and he sneered at the two other Heartslabyul students, “I just happened to stick my fist out, wasn’t my fault he ran right into it.”

“Pfft—” Grim bit down on his paws to keep his snickers to himself. 

“You—!” Both students wore looks of chagrin, the one who’d gotten a fist to his face looking on the verge of blowing steam out his ears.

“First you murder a dozen chickens for no reason and now you think to bully someone for something that they can’t control?” Deuce cracked his knuckles, glaring down his nose at the two students. “Seriously, don’t get so full of yourselves, bastards.”

The two older students shared an amused glance before turning back to Deuce, the tallest one laughed—which happened to be the white haired boy, “That first hit was a lucky shot, but don’t think you can get away with mouthing off to your upperclassmen, moron!”

Deuce suddenly snatched the white haired student’s collar to pull him in, his lip curling up in anger. The former stumbled, tripping over his feet as he lost his balance from the sudden move, and his face contorted with startled panic.

“H-Hey, let go—!”

“Heh.” The cyan in the Deuce’s eyes had darkened, “Lucky? Then let’s see how a freshie can ‘luckily’ knock your teeth right down your throat!”

Grim yelped, grabbing onto Yuu’s pant leg as they both flinched at a resounding hit. Deuce’s fist swung at a forceful speed, colliding right into the student’s nose.

“Ack!” 

The white haired boy stumbled back, holding his face with shock before turning dark. He lunged for Deuce, attempting to return the hit only to swing at nothing and get a foot to the gut. 

The red head cursed, making a grab for Deuce.

Yuu watched with her mouth agape and eyes wide as Deuce took on two students, on his own. And he was landing perfect hits with an unsettling confidence that told of his experience. A punch to the stomach, a twist of an arm, a hit to the face. 

“A good thing he’s on our side, huh?” Grim laughed nervously to Yuu who couldn’t find it in her to reply.

It was like he’d changed into a completely different person—no longer the gentle and polite boy who talked of his mother so sweetly but a merciless fighter. One who clearly knew how to pack a punch given how the two delinquents backed away at last. The red haired boy had tears in his eyes and an even redder face as he said, “Damn it! What sorta first years fight like that?! Y-You’re messed up!”

His friend blubbered out, holding his cheek and grabbing at his companion, “L-Let’s go! This guy’s clearly a madman!”

Whimpering like a bunch of cowards, they ran off and left the trio to the aftermath.

“Hah…fuckin’ wimps,” Deuce scoffed, rubbing his knuckles as he turned back around. It seemed in the heat of the moment he’d forgotten Yuu and Grim were still there because as soon as he saw them staring at him, he immediately froze.

A sudden trill from a nearby cricket filled the silence as Deuce’s face slowly paled.

“...Um.” Yuu didn’t know what to say. “You won’t get into trouble for this, will you?”

Deuce blinked a few times, scratching the back of his head, “I…uhh…think we wouldn’t. Guys like them, they’d hate for anyone to know they got beat by a first year. Er…though I probably shouldn’t have let loose like that.”

“I dunno, I think they had it coming,” Grim countered with a shrug, Yuu couldn’t help but shoot the cat an agreeable glance.

A frustrated groan came from the Heartslabyul student, and he looked down at his hands, “Still, I told her I wouldn’t cause trouble.” 

He gritted his teeth, pushing a hand through his hair as he scoffed at himself with disdain, “Damn it! I just keep fuc—I-I mean messing up. I keep messing up.”

Deuce crumpled like a sheet of paper onto a nearby bench, dropping his head into his hands. The sight had Grim and Yuu share a glance, neither one knowing what to do as the boy in front of them let out a deep breath. 

“After everything I’ve done,” he bit out, his words slightly muffled from behind his gloved hands, “You’d think I’d learn to be better, but I—I’m still just a delinquent, solving everything with his fists without thinking. I thought that I could at least be a bit different when I got to NRC, but I’m the same stupid idiot who made his mom cry.” 

Deuce looked as if he’d been to war, head-lowered and defeated. And the self-loathing wasn’t helping him get any better. 

Yuu looked at the path ahead, internally sighing to herself. 

She couldn’t just leave him there, could she? Well, certainly not after he’d defended her.

Yuu thought for a moment then took a deep breath before sitting beside Deuce on the bench. Following suit, Grim jumped up to settle next to her.

“I thought you just happened to stick your fist out,” Yuu started, to which Deuce slowly regarded her through his fingers.

He dropped his hands to his lap after a few seconds of contemplation and leaned back against the seat, a petulant expression appearing on his face as he huffed, “I stuck my fist out more than once, and I also happened to stick out a foot.”

Yuu tilted her head thoughtfully, tapping her chin with a hum, “Then I wonder why they kept running into you. You’d think they’d learn from their mistakes after the first time.”

Deuce couldn’t help but shoot her an amused look.  

“I’m sure glad they didn’t,” Grim added with a snort, “Wish we could see their faces again when they were runnin’, tails tucked between their legs.”

“It was quite amusing,” Yuu agreed, fixing her rumpled collar, “I’ll admit I don’t often get the chance to watch something that satisfying.”

“Though, not as much as watchin’ Ace get crushed by a giant pot, right? Now that had been satisfying.”

“I think we’re going a little off topic—ahem, but I won’t disagree.”

Somewhere in the school’s kitchen, a certain first year let out a sneeze.

Back to the main street, where the three other first years sat on a bench, Deuce was silent as he appeared to revert back to stewing in his thoughts. His brows were knit together as he stared down at his hands, the turmoil clear in his bright eyes. 

It wasn’t an unfamiliar sight for the young courtesan. She'd seen plenty of her customers make the same faces, oftentimes that would be when she'd work to comfort them. Physically most times…if not all the time.

But Yuu couldn’t do that here. So what else could she do……

What felt like an eternity of only listening to the crickets chirping and small toads croaking, Yuu let out a deep sigh and looked forward at the pavement. She studied the statues lining the pathway, an almost distant look in her eyes.

“They’ll eat you up, you know,” she said finally, her quiet voice filling the silence. “Those thoughts you’re having, they love nothing more than the attention you give them.”

Deuce’s hands bunched into fists, the motion causing him to cringe—it was almost unnoticeable. 

“Yuu, you wouldn’t understand,” he told her, shaking his head.

“I was like those guys. Back in middle school, I…I used to bully kids who could never fight for themselves,” the boy continued, “The ones who'd sit alone or the ones who seemed…different from me. Skipping classes, bleaching my hair, disrespecting my teachers and hanging with the wrong people—I wasn't a nice person.”

“Hmph, so you were a punk?” Grim asked outright, “Coulda figured by now.”

“Well, I obviously still am since I keep causing trouble,” Deuce grumbled, “Even though I’d made up my mind to become an honour student, and even when I swore to myself I’d never make my mother cry again…I can’t change anything.” 

His voice quietened, turmoil hidden within his eyes, “I just want to show my mother that…she doesn’t have to cry because of me anymore. The smile she had when I got accepted to this school, I told myself I’d never make her lose it again.”

It took Yuu a moment to process all of what he just said. To think all of this struggling was because of his mother.

“I guess you’re right,” Yuu said at last, “I don’t understand any of that, but...”

Of course, she was well aware that fighting was against many rules. 

But how many times had she wished to do the same? What would it feel like to let all that bitterness within her flow out instead of suppressing it, standing up for herself, uncaring of the rules she’d break? 

It sounded like freedom, but what exactly did that even feel like?

“Deuce.” She hesitated upon speaking his name, not having considered how clear her voice would sound when she started. “While I don’t understand your circumstances, I…I don’t think you did anything wrong.”

He didn’t. Even if it sounded wrong to say—knowing that if in her world, Deuce would’ve faced some sort of punishment—it made sense in a startling way. 

How could she say his actions were wrong when he’d stepped in front of her on his own? Defended them against people who meant ill-will. 

“I’m envious of you.” The words came out softer than she’d expected, like wrapping oneself in silk. Yuu offered the boy a smile, small and almost saddened, “From what you’ve told me, it seems your mother cares as much about you as you do her. Perhaps that’s why you have a good heart, Deuce, more so than most people I’ve met.”

Deuce bit on his lip, averting his eyes and appearing flustered by her compliments.

“But you know,” she continued, “The strength that you have, you’re fortunate to be able to use it on your own terms. And so I wonder, wouldn’t it be a waste not to use it like how you did just now?”

“By beating people up?”

“By defending people like me.”

Deuce stopped, his mouth closing shut at her response.

“I don’t really know what an honour student is, and…you may not care much about what I think, but…” Yuu dropped her gaze to her hands, feeling her body warming up for some reason despite the chilly air, “While perhaps a bit unconventional, I think what you did was very honorable, Deuce. So—” Yuu shot Deuce another smile “—thank you, for being a bit of a delinquent just now.”

The boy’s mouth fell slightly open as if to say something back, yet no sound came out. However, his cheeks did turn a little pink, his expression taking on an almost embarrassed look.

It was admittedly endearing. Yuu couldn’t help but wonder if he got many compliments from anyone besides his mother, considering his innocent reaction.

“Ugh, you two done now?” Grim abruptly said beside Yuu, jumping off the bench and facing the two. “Can’t we just say those two twerps deserved that beating and that’s it? I mean, I woulda given it to them had you not stepped in, so I dunno why you’re all down in the dumps.” 

The cat folded his fluffy arms over his chest, “But now that you’re all sappy and stuff, it doesn’t bother ya too much anymore, right? So then let’s get a move on!”

“Sappy?!” Deuce blurted, jolting from the bench as he protested, “I don’t look sappy, I was just…I mean—it’s just cold, okay? It’s not like those words meant that much to me, I mean I appreciate them, of course, just…well...”

He trailed off in a struggle, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly before clearing his throat, “Ahem, but you’re right, we should get going. The others are probably wondering what’s taking us so long.”

“Finally. There’s a tart with my name on it, callin’ out for me to bake and eat it up! So let’s go already.”

Yuu got up as well, falling into step beside the two other students. The blue haired student let out a sigh as they started to walk once more, passing the seven statues. He held the bag with the carton of cracked eggs, his mouth a somber frown. 

“It’s too bad though,” Deuce said, “These poor baby chickens.”

Yuu nodded solemnly, “They didn’t even get to grow up, much less become tarts.”

“Well, there’s nothing much we can do to scavenge these. We’re gonna have to get another batch.”

With that, they went back the way they came to Sam’s Shop. Now falling back into silence, she couldn’t help but wonder if she had said too much from before.

She probably could have gone without the word of thanks, it probably would have made her seem less pathetic.

Yuu was going to let out a quiet sigh as they approached the entrance, her mind reverting back to her plans of escape. 

Tonight, she’d try to slip away tonight.

No matter what she’d felt, that strange sense of warmth, it was only a temporary reaction. It meant nothing in the long-term, despite how nice it had seemed. After all, Yuu had to remember she already had a pair of suspicious eyes on her, so playing the comforting role for others was secondary to her goal. Actually, it was way down the list of her priorities. 

Tonight, however, could be an exception, Yuu supposed. Her own way of returning the favor for Deuce defending her.

In any case, just as long as nothing bad came from it, it was fine.

“By the way, Yuu.”

The sound of her name startled Yuu out of her thoughts, the boy walking beside her having said it softly. She eyed him, not too sure what he might want to say to her, especially all of what she’d blabbered on about—

“Thank you, um, for what you said.” Soon after he spoke, Deuce gave her a lighthearted smile.

Yuu almost stopped in her tracks, that kind look in his eyes making her falter.

Huh?

What—there it was again.

That strange sense of warmth.

Chapter Text

Ace was on the verge of dying from boredom. Leaning against one of the counters in the kitchen, he watched the hands of the clock at the far end of the room slowly tick by. 

“I swear, if they don’t come back in the next five minutes, I’m chasing them down,” Ace grumbled, adjusting his heart-shaped collar for what must have been the millionth time today. Forcing anyone to wear this dumb collar for longer than a day was literal cruelty.

Trey was on the other side of the kitchen, tidying up the used dishes. The sound of running water in the sink filled the silence between them, and the noisy clattering of the dishes irritated Ace.

He was on edge, and his neck was sore. He’d been so tired from this ridiculous day, humiliated by the comments he’d gotten by the other first years in his class—and plopping into his bed sounded like a total dream right about now.

“I wouldn’t be surprised, you know,” Trey finally said, turning the tap water off before drying the mixing bowls and utensils with a towel. “People here at NRC aren’t usually open to lending a hand so easily. I’m surprised Yuu and the others even agreed to help you at all.”

“It’s a ‘temporary alliance’, okay?” Ace grumbled, bringing his hands behind his head. 

Trey made a face at that, looking over his shoulder at Ace, “‘Temporary alliance’? Last I remembered, alliances meant both parties got something beneficial at the end.”

“You saying Yuu isn’t benefiting from helping me?”

“I can’t see what the benefit would even be.”

Ace scowled, looking up at the clock again.

It had been surprisingly simple to get Yuu to agree, Ace could admit, one would initially expect to have to return the favor with something far more grander than just having a lousy, worn-down dormitory building to himself. And his pet cat.

“Look, things just worked out, okay?” Ace said with a shrug, “Yuu wanted his space, I offered to stay out of it if he helped me. It’s a win-win for both of us.”

“So you essentially threatened to annoy him if he didn’t agree…let me guess, you're a younger sibling, aren’t you?” 

Ace was taken aback, “How the hell did you know that?”

Trey let out a sigh, ignoring Ace’s reply as he shook his head in exasperation. “Can’t say I don’t pity the guy.”

“You’re pitying him and not me?” Ace rolled his eyes, but was unable to help but ask, “So then what’s your reason?” The vice-housewarden seemingly paused, his hands still holding onto a wet mixing bowl. “Seeing as us students have a rep for not sticking our necks out for people, you’re not exactly proving it to be true.”

The older student was right, of course. Ace knew that the other first years could just not come back to finish the tarts, it wasn’t like it was their problem to begin with. In all honesty, if it were somebody else in Ace’s place, he wouldn’t have bothered to help either. 

Even so, whether or not it made Ace a selfish prick, he wasn’t going to let Yuu back out. Not after he’d gotten him to agree to help. It was just an added bonus that Deuce and Grim happened to join in as well.

“Just a temporary alliance,” Trey shrugged, calmly folding the small kitchen towel and keeping his gaze on the motions rather than on Ace.

The persimmon haired boy stared at the other with a frown, his brows drawn together in question. 

What exactly was Trey getting out of all of this?

“Yes, we’re finally back!” 

The familiar sound of Grim’s voice interrupted the awkward silence between the two Heartslabyul students, the doors to the kitchen swinging open as the three first years stepped inside.

“I’m gonna get a taste of a sweet, sweet chestnut tart—myaha,” he cheered, skipping beside Yuu at his feet.

“Sorry for the wait,” Deuce said aloud, placing his bag onto the counter—Yuu following suit. “I didn’t expect to take so long, we had a bit of an issue.”

Yuu let out a sigh, taking a seat on a nearby stool. And Ace didn’t fail to notice how his hand went to his side, the look of discomfort in the prefect’s eyes making Ace frown. He definitely looked a bit off, certainly the same as how he’d looked after the class with Vargas—though the exercises had been light work, given it was just the beginning of the term—and when they had chased Grim before lunch. 

Yuu really didn’t do well with physical tasks, did he?

Deuce went over to the sink to fill one of the kitchen’s spare glasses before handing it to Yuu. The latter’s eyes widened briefly at the gesture, offering a slight tilt of his head in thanks to the blue haired student.

Ace narrowed his gaze.

“Are you sick or something, Yuu?” Ace suddenly asked Yuu as he took a sip of water, his curiosity piquing at what had happened in the last hour. Because something had obviously changed, between Yuu and Deuce especially. 

Yuu’s head lifted at the sound of his name, “Sick?” His hand dropped from his side to his lap, his other one putting the cup back down.

“Yeah, you look a bit pale. If you were gonna get tired from all that walking, you shouldn’t have agreed to Deuce’s request.”

The mentioned student shifted on his feet self-consciously. “I didn’t think about that.”

“No, I’m fine,” Yuu said. He slid off his stool, despite the fact he had literally just sat down, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to look tired.”

“...I mean, it’s not a big deal if you did,” Ace commented offhandedly, giving the prefect a look.

Why does he always apologize for the stupidest things?

“In any case, if it took you this long to come back with the ingredients, then it’s no wonder you look like a ghost given your stamina.” Ace glanced at Deuce, though the blue haired student was expectedly not at all fazed. “Was the walk long or something?”

Grim was the one who answered, “A pair of punks ran into us, made us break our eggs.” He gnashed his teeth, ears flattened as he continued with a growl, “Wasted a bunch’a time buying new ones when we coulda been finishin’ the tarts.”

“It’s a shame,” Yuu agreed, glancing at the carton of eggs Trey had withdrawn from the bag, “Those baby chickens’ lives had gone to waste.”

He’d said it so casually, Ace didn’t even consider the ridiculousness of Yuu’s comment until a full moment after.

Both him and Trey paused, the latter having finished sorting out the ingredients.

“Baby chickens?” Ace repeated slowly, sharing a confused look with his vice-housewarden.

Yuu nodded, “Yes, the ones in the eggs. Those chicks didn’t even get the chance of becoming tarts.”

—What?

“Yuu.” Ace couldn’t tell if Yuu was joking. “You know, I'd get it if Deuce thought that way, but you?”  He’d only known the guy for a day and a half, so maybe he did have it in him to joke. But as much as Ace tried to reason with that possibility, it made absolutely no sense for a guy like Yuu.

The two other first years both gave Ace confused looks. 

Deuce crossed his arms over his chest, glowering, “What do you mean by that, Ace?”

“Those don't have baby chickens in them, store eggs aren't fertilized,” Ace deadpanned.

There was a moment of silence before Deuce exclaimed, “Wh—Whaaaaat?! You’re joking!”

“Hah!” Ace laughed, lifting his chin, “Me? Joking? What would make you think that?”

“Plenty of things, actually,” Grim muttered offhandedly, side-eyeing Ace with flattened ears.

Both Deuce and Yuu stared at Ace as if he’d grown three extra heads. And Ace would’ve admitted that he liked the fact he knew something that Yuu didn’t, but this was too ridiculous to not be concerning.

This felt like the fifth time Yuu had said something so completely absurd, like he would easily dismiss it—like how he could for Deuce—if it weren’t for the fact Yuu had already done and said some pretty odd things.

The prefect visibly startled, seeming at a loss for words. “Aren’t fertilized? I don’t understand. Then what about the eggs that do have chicks in them?”

Ace didn’t know whether to smack his forehead in exasperation as he answered him, “That’s because they’re fertilized, Yuu. You know? Like when the rooster mates with a hen, it lays an egg with a chick.”

