Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Yuu watches with hollow eyes as Fellow and Gidel depart without having to face the consequences of their actions. Everyone jokes around her about what they just went through, but static is rapidly and vastly filling Yuu's ears. She moves away from the group and makes her way towards the stairs of the port, unaware of the sound of footsteps behind her. A hand lands on her shoulder and she's quick to slap it off.

"Ow, rude much?"

Yuu turns to see Ace with his arms crossed. "What?"

"Just wanted to know why you took off like that."

"Why do you care?"

"Wow, jeez." Ace scoffed. "I knew you were snippy from the start, but I thought that would've cleared up by now. What's the big deal?"

"What's the big deal? What's the big deal!?" Her voice echoes throughout the small area of the docks. "Ace, are you fucking blind as well as a total fucking moron!?" She jabs her hand to where Playful Land used to be. "We almost got turned into puppets and sold off because of you guys!"

"Hey, we got out in the end!"

"No, we didn't. If Fellow hadn't gotten that phone call, we'd be goners." The others, who had walked over to join them, stopped a few feet away but Yuu ignored them. "And you're cracking jokes about it."

"Well, destroying the park was-"

"I mean about the whole thing, you brainless baboon." She snarls. "From the start, you ignored all the fucking warning signs that said you should stay far away from this man. Did you forget how Azul tricked you in roughly the same manner? Did that not ring any bells in that empty head of yours?" She tapped her finger against Ace's forehead. "And even when you were told that the warning signs were blaring red, you still ignored them."

"Hold on." Ace growled. "Why am I getting signaled out?"

"Oh it's not just you, Ace." She points behind him. "It goes double for those cacophony of idiots."

"Wow, rude, Yuu-chan..." Cater mutters.

"I get that you guys are like this. It's all fun and games for the ones who can use magic." She shakes her hand in a mocking way. "But this is just another scar on my body that I do not need." She pulls up her sleeves to show the overblot scars...as well as a new wooden looking scar on her wrist. "You guys think this is a joke, when it's not. You're risking my life with your guys shit."

"You came with us!" Ace argues.

"Cause I had to make sure my useless excuse for a fucking cat didn't keel over and die!" Yuu shouts and begins shoving Ace. "You. Treat. Me. Like. I'm. Expendable." She pushes him back. "I'm a living being too, jackass, what have I done to warrant being treated lower than dirt? Every time this happens, and I almost lose my life in the process... how many more times is this going to be ‘almost’ before it actually happens?"

The red head narrows his eyes and snorts. "If you hate it here so much, why don't you just go back home?"

"Ace..." Lilia tries to say but is cut off by Yuu socking Ace in the face and sending him to the ground.

"NEWS FLASH, ASSHOLE!" The look in Yuu's eyes is down right murderous as she grabs Ace by the shirt collar. "I'VE BEEN TRYING TOO! YOU GUYS CAN JUST CALL UP YOUR FAMILY OR SEND THEM A QUICK TEXT TO CHECK UP ON THEIR WELL BEING! YOU'RE A PORTAL AWAY FROM HOME! I HAVE NOTHING, I GOT NOTHING, I HAVE NO FAMILY HERE AND I AM REMINDED OF IT EVERY DAY BY YOU GUYS AND BY CROWLEY!" Tears well up in her eyes as she closes them and takes a shaky breath. "I've had it here. I'm gone. I'm leaving NRC, I'm getting far away from you guys." Yuu tosses Ace towards the other NRC students before turning to leave and rubbing her eyes. "Enjoy the rest of your fucking lives."

"Yuu-chan!"

"Shrimpy!"

"Herbivore, come back!"

"Potato!"

"Henchhuman!" Grim tries to follow after her only to lower his ears and back up as she shoots the darkest glare she can muster at him. "I'm....I'm..."

Yuu disappears into the morning crowd that had gathered to learn what the commotion was about. Despite the calls of her name to return, the students hadn’t found her. They searched Foothill Town as much as they could before they were forced to return to NRC. The sun had long since set and still there was no sign of Yuu. Yet, when Crewel was returning to his town house, there he saw her. Curled up outside his temporary house with her legs pulled up to her chest and her face in her knees.

"Oh, Pup...." He pulls his coat off, wraps it around the blank faced young lady, and helped her inside.

Chapter Text

Crewel commands his dogs to heel before they come running towards the front door. Yuu timidly follows him inside and rubs her eyes before they lock onto his dalmatians.

"Pongo and Perdy."

Yuu crouches down and pats her thighs to bring the dogs to her, they both look at Crewel and rush her once he nods. She pets the dalmatians while Crewel closes the door. He looks at her when she laughs at the dogs licking her face.

"Pup." Green eyes move towards him. "What happened?"

Yuu's quiet for a few minutes before she begins to explain everything: from the overblot scars, to how tired she's been being the sole reason everyone is still alive, to what happened today. By the end, Crewel nearly crushed the glass cup he had pulled out of his cabinet for her.

"I didn't know where else to go and I remembered you saying you had a guest house in town to stay close to the school." Her shoulders slump as tears fill her eyes. "I-I-'m sorry."

Crewel approached his pseudo daughter and hugged her. "Never apologize for something like this. You can stay here for now."

"Thank you."

He directs her towards the guest room and calls Trein. After explaining the situation to the older man, he shows up at the door a few moments later.

"So this is why Lucius told me her scent was stale..." Trein sets the feline down in his lap as he sits down. "To think they would be as reckless as this, they've put themselves into more danger than they were able to get themselves out of."

"They've done this before-"

"Yes, but not to this extent, Divus." Trein interrupts. "Yuu told you that they technically didn't get out of this. That phone call was a coincidence, along with that Honest man hating his boss enough to destroy the park." He sighs and Crewel can clearly see his old age coming through. "And she has a wooden styled scar?"

"Yes."

"...She can't keep going like this, we can't send her back to NRC."

Before Crewel had a chance to talk, the soft sound of a door opening caught their attention. Yuu entered the room in only her NRC pants and white shirt. Lucius hopped off Trein's lap as the teacher moved to wrap Yuu up in a hug. She hugged him tight and sobbed softly into his shoulder.

"We'll address the others tomorrow." Crewel speaks softly. "And we should tell Crowley-"

"Don't." Came Yuu's muffled voice. "He doesn't care about me."

"Regrettably, he has to know."

Yuu pried her face out of the elder man's shoulder. "You know that winter break? Where Scarabia stayed behind along with Grim and I? And our wonderful Octotrio?"

The teachers looked at one another and then at her. "Yes."

"He gave me a phone to contact him in case of an emergency. Grim and I got held captive by Jamil and the dorm, so I called him... But the phone's service was shitty and when we did contact him, it went straight to voicemail. I tried several times before realizing this man didn't care enough about us and that the phone was just given to us so that he could pat himself on the back about giving us a means of communicating."

"...Viper kidnapped you?" Trein blinked in surprise. "And Crowley did what?"

Crewel leaned against the counter. "....Pup, what happened over winter break?"

"Jamil overblotted." She moved her collar to show off the ink stain snake bite where her shoulder and neck meet. "And I got scarred in the process."

"He over....Oh my seven." Trein covered his mouth. "Has anyone else overblotted that we haven't been made aware of?"

"Vil and Idia."

Crewel let out a low growl. "He's kept three overblots from us!?"

Trein sighs and pets Yuu's head. "Head on back to bed. You're tired and Divus and I need to plan out how tomorrow will go."

She nodded and bid them a goodnight and a farewell before leaving. The teachers stared at her before Trein spoke up.

"Calm yourself, Divus."

"How can I after knowing what happened while we were blissfully unaware!?" He snarled. "That is my daughter and I knew nothing of her condition! How are you calm?"

"I'm not, I'm absolutely livid. Now, let's brainstorm how to handle this."

Chapter Text

"Ace-"

"What?" Ace rubbed the bruise on his cheek as they entered Heartslabyul. "I heard it enough from the others, I ain't gotta hear it from you two too."

Trey and Cater look at each other as the first year shoves his hands into his pockets.

"Ace, we're trying to say we're all at fault here." Trey tries again.

Cater adds in. "Yeah, Ace. We didn't do anything to stop you-"

"But you did!" He shouted. "You both said he looked shady and I ignored you two!"

"True, but we also didn't physical stop-"

"Where do I even try to begin?"

The three of them paused as they entered the lounge. Riddle and Deuce were standing there, the first year was behind the seething dorm leader.

"I'm very sure I deliberately told you NOT to go to that amusement park." Riddle glared at the three of them. "So why did you feel the need to disobey me? And what about you two, Trey and Cater?"

Ace was silent as he looked off to the side while Trey took charge of the situation.

"Riddle, I followed him out of the dorm-"

"And yet you chose now to bring him back?"

"We ran into some problems-"

"I assume the problem was spending all day at that park."

Riddle's tone was cold and sharp, cutting off any attempt Trey had at trying to give an excuse. The vice leader deflated, not willing to try and continue for an out.

"I believed you to be better than this, Trey." He crossed his arms and directed his attention towards Cater. "And you?"

"Hahahaha...." Cater rubbed the back of his head. "I, um, Lilia-chan and I thought it would be a good idea to.... uh, allow Kalim to go to the park?"

"With Jamil's permission?"

"About that?"

"You too!?" Riddle began to shout. "What could drive you both to even choose to do this!? I understand that I've been lenient on the rules lately, but certainly not to this degree!"

Cater and Trey flinched while Ace rolled his eyes. Before Riddle could direct his tangent towards the disobedient first year, Deuce chimed in.

"Ace, why do you have a bruise on your cheek?"

"Huh?" Ace rubbed the mark. "Oh. Yuu punched me."

"What?" Deuce looked confused. "Why would she- I mean I get it, it's you. But Yuu hardly punches any of us-"

"Wrong, Juice, she doesn't punch you." Ace scoffed. "She punched me for no reason-"

"Ace." Cater's voice had lost his playfulness. "Yuu got hurt, you said the off comment sentence of 'why don't you just go back home?'"