The look on Yuu’s face told Ace that this was not clicking with the guy.

“Forgive me, but…I don’t get it. So then those eggs do have chicks in them, right?” Yuu pointed at the carton.

“Ahem.” Trey adjusted his glasses, eyeing the prefect, “Yuu, I think you might be a bit confused. A hen can still lay an egg without a rooster.”

Ace opened the carton of eggs and pulled one out before holding it in front of Yuu’s face.

“See this?” Ace pressed.

“Um…y-yes?” Yuu looked to him and then to the egg, his expression a mix of confusion and wariness.

“A hen laid this without a rooster,” he explained to the prefect, “So there’s no chick inside.”

“Yuu.” Trey scratched the back of his neck, looking unsure, “Didn’t you learn this? Fertilization is basic biology, you should have learned that in middle school. Even in a homeschool curriculum, it isn’t something you’re not taught.”

Yuu paused, his eyes flickering.

“Wait.” Deuce ran a hand through his hair, his voice wavering with disbelief, “S-So you mean to say…that I spent sixteen years of my life believing this whole time that eggs…and chicks…”

Ace sighed, his shoulders drooping in mock disappointment, “You two are hopeless.”

“Ugh, okay, enough with the stupid eggs,” Grim snapped, the flames in his ears sputtering with his mood, “I wanna tart, and all your blabberin’ ain’t gonna bake it!”

Trey cleared his throat, “Right, right. It’s getting late so we really should finish these up.” He looked at the ingredients, muttering under his breath, “Not to mention, I wonder how Riddle…”

He let out a long breath before shaking his head, addressing the group of first years, “Well then, let’s finish up the cream. Yuu, can you grab a bowl from that cupboard please?”

And like that, the kitchen was filled with the sounds of clattering dishes and the smell of something nutty and sweet. Within the hour, Ace and the others were nearly finished baking several little mont blancs and a larger one—the biggest being saved for the Unbirthday Party. 

Standing beside him at the sink, Yuu helped to dry off the bowls and utensils, and together they washed up the used dishes.

“The tart is turning out pretty well,” Ace commented casually to fill the silence between them. “Bet it’ll taste so much better than everything else at the party, huh?”

The prefect lifted his eyes to Ace, pausing his motions for a moment before glancing back at Deuce and Trey topping the largest tart with the cream—Grim had been put into ‘time out’ in a corner for trying to swipe an early taste. Yuu made a slight frown, turning back to Ace who finished rinsing off a whisk.

“As long as the housewarden forgives you afterwards, that’s all that matters.”

Ace picked up the last dirty dish in the sink, the tips of his fingers pruning from the hot water—he was about to start scrubbing it down when he couldn’t help but pause. Beside him, the prefect had refocused his attention on wiping the bowls and utensils dry, putting them into a neat and organized pile on the counter. 

Ace’s grip on the mixing bowl tightened, and he subtly glanced at Yuu.

It wasn’t like he expected Yuu to act excited about the tart like how Grim was, but at least…show some sort of emotion other than that dismissive and cynical reaction. Like, he understood this whole arrangement was transactional to begin with, and…Ace may have been a bit…in Yuu’s face the past twenty-four hours. But Ace would think that after what they went through in the Dwarves’ Mine, they could at least act familiar without this…tenseness. Or that they had at least established some sort of camaraderie between each other.

But what the hell? Yuu didn’t seem to have trouble doing that with Deuce, so Ace just didn’t get it. 

Does he hate me or something—?

He abruptly looked away from Yuu, mentally shaking himself before finishing up the last dish. It didn’t come to his attention that his motions, however, were more jagged than before.

“And done.” Ace’s mixed thoughts were interrupted at the sound of Trey’s voice, coincidentally just as he’d finished cleaning the mixing bowl. He turned around, seeing the green haired student grinning at the large chestnut tart. 

Deuce let out a groan, plopping onto a stool as he muttered, “I still can’t believe I never knew…”

“Woo-hoo!” Grim clambered up onto a chair, closing his eyes as he took a deep breath in through his nose. “I can taste it just by smellin’ it!”

“No kidding,” a new voice said suddenly, causing everyone to turn and see a familiar Heartslabyul third year stroll through the kitchen doors. “You can smell those desserts all the way out into the hallway. So I’ll take a guess and figure the tarts are done now, huh?”

“Oh, Cater,” Trey addressed the other student, “I was wondering when you’d show up.”

Ace crossed his arms and raised a brow at him, “Oh, so now you show up?”

Cater came up to Ace and Yuu, throwing his arms around their shoulders, “Hey now, I was busy, you know? I had an Unbirthday Party to prepare for, but nothing could keep me from visiting my favourite firsties!”

He ruffled Ace’s hair, much to the latter’s dismay as his locks got tangled. He groaned under his breath, trying to fix the messiness.

The third year dislodged from the two as he approached the counter, pulling out his phone as he grinned, “Oooh! Look how cammable these are! Def gotta snap some cute pics before they all get eaten up.”

The sound of his phone’s camera went off and Cater withdrew to scroll through the pictures with a pleased look.

“Sweet!” Cater turned to Trey, “You’re cool if I post these on Magicam, right? Though…hmm, how would I tag it? Maybe #montblanc…or…#bakingwiththefreshies? Either way, it’s gonna be sooo cute.”

Trey chuckled lightly, “Sure, sure, go ahead. And you all must be a bit tired from all that baking.” Trey picked up a miniature mont blanc now that Cater had finished, “Made these smaller ones just for us, so help yourself to one. Nothing beats fatigue better than a baked good fresh out of the oven.”

Everyone exclaimed in excitement as they each took a palm-sized chestnut tart, moving to sit at an empty table. Trey and Cater sat on one side while the first-years sat opposite to them, Grim being at the head of the table. 

“Oh, so that’s why we made an extra one,” Deuce commented beside Yuu, shooting Cater a glance.

“Pretty funny he showed up right when it was ready to eat.” Ace twirled the small fork in his hand, cutting a small piece of the tart and watching the steam rise.

The diamond student shrugged casually, “It helps to have an extra food taster, doesn’t it?”

“Mmmm! That smells too good, I can’t wait another second—mmph!” Grim didn’t hesitate before he took a large bite out of his tart. And seeing the look on the cat’s face, Ace followed suit to get a taste of this dessert.

The flavors were instant, bursting onto his tongue like melted sugar—it took everything within Ace not to scarf it down. He needed to enjoy this properly, one slow bite at a time. 

“Whoa! I could swear this tastes like something fresh out of a fancy bakery!” Deuce exclaimed after swallowing, his eyes alight with amazement.

Grim groaned, his eyes falling shut as he described reverently, “Rich…mmph—but not too sweet, just enough to balance the buttery taste of the chestnuts. Mmn, mnn! So good, I could eat a million of these!”

“Yuuuum! So freaking good! Totally liked and subscribed!” Cater cheered, likely savoring the tart as much as he could given the small bites he took. “And what about our ramshackle prefect, whatchu think?”

As if all synced, the people in the kitchen all looked at Yuu and at his empty plate. 

Deuce furrowed his brow, “Oh, Yuu? Did you not get a tart?”

“What?” Trey looked back at the counter, “We made enough for everyone to have one.”

“Mhm, and it was really good,” Yuu said, holding his cheek in pleasure.

The kitchen went quiet and Ace just stared in shock, same as everyone else. Yuu’s plate had not a single crumb left behind, so it looked as if he had never gotten one.

But—

“You ate it that fast?!” Both Ace and Cater exclaimed, startling Yuu.

His face turned a slight shade of pink and he covered his mouth with his hand in embarrassment.

“I-It was really good…” the prefect mumbled into his hand, dropping his gaze to the plate.

“Yuu, I could’ve mistaken you for Grim right now,” Ace teased, nudging Yuu in a playful manner.

As much as Yuu acted all serious and impassive about the tarts, he sure didn’t mind indulging in one. 

Cater added with a chuckle, “Not even Grim finished his tart, are we sure they didn’t somehow transfer souls or something?”

“There’s no way!” Grim snapped back, “I’m takin’ my time to enjoy my tart!”

The prefect swallowed awkwardly, clearing his throat before he replied, “I didn’t think I was eating it that fast.”

“It’s alright, Yuu,” Trey took a bite out of his own dessert, his expression bright with amusement, “It just means you really enjoyed it, which I’m glad you did.”

The brown haired student cleared his throat, his blush spreading further to his ears, “I-I typically have better manners than this.”

Cater hummed, still having yet to take more than a few bites of his tart, and he elbowed the vice-housewarden. “In any case, Trey, you gotta show our first-years that cool trick of yours. Though it’s too bad Yuu finished his tart so quickly.” Trey gave Cater a questioning look before his eyes lit with understanding.

“Oh, that?” Trey put down his fork as he mildly shrugged, “Sure, why not.”

The first years waited for an explanation, but it was Ace who spoke up, “Huh? What ‘thing’? Gonna let us in on the secret, or…?”

Trey took out his magic pen in response, “Can everyone tell me their favourite food?”

Ace shared a confused look with Deuce, but the latter replied, “Umm…omelet rice, I guess?”

“Well, mine is obviously canned tuna,” Grim rubbed his chin thoughtfully, “Then next on the list would have to be cheese omelets, roast meat, pudding and…”

“Mine’s probably cherry pie,” Ace added, not understanding where this could possibly lead to.

Cater grinned, “For me, a nice lamb chop with diablo sauce.”

“Hm, I’m not too sure what my favourite food is,” Yuu mumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. “Chocolate, maybe? Or even a type of red bean cake.”

Ace raised a brow, unexpectedly amused by the prefect's food preference.

“Sorry, Yuu,” Trey gave the prefect an apologetic look, “You already finished your tart, and I’d need it for this spell.”

“...Oh.”

“Ahem, anyways—” Trey held out his pen over the table “—here it goes, ‘Doodle Suit’!”

A simmering light was cast over the food, and not even a second later, the smell of chestnuts dissipated.

“Alright, take another bite of your mont blancs.”

Ace eyed his tart with uncertainty, “Why? Is it supposed to—” he took a bite before going still “—How? I-It tastes just like a cherry pie!”

“And an omelet rice for me.”

Grim’s eyes went as wide as saucers, and he shoveled more of his mont blanc into his mouth, “Mmph—t-tuna…it tastes like—omph—and roasted meat! It’s like an entire meal, and it’s so good!”

“Isn’t that so cool?!” Cater excitedly cheered, taking a bigger bite of his tart. He pushed his plate towards Yuu, offering him a bite to which he politely declined.

“Come on, Yuu, try it.”

The prefect hesitated, waving his hands, “No, I-I can’t.”

“It’s no biggie, I share food with my sisters all the time.”

Yuu bit his lip, looking down at Cater’s mont blanc for a moment before relenting, his curiosity getting the better of him. 

“But how did you do that, Trey?” Ace asked his vice-housewarden as Yuu took a small piece of Cater’s tart.

Trey leaned back in his seat, putting his magic pen back into the pocket of his jacket, “It’s my unique magic.”

“Unique magic?” Grim, Deuce and Ace echoed.

“It’d work well on the ladies, wouldn’t you think?” Cater winked at Trey, making the green haired student roll his eyes with a scoff.

Yuu commented after he got a taste, “It’d work really well.”

“Haha, you get me, Yuu.”

“So wait,” Deuce butted in, finishing the last of his omelet flavoured mont blanc, “Trey, your unique magic is changing the flavor of food?”

Ace wondered just how useful a unique magic like that could actually be. 

“Well, not entirely,” Trey explained patiently, “I’m essentially overwriting features, replacing the original physical characteristics with ones that I choose. Though the effects only last for a minute or so.”

“Would you also be able to overwrite features of a person then?” Yuu, surprisingly, was the one to ask.

“Just inanimate things like tables, flowers—that sort of stuff.”

“Hm, I see.”

Grim perked, however, and exclaimed, “But that’s such a cool spell! If I had that unique magic, I’d make all my meals canned tuna and I could have it for the rest of my life. It’s definitely way better than Riddle’s.”

Ace wished he could agree. He hated this stupid collar more than anything, it stifled his magic in a way that it was like being on the verge of a sneeze. And to be feeling that the entire day was insanity. However, to cut off someone else’s power couldn’t be an easy spell to perfect, so he couldn’t dismiss it entirely.

As if reading Ace’s mind, Trey shook his head, “No way. Riddle’s unique magic is on a whole other level compared to mine—” His eyes took on a faraway look as he considered it “—His accuracy has never once failed, and it’s no surprise because he’s spent years perfecting his spell.”

The green haired student sighed, something flickering within his golden eyes.

Ace’s lips pressed into a thin line, unconsciously touching the heart shaped collar around his neck. 

But…even if Riddle’s power was so incredibly advanced, how could he use it on other people so thoughtlessly?

In any case, the tart was finished, the Unbirthday party was tomorrow and Ace…his apology—he would apologize. If it was just to get his stupid collar off, he would apologize with his hardworked tart.

Still, is this how the entire year was supposed to play out?

Dancing on eggshells everyday to please an easily triggered tyrant.

Ace didn’t want to stew any further in his thoughts, so he spoke up, “Well, I guess I’m gonna have to stay at Yuu’s place again tonight.”

The prefect beside him tensed though Ace didn’t catch it. He was too busy thinking of how he was going to convince Yuu to get rid of the spiders in his bedroom, and the anticipation of tomorrow.

Trey could only offer a remorseful look, “At least it’ll be over, can finally put it past you once Riddle accepts the apology.”

Ace stood from his seat, the sound of chairs scraping filled the kitchen as the others also began to move. But the boy paused for a moment, repeating what Trey said in his head.

Over? Was it really all going to be over? One drawn out apology over a meager mistake. If that wasn’t a sign of worse things to come, he’d be surprised.

“Oh! Wait a moment, before you two leave,” Cater was still in his seat, finishing the last of his mont blanc. He put his fork down and pulled out his phone.

Leaning over the table towards Yuu, his gaze narrowed slightly on the prefect as he said, “Yuu, I think I may have mistyped your number in my phone. I tried texting earlier but…ahem…had a bit of an incident. Can you tell me what it was again?”

Chapter Text

Footprints.

Yuu knew she was leaving behind footprints with every mistake she made. The notebook incident was one, so was her overreaction when the chandelier had crashed. She’d been fortunate to wipe them away as best she could, using excuses and lies to cover her tracks, but at some point they grew to be too many. And too difficult to cover. 

It was by some grace of luck that the conversation about eggs had been steered away, but had they asked any more about ‘fertilization’, she wouldn’t have a clue. And it had seemed Yuu had managed to avoid disaster.

However, Cater seemed to be bringing one right back.

This again?

What was the big deal about numbers?!

Why was it so important that he had to bring it up again?

Yuu had been about to stand from her seat, her mind busy with the thoughts of Ace staying over once more. As much as she enjoyed the tart she’d eaten, what should have just been a morning of trouble ended up being an entire day. She could have been gone from the campus last night had she not been dragged into Ace’s business. So to say she was through with today was an understatement.

Of course…she would definitely eat another mont blanc if she could—

In any case, Yuu did not need whatever this was.

“Oh…it didn’t work?” She stalled as she thought of an excuse, or at least some way out of Cater’s attention.

The third year gave her a light scoff, “Definitely not. I nearly had a heart attack when I figured out who I’d texted.” He placed a hand over his chest in emphasis.

“Pfft, you mean you texted someone else, thinking it was Yuu?” Ace laughed, earning him a glare from Cater.

“Well, perhaps I can give it to you another time,” Yuu offered, giving Cater an appeasing look, “I-It’s a bit late, I wouldn’t want to accidentally um…misnumber anything.”

Cater’s face creased, brows drawn and a frown tugging at his lips, “Another time? I mean…it’d be pretty fast, wouldn’t it?”

He handed her his encased block to which Yuu stiffened in her seat, trying so hard not to react in a way that might be strange. 

But…what the actual hell was this?

“Here, just type it in,” Cater told her, pointing at the bright surface. “That’s your contact but it’s got someone else’s number, just rewrite it, ok?”

Contact? What did he even mean by that?

Yuu stared blinkingly down at the brightly lit surface, feeling as if her eyes were being seared out of her head. She saw her name at the top of the bright surface, it was what Cater had pointed to, but it definitely didn’t look like ink. So what did he even mean ‘rewrite it’? 

“Rewrite it…umm, m-maybe you might want to type it in?” Yuu tried to give Cater’s thin block back.

“Me? Why, when I gave it to you?”

Yuu internally cringed, “Um…r-right, right.”

“Just give it back when you’re done, ‘kay?” Cater gave her a smile before standing and taking his finished plate to wash.

She was left with his phone thing, and as a result, was thoroughly stuck.

“Hey, by the way,” Grim cut in, changing the topic as Yuu tried to figure out how to deal with this, “There’s no way Ace is stayin’ at our dorm again! I’m not sleepin’ with the stupid spiders that Yuu still won’t get rid of in the living room.”

“There’s spiders in the bedroom too,” Ace pointed out.

“Yeah but those ones aren’t the size of my paw.” The cat pointed at Ace, “If you seriously wanna sleep at Ramshackle, ya gotta pay in tuna—and ya gotta sleep outside!”

“Outside? What am I, a dog?” Ace spluttered, standing abruptly from the table. “And why would I pay you to sleep outside?!”

Deuce got up to take everyone else's empty plate, stacking them on top of each other, and he added, “You really shouldn’t be leeching off of Yuu, Ace.”

“Urgh, not you too. But since you feel so helpful in telling me what I shouldn’t do, then maybe figure a place for me to stay.”

Yuu’s hand hovered over the device unsurely, recalling how Cater had tapped it back in the cafeteria. She tuned out the bickering of the first years, and Cater’s attempts to get them to settle down. Still sitting at the table while everyone else cleaned up, Yuu frowned at the phone.

There were various buttons and symbols on the surface that made no sense to her, but dumbly staring wasn’t going to do her any good. And she couldn’t ask either in case of encountering another notebook incident.

So, without knowing what the hell she was doing, Yuu tapped the largest button on the surface—the one that was shaped like a disfigured crescent moon.

To her amazement and shock, the surface changed; the light went dimmer and a strange buzzing sound emitted from it. Yuu blinked in bewilderment—where did the other image go? She turned the block around in her hand, trying to make sense of this on her own with much difficulty. But Yuu couldn’t deny that it was terribly intriguing, looking back at the dimmed surface and watching three dots moving up and down. 

Was this how she was supposed to do it? But from what Yuu remembered, Cater had been tapping the surface…so then…what was she doing?

The buzzing noise kept going for a few seconds before it suddenly stopped.