"You what?" Deuce's face twisted in rage and he grabbed Ace's collar. "Did you forget that she can't!?"

"Of course I forgot! It didn't cross my mind when I said it!"

"Nothing ever does, Ace, and that's the problem! She's told us about how much she'd love to go back home and you rubbed it in!?" Trey and Cater tried prying Deuce's hands off of the red head.

"Fuck off and let go of me!" Ace’s own hands joined his upperclassman's hands, but to no avail. 

"Ace, you do this every time! You mock Yuu for not knowing the holidays we have and for the things she doesn't know! You forget she's not from here!"

"You don't have to rub it in!" Ace snarled. "Everyone else already did!"

"You're so fucking bullheaded and insensitive, no wonder Yuu doesn't tell you shit!"

“What and she tells you everything?”

“Yes! Because unlike you, I ACTUALLY care for her!”

“I do care about her!” Ace looked ready to punch Deuce in the face. “I’m just not fawning over her like you do!”

“If you cared,” Deuce raised his fist back. “You wouldn’t keep putting her in danger!”

"Deuce, let him go. You don't need to waste your breath on him anymore." Riddle commanded.

The blue haired first year glared at the heart soldier before dropping him on the floor like he was a pile of trash. Riddle studied Ace as he directed his attention to Trey and Cater

"....Am I wrong for assuming that Yuu is back at Ramshackle?"

"....Yes." Trey's shoulders sagged. "She left and didn't take Grim with her. Riddle, she's.... she's done with us. Done with NRC."

His eyes widened and it took a few seconds before he spoke. "....What happened."

With much hesitation, Trey and Cater begin to recount what happened as Ace crossed his arms and added in commentary. By the end of it, Riddle was livid and trying to hold not only himself back but Deuce as well.

"I have no words." Riddle struggled to control his breathing. "You three have done irreversible damage all in the span of a day. Get out of my sight, I'll decide your punishment later. Come, Deuce."

"Yes, Sir."

They depart as they leave the trio there to ruminate on what they've done. Eventually, Cater shuffles off to his room while Ace leaves to his in a huff. Trey stands in the middle of the Lounge and feels his heart drop to his feet before he too departs for his room. The next day, all three of them are awoken by a text message simply stating:

All named students come to Crowley's office at once: Ace Trappola, Cater Diamond, Trey Clover, Leona Kingscholar, Jack Howl, Jade Leech, Floyd Leech, Kalim Al-Asim, Vil Schoenheit, Ortho Shroud, and Lilia Vanrouge.

Chapter Text

The moment they enter the office there is nothing but a cold and sharp silence. Crewel and Trein stand on either side of Crowley’s desk with their arms crossed as they glare at the students. Grim’s also in the room, sitting on the ground with his ears lowered as he refuses to look at anyone.

“Close the door behind you.” Trein speaks with a cold tone.

Jack does as commanded while the silence settles heavy in the ear. For a few moments, no one speaks and the only sounds in the room are the ticking of Crowley’s clock. Crewel opens his mouth and the words that come out are dripping in venom.

“Are you aware of what you’ve done?” His eyes narrow. “Actually don’t answer that because I know you’re going to try and play dumb.” He snaps his pointer against his arm. “Yuu was found outside of my house in distress and tears.”

The named students winced while Crowley looked confused at Crewel.

“She was? Ah, that’s why Mr. Grim is here.”

“Be quiet, Crowley.” Crewel’s tone is sharp and the headmaster’s mouth slams close.

“Now, would any of you like to tell the headmaster WHY she appeared outside of the townhouse?” Trein speaks now as Lucius lets out a low growl.

“Because...” Lilia speaks. “Because we pushed her to her limits. Over her limit, actually.”

“And ignored her warnings.” Trey added in. “We got her and ourselves into serious trouble.”

“So you are capable of thinking after all.” Crewel speaks.”So where was that when she was trying to get you to leave the park?”

“Park?” Crowley inquired. “When did you all have time to attend that?”

The boys were quiet, no one speaking up as they all didn’t wish to speak on the subject.

“You all are pathetic and disobedient dogs!” Crewel snapped. “Tell him!”

“We skipped school to go to Playful Land.” Ace responded as he crossed his arms. “We snuck out before school started and spent all day in the park. We almost got turned into puppets by the leader of the place. Yuu got hurt in the process of the whole thing.”

“Is that it?” Crowley blinked and waved his head. “Well that’s nothing new-”

“Shut up.” Crewel all but growled out at the headmaster. ”The main point was she has to keep an eye on them because you always force her to do that, Crowley. You-” He directed his attention towards the leader and vice leaders. “Should have enough common sense and knowledge to get the younger classmen out of danger and not allow them to do something as asinine as this!”

“His magic-” Kalim tried only to be interrupted.

“You can’t use that as an excuse, Mr. Al-Asim.” Trein voiced. “You let yourself get tricked by Honest into believing his lies and ignoring the red flags that were everywhere.” He took a deep breath before speaking directly at Ace. “Not to mention the audacity that you, Mr. Trappola, would casually remind Yuu of her situation here.”