Nothing. There didn’t seem to be anything happening.

But then—

“Herbivore, are you fucking kidding me? Stop botherin’ me, I swear to the Great Sevens if you don’t delete my number off your damned phone—”

Her body went utterly cold. 

A ghost?!

Without thinking, she jolted from her seat in fear, “C-Cater! Cater, I don’t know what happened! There’s some sort of ghost talking in your phone, how do I stop it?!”

“Huh?! Who you callin’ a ghost—oi, Diamond, the hell are you—”

Yuu yelped, holding the phone away from her before the voice could say anything more. Was it dangerous?! Would it possess her too!? Also…that voice sounded strangely just like that animal eared person from the gardens, was he haunting her now?!

The group of students turned to the panicked Yuu, and Cater instantly was at her side, a similar expression of panic on his face, “Yuu, what the hell? Why’d you press call?!”

So this was her fault?! Had she summoned a spirit into Cater’s block? But how?

“I-I didn’t mean to, I swear! I don’t know what I did, I-I-I meant to…I just—I’m sorry. I’m really sorry,” Yuu hurried to say, flinching when Cater took his phone back abruptly.

Cater hurriedly tapped the surface of his block, stopping the irritated voice instantly. It should have been a relief to Yuu, that the ghost-like voice had gone silent and that Cater had fixed the problem.

But the silence that followed was quite possibly the worst she’d ever endured. Yuu could feel the looks of everyone in the kitchen on her, and the tension that surrounded her threatened to suffocate.

Did…did she overreact? Again?

Because how did things go to ruin so quickly?! She’d just been enjoying that lovely tart a few moments ago, and now this.

Ever so slowly, Cater let out a sigh, lifting his gaze to meet her pink one and she cringed.

—I messed up. I messed up. I messed up.

She clutched her hands to her chest, unable to say a single word thanks to her frazzled mind. The adrenaline of her panic was still pumping through her veins, slowly dissipating to make way for a familiar sense of dread.

Cater set his phone aside, crossing his arms over his chest with a tight-lipped grin, “Okay, I’m…I’m a bit confused, Yuu. I leave you to put in your number but you end up calling someone instead, those are two entirely different actions.”

Yuu bit her cheek, dropping her gaze to avoid Cater’s prying eyes.

“Great Sevens, I feel like I’m getting a sense of deja vu,” Ace muttered, shaking his head in exasperation.

Trey adjusted his glasses, a bewildered frown tugging at his lips. “Is everyone just ignoring the fact Yuu thought there was a ghost in Cater’s phone? How is that the first thing a person thinks when somebody answers their call?” 

Grim butted in, “Isn’t it? I thought they were ghosts too.”

“Well,” Ace retorted, “They aren’t. And anyone should know that, especially a teenager who has lived around technology all their life.”

“And you're evidently not a fae, so that cancels out being a thousand year old hermit,” Cater said, eyeing Yuu with wariness.

Deuce looked from Ace and then to Yuu, how brows were drawn together in concern, “So then…Yuu…”

Yuu could feel the nauseating sensation in her stomach worsen.

She clenched her hands into fists, debating on what to say.

“Yeah, um, this is really weird, Yuu,” Cater told her, “Because this isn’t the first time you’ve done something like this.”

Yuu knew that. She knew she’d been leaving small puzzle pieces as much as she wouldn’t have liked to, and something was bound to happen the longer she stayed here.

But Yuu couldn’t reveal anything, she absolutely couldn’t! 

“I’m just a little tired,” Yuu said in excuse, unconsciously backing up—the sound of her chair scraping filling the kitchen, “It’s been a long day, so…so I’m probably not in the right mind at the moment—”

“Oh no, no way.” Ace stepped up to her, standing just a few centimeters taller than her as he stared her down. “You just thought Cater’s phone was possessed, right after you thought chicks could hatch from unfertilized eggs, hours after you thought notebooks were worth a lot more than they actually are—you realize how, I dunno, alien you sound?”

Her heart skipped a beat.

While picking up the stack of plates with clattering noises, Deuce muttered to himself, “I had thought the same though…a-about the chicks.”

“Huh, ‘alien’ definitely sounds about right,” Cater agreed, “You didn’t even know you sent a literal call.”

The ticking of a clock echoed in Yuu’s head as the others fell silent, waiting expectantly for an explanation. What had once been a comforting warmth filled with the aroma of chestnuts and sugar had now been replaced with a choking tension, like gulping in lungfuls of smoke without pause. 

Trey was lingering off to the side, watching her closely while Ace remained standing in front of her, his shadow partially covering her. 

“Oh, well…I…” Yuu took another step back, considering just sprinting out the kitchen doors as if the room had truly been set on fire. But that would just prove their suspicions to be justified, not to mention the doors were on the complete other side of the room. “M-My parents—ahem—they sheltered me quite a bit, so I…I didn’t have much exposure to many worldly things.”

Dishes were placed into the sink, and Deuce turned to face Yuu from across the kitchen, tilting his head as he asked, “Sheltered you?”

“They kept me inside most days,” she went on with her lie, “All so that I wouldn’t hurt myself and potentially scar myself. So, I’ll…I’ll admit I’m not quite as knowledgeable about the world as I’d like to be.”

Admittedly, not all of this was false but it was all Yuu could come up with on the spot.

The four students shared looks. Even Grim seemed uneasy. But it was the look in Trey’s eyes that made her hesitate. She didn’t like to call herself an expert on most things, but distinguishing discomfort from pleasure came quite easily to her. And that expression seemed uncomfortably like…guilt? 

The expression had vanished within an instant, making Yuu think she’d imagined it.

Was what she said not normal?

“Your parents kept you inside…all the time?” Deuce repeated quietly, “But…getting a few scabs and bruises as a kid are just normal.”

“So then…you were homeschooled?” Trey suddenly asked, meeting Yuu’s gaze.

“Homeschooled?” Ace echoed, “And yet he didn’t even know basic biology.”

Yuu offered the boy a shrug, “I-I suppose they didn’t think I needed to know—”

“Yuu,” Trey interrupted her, “You mean to say they didn’t even teach you a proper curriculum? But they still kept you sheltered?”

“And if you’re not even that used to technology…then how sheltered exactly are we even talking?” Cater bristled as he considered it.

Oh, now wait a minute. This was getting a bit more tense than Yuu would have liked, why were they getting this concerned over her upbringing? 

“T-They were…um…just worried about me.” The words tasted sour in her mouth, “It’s fine, there’s nothing—”

“Yuu, don’t say ‘it’s nothing’ because the more I think about it, the more this just doesn’t sit right with me. And it also makes no sense, like none of it.” Ace had come closer, something unrecognizable in his eyes. “Because then…how can you explain what you did after the chandelier had broken, and all the other odd things you say and do.”

She briefly recalled that moment of terror she’d felt. When Crowley had caught them with the shattered chandelier, how she had groveled and begged her life to be spared.

Yuu had nothing to reply with, not because she couldn’t explain—she could, it was because she wanted to avoid trouble, avoid punishment—but because it seemed like anything she said was somehow unacceptable. 

She thought using her parents as an excuse would get them to stop, but they only had more questions. More and more and more questions!

Yuu had been backed right into a counter, stuck both physically and mentally. She’d unconsciously dug her nails into her bandaged hand, the pain unnoticeable in her state.

Damn it! Why had she been so foolish? So childish to indulge in the idea of baking and eating tarts. Because now this was her consequence, Yuu had known something would go wrong. She knew it. 

“And don’t think I haven’t forgotten,” Ace pressed, jabbing a finger at her with narrowed eyes, “For whatever reason, you said your parents didn’t even know you’d been working as a janitor with crappy wages. Do they even know you're here? Did they have no way of knowing? Did you not want them to know? Or was it something else entirely?”

The counter behind her dug into her back with how she attempted to lean away. 

Deuce perked, glancing at Ace, “Ah, I remember that too, back in the Dwarves’ Mine. I…I was also wondering why you wouldn’t want to just go home if you’d been brought here by mistake.” The blue haired boy stiffened after he spoke, and he waved his hands frantically as he said, “O-Oh but don’t get me wrong, it’s great you were able to stay as a student.”

No.

Why were they bringing this up? What did it matter if she never mentioned wanting to return home, or that her parents wouldn’t know what she was doing?

Why did any of that matter?!

“Why you all crowdin’ my henchman!” Grim interrupted everyone, jumping in front of her. “So what if he does weird stuff, it’s not that big of a deal! It’s not like he can go home, you idiots, he’s gotta research—or whatever—to do that!”

Dead. Quiet.

She had completely forgotten she’d mentioned researching a way back home to Crowley, it had been the excuse she’d given when she had asked to use the library. Grim had been with her at the time, and she’d thought nothing of it when he never mentioned it. After all, it didn’t seem like he even cared when he had a single-track focus on school! But of all the times to bring this up, it had to be now? Around these students?! 

Why?! 

Everyone stared down at the cat, his confidence unbridled and utterly naive. Perhaps bluntness and goodwill could go hand-in-hand, but with Grim, it was nothing but a damned curse.

Yuu could feel the blood slowly drain from her face, that damned ticking clock in the kitchen knocking against her skull with each passing second.

“Huh? Rewind right now, because what did you just say, Grim?” Cater was taken aback, “Research? As in…he can’t get back?”

Trey sported a bemused look, “How would that be possible? The Dark Mirror can send anyone anywhere in Twisted Wonderland—” He abruptly stopped himself, his eyes slowly narrowing.

As if coming to the same conclusion, Cater shared a look with Trey, “Unless…”

The vice-housewarden shook his head, “No, no way. It’s not like a movie or anything, I mean he’s clearly just really, really sheltered.”

“Y-Yeah—so what if he says and does some alien-oddish things.”

But the two didn’t look convinced about something.

Ace and Deuce watched their upperclassmen in confusion, and it was the latter that asked, “What? What are you two getting at?”

Instead of answering, Trey turned to Yuu and he started hesitantly, as if approaching a frightened animal, “Yuu, I’d been meaning to ask you this before but…where exactly are you from?”

Curses.

Yuu didn’t know the names of the regions in this world off the top of her head—she had only read one or two books on geography the previous day, and it hadn’t been a long enough study to remember anything. But of course, her silence would only reveal the fact that she was either a complete idiot or…something else. And as much as she wished, Yuu didn’t think she could pass for idiocy at this point.

Yuu laughed nervously, “I’m afraid I come from a pretty small village, I don’t think any of you would know it.”

“But we’d know the region,” Cater pointed out, tapping a finger on his crossed arms, “So what’s it called?”

One name popped into her mind. Yuu didn’t know where exactly it was, she had only read it in text when she’d sped through a book, but this could work, right?

“Um, the region, right—” Yuu tried to calm her nauseous stomach through subtle, deep breaths “—I-It’s in…um…Atlantica?”

Answer vaguely, fake it until she makes it. As long as she answered, she could get by. 

“Oh,” Deuce’s brows rose, “So you live underwater?”

For a moment, it felt like the world suddenly paused. Yuu blinked a few times, not sure if she had heard the boy correctly.

—Huh? What sort of question was that?

Did he just ask….? But…but why? 

“I-I beg your pardon?” She uttered in confusion.

Did he mean to say that…that people could live underwater?

How would she have even known that?! Yuu must have skipped something when she’d been reading because she couldn’t at all recall that.

“Wait, Deuce, I think you’re forgetting something,” Cater cut in, and he turned to the vice-housewarden, “Trey, isn’t Atlantica like…”

Trey gave Yuu an uncertain glance, starting slowly, “An ancient undersea civilization.”

Yuu’s smile was frozen on her face.

What?

“It was documented as having existed hundreds of years ago before becoming part of the Coral Sea,” Trey continued, “It’s a pretty widely known historical fact, taught in the earliest school years.”

Doomed. Yuu was doomed.

Grim marveled up at Yuu, “Henchman! You live underwater?!”

“N-No.” The words spilled out before she could stop them, her brain too tangled in panic to form a coherent excuse, “Or I mean—um…yes, I…I can……I-I mean I do—underwater…”

Yuu trailed off in a mix of bewilderment and discomfort, the conversation having veered so far off course that she couldn’t even keep up anymore. The sheer concept was beyond her comprehension.

“Did you mean to say you live in the Coral Sea, Yuu?” Deuce wondered, his brows drawn together as he tried to connect the pieces with much struggle. 

Ace let out a sigh, “You seriously can’t actually believe him, Deuce, can you? It’s so obvious that Yuu has no clue what we’re even talking about.”

“And someone from Coral Sea would have just said they’re from the Coral Sea,” Cater commented, idly twirling a strand of his orange hair. “People only mention ‘Atlantica’ when they mean their museum.”

“Then Yuu isn’t from the Coral Sea?” Deuce echoed, scratching the back of his head in confusion, “Why would he mention it then if he doesn’t even live there?”

Everyone went quiet. Yuu averted her eyes, feeling her throat constricting with the truth she refused to confess. 

Ace took a step back, “You don’t know any other place in Twisted Wonderland, do you?”

Her silence only entailed what the others were slowly beginning to realize.

“And if the Dark Mirror couldn’t send you back home,” Trey added, “Then wouldn’t that mean—”

“It’s not even here in Twisted Wonderland,” Cater finished quietly.

Their words snipped at every lie she’d weaved into her web of deceit, letting it unravel until there was nothing but the truth. The truth of her origins.

Staring down at her hands, she could barely see the white bandages covering her injured hand. She felt cold but scorching hot at the same time, like she’d been stripped bare and left vulnerable, and the tart she’d enjoyed just moments ago had her stomach twisting. 

No one spoke a word. 

Yet somehow this stillness felt more irritating than a street of noisy merchants. Was it just Yuu, or did the lights also feel too bright? Even if she closed her eyes, all she would see was a head-aching brightness. And the remaining warmth that seeped into the kitchen from that monstrous, metal box, it suddenly felt like the unrelenting sun itself. 

Yuu had underestimated them. Or perhaps she’d overestimated herself. Either way, Yuu knew there was no escaping this.

“I,” Yuu started hesitantly, refusing to look at anyone, “…I guess there’s no use in pretending anymore.” Her voice was a quiet whisper, and it sounded distant even to her own ears. 

She took a shuddering breath, exhaling slowly as she continued, “I’d only read of ‘Atlantica’ in a book just yesterday, but the truth…the truth is that I—” Yuu’s hand slid up to her arm, grabbing it tight, her nails pressing against her skin through the fabric of her sleeve “—I know nothing of your world.”

Why did they have to be so quiet now?

Even Ace, Deuce and Grim, their usual rambunctiousness was nonexistent. And for some reason, she wished they could just… not be quiet.

“‘Your world’,” Trey repeated, making her want to cringe, “Yuu, does that mean—”

“Yes.” She didn’t know how to say this because she had never intended to tell the truth. But was there a certain way a person confessed that they were from another world? Or a sort of ritual?

Yuu didn’t think there were many people who had experienced what she had, so perhaps there really was no right way.

In which case, maybe…it was best just to say it as it was. 

Drawing up what courage she had, Yuu lifted her gaze to face them to which she confessed at last.

“I’m not from Twisted Wonderland.”

There was a beat of stillness, and Yuu’s words hung heavy in the air.

The only sound that filled the kitchen was the ticking of the clock, ticking off each second that passed. 

One second. Two seconds. Three seconds…did it reach a minute already?

Trey had no way of knowing, not when this stillness seemed to draw on longer than what even a clock could count.

Was he surprised at Yuu’s confession? Most certainly, even when he’d considered it for a split second, Trey wouldn’t have thought it would be the truth. 

But did he doubt Yuu’s confession? Trey couldn’t. He physically couldn’t deny what he’d seen, and what it meant—because how else would Yuu’s oddities make sense? 

No, it was only logical—in the most illogical sense possible—that Yuu wasn’t from Twisted Wonderland.

“Huh.” Cater was the first to speak, severing the tension around the kitchen. He ran a hand through his hair before a chuckle escaped him, and he shook his head in disbelief. “So that’s why you couldn’t give me your number.”

Trey watched Cater sink into a seat, the former raising his brows.

Out of all the reactions to what Yuu had said, this wasn’t—

“YES!” Cater suddenly exclaimed, looking like he’d just won a game of cards and catching everyone off guard, “Thank the Great Sevens! So I wasn’t actually rejected?!”

The vice-housewarden nearly choked, and he weakly sputtered, “C-Cater—”

“Rejec—huh… what?! That’s the first thing you think after what Yuu just said?!” Ace snapped in disbelief, cutting Trey off.

The diamond student lifted his hands in mock surrender, “Hey, in my defense, I’m a pretty friendly guy—who would reject me?”

“So it's easier to think he’s not even from this world than to accept a simple rejection?”

“Well, it makes sense to believe him.” Cater’s mood grew more serious, and he shifted his attention to Yuu who had been leaning against a counter, “I mean, it explains a lot about you, Yuu.”

The prefect frowned, his hand still clutching at his arm as he muttered tensely, “Does it actually?”

“WOAHHH!!” Grim’s eyes were lit with amazement, and he jumped up onto the counter by the prefect, “Henchman, why didn’t you tell me?! And here I thought you were just a pathetic doormat, but to think you come from another world? That makes you the coolest henchman ever!”

“I’d prefer it if you didn’t yell that out.”

“You idiot,” Ace scoffed at Grim, “You knew he was researching a way to go home but it didn’t click to you he wasn’t even from here?”

The blue haired first-year rubbed his temple, “You’re not from Twisted Wonderland. I…I-I don’t understand, what do you mean by that?”

“Exactly what it means, Deuce,” Yuu sighed tiredly, dropping his hands to his side. “I don’t know why paper isn’t as valuable as I know it to be, nor do I know anything that any of you would consider ‘common knowledge’. And it’s because I’m not actually from here.”

“It does make sense,” Trey repeated what Cater said. “To have such significantly different reactions to what we deem common, and the fact you don’t know any of the main regions in this world.”

“But how is that even possible?” Ace wondered. “Doesn’t that mean the Dark Mirror just took Yuu from his own world or something? I never thought it could do something like that.”

Trey shrugged in response.

“But what about phones? And magic? Does your…um…does your world not have those?” Deuce questioned, “Because you didn’t seem to know much about those either.”

The prefect averted his eyes, his hands by his side clenching into fists, and he spoke shortly, “My world doesn’t have much of anything.” 

Perhaps it was curiosity, the part of him that enjoyed a bit of knowledge-seeking, whether it was in a lab setting or discovering a new pastry to bake, but Trey couldn’t help but ask, “Then what’s it like?”

The prefect paused at that, something flickering behind his eyes that Trey had no time to distinguish.

“What’s it like?” Yuu echoed in a slow manner, blinking at Trey. 