“I forgot! She’s been here so long that it slipped that she’s not from here!” Ace tried defending himself. “Besides, she gets the worst of it from Grim!”

“Don’t throw me in with you!” Grim finally spoke up. “I’m not as bad as the rest of you!”

“You don’t listen to her!”

“And neither do you!” Crewel roared out. “The amount of times she has told ALL of you not to do something and listen to her about something, you all simply ignore her. Because of what? Oh yes, the fact that she’s magicless! She has saved multiple students multiple times and you still show her not one ounce of respect!”

“Now, now-” Crowley tried gaining control of the situation. “Why don’t we all calm down-”

“Don’t think you’re exempt from this.” Trein directed his attention towards the headmaster. “Yuu told us how you ignored her calls during winter break where she and Grim were kidnapped.” He paused as a chorus of confusion followed. “Have you found a way home for her yet?”

“I-I’m still looking!” Crowley holds up his hands in defense. “It’s a very delicate process!”

A few moments of quiet filled the room before Leona spoke clearly.

“...Herbivore can’t go home, can she?

“W-W-What!?” Crowley squawked. “Who told you- I mean-”

“Crowley... have you been leading Yuu on the entire time?” Trein looked horrified. “Is there truly no way for her to return home?”

“I-I mean-”

“When were you playing on telling her this?” 

“.....” Crowley looked off to the side.

“Oh my seven, you never planned on telling her.”

As the room erupted into loud arguments, none of them were aware of the camera recording the whole thing and broadcasting it to the intended people.

Yuu paused the feed and exited out of the message Idia had sent her privately. She.... she was stuck here. She would never be able to go home or to see her mother again or to... Her stomach started feeling nauseous as she rushed to empty it before stumbling her way out of Crewel’s home and into the air of the port town. Yuu held her arms, mind reeling from the information she just received. Static filled her ears and her mind grew numb to the world around her. So much so that she wasn’t looking where she was going and ran into someone.

“Oh! I’m sorry- Hello? Oh wait, Yuu-chan?”

She raised her head at the sound of her name and was met with Neige looking concerningly at her. Beside him stood a long red haired boy with shining blue eyes and another boy with short blond hair and wide blue eyes. One more boy was with them, a tall black boy with long light brown hair and a green top hat.

“Yuu-chan.” Neige placed a hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay?”

Within a matter of moments, tears filled Yuu’s eyes as she started to cry and clench her fists into Neige’s jacket. With a startled noise, the actor held her and looked towards his friends for help. Yuu just wanted everything to stop... just for once, please stop.

Chapter Text

“Here you go, Yuu-chan.”

Yuu mindlessly stared at the cup of tea that was placed in front of her before turning her gaze up towards the RSA students. She knew Neige and the others with him had introduced themselves once she had calmed down. The one on the opposite side of Neige with long red hair and shining blue eyes called himself Rielle, the one sitting across from Rielle with blond hair enthusiastically introduced himself as Andrew Lovington and had told Yuu to call him Andy. Finally, was the tall boy with the green top hat, who leaned against the stone pillar of the tea shop they were next to. He announced himself as Hatley Mcgee with a tip of his hat and an accent to boot.

“Are you okay or do you still need time?” Rielle asked with concern in his voice.

Yuu rubbed her eyes. “I’m fine, I’m fine.” She took a sip of the tea and paused as she tasted a lavender blend with hints of honey in it.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what caused this?” 

While Yuu wasn’t a big fan of Neige, the calming presence of Rielle helped her to speak.So, she proceeded to talk about what had happened in the past twenty four hours and watched as the faces on the students shifted from confused to concerned and then to angry.

“You’re magicless and they still put you in harm's way!?” Andy shouted. “How dare they!”

“Andy, lower your voice.” Hatley calmly reminded him. “You’re in public.”

Andy slouched in his chair as Neige blinked in surprise.

“Vil-san did that...?” He looked down at the table. “He’d just... put you in danger like that?”

“They all did.” Rielle glanced at Yuu’s arms. “And have been for some time.”

Yuu pushed her sleeves down to hide the overblot scars and took another sip of the tea.

“So what do you plan on doing now?”

“I’m not going back, there’s nothing for me back there.” Yuu leaned on her arm and glanced off to the side where she could see NRC towering over everything else. “No home and outside of Crewel and Trein, no one who truly understands what I go through.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “I saved their asses and they still treat me like I’m the lowest thing on the totem pole. Let someone else dig them out of the hole they dug themselves in.”

“Regrettably, if you stay here in town, they’ll be able to find you.” Hatley spoke up as all eyes directed at him. “Would you like to come to RSA with us? If only to lay low?”

Yuu was quiet, glancing from her phone to the RSA students and then to NRC. “....Sure.”

She finished the rest of her tea as Rielle got up to pull her chair out. Yuu paused for a few moments before thanking him as he also helped her up. They began their walk to RSA and while the boys talked amongst themselves, Yuu sent a text to Crewel and Trein explaining where she was going. After that, she went into the chat labeled for the NRC students and promptly left the group and every one adjacent to it. She went into the first year chat and paused as Sebek, Deuce, and Epel started ridiculing Ace, Ortho, and Jack for what they did. It seemed news of Yuu’s departure had finally hit the other ears of NRC.

Before she left, Epel had informed the rest of them that Yuu had left the group chats and just as she saw the text bubbles pop up, she left that chat as well. By now, they had reached the gates of RSA and Yuu paused before stepping through them. She stood out greatly with the black attire versus the white, almost princely, attire of the RSA students.

“We need to tell Ambrose.” Hatley spoke. “He could find a way to send you back home as well.”

“Crowley said that was impossible.” Yuu crossed her arms as they made their way into the main part of the school.

While NRC was: craggy, isolated on a carved cliff top, towering over the island as well, and generally uninviting... RSA was the exact opposite to it in every way. Shining white with the royal blue for parts of their school structure and the wall that separated them from the ocean. The greenery and landscaping weren’t selective or nearly barren looking, instead it worked in tandem with everything else around it. As they passed, Yuu could see students lounging on the lawn as they ate their lunches and chatted with one another. She looked down at her jacket and shrugged it off, tucking it under her arm and out of sight of the other students.

They continued into the school, passing other students along the way, some that had Yuu doing a double take. Sitting on the railing were a pair of students with a tiger beastman next to them, the colors mirroring the Scarbia one. She didn’t have time to think about it long as Neige started dragging her towards the headmaster's office. Hatley knocked on the door and they waited until they heard his voice telling them to come in.

“Headmage Ambrose!” Andy shouted as they walked in, pushing Yuu front and center in front of the old man. “We need help.”

The man looked up from his papers and blinked as he saw the young lady. “You... We’ve met before, correct?”

“Yeah, during VDC...”

“Yes and you were in NRC at the time. What have my students talked you into?” The way he shook his head with a smile and a warm voice almost made Yuu break down again.

“Well, sir.” Rielle spoke. “We’re hoping she'll be able to stay here for the time being. NRC has caused her a great deal of pain and distress.”

“Pain and distress?” He got up from his chair and made his way over to Yuu. “What happened?”

Yuu could feel the sincerity coming off of him and felt she wouldn’t be brushed off if she confided her problems to him. So, she told him everything that had been happening to her since being thrown into this world and forced to stay in NRC. As she finished, silence filled the room and no one moved until Ambrose placed a hand on her shoulder.

“You are more than welcome to stay with us for as long as you need. I’ll see if I can’t find a way to return you home, young lady. Until then, welcome to RSA. We’ll try and have a uniform for you as soon as we can. For now, I’ll call in the other dorm leaders and try to find a place for you to stay.”

Tears welled up in Yuu’s eyes as she hugged him. “Thank you, you have no idea how much I wanted to hear that from someone.”

Chapter Text

What should’ve been a restful day quickly evaporated as the news of Yuu’s departure began to circulate through the school. Now, the student body became aware of what had transpired the day certain students skipped and NRC had begun to morph into a war zone. All eyes were firmly locked on the ones who caused it.

Ace ran into the room followed by Cater and Trey who slammed and locked the door behind them. The sound of banging on the door sounded through the storage room as the trio backed away from it. 

“What the fuck, what the fuck.” Ace panted, eyes wide as he looked at the door as it bent slightly with every bang.

Cater swallowed thickly as he looked around the room for something to barricade the door with.

“I...I’ve never seen them like this.” Trey muttered.

“I can’t blame them.” Cater finally spoke once he couldn’t find anything. “The amount of things Yuu-chan does for us and we do this to her in response?”

“It was an accident!” Ace countered.

“It no longer becomes accidental if we keep ignoring it!” Cater rounded on the first year. “How dense are you!?”

“Me? You’re just at fault as I am!”

“I’m not glued to her side like you are!” He snarled and Ace jumped. “You of all people should know how she felt about things! Or were you just using her as a means to make yourself feel better!?”

“You piece of-”

“Why did the banging stop?”

Cater and Ace paused in their argument as Trey’s words pulled their attention from each other and towards the door. He was right, the banging had ceased, filling the air with unease. Suddenly, the door was kicked open and in the doorway stood a very angry Deuce and a red faced Riddle. 

The dorm leader tried to keep his tone level but it clearly wasn’t working. “I have no idea that Yuu had completely resigned from NRC.” Riddle gripped his staff tightly and raised it. “Are you three aware of what your actions have done? What you have caused to descend on NRC?” A shadow graced his face. “And now you must be punished for it.

“R-Riddle-”

“Off with your head!”

Three heavy collars locked firmly around the trio’s necks, throwing off their equilibrium and sending them to the ground.

“Riddle please.” Trey’s hands were on the collar. “We didn’t-”

“The problem is, you did.” Riddle coldly cuts him off. “And that’s the worst thing, Trey, you three knew.” He turns to leave. “You best pray to one of the seven that is willing to hear you out that you manage to avoid the dorm for long enough.”

The trio became aware of the other dorm members around the doorway as Deuce approached them as he cracked his knuckles.

“My best friend is gone because of you.” Deuce said.

“She was my best friend too-” Ace tried to say.