He was still for a moment, his gaze taking on a faraway look, perhaps thinking of what to say.

“Well, I guess it’s small,” he mused, unconsciously picking at his nails, “It’s also very loud and bright, most of the nights don’t even get dark—but when they do…it gets quiet……and a little too warm.”

Yuu’s description painted a very vague picture, if one at all. He imagined some sort of planet with the sun shining all the time, or some sort of eternally bright sky. But Yuu’s fair complexion hardly looked like it’d seen much sunlight, and it reminded Trey of what the prefect had said earlier about his parents.

Had he been telling the truth about being sheltered? 

The memory of a little boy with red hair and a glossy, strawberry tart came to mind. Images from his childhood of looking up at a closed window, feeling nothing but guilt as he’d known it would no longer open. 

Had Yuu’s childhood been something similar?

Even so, there was something that didn’t sit right with Trey. He didn’t know what it was—perhaps Yuu’s aloofness at times, the cynicism, or the fact that his behaviour had to have been influenced through experience. 

Yuu let out a sigh, “In any case, it’s my world. One that…I’m researching on going back to.” His fidgeting stopped, and his bright eyes darkened for a split second before it was blinked away. 

Well, that doesn’t seem entirely convincing.

There was evidently more to this than what Yuu was willing to share.

“And does anyone else know about this?” Cater asked the brown haired student.

“There is…one other person.”

The conversation had gone on longer than Trey had anticipated, it was nearly close to midnight when he and Cater had finally made it back to the Hall of Mirrors. But given the topic of said conversation, it was no wonder it had gotten so late.

“Knowing the Headmaster, I can kinda see him not wanting this to get out to the public like what Yuu mentioned,” Cater finally spoke up. “Can you imagine the trouble it would cause?”

“Crowley certainly would want to avoid it. I’m surprised he’s even trying to find a way for Yuu to go back, I wouldn’t think he’d actually bother.”

“Well, that’s what Yuu said.”

Indeed, Yuu had given a pretty brief but vague explanation of who else knew of his otherworldiness—the only other person being Headmaster Crowley. But the prefect had made it clear that Crowley had supposedly told him not to tell anyone to not bring public attention to it. In which case, Trey and the others were asked not to tell anyone either.

It was easy enough, Trey supposed, and it wasn’t like it’d serve him any purpose to reveal Yuu’s secret to the world.

“But man,” Cater exclaimed, putting his hands behind his head casually, “I’m surprised Yuu didn’t, like, crash out or anything when he got here. No magic, no technology—just what sort of backwards world did that guy even come from?”

Trey nodded, “You wouldn’t even think he’s from another world, if it weren’t for those mishaps. He probably could’ve pulled off fooling everyone for much longer.”

They arrived at their dorm, the sky darkened but littered with glittering stars. Trey could also hear the sound of crickets chirping, pairing with their footsteps on the cobblestone path.

Cater came to a stop beside Trey, tilting his head up to look at the night sky.

“But it’s strange, isn’t it?” The diamond student mused quietly, his green eyes looking faraway, “I got the sense Yuu was still hiding something, I mean…he didn’t talk that much about his world.” Cater turned to Trey, “Which is a bit surprising, you’d think that if you teleported to some random new world, your home would be all that you talk about.”

Trey was silent as he considered the other student’s words, but he couldn’t find it in him to agree. He looked ahead towards the Heartslabyul dormitory building.

Was it really that surprising? He would imagine it depended on the home one came from, but if that were the case, then why would Yuu want to go back? Because it didn’t entirely seem like he was motivated to do the ‘research’.

He was a puzzling individual.

“Who knows what a guy like Yuu is thinking,” Trey said, rubbing the back of his neck, “It’s hard to tell much from him, if I’m gonna be honest.”

“Probably just needs time to warm up.”

The two junior students pushed into the lounge, their conversation dying down as they both came to a freezing halt. The scene before them held an air of tension, uncertainty and…dare Trey say fear? 

There were at least half a dozen students crowding the room, a few pacing anxiously while others were seated as they fidgeted with a familiar heart shaped collar. Upon the sound of the door opening, their heads swiveled in Trey and Cater’s direction, chaos ensuing immediately.

“Trey, Cater! You’re finally back!” A Heartslabyul student cried, practically running up to him. “We’ve been looking everywhere for the both of you.”

Trey’s eyes widened, “All of you. You’ve all got collars on, what—”

“W-We were all caught violating rule 153,” A spade student explained in sniffles, holding a box of what appeared to be a tea mixture, “Had gotten a mix of green tea from my mom and wanted to drink it with the others, b-but I forgot we can’t drink any other tea than herbal in the evening.”

“He collared us without hearing what we had to say!” Another teenager exclaimed, though a few others instantly hushed him to not rouse the attention of their housewarden.

Trey’s chest tightened.

That…that wasn’t ri—no, they’d been at fault. These students had violated a rule, it was only expected that they would need to face the consequences.

His hands tightened at his side.

Even so, wasn’t this a bit much?

What was Riddle trying to accomplish by this show of power over his students? All he was doing was just—

“Argh! But I can’t stand it anymore!” The first student who addressed Trey said, he ran a hand through his purple locks, “Everyday, it’s just rules, rules, rules, and rules. I can’t live like this for the next few years!”

A teenager with a diamond shape on his face and a pair of mouse ears crumpled, his head in his hands and sobbing, “Everything we do, it violates some insane rule. I-I can’t handle it, I wanna transfer out!”

There was a murmur of agreement, evident resentment festering in the air like a black mist. 

Letting this continue any longer was going to have its consequences, Trey was no fool to that matter. 

“I’ll talk to Riddle about it, see what I can do,” he promised the group of students, “But in the meantime, you should all go back to your rooms.”

The students whispered amongst themselves as they got up to leave, a few eyeing Trey with skepticism. He could feel their mistrust, and he couldn’t exactly blame them for their frustration. 

“Ahhh,” Cater sighed when everyone else left the lounge, pressing a hand to his forehead in exhaustion, “It’s just one thing after the other, and we’ve barely even started the semester.”

A grimace tugged at Trey’s mouth but he had nothing to say in response.

“Welp, guess I’ll go brew some herbal tea for Riddle, as a show of deference to the Queen.” Cater turned to head back out the door, “Hopefully, our other first years are having a better night at Ramshackle than here.”

“Great Sevens, this is the most disturbing thing I’ve ever watched in my life.”

“I told ya he’s weird!”

“Blegh, but how can you even touch that? That thing’s got more legs than Grim and Deuce have brain cells combined.”

“Funa?! It’s only got six legs, the heck you mean?!”

“Ace, you bastard.”

Yuu fought a glower as she looked over her shoulder at the three bickering students from where she was crouching, in front of the fireplace in the lounge. Deuce, Ace and Grim were practically hanging over her shoulder. 

She had the misfortune of being cursed with their presence for yet another night. And she had no one to thank but Trey for letting Deuce also stay over. But as if that wasn’t enough to dampen her spirits, it had also started to rain outside.

As desperate as Yuu was to leave campus grounds, the thought of dying of a cold immediately after wasn’t exactly appealing. So with much regret, Yuu had decided to give up for tonight, and lighten her spirits in the only way she knew how.

In her hand, a big, squirming and struggling moth tried to free itself as Yuu dangled it over a spider’s web. She’d caught it by the front door upon returning to Ramshackle and had immediately decided its fate. 

This spider was her favourite, the biggest and most bold with her neon yellow stripes. There were already quite a few bugs stuck in her web from Yuu’s devotion to her eight-legged friend, but one more couldn’t hurt.

“So this is what you two meant about the spider obsession,” Deuce commented under his breath to Ace and Grim, his brows furrowed in genuine concern. Though whether it was for the moth or her, Yuu didn’t know. Nor did she care.

Yuu turned back to face the big web, feeling a sense of exasperation at them, “You three don’t have to watch if you don’t want to.” Why were they even watching if they were this disturbed? It wasn’t like she was forcing them to.

Staring at the spider’s web, she couldn’t help but to pause. 

Yuu couldn’t believe she’d told them. Though she supposed it’d gone far easier than she’d expected, it was still uncomfortable knowing that she’d already revealed a secret. 

It didn’t seem plausible to trust that they’d actually do as she asked, to not tell her secret to others. Yuu had said Crowley had been the one to not want others knowing, and if it was a person in a higher position, perhaps they would keep quiet. But knowing these three, she’d be safer leaving as soon as she was able to.

Maybe I should just leave despite the rain—

Yuu mentally shook herself, it wasn’t even that it was just raining. It was pitch black outside, it would practically be impossible not to injure herself trying to escape.

Yuu heard the sound of someone clearing their throat, and she realized she had gotten no reply from Ace and the others. Frowning, Yuu looked back at them again before being taken aback. The three first years sported similar stubborn faces as they stared at her expectantly.

“W-What?” She asked hesitantly.

Ace gestured at the spider impatiently, “Feed it already.”

Yuu couldn’t help but raise a brow.

They’d been complaining about her feeding the spider but they still wanted to watch? Teenage boys…she doubted she could ever come to understand their thought processes aside from the typical carnal and lustful thoughts of women.

And she wasn’t an ‘it’, she was ‘her’, Yuu wanted to correct. 

Idiots.

In any case, she refocused on the yellow-striped spider and held her hand out. The big moth fluttered frantically, but Yuu had a firm grip on its wing, preventing it from escaping. The spider’s two front legs reached out for Yuu’s fingers, practically trained to expect a meal from the young courtesan. And quite a meal it was, the arachnid accepted Yuu’s generous donation, wrestling with the struggling moth to put it into a subdued state with her venom. 

And all four first years watched in a mix of awe and disturbance as the spider began to swaddle the large moth in a cocoon of white spider silk. She worked effortlessly, spinning her meal while continuously pulling more web out from her body, wrapping the moth tight until it was nothing more than a twitching blob.

It was over in seconds, the poor moth never having stood a chance.

“Sick,” Ace whispered behind her.

Yuu cringed, looking back at him with a frown, “Um…I’m sorry if it was too disturbing. But you didn’t have to watch if it was going to make you sick.”

Ace’s eyes widened and he straightened up, “Huh? No—Yuu, I meant ‘sick’ as in that’s pretty cool.”

“...Do you have different definitions for words here than in my world?” Yuu bit her lip, concern seeping into her, “If that’s the case, there’s so much more I need to learn.”

Deuce and Ace were silent, staring at her unblikingly. And as if sharing the same thought, they gave each other amused looks, and it was the latter who spoke a beat after, “Hmmm, you thinking what I’m thinking, Deuce?”

“Hmph, it’s only right that we teach our fellow classmate, wouldn’t you agree, Ace?” Deuce grinned mischievously, standing up straight as well.

Yuu had no clue what they were talking about. She looked from one to the other, both looking similarly offputting.

Grim sighed, “Whatever, I’m goin’ to bed. All the runnin’ around and stuff from earlier made me exhausted.”

In a matter of moments, Yuu found herself sitting on the sofa in the lounge as the sound of rain outside filled the silence. The two Heartslabyul students stood in front of her, making her uneasy with those trouble-making grins on their faces.

“Um—”

“Ahem,” Ace cleared his throat, crossing his arms over his chest, “Yuu, seeing as you're utterly clueless to our world, I think it’s only reasonable that Deuce and I…”

“...Help you better fit in a bit more,” Deuce finished for the other.

Yuu wanted to feel intrigued by their offer but those expressions on their faces were increasingly suspicious. 

But to better fit in? It would certainly help to have a local’s advice if Yuu wanted to better integrate into this world without drawing questions. 

“So, the first lesson of our one and only course called ‘Help Yuu the Alien not seem like an Actual Alien’: you should know that people have a certain way of speaking,” Ace explained, smirking endlessly.

When did he come up with that name?

“We call it ‘slang’,” Deuce said, “And we think it would help a lot for you to know when and how to use it.”

Yuu’s brain felt fried.

Burned to the center.

Why did people in this world have such different meanings for the most simplest of words? 

It felt like it’d been hours of Ace and Deuce teaching her all sorts of new meanings, but at some point they had finally ended their ‘lesson’ and had gone off to bed. Much to her relief, they’d taken the lounge and let her have her bedroom. She had Deuce to thank in that regard.

Yuu stepped into the shabby room, holding a small candle to light her way, a few places on the floor having gotten wet from the rain outside. 

Grim was splayed out on the very center of the bed, hogging it entirely and leaving no room for Yuu to lie down. He was muttering in his sleep, probably dreaming of canned tuna and running around on campus.

At the sight, she sighed in annoyance. Yuu walked up to the side of the bed, placing her candle by the bedside.

And with a gentle touch, as to not wake him, Yuu lifted him and moved him next to her pillow instead. Her hand lingered on his fur, the soft, velvety feel making her pause. 

He looked so calm in this state. And so peaceful.

It would be hard to imagine this cat was the biggest troublemaker of the trio first years. He was naive, stupid, loud-mouthed—and yet he’d been defending her quite a lot recently. Though Yuu would’ve preferred if he didn’t.

“You should look out for yourself,” She whispered to him in the darkness, tentatively giving his head a small, gentle stroke, “I’m not the type of person you’d want to defend, idiot.”

Grim made a groan, mumbling something intelligible, lifting his paw to scratch at his ear. Pulling away abruptly, Yuu turned away from him and moved to the mirror in her room and she put the candle down on the mantel of the fireplace. She glanced at the bedroom door before turning to her reflection.

The dorm was quiet. All its inhabitants asleep except for one.

With a grimace, Yuu unbuttoned her shirt, exposing the grimy curtain of bandages she’d made for her binder. She hadn’t originally intended to undo it tonight but something felt wrong with them.

Her fingers peeled away the bandages, and in the dim light of the candle, Yuu inhaled sharply.

The bandages had been too rough in texture, and having worn them all day with all the running, walking and overall breathing, they’d been chafing her skin. In her reflection, Yuu could make out the raw blisters from where it’d gotten the worse friction, and she tentatively touched one before flinching.

It stung.

She examined the bandages, her grimace deepening.

These weren’t exactly clean to begin with, and even as dense as she was with science and health, Yuu was quite aware that that would cause significant trouble. 

But what was she to do? Unless she wanted to risk someone finding out, Yuu didn’t have many options. 

“I’ll have to make new ones for now,” she whispered to herself, tossing her bandages into a corner. Buttoning up her oversized shirt, Yuu approached the window and grabbed a curtain. She looked at the bottom to see where she’d torn before.

It looked like an animal had clawed into it. 

Settling on her decision, Yuu meant to go find something sharp to cut new bandages for her binder when she felt herself go still.

It’d stopped raining.

Outside, Yuu could no longer hear the pitter pattering of droplets on the roof, and looking out the window, the clouds were beginning to make way for the night sky. 

She’d gone still. 

Not because of the rain having finally stopped, but because of the faint flickering of green lights outside. They seemed like fireflies, but for them to come out so quickly after a storm wasn’t possible. Her room was on the second floor, looking out towards the path that led up to the dorm, and it was from there that she was able to see…a figure.

Yuu felt her heart nearly stutter.

It was too dark to see properly but the silhouette was evidently tall, and it seemed to be holding an umbrella over its head. But…upon closer inspection, so much so that Yuu had unconsciously pressed against the window, she could see…

“Horns?”

As if the being had heard her, from this far of a distance, it instantly looked in her direction. And Yuu caught the look of vibrant, green eyes just a split second before she jolted behind the curtain.

She pressed a hand to her racing heart, a chill going down her spine.

What was that? What just happened? 

What manner of creature was prowling around these grounds way past midnight? 

Had it seen her?

Green eyes. The silhouette had such bright green eyes that she had seen it from afar so clearly, and it lingered in the back of her mind like a dream.

Swallowing nervously and feeling her chest tighten, Yuu slowly—so, so slowly—peeked just an inch away from the curtain.

Gone.

There was nobody there.

Not even those flickering green lights had stayed, there was no sign of there ever being that horned, shadowed figure.

Had she imagined it?

She shook her head, clenching her eyes shut to rub them before looking again.

“Nothing,” she whispered to herself.

Still…maybe it was best to not stand by the window like this. In a jerkish motion, Yuu closed the curtains and practically ran to the other window to do the same. 

She involuntarily shivered, trying to erase that colour of fluorescent green from her mind. 

“Just…I’m just tired,” Yuu said to herself, nodding dumbly, “I’ve been up for too long, I’m starting to hallucinate things. Just—j-just go to bed, just go to bed, Yuu.”

Abandoning the task of cutting up new bandages for her binder, Yuu slipped under the blankets in her bed before curling her knees up to her chest. She pulled the blankets over her head, still feeling her heart pounding quickly.

It echoed in her ears like a drum, keeping her awake for the remainder of the night.

Chapter Text

It was the same scene as before, the paper people and the garden maze. Yet an air of tension hovered as an unfamiliar face stepped into view. A tall woman towered over the others, her face twisted into a nasty scowl as she held a tree in a single hand.

“Who did it?! Who tried to make a fool out of me?! Who planted the white roses only to paint them red?!” She screamed down at several cowering paper people and a familiar young girl. “Whoever it is, I will have their head!”

One individual spoke up, pointing in accusation, “It was the Ace, Your Majesty! The Ace of Hearts! If it’s anyone to blame, it’s the Ace of Hearts who painted your roses red!

The woman whipped her glare to the accused, loose hairs falling around her face like squirming insects. It was a wonder she could keep her tiny crown in place with how abrupt her movements were.

“So it was you?”

“No! No, I swear, My Queen!” The Ace of Hearts cried out, “It was the Spade who painted your roses red! He planted them white but painted them red, if anyone, it is he who should lose his head!”

The Queen lifted her hand higher, “So it was you?!”

“Not true, Your Majesty! It was the—!”

“ENOUGH!” The ground trembled with the power of the Queen’s voice, causing everyone to flinch in fear. She swung her tree, gesturing at all those who groveled before her. “Enough, enough, enough! I will have all your heads for painting my roses red!

As the Queen laughed manically, one by one, the several paper people who’d been sentenced were dragged away. The paper soldiers who stood and watched all murmured in scorn, their faces twisted with disapproval.

“A fitting end,” one said coldly, “For painting the roses red, they all shall lose their heads.”

“Ha ha ha ha ha!” The Queen continued to laugh with glee.

“It was well deserved,” another soldier whispered.

“For everyone knows that the roses should be red.”

The young courtesan could only agree, if it was as ordered, then it was to be. Even if this unsettling sensation festered in her heart, there was nothing anyone could do.

Yuu woke with a start, her eyes fluttering open to see the small morning light slipping between the curtains. 

The smell of mildew and something more earthy hovered around her like a fine mist, possible remnants of the rain last night. And it only implied to her that she was, in fact, still at Ramshackle.