“Was she?” Deuce glared at him. “Did you ever sit down and listen to how she felt? How she would talk about missing her home and her mom? How she felt like the students here were treating her like she was stupid?” He crossed his arms. “How YOU would openly mock her for not knowing about certain events?”

“I....”

“Can it, Ace. The amount of times we come to help her and in the same breath you mock her. No wonder you were the one she punched and now I owe you a few myself.”

The students filled the room, causing the trio to move back against the wall in an useless effort to stay away from their impending fights. Acting fast, Cater glanced at the window behind them before grabbing the nearest item and smashing it. The window shattered, leaving everyone stunned as Cater leapt from the room and rolled on the grass before getting to his feet. Taking the momentary pause of the crowd, Trey and Ace followed suit, with the vice dorm leader stumbling a bit as he landed. The three of them took off into the maze as the remaining dorm members shouted after them before quickly leaving the storage room to chase them down.

The most common way for Savanaclaw to solve any issue they have is with their fists. It was the way of the dorm, the survival of the strongest. Ruggie watched as Leona laid out the last member of the dorm to stand against him. Jack was behind him, courtesy of the dorm leader’s orders. Leona glared down at the students, staff in his hand, as he raised his voice.

“Would anyone else like to try their hand at a duel?”

No answer apart from echoing groans.

“Good. Use your brains next time you think you can take me on.” Leona’s eyes moved over to where Ruggie was. “Aren’t you going to say anything?”

“Would you listen?” Ruggie’s voice is sharp as he crosses his arms. “Which we both know you don’t.”

“Watch it.” Leona bared his fangs with a snarl.

He rolled his eyes. “Please. I’m not afraid of you, Leona-san, and after today, I think my respect for you has diminished significantly.” His eyes shifted over to Jack. “Same with you, Jack-kun.” 

Jack’s ears fell. “R-Ruggie-senpai. We-”

“Don’t give me an excuse unless you’re acknowledging what you did. You were one of her best friends too and one of the more sensible ones. What happened.”

“I don’t know...”

“Typical. You learned too much from Leona-san.”

“I said, watch it.” Leona stepped towards Ruggie. 

“Of course... your highness.” Ruggie sneered as he moved away from the wall he was leaning against, completely ignoring the now burning look Leona was giving him. “I don’t know what Yuu-san saw in you with how much she was willing to put up with.” He turned and walked away. “I hope you never forget what you did to her because we won’t.”

Leona and Jack watched as Ruggie left the lounge with the bystanders following behind him. The beaten students slowly got to their feet and limped their way out of the room, leaving Jack and Leona with the only sound in the room being the waterfall over the pool.

“Why.”

“Why what?”

“Why didn’t you stop me?” Jack looked at Leona. “You saw how everything was going and you still let us do it.”

“You have a brain, Jack, despite it malfunctioning that day, it was still there.” Leona flicked his tail and glared at him. “I’m not your babysitter.”

“But you’re my dorm leader.” Jack bares his teeth and grabs Leona’s shirt.

“And you’re supposed to have a good head on your shoulders.” Leona snaps back. “I’m not going to think for you. You’re old enough to do that.”

“Leona-”

“Enough.” Leona slapped Jack’s hand off of him. “I don’t care what the fuck you do after this as long as you leave me alone, Jack.” With that, Leona shoved his hands into his pockets and left the wolf beastman standing there.

Jack’s ears fell as the adrenaline departed from his body while the wind blew through his fur, but he felt numb to it. The friendship he had built up with Yuu had shattered and was tossed aside like it was nothing valuable. He recounts the times she shared personal stories with him... oh how foolish Jack must be and how he wishes he could take it all back...

Chapter Text

“No words?”

Currently, Jade and Floyd were standing in Azul’s office in the Mostro Lounge. Azul had his back turned to them as he sat in his chair, completely quiet. The only sound in the room was coming from the lights above them as they droned in almost a mocking silence.

“Well?” Floyd grumbled. “Parasite got your tongue or somethin?”

“Getting yourselves into trouble is a normal day for the two of you.” Azul spoke but his voice was devoid of any familiarity. “But you managed to get Yuu-san roped into it and hurt in the process.”

“I will admit. Our judgment was not... the best.” Jade began to speak. “We underestimated Honest’s Unique Magic.”

Azul turned in his chair. “‘Underestimated’ Hmm?” His eyes narrowed. “Do you two not realize who you drove away? Yuu-san is literally the only way this school can function.”

Floyd huffed. “We already got chewed out by Professor Beakfish and Red Squid-”

“And you’re upset by it? Floyd, you’re the one who goes on about Yuu-san being your best friend.” Azul reminded him, causing the eel to freeze up. “This is not something you can just laugh away or ignore until it gets better.”

“Why are you goin’ after me?” Floyd growled. “Jade was there too!”

“Jade is not immune to this either!” Azul slammed his hands on the desk. “You both....The reason I have no words for you two is that I KNOW my words won’t matter to you. But my actions will.”

“What do you mean?” Jade asked.

“You heard me, Jade. You two thrive off of people’s reactions to what you do. So, I’m not giving it to you. In fact,” Azul sat back in his chair, crossed his legs and placed his elbows on his desk, and pointed towards the door. “Leave my office. I don’t wish to see either of you for the remainder of the day.”