In the short time that Yuu had managed to fall asleep, though hardly getting enough rest, she’d had that odd dream once again. The one with the paper people and their attempts to cover up their mistakes. Only in this dream, they’d been caught and had been sentenced for their faults.

A harsh punishment for a mere mistake. 

Unconsciously, her hand moved to her chest. Clenched like a fist, this familiar tension slowly lessened with each passing second

“‘Everyone knows the roses should be red,’” Yuu murmured to herself.

She looked upward at the ceiling, lost in contemplation.

As elaborate as they were, these dreams never seemed to last long. It seemed logical to dismiss them as just an effect of her odd predicament, a ripple-effect of being surrounded by magic. To linger any further would be silly. 

Even so, as she tightly gripped her shirt, Yuu couldn’t help but wonder if it meant something.

Whack.

“Puh—” A paw suddenly hit her, her stupor abruptly interrupted by the cat still sleeping beside her.

“Nghhh…no—gimme m-more—” He smacked his paw on her face a few more times.

“Grim,” Yuu grumbled with a scrunched face, and she pushed his limb away, “I should have you sleep at the end of the bed next t—” she cut herself off, a moment passing before she slowly frowned “—although…I suppose it won’t matter after today.”

Sighing, she pushed into a sitting position on her bed only to instantly go still with a wince. A soreness instantly spread throughout her body like wildfire, the worst rippling as she moved.

Yuu didn’t bother hiding her deep scowl, “That cursed boisterous man and his torture regimen, how can anyone enjoy ‘working out’?”

She threw her legs over the bed, groaning under her breath as she slowly got up.

“Is this what the Emperor’s soldiers endure?” She rubbed her temple, scoffing to herself, “If I have to suffer through any more of those ridiculous motions, I should be allowed to join the Emperor’s army.”

Yuu put her hand to her chest, her discomfort growing as she glanced over to where she’d discarded her used bandages. 

With the Unbirthday Party today, Ace could offer his apology tart and Yuu could be on her way.

It was just one more day. One more day of wearing those rags. 

Moving to pick them up from the corner, Yuu couldn’t help but stop by the window, wariness flickering in her heart as she recalled what she’d seen last night. 

The horned ghost. 

It seemed like it’d only been a dream, especially since the silhouette had vanished just as swiftly. Had she truly seen that figure or had it just been a trick of the eyes?

She couldn’t help but take a small peek between the curtains. Yuu didn’t know what she’d been expecting to find, certainly when it was daylight. But she felt a twinge of relief nonetheless at the bright but empty pathway. 

There’d be no reason for any student to come this way, unless they had a preference for neglected buildings, and it had been so late in the night that it couldn’t have been anything more than a ghost. But was it the good kind or the evil kind? Had Yuu even been sure she’d seen it?

Hmph, what did it matter at this point?

She huffed tiredly, “Well, whatever you are, you can haunt this place all you like when I’m gone.”

A bit of motion in the distance caught her attention, and she recognized the appearance of a certain orange haired student. Yuu tensed up.

It was happening already?

Yuu closed the curtains quickly, grabbing her bandages and slipped into the bathroom to prepare for yet another grueling day.

“Oh, so we don’t have classes today?”

“Nope, it’s our off days on the weekend.”

Yuu walked alongside Ace, Cater, and Deuce—Grim was skipping ahead.

Ace carried the mont blanc, having retrieved it from the cafeteria kitchen—apparently Yuu’s dorm didn't have a working ‘fridge’—and his steps were quickened with anticipation. Evidently, the boy was eager to finally rid himself of his magic-stifling collar.

“Is that something uncommon where you’re from, Yuu?” Deuce asked her as they went, “You were homeschooled, right? Or at least something similar, but would you also get days off?”

Yuu pursed her lips, debating on the type of vague answer to reply with.

“I suppose I’d get lessons every now and then on what you consider ‘off days’,” she mused, thinking of the tutoring she’d received—usually private music lessons with Joka. 

Cater shot her a quick smile, “Well, the only things that go on on weekends are usually parties or sleeping in.”

“Speaking of parties, isn’t the ground a bit wet from the rain last night?” Ace questioned the other student. “Wouldn’t this ruin it?”

True enough, there were puddles still remaining in the late morning, and the grass was still damp and muddy. They were slowly drying up with the bright sun coming over their heads, though the earthy smell had yet to dissipate.

“Nope, the dorms have their weather regulated, so Heartslabyul was all clear skies.”

“Huh, lucky.” The boy jerked his head at the blue haired student, “Deuce and I had to try patching up a few parts of the roof, we kept on getting dripped on in the middle of the night.”

“Aw, don’t be like that,” Cater said, “Look on the bright side, you guys at least got to do a cute, freshie bonding sleepover. Wish I coulda joined, but of course Trey needed me so…haha, it wasn’t meant to be.”

“Urgh! Cute?!” Grim turned back around, his ears perked, “Those three wouldn’t shut up the entire night, and if it had been up to me, there would’ve been no sleepover in the first place.”

Yuu bit her lip, a question gnawing at her from within.

“Um…Cater,” she addressed the student beside her hesitantly, and he fell silent in anticipation of her next words, “I just wanted to know but…is there a ghost that walks around campus in the middle of the night?”

All three first years shared wary looks, noticeably taken aback by the sudden shift in conversation.

Cater raised his brows, “A ghost around campus? I mean, they’re plenty of them, aren’t there a few at your dorm?”

“Yes, that’s true.” She chewed on her bottom lip, “But last night, I saw something near the building and it wasn’t the type of ghost at Ramshackle.”

“H-Huh? Last night?” Ace stammered with uncertainty, “You mean something ghostlike was hanging around your place, the place that Deuce and I were staying at, and it wasn’t the ghosts you’re familiar with?”

“Mhm,” Yuu responded, “But I only saw it for a split second because it disappeared right away.”

Cater brought a hand to his chin, rubbing it thoughtfully, “Hmm…I dunno, I mean I know most of the peeps around campus—students, ghosts, paintings—did you see what they looked like?”

“Not really, it was really dark but—”

“Don’t!” Grim snapped at the two of them, his hackles raised, “It’s probably just some random lost idiot, not a ghost, okay?! Let’s not talk about this anymore, I don’t want to think about it!”

Ace snickered at the cat, “What? You freaked out or something?”

“You seemed a bit nervous too just now, Ace,” Deuce added unhelpfully.

“I was not!”

Yuu bit back a sigh. 

She supposed it didn’t really matter if she knew what that ghostlike figure had been. It might even be better to just leave it, Yuu didn’t need to be dragged into anything else right now. 

“Alright,” Yuu said, rubbing the back of her neck tiredly, “I’ll drop it, Grim. And you’re probably right, it likely was just some lost idiot.”

“Hmph, of course I’m right.”

“But in any case, we should probably hurry a little,” the third year ushered, “Still have a few more preparations to take care of for the party since we’re a bit short-staffed.”

Ace shot the student a bemused look, “Short-staffed, what with how full the dorm is? What do you mean by that?”

“Nothing, of course. It’s all good since your most dependable junior is handling it just fine.”

They made it to the Hall of Mirrors at last, and Yuu was already so through with everything. Perhaps it was the lack of sleep or something else, but she felt on edge more than she usually was. She had her bag slung over her shoulders, though it turned out she didn’t even need the textbooks she’d brought along for classes. In any case, once this whole ordeal was over, Yuu could move on at last. 

She just had to be patient.

Upon arrival at Heartslabyul, Yuu had her mouth clenched to suppress the nauseating feeling as they had passed through the mirror, the small breakfast she’d had at the cafeteria flipping around in her stomach. She didn’t think she’d ever get accustomed to mirror-traveling.

“Finally, thank the Great Sevens,” Ace muttered in exhaustion, holding the box that contained the tart, “I can’t believe I went through all this trouble just because of a tart I ate.”

Yuu wanted to roll her eyes in exasperation.

And you forced me through all this trouble when it had nothing to do with me, she mentally grumbled. 

Yeah, Yuu wasn’t in a good mood in the slightest.

They walked up to the dorm building, and it was up ahead that Yuu could spot several people tending to the rose trees again. Though, strangely enough, those people looked like—

“Oh! You made it just in time!” Cater exclaimed, running up to their small group.

Yuu and the other first years were all taken aback, and it was the former who stuttered as she pointed at the Cater in front of her, “W-What—who is—?”

She looked to the third year beside her, finding to her utter surprise that…there were two!?

But no, because all the other people working on the rose trees were also Cater!

“Looking good, me,” the one beside her said to the other, smiling gleefully, making his one singularly big canine stand out. 

The third year who stood in front of them sported the fitness tracksuit, his sleeves rolled up and hair done up into a small ponytail. He snapped his fingers, the exact same grin on his face as he said, “As always, and it’s good to see me!”

“I can feel my head spinning,” Yuu choked out, pressing a hand to her forehead.

“Cater! How are there so many of you?!” Deuce exclaimed.

Ace added, “I thought at first you were a twin—” he then pointed to the several other Caters, one waved back to Ace while he painted a rose “—but there’s literally a dozen of you!”

The third year that had come to retrieve them, the one wearing the school uniform, replied, “Yeah, these aren’t brothers or anything—LOL, can you imagine that? But it’s my unique magic.”

The school uniformed Cater gestured at the group of all his mes, “It’s called ‘Split Card.’ And it lets me make duplicates of myself.”

“As many as you want?” Yuu wondered in bafflement, trying to imagine what it must be like to make a clone of yourself. 

“Eh, to a certain extent,” the boy shrugged, “Depends on my magic reserves and whatnot, but I can generally make up to a dozen or two on a good day. Not for too long though.”

Deuce ran a hand through his hair, exhaling slowly with understanding, “So that’s how we had a hard time beating you yesterday. You just kept coming, over and over, but now it makes sense why we couldn’t seem to get through.”

“Heyyyyy, welcome back!” One Cater spoke up, this one wearing that weird white jacket that the others called a ‘lab coat’. 

Another popped up beside Yuu, giving her hair a ruffle, “Nice seeing you too, Yuu, hope you didn’t mind hosting our two first years again.”

“Well…it was educational in some ways so it wasn’t too bad,” Yuu answered stiffly.

“Hmm,” he mused, a look of what she’d considered concern crossed his features, “They didn’t keep you up though, did they? You look worn.”

Yuu couldn’t deny she probably looked exhausted. It wasn’t like she’d been sleeping well for the past few days, and she didn’t exactly have any make up to cover the small bags under her eyes. 

She sighed, “It’s of no matter, Cater, but I appreciate your concern.”

“Ah! I was so worried you’d all be late, I was worried sick!” Another Cater joined the fray, this one wearing a unique set of clothes. It was bold in every way possible, from the mismatched sleeves to the funky looking boots. Yet despite the absurdity, Yuu couldn’t deny Cater looked good in such a flamboyant style.

The first years were expectedly taken aback by this sudden onslaught of Caters, and it was Ace who exclaimed, “There’s literally so many of them!”

The Cater in the white, red and black uniform made a gesture with his hand, “Oh right, JSYK, I’m the real deal.”

“H-Huh? So then…” Yuu trailed off before distancing herself from the Cater who’d been walking with them to Heartslabyul, her heart unsettled.

The real third year clapped his hands, “But now that you’re all here, it’s perfect! My me probably already mentioned it but we’re kinda short-staffed ATM, so since you’re here—”

“Oh no! No way!” Grim interrupted, “You’re not tricking me into another one of your stupid chores or whatever!”

“Aw, Grim.” Cater pouted, “Haven’t you ever heard of the tale of the hen and her chicks? They worked together to bake a loaf of bread, the hen asked the other farm animals to help but they wouldn’t lift a hand—or paw or whatever. And guess who didn’t get to have any bread once it was done being baked?”

Grim grumbled, “I’m not a chicken, what’s your point?”

“Point is, you shouldn’t expect to reap the benefits and sweets at our party if you won’t help prepare for it.”

“Funa?! You can’t—”

“Grim, the party will come sooner if we help out,” Yuu stopped him, feeling similarly irritated about the situation but having enough of his arguing. 

“Hmph—fine.”

Ace groaned, setting the boxed tart off to the side, “Here we go again with the rose painting.”

Yuu wiped her forehead with the back of her hand while taking a step back, sighing in relief at having finished painting the last rose.

She felt exhausted. It made her ten times more relieved knowing that there weren’t any classes after this, Yuu didn’t think she’d last the day if that were the case.

“And done! Yay, look how cammable these roses all are!” Cater gushed, his hands placed on his hips as he observed the finished products.

Deuce pocketed his pen, a confident glint in his eyes, “That went so much smoother than yesterday, I didn’t even turn any roses blue this time.”

“And I didn’t set any on fire! Myaha, did’ya see how quickly I turned roses red, henchman?”

Yuu nodded, “You were bound to improve with how much you’d done.”

Ace puffed his cheeks out, dropping his paintbrush into a bucket, “I don’t need to improve my painting skills, I should’ve been doing this with my magic too.”

Cater magicked all the equipment and paint away, coming up to the first years, “Well, that’s a wrap, so we better head further into the garden for the party.”

His body-doubles vanished instantly, no longer needed now that everything had been finished.

Ace picked up his tart from where he left it, opening the box to check on it before catching up to everyone else.

They followed Cater to a small entrance, a red wooden door surrounded by tall, green hedges.

“Oh, but before we go in.” The older student turned to the group, “One of the Queen of Heart’s rules states having formal dress on party days, so with that in mind—”

From Cater’s pen, a bright flash blinded Yuu for a second.

“There, much better.”

She opened her eyes once more to find Ace and Deuce sporting the same uniform that Cater was wearing. She also had to do a double take when her baggy clothes had changed into something more fitted. Yuu thanked herself a thousand times over for choosing to wear her bandages again, this would’ve been a terrible situation without them. The two students startled back, the persimmon haired one exclaiming, “Whoa, I seriously think our dorm uniform is the coolest.”

“Right?” Deuce said in rare agreement, “Now I’m really a part of the dorm.”

Grim had also had his ribbon changed, a patterned red, black and white one that he marveled at, “So cool! Hey henchman, we should get Crowley to give us a Ramshackle uniform, don’t ya think?”

They all looked at Yuu, their expressions changing from excitement to shock when they saw her wearing the Heartslabyul uniform. Unbeknownst to her, Cater’s eyes narrowed a fraction at her frame, a flicker of perplexity crossing his features before it instantly vanished.

“Ohh, not too bad looking,” Ace started, “Though…hmm…maybe—” the boy reached out, and her first instinct was to flinch back until she felt him smoothing down her hair a bit with one hand “—Can at least tidy your hair a bit, Yuu, it looks like a nest. And…there, perfect.”

“Whoa, you look really good in our uniform,” Deuce complemented, Grim nodding his head in agreement.

“Doesn’t he? Could be a new Heartslabyul student,” Cater folded his arms as he gave her a onceover. “Maybe we can convince Riddle to let him transfer in instead of staying at that rundown place.”

“Funa?! Now hold on just a minute—”

“Haha, you all look great as well,” she laughed awkwardly, cutting off Grim’s outrage, “And thank you but…I’d imagine he would want me to be more adept at magic before ever entertaining the idea.”

Highly unlikely and will never happen, was Yuu’s first thought. 

She looked down at the new set of clothes she wore. Admittedly, it felt nice to wear something that wasn’t stained, but the shoes were a bit too chunky for her tastes and she’d prefer something more loose. 

Though there was something else that unsettled Yuu, she hesitantly asked Cater, “By the way, how did you know my size?”

The student shrugged, “It’s just an illusion spell, it’s taking on the appearance of a dorm uniform that would fit you. So technically speaking, you’re still wearing your school uniform, it just looks like our dorm one.”

“An illusion spell?”

“Yup, it’ll go poof—” he made an exploding gesture with his hands “—when you’re out of my range and you’ll be back in your old clothes,” Cater explained, putting his magic pen away. “But now that that’s all settled, we should go inside.”

And with that, they pushed past the doors to join the party.

It was a fairly spacious area, surrounded by the tall hedges and decorated with all sorts of ribbons, patterns and symbols. There were tables scattered throughout, some already full as Heartslabyul students conversed with each other while waiting for the party to commence. Yuu couldn’t help but linger on a few students who sported animal ears, still very much taken aback by such stark differences between her world and this one.

A few students eyed Yuu before continuing their hushed conversations, and it didn’t fail her to notice that they seemed…anxious. As if they’d been expecting someone else but were relieved it was just her and the others.

Weird…

Yuu looked around the outdoor venue, her curiosity getting the better of her, and she couldn’t help but quietly ask Ace, “You have those symbols drawn on your faces and decorated all over, but what exactly are they?”

“Oh, you mean these?” He shifted the box onto one hand again, bringing his free one up to his face to point at the mark.

She nodded.

“They represent the card soldiers the Queen of Hearts commanded,” Ace explained to her as they took a seat at a vacant table—Grim was on her other side and Deuce sat next to Ace, “Mine’s a heart, and the one on Deuce is a spade.”

Yuu tilted her head, “That’s…a heart?”

But before Ace could continue, the sound of a horn cut through the idle chatter. Instantly, everyone stood from their seats, and Yuu—who was caught offguard, having literally just sat down—fumbled to do the same.

“All hail our leader, the red sovereign himself!” A Heartslabyul student declared by the closed doors, “Housewarden Riddle!”

The sound of his name, for some reason, sent a wave of restlessness throughout the student body. Had Yuu been anyone else, she might have not felt it. But being trained as she was with social etiquette and how to read a room, this unsettling sensation festered deep into her very bones.

The doors swung open, and instantly, a loud burst of noise filled the air. Students clapped and hollered, and Yuu felt like she’d been swung around with full force at the sudden change.

“Honor to Riddle, our esteemed leader!” Everybody, excluding her and the other first years, exclaimed brightly. 

Yuu observed quietly, her discomfort and wariness growing. What good actors for a crowd of inexperienced students, she could almost think she was going insane with what she was feeling.

But the shift of a foot? A flick of a bunny ear or two? Then the hands, how they clenched and unclenched and even the tapping of one’s shoe—

They’re all nervous.

“I don’t like this,” Yuu whispered without thinking, not noticing the look Ace and Deuce shot at her.

Riddle approached the largest table at the far end of the venue. Trey, his vice-housewarden, followed beside him like a shadow.

It felt unpleasant—these practiced cheers, the forced excitement. Whatever this tension was that hung in the air, it clung to her skin like an itchy rash. And it was hard for her to ignore it, especially since she’d been trained to deal with social events like these. Especially because she knew what it was like to force an unwanted emotion.