“You kickin’ us out of the Lounge?”

“No, just my office.” He waved his hand. “Shoo, Leechs.”

Jade and Floyd looked at each other and then back at Azul, who waved his hand again. After a few moments, the twins hesitantly left the room and closed the door behind them. They walked into the dining hall to see the members ignoring them as they went about getting everything ready to open the Lounge.

“The fuck.”

“...It seems this doesn’t just include Azul.”

“I’m just gonna march over to Professor Beakfish and get him to tell us where Shrimpy is.”

“Oh, because that will go over so well, Floyd.” Jade watched as Floyd turned to glare at him. “Miss Yuu clearly has no desire to see you or any of us for that matter. Forcing him to tell you where she is is never going to happen.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because if she wanted to speak to you.” Jade pulled out his phone and opened the messages. “She wouldn’t have left all the chats.”

Floyd glanced at the text messages before shoving the phone away.“...She’ll be back.”

“She won’t.”

“You don’t know that!”

“I do know that!” Jade nearly hisses but manages to catch himself in time. “You saw how she reacted at the pier.”

“That was just towards Crabby!”

“It was directed at all of us!”

“Shrimpy wouldn’t just up and leave!”

“Well she has! Grow up and accept it, Floyd. Your ‘best friend’ is gone!”

A few seconds passed before Floyd grabbed Jade and punched him. With a hiss, Jade shrugged off the hit and slammed Floyd into the ground. It wasn’t long before the brothers were fighting, using their fists and whatever was nearby as weapons. Employees moved out of the way as they tousled and rolled across the floor. Floyd pinned Jade to the ground and grabbed one of the nearby bar stools before a blast of magic sent him tumbling off his brother.

“What.” The sharp voice of Azul came as he lowered his cane. “In the Seven’s name are you two doing.”

 Floyd pointed his finger at Jade. “He-”

“I don’t care WHO started it.” He glared hard at the twins. “Both of you get out of here. Until further notice, you’re both relieved of your duties here in the Lounge.”

“But-” Jade tried speaking.

“Did. I. Stutter?”

“....No, Azul.”

“...Nah.”

“Then get the hell out.”

The twins quietly left the lounge, neither one of them flinching as the door slammed shut behind them. They glared at each other before going their separate ways.

“Jamil, Jamil, please say something.”

Kalim timidly watches from the doorway as Jamil stuffs the laundry into the basket. He picks it up and leaves the laundry room without a word, causing Kalim to follow after him.

“Jamil-”

“What do you want me to say, Kalim?” Jamil pauses and turns on his heel to face the young scion. 

“Anything.” Kalim's eyes are watery. “Please, don't ignore me.”

“Like you ignored me words?” Jamil said coldly and sharply.

Kalim flinched at that. “I-it was an accident...”

“No, it wasn't. You don't continue to ignore someone's words and call it an ‘accident’.”

“I-”

“We're supposed to be equals, you said so yourself. So why do you continue to ignore my words that keep you out of trouble?”

“I thought it would be a fun time!”

“Kalim! I tell you these things to keep you safe!” Jamil growled. “Normally your bullheaded decisions only affect me, but you roped Yuu into this!” He slammed down the basket.

“I'm sorry!”

“I'm not the one you should be apologizing to! The one who really needs it is gone! Congrats, Kalim, you drove someone away with, with, you fucking bullshit!” 

Jamil rarely ever swore and Kalim could see the look in his eyes were borderline furious. 

“Jamil-”

“Stop speaking because all I'm hearing is a refusal to acknowledge your actions.” He glared at him. “Go somewhere else. Now.” Jamil picked the basket back up and continued his way to where he was headed.

Kalim watches him leave with tears in his eyes and a trembling frame. He rubbed the tears as best as he could before he shuffled his way towards his room.

Jamil slammed his door behind him and dropped the basket on the floor with a snarl. He grabbed his headphones and put them on while he pulled his phone out of his pocket. Jamil unlocked it and paused as it opened on the last thing he had up.

Yuu: I sent you a link to a playlist I made. Hopefully it's to your music standards, Hebi.

Jamil: You make it sound like I'm not going to like it.

Yuu: Jamil, have you heard your taste in music? You need more genres.

Jamil: I have plenty.

Yuu: Bullshit. 

Jamil: What about yours? I could be listening to a jazz song and the next one that plays is loud rock.

Yuu: :3c keeps you on your toes!

Jamil: And bursts my eardrums in the process.

Yuu: Hahaha! 

Jamil: I'll listen to it later.

Yuu: Promise?

Jamil: .... promise.

Jamil took a deep breath and tapped on the link to the playlist. His thumb hovered above the play button before he pressed it. The first song starts with a slow build before a gentle voice starts to sing. Jamil waited a few moments before he started to pull the laundry from the basket.

“Damnit.” He mutters to himself as the next song that starts up is loud rock. “Of course.”

He imagines hearing Yuu laugh at his face upon hearing the sudden change in volume.