“Well,” Riddle began in a gentle voice, sending an inexplicable shiver down Yuu’s spine, “I see the roses are red and the tablecloths are white—” he trailed his black, gloved fingers along the table with a critical eye before lifting his head to survey the garden “—Indeed, this is beginning to be a most perfect Unbirthday Party.”

It felt like the entire crowd had been holding its breath, and at the Housewarden’s approval, it was released almost hesitantly. 

Riddle approached a delicate teaset, the porcelain a different type than what Yuu was familiar with. 

“Is the dormouse asleep in the teapot?” He asked casually.

Confusion flickered in her. 

A dormouse? In a teapot?

It was Trey who replied, “Yes, Housewarden. And the jam is ready to be spread on its nose should it be needed.” 

Nonsense. What sort of nonsense party was this?

“Hey,” Grim tugged on Yuu’s sleeve, “Why does that kid get such a fancy pair of duds?”

Thankfully, the cat seemed to have enough awareness to not speak too loudly, so attention wasn’t drawn to them.

“Well, he is their leader, isn’t he?” Yuu replied under her breath, admittedly eyeing Riddle’s uniform with mild intrigue. “Though I’ll agree, they are quite nice.”

He looked like a doll, so prim and proper. But there was something hardened in his stance, it had nothing to do with how high he held his head, but almost like his spine had been trained to never relax. Like Riddle was as hard on his posture and image as he was strict with the rules he upheld. 

Did he ever get tired of that?

“Now then, let’s get started on our croquet tournament, we musn’t run late on time,” Riddle said, sitting down, “But before that, I believe we should make a toast to begin our Unbirthday Party. Everyone, please take up your teacups.”

The boy picked up his own, watching expectantly as everyone else followed suit in their seats.

“Let us toast to this day which nobody’s birthday lands upon—cheers to a very merry Unbirthday.” Riddle lifted his teacup.

The Heartslabyul students did the same, holding up their teacups and offering a cheer before taking a sip. 

Yuu followed along, figuring it was best to do as the others did so as to not stand out.

“Mhm,” she blinked in surprise, taking a polite sip of her tea, “This is quite good.”

Cater winked at her, “Well, of course it is, we don’t slack on the preparations for these kinds of parties.”

Beside her, Ace let out an exhale as he fidgeted with the box, “Would now be a good time?”

“Better now than never.”

The persimmon haired boy nodded, moving from their group to stop in front of Riddle, and everyone stopped to watch.

“Ahem, umm…Housewarden,” Ace started, all the while Riddle leisurely sipped his drink.

The boy lifted a fine brow, “Oh? If it isn’t the tart thief, and I see you brought the magicless boy and his familiar with you.” Riddle side-eyed Yuu who stiffened in her seat. Beside her, she could hear Grim growling low in his chest but she nudged him to stop. “I will hardly prevent anyone from participating in our events, especially as it gives insight into our traditions and can be an opportunity to learn, but understand I will not tolerate any rule breaking from you two.”

She felt a familiar sense of bitterness flare in her heart, disliking the look she received from this boy who was no doubt her own age. Nonetheless, Yuu nodded, “Yes, sir.”

“In any case.” Riddle turned back to Ace, “What is it that you wished to address?”

Ace placed the box with the tart onto the table, sliding it placatively towards Riddle.

“As per the rules, I brought a tart to replace the one I’d eaten without your permission,” Ace explained, fidgeting with the collar around his neck as he grinned sheepishly, “I also just wanted to apologize for that.”

Riddle hummed, putting his cup onto its saucer. He leaned forward slightly, a look of what may have been intrigue lighting his eyes. Of all the times Yuu had interacted with Riddle, she’d say that this was the first time she’d seen him so well-mannered. 

“And? So what kind of tart is it?” The Housewarden wondered in his soft-spoken voice, reaching out to take the box. He opened it.

“It’s a chestnut tart, or more specifically a mont blanc,” Ace declared, brimming with unspoken pride, “Worked real hard to gather all the chestnuts and to bake it, and it turned out really well—got to have a taste before and I can say it’s seriously so good. So as my apology, I offer this to—”

Riddle instantly smashed the box closed with full force, crushing it and the tart with it. 

The others stood in silent shock, the looks of bewilderment crossing Trey and Cater’s faces. Yuu’s own chest tightened at the sight of the ruined box, a fluttering of heat spreading throughout her body like a wave. 

What…why’d he do that?

“A chestnut tart—” The boy rose from his seat “—How dare you!”

It felt like the entire garden flinched. Every rose and student held their breaths as they watched on in wariness. 

“H-Huh?” Ace was taken aback. “What do you mean? What did I do?”

Riddle’s soft features hardened as he shot the first year a scathing glare, “You dare bring a chestnut tart. Today! Of all days!” The boy pointed a finger at Ace as he accused loudly, “This is a blatant violation of our rules, how dare you stand before me in such an offending manner!”

Yuu’s hands clenched into fists and her breath hitched, and a bud of heat flared within her.

No…no, calm down, Yuu told herself, suppressing the feeling. She was tired and aggravated, letting herself spiral wouldn’t help anything

Ace stepped back, looking as if he’d been slapped across the face, “‘Violation’? The hell you mean? It’s just a tart.”

“Ha!” Riddle scoffed, “Just a tart? It’s a chestnut tart.”

Trey and Cater were instantly by Riddle’s side, sharing similar expressions of worry and confusion. And the latter tried to speak only to be cut off as the Housewarden continued.

“The Queen of Hearts’s rule 562 states that ‘One must never bring a chestnut tart to an Unbirthday tea party.’” Riddle folded his arms over his chest, and he was aggressively tapping his finger with restrained anger as he seethed, “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”

Deuce and Grim both choked out, “562?!”

“There are 562 rules?” Yuu echoed, her disbelief giving way to the increasing irritation over everything she’d been dragged into. 

“There are more than just 562 rules, fool,” Riddle sneered at her unpleasantly, making her heart clench, “There’s precisely 810, and as the Housewarden of Heartslabyul who represents the spirit of the Queen of Hearts, I have memorized each and every single rule.”

Unbeknownst to the crowd of nervous students, Cater whispered to Trey rapidly, “T-Trey, 810? Did you know there were that many? I mean I only memorized a handful.”

“I only memorized up to 350,” Trey replied stiffly, “But we messed up big time, I should’ve checked beforehand—but I didn’t expect there to be a rule about this too.”

Riddle snapped at a couple of students, gesturing at the crumpled up box, “Take this trash and get it out of my sight immediately! And what should’ve been a perfect Unbirthday Party is ruined with these rule-breakers, I will not have them taint this moment any further—kick them out!”

And waste all their hard work? All of Yuu’s struggles? What sort of nonsense rules forced people to waste food for no reason?

Because these rules had no reason.  

She suppressed the sudden wave of heat boiling within her, but there was no way to stop herself from trembling.

Calm down, Yuu, calm down. Don’t do anything careless, please.

“Wait, wait, Riddle,” Trey hurried to speak up, “It wasn’t just Ace’s fault, I was the one who helped make the tart.”

“Yeah, we’re just as at fault as he is because we suggested it,” Cater frantically explained.

“It’s not the making of the tart that violates the rules,” Riddle explained impatiently, looking from Trey to Cater, and then to Ace, “It’s the fact that it was brought here. Today of all days. On an Unbirthday Party. That is the violation!”

Yuu tried to tune out his voice, shutting her eyes tight while taking slow breaths. She willed herself to stay quiet, to not make a scene—this wasn’t her fight, it wasn’t her problem. But this bubbling heat, it roared for a way out. Clenching her trembling hands and breathing wasn’t going to make it go away, not when she was already so mentally exhausted. 

Don’t, Yuu. Just keep your head down, stay out of it! Stay out of it! Stay quiet, don’t speak, don’t say anything—just be quiet—

Grim got off his seat, jumping up onto the table—and for once, Yuu couldn’t bring herself to chastise him as he yelled, “So you’re just gonna waste a perfectly good tart?! If you weren’t goin’ to even have it, you could’ve at least saved it for later or given it to someone else instead of crushin’ it!”

“For once I agree with Grim,” Ace said irritably, crossing his arms over his chest as he met Riddle’s furious gaze, “What sort of ridiculous rule lets you waste food that someone took the time and effort to make? And to specifically make it for you?”

Riddle clenched his teeth, hissing between them, “Ridiculous? These rules are in place to uphold order—!”

Order? No this was…

“Nah, as if I’d believe that.” Ace rolled his eyes in open defiance, “All this is is just—”

“The tantrums of a child.”

The words were out Yuu’s mouth before she could even think to stop them. But as soon as she said it, the garden went ghostly silent. It was as if everyone had sucked in a breath, holding it as they all turned to Yuu. 

She didn’t pay attention to the students around her whose jaws were hanging open, and she found herself not caring that they were all looking at her.

Deuce, Ace and Grim all stared at her in utter shock.

Riddle stared at her in his own form of astonishment, a brow twitching as he sputtered, “Excuse me?”

She was tired. 

Every fibre in her body felt drained, and this nonsense had gone too far for her to handle. She’d been dragged all around campus the previous day—after having nearly died in a mine the night before that—coerced into Ace’s business, and all for it to go down in flames because of this spoiled brat.  

He truly did look like a doll. Delicate and fair like an innocent child, sheltered from hardship and pain. Why was it always the ones who had it all that wanted to take everything away? Because what purpose did it serve to play the role of a tyrannical king?

Yuu could have been gone by now. She could have put this entire school and all its idiots behind her. But she hadn’t because of Riddle.

And Yuu was pissed. 

“I’ve entertained plenty of children like you,” she said in a dangerously quiet voice, ignoring the frantic waving Cater was giving her as she slowly rose from her seat, “They demanded every little thing—” the garden was silent, every student unable to tear their eyes away from her as she stepped towards Riddle’s table “—they punished anyone who upset them, and they wore through what little patience their allies and ‘friends’ had for them.”

“H-Hey, Yuu, maybe let’s not make this any worse?” Cater laughed nervously to her.

But Yuu had an itch to scratch, and she slowly stopped in front of Riddle. The boy had his jaw clenched, an unnoticeable trembling ensuing as he gripped his scepter. 

Yuu continued, “They were powerful and with the rank to boast. They had everything at the tips of their fingers.” She looked down at her own bandaged hand, pausing as she stared at the callouses on her fingers. The courtesan’s voice softened, laced with subtle venom that sent shivers down the spines of a few students, “But most, if not all of them, fell apart and lost everything. And they almost always ended up the same.”

Dead.

She didn’t notice the red blossoming on Riddle’s cheeks or the unrecognizable look in Ace’s eyes as he watched her. 

“Tell me.” Yuu slowly clenched her fist, asking, “Have you ever heard of the saying: ‘Water can carry a boat but it can also overturn it’?”

No one said a word. 

And she didn’t wait for Riddle’s response.

“You push people too far, you give them enough reason to hate—” Yuu lifted her head, her darkened eyes locked onto him with an unsettling focus “—And you’ll soon find yourself sinking to the bottom of a river.”

There was a flutter of unease amidst the students, and even Trey and Cater had gone pale at her expression.

Riddle stiffened, taking a step back as he seethed with disbelief, “Are you threatening me?”

“It’s a warning,” Yuu corrected him coldly.

Tension crackled between them, and she could slowly begin to register how her heart had sped up. She’d snapped so abruptly that she didn’t even process what her body felt. But now with this silence, Yuu could feel it.

Her hands trembled—whether it was from her anger or nervousness, she wasn’t sure which—and the prickling sensation of the eyes of others had the little hairs on the back of her neck raised. 

Why did I do this? 

Why did I let it get to me? 

I shouldn’t care about any of this.

No, Yuu knew why she’d done it. It was because she was tired. And frustrated. That was it, right?

Certainly not because of the efforts the three other first years had put into that crushed tart, and certainly not because of Ace who’d been the cause of all her troubles.

“Have you no shame?” Riddle tightened his grip on his scepter-like rod, “You come into Heartslabyul, magicless and foolish as you are, and you dare to talk back to me?”

He whipped his scepter at her, pointing it in her face and causing her to flinch back as he exclaimed, “You listen well! And this goes for every single one of you!” He gestured at the crowd of students. “In the year that I’ve been Housewarden, not a single student of mine has failed or dropped out—no other dorm can boast such a feat. Furthermore—” He clamped a hand to his puffed up chest “—in this dorm, I am the one who has the highest ranking in every single class. I have accomplished and perfected my unique magic! And I am the strongest! That in turn makes me the most correct, do you all understand?! I’m the one who’s in the right—none of you can dare talk back to me when I’ve done everything to be in the absolute right in every possible way! And so all of you, each and every one of you, should always be answering to me as ‘Yes, Housewarden’! Say it! Say it because you understand your place!”

A ripple of “Yes, Housewarden”’s rippled amidst the students, even Trey and Cater followed suit. But nothing about their tones told Yuu that they liked this, no one seemed eager to fall in line with everything the red-haired boy was spouting.

“Come on, guys,” Cater urged the four first years pleadingly, “Just say it, don’t dig this hole any further.”

She didn’t want to. Yuu really didn’t want to. Why did it burn her from the inside at the thought of submitting? She’d groveled at the feet of men before, she’d felt this way so many times in the past, so why couldn’t she just ignore it as usual? 

Yuu jolted when Ace suddenly grabbed her arm, pulling her beside him and Deuce.

It was the former who spoke up finally, looking torn between wanting to avoid conflict but also unsettled by the tension, “I…I can’t do that.”

Riddle bristled at Deuce’s response.

“I-I agree rules need to be followed to…a certain extent—”

“So you even agree with me!” Riddle snapped unreasonably, smacking the table, “Then what’s the problem?! Why do you defy me when I’m right?! I don’t collar people because I want to—” his voice faltered for a second “—I do it because rules must never be broken. How can none of you understand such a simple fact?!”

“ARGH!” Ace snapped in frustration, “It’s because you’re a selfish tyrant and I wholly, and so utterly, reject the idea of groveling to one for the entirety of my school years!”

His words echoed in the garden, even in Yuu’s heart, earning stunned murmurs and whispers from the onlookers. 

Riddle’s eyes went wide and the light in his grey irises suddenly went dark. 

He whispered slowly, his voice sending shivers down Yuu’s spine, “I dare you to say that again.”

Yuu took an unconscious step back, holding onto Ace’s sleeve as she sensed something unpleasant from Riddle. Like a festering, black mist of miasma that corrupted everything it touched.

But before anyone could step in to stop this snowballing chaos, Grim was the one to scoff unfiltered, “He said he doesn’t want to follow your dumb, ridiculous rules because you’re a hot-headed and selfish tyrant who throws tantrums and wastes food for no good reason!”

“H-Hey that’s not—”

“‘OFF WITH YOUR HEAD’!” Riddle screamed red-faced, whipping his scepter in Yuu’s direction. 

She cried out as a bright flare of light surrounded her.

Click.

The moment her eyes opened, Yuu could already feel an unfamiliar weight on her shoulders. But it took her a beat later to even process it as gasps wavered in the garden. She didn’t even register the cries of the first years beside her.

What…what was this?

Yuu gingerly reached up to touch her neck. But instead of feeling her soft skin, her trembling fingers met metal. Cold and hard.

“Let this be a lesson to you foolish rule-breakers,” Riddle lashed out, “Even the most insignificant rule, even the smallest step out of line, will be met with strict and unwavering consequences.”

This thing around her neck. It was heavy. Itchy.

Yuu pushed her fingers in between the nearly nonexistent gap of the metal and her skin, her nails scratching at her throat. And realization slowly began to seep in with cold, shaking dread.

What had she done?

Voices were shouting around her—Ace and Deuce were yelling something to the other students, something about standing up. Riddle was snapping back about his rules and nonsense, issuing orders that Yuu couldn’t process. 

Her breaths echoed in her ear, shallow puffs of air that muted the rest of the world. Gritting her teeth, she tried to pry off this itchy weight. Her fingers grappling and fumbling to find some sort of opening, a chink in the material—a weakness to exploit. 

But why wouldn’t it come off? Why wouldn’t it move?!  

Her heart dropped to her stomach—

No…no, this can’t happen.  

Her surroundings turned to mist as she grappled at her neck, feeling her chest constrict with every short breath she took.

It was a collar.

She’d been collared. 

A distorted, sharp note suddenly sliced into her, dissonant and warped. Yuu cried out, the world beneath her feet giving way as it pierced her head.

Each breath was a razor that dragged up her throat, and she clawed at her skin with her nails. It itched. Every breath she took burned with each intake. And the clothes on her body turned to worms and millipedes. They crawled along her skin, their little legs prickling every nerve. They were going to consume her alive, peel away every inch of her apart until she was left with nothing left.

This cold, heavy collar was around her neck.

She lost her sight. Not the green hedges of Heartslabyul’s garden, not the tables covered in white—Yuu could see none of it. She’d gone blind. Blind and deaf to the world around her, every second spiraling into disaster.

This can’t happen!

Her heart, it beat loud and heavy in her ears, muting the sounds around her. No matter how she pulled, tugged, pushed or struggled—she couldn’t get it off. Like a pair of hands strangling her to death—heavy, cold and cruel hands that dug into her skin as she lay helpless in bed—

She gasped for air. 

Can’t…can’t breathe. There’s no room to breathe.

He was choking her. She could smell his alcohol tinted breath as she struggled beneath him, his hands unrelenting as she fought and begged for mercy.

She couldn’t breathe. Even as Yuu’s chest moved up and down frantically, it struggled to expand. Her lungs wouldn’t inflate. Her heart wouldn’t stop hurting.

She was a fish out of water, gaping open mouthed and drying out on land.

She was trapped. There was no way out, nowhere to run or hide—because they’d find her.

She was going to die. 

No, get off of me.

His hands were on her neck

Don’t touch me.

It hurt. Her heart and head hurt, it all seared as hot as the raging sun.

Leave me alone!

There were hands all over her, touching her and groping her as she suffocated. Yuu’s head filled with screams as she clawed at the hands that touched her, digging her nails and fighting to be free.

No one ever listens.

Get off me.

Yuu didn’t want it.

Get off me please.

Just leave her alone.

“Don’t touch me!” Yuu screamed aloud without thinking, pushing at the hands that touched her. Her face felt wet and heated, and it only made her head ache even worse. “Don’t touch me! Get off! Get off, get off, get off!”

Why couldn’t they just leave her alone?! Why did they have to come to her for their troubles and stress?! And how many times must she beg and wish for it all to stop? 

Just make it stop.

Please, go away—!

In the midst of her drowning, her breath hitched for a split second as something unfamiliar pressed against her cheek.

Yuu’s panic stuttered, at first not registering until that ‘something’ tickled her face. Her hands attempted to push it away, the smell of something suddenly sweet making her nose itch with an oncoming sneeze.

She grabbed onto the foreign object, her mind instantly going blank save for a single thought.

…Soft.

The object wiggled in her hands, the texture a fluffy anchor in a raging storm.

“Like it? I know I do, nyaha—” Yuu stiffened at the soft but playful voice “—Oh? You can hear me now, can’t you? Why don’t ya take some deep breaths? Smell the roses in the air? They smell a bit like paint, don’t’ya think?”

Yuu’s breaths hitched, a small part of her feeling reluctant to listen. She realized she’d closed her eyes—she didn’t remember doing that. Nor did Yuu realize until now just how wet her face felt.

The person continued speaking in their odd manner, “The air is nice and fresh—smells like freshly cut grass if y’like that kinda stuff—y’wanna take a big, deep breath?”

Yuu clenched her teeth, shaking her head.

“I-I…can’t,” she choked out weakly, unconsciously squeezing whatever was in her hands.

“Hmmm…it can’t hurt to try, can it?”

And how would they know that?

Nonetheless, Yuu fell silent as she inhaled slowly through her nose.

True enough, the air smelled like freshly cut grass, as well as the aroma of paint mixed with roses. She immediately thought of having helped Cater paint the white roses a while ago, the fresh memory pulling her back into her senses.

Right. Painting roses. Yuu was in Heartslabyul.

She took another few deep breaths, a tension she didn’t even notice slowly easing with each exhale.

“See, not so bad now, right?”

With a wince, Yuu’s eyes peeled open to come face to face with a cat-eared individual.

Her mind went blank at the startling sight.

The boy in front of her had chin-length purple hair with light pink highlights, though it seemed he was rather careless with how he trimmed it. And in her hands was his tail, a big fluffy tail that suddenly teased her face with a ticklish stroke. Yuu gasped in response. The boy tilted his head at her reaction, golden eyes squinted with contentment. 

“Such pretty eyes you have, nyaha~” he chuckled, “Makes me think of frosting and macrons.”

“Yuu!” 

She startled, looking up from where she was sitting against a tree and at the three worried students.

“Ace? Deuce?” Yuu brought a hand to her forehead, still feeling woozy and lightheaded, “What—w-where are we? We’re not in the venue anymore.”

What had just happened?

Grim came over to sit next to her, giving her leg a pat as he explained, “You started breathin’ all weird while everyone was arguin’, henchman.”

“I didn’t even notice until you were practically falling on top of me,” Ace said, rubbing the back of his head, his gaze averted. “Figured we needed to find a more quiet place for you without all the…yelling and stuff.”

“Well I mean, we were technically kicked out—banished from my own dorm,” Deuce let out a sigh before coming to sit near Yuu on the grass. He gave her a worried onceover, “But it’s good we got you out when we did, you started panicking and crying as soon as we left.”

“You were fighting like a wild animal too.” Ace showed his wrists where his sleeves didn’t reach, and there were evident angry red scratches on his skin—some were even bleeding. The sight made Yuu’s stomach drop, and the boy exhaled, “But man, your nails are deadly sharp, Yuu, like I didn’t even realize how long they were until you were digging them into me.”  

“We couldn’t go much further than a little ways from the building, didn’t want anyone’s eye taken out or anything.”

Yuu sucked in a breath, looking down at her hands with a mix of guilt and confusion. She could see a bit of red underneath her nails, the sight making her ill.

These two.

It had been their hands that she’d felt, leading her out of the garden. But Yuu had thought they were someone else’s, she’d scratched and fought at them thinking that they were…

“I…I’m sorry, I didn’t—”

“Don’t.” Ace came over to crouch down next to her, catching her offguard, “Don’t apologize. In fact, stop apologizing altogether. You didn’t do shit, Yuu.”

“But—”

He pointed at her neck, “You can’t even use magic, putting that on you is straight cruelty and so fucking stupid. You had every right to freak out, alright?”

Yuu paused as if now recalling she’d been collared. She unconsciously touched the metal frame, her mouth tightening into a grimace.

Deuce shook his head, shooting a glance back towards the building, “I feel ashamed to have a Housewarden who’d abuse his power and strength like that, especially since I…” He trailed off, fidgeting self-consciously with his own collar. It didn’t come to her attention until now that both him and Grim were wearing one.

“Yeah, the feeling’s mutual,” Ace grumbled under his breath. He shot Yuu another glance, his jaw tightening.

“Hm, what is it with y’all wearing those funky collars though?” The unfamiliar cat-eared boy asked, “They seem familiar, I wonder if I’ve worn it before.” He chuckled mischievously, his body from the neck down suddenly disappearing until he was just a head.

Yuu gasped in horror, flinching back, “H-His head and the—”

“Yup, we had the same reaction when he showed up out of nowhere,” Deuce said tiredly. 

The boy’s body came back into view and he grinned at Yuu, “In any case, the name’s Artemiy Artemiyevich Pinker.”

Yuu repeated with uncertainty, “Artemiy Artemiyevich Pinker?”

“Oh~!” The boy blinked in surprise, “Ya got it right, on the first try too, nyaha—I’m beginning to like ya already! People usually mess it up—” he gestured at Ace, Deuce and Grim who sported petulant expressions “—so I just go by Che'nya.” 

Che'nya looked at her expectantly, his tail having slipped from her hands as it swayed. Yuu bit down on her lip, and she awkwardly wiped her tear-stained face with her sleeve. To her mild surprise, the Heartslabyul uniform had changed back to her school one—which must mean Cater was far enough away that the spell had worn off.

“Umm…my name is Yuu,” she introduced herself hesitantly with a small tilt of her head. “Are you a student by any chance?”

Yuu gave Che'nya a onceover. He wasn’t exactly wearing an NRC uniform.

“Hehehe—yes, no, maybe so.” The cat-boy shrugged unhelpfully. 

His answer had Yuu pursing her lips.

Deuce explained to her, “We were having a hard time calming you down before he came, but he’s probably not from our school.”

A flicker of embarrassment and shame made her avert her eyes from everyone.

How had she let herself go like that? She was usually so in control of herself, why had she exposed such weaknesses to these students?

“I-I didn’t say anything…bad, did I?” Yuu asked nervously.

She watched with regret as all three first years shared a look with each other.

“Look,” Ace started, running a hand through his hair, “We won’t mention it if you don’t want us to, okay?”

Deuce spoke up, “But…could I ask something, Yuu?”

She braced herself.

“Did someone…were you hurt by someone before? Back in your…”

Her body recoiled at the question, the collar around her neck getting itchy again. She squeezed her eyes shut as she turned her face away, refusing to think about it.

“Deuce,” the persimmon haired boy said quietly when Yuu didn’t speak, “Just drop it. Yuu, you don’t have to say anything you don’t want to.” His voice faltered as he whispered to himself under his breath, “I shouldn’t have dragged you into this.”

At his final comment, she couldn’t help but look to him, only to find the boy focused on rubbing the scratch marks on his wrists.

“Hmm, well what’s done is done, right? Now y’all got those collars and I doubt any of you have the magic capacity to take it off just yet,” Che'nya spoke up, cutting through the tension. “So whatchu four gonna do now?”

The flames in Grim’s ears flared as he replied instantly, “We’re gonna get that tyrant, control-freak Riddle to get these dumb collars off!”

“Heh heh, control-freak sounds about right.” The teenager took on a far off look, a whimsy smile still plastered on his face. “He’s always been super strict, I used to tell him he looks like he’s got a permanent stick up his butt. The face he’d make—nyahaha—oh, it was too good sometimes.”

He…was he talking about Riddle?

Deuce was the one to ask the question that everyone was thinking, “Do you know something about Riddle?”

“Do I?” Che'nya hummed as he stood up straight, tapping his chin in seemingly deep thought, “Perhaps. I might know some things, I might not know things—does he snore in his sleep? Maybe he dreams of dancing with hedgehogs in his undies every night. Who knows?” He made another dramatic shrug.

“What sorta wishy-washy answer is that?” Grim growled in annoyance, his ears flattened against his head.

“And what sorta answer were you hoping to get?”

“Well obviously something about why Riddle’s such a tyrant,” Ace bit back bitterly, “Am I just supposed to believe he was born an angry gremlin?”

“Pfft—gremlin, oh, I’m definitely using that the next time I see him,” Che'nya snorted, his tail swishing back and forth with amusement. He stopped to reply to Ace more seriously, “But I’m hardly the person to ask, why don’t’cha try his four-eyed friend?”

Four-eyed…?

“Do you mean Trey?” Yuu wondered.

The boy explained, “He’s known Riddle ever since we were kids, childhood friends, y’know?”

“Really?” Deuce scratched the back of my head, “What sort of childhood friends act so…tense around each other?”

“Why y’asking me? I’m not them.” 

Yuu stiffened as Che'nya’s body disappeared, leaving nothing but his head.

“In any case, I’m off for now.” Che'nya grinned at her, his voice taking a more softer tone, “Nice meeting ya, Yuu-Yuu—take care, kay? Later!”

“Yuu-Yuu?” Grim echoed a beat before Che'nya disappeared entirely, “Don’t call my henchman stupid nicknames!”

The spot where the boy had been was now completely empty, just a patch of worn grass from where his feet had been. She stared long at it, her fingers touching the metal collar on her neck.

All four students were sitting on the grass, under the rose tree, as a cool breeze rustled leaves and petals. Perhaps they were all letting their situation sink in. Yuu certainly was.

There was definitely no chance she was going to leave campus now. Not with this collar around her neck. If she could get it off herself or if it was something more small and hidable, Yuu might have been willing to endure.

But she could now understand why Ace had wanted to get rid of it right away.

It was heavy and uncomfortable, Yuu didn’t think she’d even be able to lie down properly with it on.

She brought her hand to her temple, unable to suppress a sigh as she spoke aloud, “I shouldn’t have said anything back then. I’d only made it worse, and now…”

Her head dropped in exhaustion.

“Well, you’re not the only one, y’know?” Grim tried to reassure her, “Ace said some pretty stupid things, it was probably him that got us into this.”

“Tch, speak for yourself, furball.”

Yuu got a nudge to the side, drawing her attention to Ace who added quietly, “But even if you regret it now, Yuu, I can’t lie—I thought you were pretty cool back then.”

The front yard was quiet as she processed the first-year’s words, taken aback by it.

“I thought so too,” Deuce joined in, “You stood up against the Housewarden even without magic. Despite his strength, you talked back to him, Yuu, and that takes a lot of guts.” The glimmer of respect in his eyes was unmistakable. But the fact he was looking at her was what stunned her the most.

Yuu was speechless. 

Keep your head down, stay out of other people’s business and never speak up. Right, that’s what she’d learned. 

So why had this time been any different?

“Was what I said really that praiseworthy?” Yuu wondered.

Grim perked up, “Isn’t it?!”

He got up, his eyes lit up with excitement, “When Riddle was all like ‘Are you threatening me?’ and you went ‘It’s a warning.’ I thought that was so, so cool!” He grinned at her, “You made your bossman proud!”

Despite herself, Yuu couldn’t ignore the flutter of warmth at their words.

“But anyways,” Ace changed the subject. He got up from the ground, looking back at the dormitory building, “I don’t expect Trey will be out anytime soon.”

Deuce nodded, “And I’m guessing we’d want to confront him alone, we’ll have to bide our time then.”

One by one, the rest of the first years stood up. Ace and the others started for the mirror at the end of the domain. 

As another breeze blew through the hedges and trees, Yuu gingerly touched her collar once more. Taking a deep breath, she was about to take one step forward to follow after the group.

But then she heard it.

“The Queen, she likes them red.”

Yuu went still.

Voices.

They swirled in the air around her head, singing in harmony and rhythm. 

This had happened before, not too long ago in the Dwarves Mine. And once again, for some reason neither of the other three students seemed to have heard them.

Hesitantly, Yuu turned to look back at the Heartslabyul building.

“...She’d raise a fuss,” the voices sang, “And each of us would quickly lose his—”

“Head,” she finished quietly, her fingers pressing harder against the metal around her neck.

This again. This music that graced only her ears. 

Just what was it? Her imagination? An omen?

Yuu’s heart tightened, a heaviness weighing it down as the song faded to nothing.

“Yuu!” 

She startled out of her stupor, whipping back around to Ace, Deuce and Grim up ahead. 

“Don’t waste your energy on whatever regrets you’re probably feeling,” Deuce told her, misunderstanding why she’d stopped. “We’ll get these collars off, so it won’t matter in the end.”

Dismissing the uneasiness she felt, Yuu nodded before running to catch up to them.

The Ramshackle prefect who walked beside them looked completely fine. One could almost imagine nothing had ever occurred, that he had been this calm when Riddle casted the collar around his neck.

But the growing sense of uncertainty wavered between the three other first years. 

His cries and panicked begging lingered in the back of their minds, questions coming to the surface.

Grim couldn’t forget how he’d tried to calm his henchman down, but he hadn’t even recognized his voice. 

Deuce could hear his panicked sobbing still echoing in his ears, could see him curled up against the tree when they had led him out. It had bled into him, staining his heart with a worry he’d never felt before for anyone.

And Ace. The scratches on his wrists stung but they didn’t register as much as the pressing guilt that threatened to overwhelm him. He’d been the one to drag the prefect into his mess. And as much as he knew it would’ve been impossible to expect this to happen, seeing the collar around the boy’s neck made Ace infuriated both at Riddle and himself.

The fear in his voice, the begging to not be touched—there was a dark side to the magicless boy that they’d caught a glimpse of today. A shadow that hovered over his defenseless self.

The prefect clearly didn’t want to share, and none of the first years could do anything about it.

But Ace, Deuce and Grim could still wonder—

Yuu, they all wanted to ask the otherworldly prefect, What happened to you?

Chapter Text

Cater had always considered himself a trouble-free individual. Both because he avoided it and typically didn’t start trouble.

He could live without the confrontations, the drama—he’d long since figured that it was a waste of energy when he could be cruising through life untroubled. And if it meant following along to what others told him to do, so be it.

He was a follower. A card soldier.

This was what he’d anticipated when Riddle had become the Housewarden, and Cater had long since rescinded himself to the system that had shaped their dorm. 

It was simple. 

Easy. 

“According to the Queen of Heart’s rule 249, those who are tasked with tending to the flamingoes are to don pink attire.” Those who were sitting in the lounge of the Heartslabyul dorm held their breath as their red headed Housewarden spoke. 

The student he was addressing, a tall and raven haired boy, stammered, “I-I didn’t have any pink clothes yet, I needed to wait for my allowance t-to buy new—”

“Enough with your excuses! You wore red instead of pink, you dare stand before me and try to excuse such an offence?” Riddle sneered.

Cater suppressed a cringe as he scrolled on his phone. The lounge wasn’t too busy, in fact, it made sense that it wasn’t. It was the last day of the weekend, and most students would probably rather relax far from this ticking time bomb of a dorm—

So Cater would admit it to himself? That this entire situation was…

No, I don’t want to bother. It’s too much trouble to get into.

“This is your second rule violation,” Riddle chastised, sitting in his usual spot—an armchair with red cushions, situated by the window and a small table. “You cannot even bother to use that head of yours to learn each and every single one of our traditional rules. If you cannot make use of it, then perhaps you should lose it altogether.”

The student shrank back, “Wait. W-Wait, no, I’m sorry! But please, I don’t—”

“Off with Your Head!”

The sound of a familiar click of the collar being summoned resounded in the still, silent room. How many times had Cater heard that sound now? He’d think that by now he’d be desensitized enough, that this wouldn’t make his chest tighten every single time.

“Gah! I’m sorry, Housewarden! But please not the collar!”

The rest of the students in the lounge ignored the situation, and Cater too tried to ignore this pressure hanging heavy in the air. He stared long and hard at his phone screen, the vibrant pictures posted not even processing in his mind.

“Hmph.” Riddle leaned back in his seat, propping his scepter against the table. He folded his arms over his chest before giving the collared boy a condescending look, “I don’t understand why I must repeat myself over and over, time and time again. Rule-breakers are not to be tolerated, and you would do well to have that fact seared into you now rather than later in the semester.”

The Housewarden turned away dismissively, “You are to write a 5,000 worded reflection on what you did wrong and why you will never do it again. I want it by the end of today, otherwise, you will wear that collar until I deem it necessary to remove it.”

The boy paled, his hands going to his throat. And with much resistance, he mumbled, “Y-Yes, Housewarden.”

Not a single whisper was uttered as the student was led out of the lounge. 

Rule-breakers weren’t to be let into the dorm, Cater knew that. But this must have been the twentieth student Riddle had done this to ever since the Unbirthday Party had ended. Just how many more of these punishments was Riddle going to deliver until there was no one left. 

“You push people too far… “

A muscle in his jaw tightened, recalling the previous day. How the roses had just been freshly painted, how brilliantly white the tablecloths had been—the sight of Yuu collapsing onto Ace.

Cater swallowed stiffly.

He remembered standing there. Doing nothing meanwhile a mere group of first years had talked back to the Housewarden. And Cater had done nothing as Riddle had cast his spell on Yuu of all people. 

At first, he hadn’t even fully processed what had happened. It’d happened so quickly, a flash of light and Yuu had already been collared. And the prefect could only stand there, completely frozen. But what could he have done, what could a magicless kid do against a literal magic prodigy. 

Cater stopped scrolling on his phone, there was no point looking at his screen. The only thing he could see was Yuu.

He had wanted to go to him. When Cater had seen Yuu begin to fracture and crumble to pieces, he’d hesitated—and that moment of hesitation now rested with him as an unsettling shadow. 

Why couldn’t he have done anything? 

No, Cater knew why.

To defend Yuu would have been to defy Riddle. He knew it. 

He’d avoided getting into deep conflicts for as long as he could, so why would this have been any different? Why, after Cater had adapted to this system already?

“You give them enough reason to hate, and you’ll soon find yourself sinking to the bottom of a river.”

Cater subtly shot Riddle a glance.

He couldn’t forget it. 

The darkness in Yuu’s eyes. The coldness in his voice that had frozen him in place.

Cater didn’t think he’d ever seen anyone with that expression, much less on Yuu. In fact, he hadn’t expected the quiet and seemingly timid Ramshackle prefect to say anything. 

And yet, it was the one that spoke the least that had shoved the entire dorm off-balance. To which meant one of two things, or perhaps both; that Yuu’s words had held the greatest weight, threatening to crush everything that Riddle had created. Or that this entire system was a foundation of glass to begin with.

Certainly enough, Cater could tell something had struck Riddle in that argument. The Housewarden was on edge more so than he was before, and something was unraveling.

The third year looked back to his phone, his grip tightened.

No, Cater just needed to keep doing as he was told. He wasn’t risking his own neck when it wasn’t his problem.

But at what point did ignoring trouble stop working?

As if she didn’t stand out enough already, Yuu could swear she’d never felt this uneasy in a long time. Students eyed her strangely as she passed them by, their curious and even amused gazes unpleasant to the young courtesan. It didn’t help that the itchiness of her collar persisted even when she tried to ignore it. 

The weekend of the Unbirthday Party could hardly move any slower, certainly the morning after the party had decided to drag.

“Ack! What’s this?” Grim gaped at the crowded cafeteria.

Ace made a face, “It’s not like we’ve got classes either, so why’s everyone coming for breakfast at the same time.”

True enough, the cafeteria was particularly crowded today. They were lingering near a particular food station, surrounding it like flies on meat. It didn’t interest her in the slightest, Yuu could hardly care what all the fuss was about. Though she didn’t fail to notice…

“Is it just me, or does there seem to be a lot more collars after yesterday?” She asked aloud, not directing the question to anyone in particular. 

Yuu didn't think there'd been this many before the Unbirthday Party, but now it was like the amount had doubled over the last night.

“Why am I not surprised?” Ace rolled his eyes, “When things don’t go his way, he just makes everyone else miserable.”

“But there’s at least twenty or so other students, surely there's a limit to all of this?” Yuu glanced at Ace.

He shrugged in exasperation. 

A small group of Heartslabyul students passed them by the entrance of the cafeteria. Not thinking much of it, Yuu paid little attention to the teenagers. She noticed a sign by the entrance, and she meant to go read it before suddenly—

Thud!

“Oof.” Yuu staggered to the side, her hand going up to her shoulder as she nearly stumbled into Deuce. He reflexively steadied her, taken aback by what had just happened just as much as she was. 

He instantly whipped his head. “Wh—hey! Watch where you’re going!” Deuce snapped, directing his words at the group of students. 

The Heartslabyul student who had run into her paused, turning towards them as his friend group stopped to watch. He had a messy style of black hair, and of course, he also had a heart-shaped collar around his neck and the marking of a diamond on his face.

Yuu could feel her shoulder aching to which she suspected it’d been bruised. He’d run into her so forcefully, had he not seen her standing right in front of him?

The boy slowly glanced from Deuce and then to her. And something about the way he did it, it set her on edge.

Finally, he spoke with a low voice, “Didn’t realize the magicless twit had a bodyguard.” He gave Yuu a critical onceover before he sneered, “No wonder he had the nerve to mouth off yesterday.”

The world might as well have gone cold. Frozen over instantly by this boy’s condescending tone.

Yuu felt something familiar flicker in her chest.

“I beg your pardon? A body…guard?” She echoed slowly, faintly hearing the boy’s companions snickering to each other.

Yuu had to process for a moment. She’d just woken up not too long ago, and being greeted by venom coated words before her first meal wasn’t exactly what she’d expected. Nor appreciated.

“The hell is your problem?” It was Ace who stepped slightly in front of Yuu, shooting the other student a warning glare.

The other Heartslabyul students exchanged looks.

“Oh, so he’s got another bodyguard, does he?” The boy scoffed, looking at Yuu, “What, don’t have the guts to walk around campus by yourself? So maybe you do know you’re just a pathetic weakling.”

She gritted her teeth, suppressing the urge to give her own opinion of this disrespectful teenager. But the collar around her neck reminded her why she shouldn’t dare. 

So Yuu swallowed her words.

That wasn’t the case for the others, however, and Ace sneered back, “And you’re a petty piece of shit. If you have a problem with him or any of us, say it.”

The student jerked his head at her, “Maybe he shouldn’t be standing in the way. I mean, who knows, he might make a mess of things again.”

“Again?” Yuu blurted out in bewilderment, “What did I do—?”

“Well maybe you should shut your mouth or I might just flame your head!” Grim snapped back abruptly, cutting her off.

He glared up at the group of students, his ears flickering with flames.

And Deuce cracked his knuckles menacingly, standing beside Ace in front of her, “Don’t need a magic-cutting collar to make a mess of you either.”

“For once I agree with you, Deuce,” Ace added.

Oh. 

Wait a minute—was it just her or were these three getting way too intense about this? 

She looked around frantically, not needing another cafeteria incident within just a week. Not to mention there were too many people around for trouble.

Before either of these idiots could do anything, Yuu ignored her irritation to snag their sleeves and she pulled them back. She could quite literally feel the tension coming off of them in waves.

“Ahem, w-well,” Yuu started tentatively, shooting the other student a placative smile that pained her, “I’ll keep your words in mind, but it seems the limited-quantity breakfast meal is almost running out—” Grim’s ears perked “—I’m sure you wouldn’t want to miss out on it just to give your underclassmen your advice.”

“What?! Limited-quantity?” Grim exclaimed, the cat whipped around to face her.

Yuu tilted her head at the sign near the entrance of the cafeteria. It had the image of whatever special meal the cafeteria was having, Yuu figured it was the main reason why it was so busy this morning.

“Yuu,” Ace hissed to her, “The hell you sucking up to them for? He’s being an asshole to you.”

She didn’t reply, certainly not when the consequence of the last time she spoke up was still wrapped around her neck. 

The diamond-faced student shared a few glances with his fellow dormmates, and they began to turn away. The former, however, shot Yuu one last cold stare that unsettled her. 

She got the sense this wasn’t over just yet.

Yuu watched as the group of Heartslabyul students dispersed into the crowd, and she let out a relieved sigh. She instantly let go of Ace and Deuce, ignoring the way they were looking at her.

“Huh?! The special meal is extra?!” Grim cried out, looking up at the sign Yuu had pointed to. “What sorta cheapskate school is this?”

“I’m not paying for it, just to let you know,” she commented to him, the poor cat nearly combusting on the spot with outrage.

The cafeteria was alive with the clinking of trays and cutlery, as well as the overlapping conversations happening all at once. It felt like a street bustling with merchants and passerbyers.

And within a few short moments, Yuu found herself seated with a tray of food. Though now she wondered if it’d have been better to not get anything.

She idly pushed the food around on her plate, knowing that had she been at the Verdigris, she’d be lectured for her poor manners. But her stomach didn’t want to cooperate.

Why had that student acted so aggressive to her? Yuu didn't recall ever interacting with him, and yet he seemed to have had a grudge against her. She shook her head mentally, dismissing the thoughts.

“Where would I find the job billboard again?” Someone from nearby Yuu’s group asked their companion. “I was thinking I'd work a bit throughout the year.”

Voices floated over the general chatter in the cafeteria, the closest ones being easiest to distinguish.

“Third hallway near the big indoor gym. Though, it’s still just the first few weeks of the semester, it probably won’t have anything listed,” the other person answered with a slight accent. “What sort of jobs were you looking for anyways?”

“I dunno. Anything really. Though it'd be super cool if the Pomefiore Housewarden offered that modeling gig like what he did last year.”

Yuu’s fork paused in midair. 

A job?

Yuu didn’t know for how long she’d be stuck like this, so it would make sense to try and earn funds for when she did leave. Not paying attention to what Deuce and the others were talking about, she strained to listen to the nearby conversation.

“You mean the one where he chose a student for that fashion collab?” The accented student questioned.

“I forget what the theme was, it might have had something to do with academia.”

“Pfft—but you, modeling? Keep dreaming, bud, like that would ever happen. Schonheit would only choose from his dorm anyways.”

What even was modeling? Though it didn’t seem like a possible option so it likely wasn’t necessary to linger on the idea. 

What Yuu needed was something short. Simple. Something that even someone like her could manage.

“But y’know.” Yuu listened attentively to what the other student went on to say, “Mostro Lounge usually needs temporary staff around the beginning and end of semesters. Maybe they’d have something posted.”

“Oh, you mean the one in Octavinelle?”

There was a pause.

“Huh…yeah, I’m not that desperate.”

Octavinelle?

Yuu was immediately drawn to the other day when Trey had gone over the various dorms. He’d mentioned something about Octavinelle before, though she couldn’t recall what. 

“Yuu. Twisted Wonderland to Yuu!” She was stirred out of her thoughts, the sound of Ace’s voice bringing her back to the present. 

Yuu refocused on her companions, realizing to her surprise that they were all staring at her.

“Um…hm?” She blinked in confusion, “Is something wrong?”

“You tell me,” Ace bit back in a snappish tone, stunning Yuu momentarily, “Don’t think I’m not gonna say anything after what you did back there.”

“Ace,” Deuce started hesitantly, as if unsure whether to step in.

The persimmon haired student leaned forward onto the table towards Yuu, his glare burning into her, “You let those dumbasses walk off after they treated you like a joke.” He dropped his head into his hand, letting out a sharp sigh. “Look, I get you probably don’t want to stir things up again—” Yuu could make out the bandaids on his wrists, his sleeves having fallen slightly “—but if you’re dead set on not doing anything, then don’t suddenly stop us from giving those assholes what they deserve.”

Yuu frowned, “And get yourselves into trouble?”

Deuce and Grim shared a glance, the former nodding his head a little as he added, “But wouldn’t you have wanted them to deal with the consequences? People can’t just say stuff like that and think they can get away with it.”

The three students across from her looked at her expectantly. 

Amidst the chatter of the cafeteria, something went quiet in Yuu’s mind all except for a single thought.

Why are they acting like this?

She gripped her fork tight, looking down at her plate.

It felt like being chastened as a misbehaving child, but she hadn’t done anything wrong. Yuu had just been avoiding trouble. All these past few days, she’d been trying so hard just to avoid trouble.

Her chest constricted with that familiar feeling, a burning heat that had resulted in this cursed collar.

Yuu didn’t understand. 

And it irritated her that she didn’t understand!

“Do you ever realize that your own actions can affect others too?” Yuu said at last in a tense voice.

“And what about the actions of people who are actively trying to hurt you, idiot?” Ace countered, “They obviously affect you too so why wouldn’t you want to fight back?”

Stop.

Deuce set his fork down on the edge of his plate, seeming tentative before saying, “You know, Yuu, keeping quiet can be just as bad—” he clenched his fist, staring down at it with what seemed to be guilt “—there are people who’d take your silence as a sign that you’re an easy target. It won’t stop unless you show them what you’re capable of, Yuu.”

“That’s certainly what a punk would think,” Ace commented to Deuce offhandedly.

“R-Right—ahem,” the blue haired boy cleared his throat awkwardly.

Stop.

It wasn’t what Yuu knew. It wasn’t what she’d grown up to believe. 

But why is this so frustrating?

She had survived her world for seventeen long years by doing what these three were telling her not to do. So they must be wrong. They were naive teenagers, how would they know what was right unlike Yuu.

But why do I want to listen?

Don’t fight back. Keep your head down. Give up on your dignity to survive. 

Yuu had done it. And she had survived. Which only meant that she was right.

But why do I want to be wrong?

Yuu shook her head, her frustration rising to a boiling point, “None of you understand.”

“Then make us understand, Yuu,” Ace cut her off, looking back at her. “Be as vague as you want if you don’t want us knowing everything, but at least give us some idea why you just let people trample all over you.”

“Yeah, henchman.” Grim gobbled up his food before adding, his expression serious for once, “You stood up against tyrannical Riddle, so you can fight back. Why can’t you do that all the time?”

“Because that was a mistake!” Yuu snapped finally, startling the three students. The people around their table went quiet at her outburst, a few heads turned in their direction.

She internally cringed at the sound of her own voice, uncharacteristically sharpened and venomous, having yelled over the chatter at Ace, Grim and Deuce. Her throat itched, and not because of the collar, but because of how loud she’d spoken. It wasn’t used to straining itself like this, not when it’d been trained to sing and flirt with sensuality. But not this. Yuu hadn’t meant to yell at them. She hadn’t meant…

The looks on their faces made something inside her twist.

Yuu turned her head away, breathing slowly to calm down.

No, why did she keep lashing out like this? This…this wasn’t who she was supposed to be.

Yuu couldn’t meet their eyes. She was afraid she’d see someone unfamiliar to her in their gazes. 

“I’m…I-I apologize,” she uttered, having taken another deep breath.

“No, Yuu—”

She stood abruptly from her seat, interrupting Deuce, “Excuse me, please. I just…I’m not myself, please continue without me.”

“Yuu, wait!”

Yuu didn’t. She hurried out of the cafeteria.

Ignoring the glances she received from curious onlookers, Yuu ran out into the hallway. She just needed space. 

She needed to get away from those three idiots, lest their bad influence actually swayed her. Yuu had spent the past few days stuck to them, any longer and she might begin to contract their idiocy.

There were no classes going on, emphasized by the emptiness of the hallways as soon as Yuu got far enough away from the cafeteria. But where she was going, she hadn’t a clue. It felt like the first night she’d arrived, when she’d been chased by Grim. Only now it seemed like it was her thoughts that chased her.

But how exactly could one outrun themselves?

The sound of her shoes hitting the floor echoed, her breaths the sound of hushed whispering as she slowly came to a stop. 

“They’re wrong.” Yuu clenched her fists, feeling a cool breeze blow across her heated face from the arched windows. “What would they know? They’re…they’re just two immature boys and a cat, what would they know about anything?”

A strangled sound of frustration tore from her throat, and she ran her fingers through her hair. 

Had Yuu wanted to fight back when that student had insulted her? All the times she’d groveled at the feet of others, had she ever wished she could just…? 

“It won’t stop unless you show them what you’re capable of, Yuu.”

That was such a foolishly naive way of thinking. Because then how did that explain the fact Riddle’s collar was around her neck.

These things happened for a reason. Fighting back only made things worse.

Yuu gritted her teeth, struggling to rein in the intensity of this heat. This heat that had always burned within her, always hidden behind a gentle smile and a flirtatious laugh. Locked away behind closed doors and disguised as lust. 

“Those cursed idiots!” 

What had they done to her?

What spell had they cast to make her like this?

Ace.

Deuce.

Grim.

They were corrupting her!

“If this had been during class hours, I would’ve had to give you a stern word for raising your voice in the hallways, puppy.” 

The words, ones she hadn’t spoken, echoed in the empty hallway, coming from a smooth, familiar tenor. 

Her frustration wavered for a split second before instantly vanishing in place of realization.

Yuu gasped, whipping around.

Professor Crewel stood at the end of the hallway, holding what seemed to be a pile of papers. He had his brow raised as he studied her, and if Yuu didn’t know any better, she’d say he seemed amused given by that slight twinkle in his eyes.

Wait… amused? Him?

Her mouth opened, only to close wordlessly as she came to realize her awkward position.

Yuu thought she’d been alone in this empty hallway. Well…she had been, she just didn’t notice Professor Crewel had come a bit after.

She was ready to be faced with yet another one of his venomous word lashing. Given what had happened last time, Yuu braced herself for it with dread.

“Though, I certainly have felt similar sentiments—quite recently, in fact—so I’m in no place to judge,” Crewel said instead, glancing out the window. 

His answer caught her off guard. Yuu could do nothing but stare like an idiot at the professor.

Crewel turned back to her, smirking faintly, “I would recommend, however, using a less…acoustic area to let out your frustration.”

“I…um…thank you for the…advice, sir,” she stammered in response. Despite herself, Yuu felt her face slowly heat up with embarrassment. “But, y-you’re not angry?”

Crewel fell silent, his grey eyes assessing her thoughtfully and he lingered on the obvious collar around her neck. Though to her, it felt like he was dissecting her piece by piece. 

“I’ve certainly left that kind of impression on you, haven't I?”

Yuu blinked in confusion at the murmured response, “I beg your pardon?”

The professor stepped forward with composed flair, his elaborate and well-designed shoes clicking on the stone floor.

“It’s a lucky coincidence running into you,” Crewel stated, his tone…unexpectedly soft, “I’d been meaning to speak with you, puppy. I’d originally intended to do so after class tomorrow but it may as well be now.”

“Did…a-am I in trouble, sir?” Yuu tried to rack her brain of what she might have done. 

The professor let out a sigh, “I must ask you to not let that be the first thing you think when I ask to speak with you.” He strode past her, and she scarcely caught a whiff of something smokey coming from him. “Come along now, puppy, it’ll only be a short moment of your time.”

She stared at his back.

What?

Morning sunlight streamed in through the glass-paned windows, making Yuu warm in her baggy clothes. 

The office was empty save for Yuu and Professor Crewel, it appeared quite similar to the botanical garden on campus. It was a stark contrast to Headmaster Crowley’s bleak and painfully empty office, as there were shelves of textbooks and folders, and plants of all sizes filling what space there was left. 

Yuu also hadn’t failed to notice the walls were decorated with what seemed to be achievement awards. Most of them being titled ‘Collection of the Year’ or ‘Designer of the Year.’ 

What those titles meant, Yuu hadn’t a clue. But there were countless framed and hung, polished and evidently a mark of pride for this professor.

The courtesan hadn’t had the will to refuse Crewel, and so she’d ended up following him. She couldn’t imagine he’d have anything too serious to speak to her about. Well…Yuu hoped he didn’t.

“Do you have a preference for tea?” Crewel asked her from across the room. He’d hung up his coat nearby, his sleeves now rolled up as he handled the porcelain.

“Tea?” She echoed from where she sat on a sofa, her posture upright as usual. Yuu tore her eyes from the wall, having been staring at a few framed images of dogs, and she glanced at the professor.

“Yes, would you like some?” Crewel picked up the tea pot from off the tray, pausing and turning to her for her reply.

But shouldn’t I be the one pouring the tea?

She’d begun to unconsciously pick at her nails again at the unexpected predicament she found herself in. A man? Serving her tea?

Of course, Crewel clearly didn’t know she was a girl, but this still felt a bit strange. 

Crewel continued, “It’s jasmine tea, would that suit your taste? I had it ordered a while ago from the Land of Red Dragons.”

She attempted to suppress her reaction, but Yuu couldn’t help but instantly perk at the mention of what he’d been brewing. So that’s why it had smelled quite floral in this office, a pleasant aroma mingling with the other smells of unfamiliar plants.

“Ah, so it would. Very well then.” Amusement brimmed in Crewel’s eyes, what appeared to be a smirk tugging at his lips before he turned back around to pour two cups.

Yuu wasn’t sure to protest and offer to serve the tea herself, but Crewel was back before she could so much as open her mouth. He placed the cup before her on the small table. It wasn’t the type of porcelain the Verdigris had as this one had a small handle thinner than her pinky finger, and it looked far more delicate. Almost translucent even. The same as the ones at the Unbirthday Party.

As Yuu eyed it warily, the professor sat down in the armchair across from her, taking a sip of his tea.

Clearing her throat, she tentatively took the warm porcelain with both hands, murmuring, “Thank you.”