“...” Jamil grips his shirt and leans on his bed. “...damnit.” He taps out a single message to her and debates sending it.

Jamil: I know a lot has happened. But... if you ever feel like talking, please contact me... I'm sorry, Yuu...

>>Send?
....
>>>Sent

Chapter Text

It’s quiet when Vil enters Pomefiore, but he pays no mind to it in his current mental state as he closes the grand doors behind him. The normal clicking of his heels sound like thundering steps to his ears as he slowly walks down the hallway. Vil opens the doors to the lounge with a heavy sigh just as Epel comes practically flying towards him out of nowhere.

“Ya piece of shit!”

"Monsieur Cherry Apple, no!"

Rook grabs him swiftly before he makes contact with a shocked and stunned Vil. Epel struggles like some feral animal in the archer’s arms, digging his nails into Rook's arms, but the vice doesn’t budge.

“Because of ya one of muh friends is gone!” Epel claws at Rook’s arms in at attempt to reach Vil, all with tears in his eyes. “Ya doggone piece of horseshit!”

“Monsieur Cherry Apple.” Rook’s voice lacks its usual tone. “Go to your room.”

“But-”

“Now. Roi du Poison and I need to talk.” He lets the first year go, who glares at Vil before practically stomping down the hall.

“Rook-”

“Non. I don’t want to hear an excuse.” Rook cuts him off as the brim of his hat hides his eyes. “What happened? As someone like you would never do this.”

“...I got careless.”

“You? Careless?”

“I’m human, it happens.”

“There’s carelessness and then there’s ignoring what’s being told to you.” Rook’s hat lifts and Vil fights back a shiver as sharp green eyes stare at him. “How do you ignore the red flags?”

“I underestimated his magic.”

“And Madam Trickster?”

“....”

“No words, hmm?” Rook turns on his heel. “We often take advantage of the ones who give and protect us. In the effort she took to understand us, the least you could do was understand her in return.” He tipped his hat down and glared at Vil from under it. “I am filled with sadness at what happened to her and filled with anger towards the ones that caused it.”

“Rook-”

“I speak my mind, Roi du Poison, and what I see before me is not beauty, but an ignorant ugliness.” He begins to walk away as Vil’s breath hitches. “I’ve informed the rest of the dorm to leave you be as I would speak to you. I’ve said my peace. Now, goodbye... Vil.”

Vil watched as Rook left him, traveling further down the hall and leaving the dorm leader to ruminate on his words.

“...I’m such a fool...”

Ortho floats into the dorm, fully expecting to meet the harsh glares and sharp tones of the dorm members, but is instead greeting by… nothing. It was like the dorm was abandoned, which put the younger Shroud even more on edge as he made his way over to Idia's room. He raised his hand to the door and pauses, a deep unsettling feeling pool in the depths of his non-existent stomach.

Ortho gently knocks at the door. "Brother?"

There was no response behind the door which made the feeling worse.

He knocked again. "Brother?"

"….Yeah?"

"….I'm…. I'm back."

"I know…"

Ortho gently opened the door and saw Idia tapping away at something on his keyboard, he didn't look up when his brother came into the room.

"…Why aren't you saying anything?

"Not much to say." Idia responded, eyes focused on whatever was on the screen.

"What do you mean?" Ortho fixes his brother with a stare. "After what I did? After I drove Yuu Homura-san away? You don't have anything to say to it?"

"Shit happens."

He froze at that response. "How can you say that? She was your friend… she was my friend…"

"…."

"Say something!"

"I can't!" Idia turns to him. "What can I say to that? 'I know you didn't mean to, Ortho' or 'Give her some time and apologize to her?' or some other dialogue option!?"

"It's better than silence and half caring response!"

"Ortho, you know she favors you! Yuu-rin probably doesn't even hold this against you!"

"But I hold it against me! I hurt her!" Ortho's eyes become teary. "If I had listened to her more instead of my sensors! This could've been avoided if I just trusted her!"

"Then I don't need to talk to you or dish out a punishment." Idia sighs. "You're already doing it to yourself."

Ortho rubs his eyes as Idia gets up out of his chair to hug him.

"I'm sorry, Ortho."

"Don't…. don't apologize to me… I'm not the one who needs it…" He sniffs and hugs Idia back. "Tell me everything is going to be fine…"

"I can't…." The older Shroud holds his tighter. "You know I can't do that."

Chapter Text

Silver glanced out to the window to see gray clouds slowly moving to encase the dorm as Lilia began to explain to Malleus what had happened after he returned from his day out.

"She… left?" A boom of thunder in the background shook Diasomnia. "I believe I'm not quite understanding… how this happened."

Lilia, even for all his hardened nerves, swallowed slightly. "A day at the park turned… tragic."

"I understand that much." A flash of lighting came through the windows, painting Malleus in an impossing light before darkening. "What I don't understand is why you didn't put Child of Man's safety first. She's a magicless human, Lilia."

"Who has, in the past, shown that she can handle herself…"

His eyes narrowed. "Only if others of magical strength are by her side. Even while the others and I were in Fleur City, I made sure to keep an eye on her. She was my top priority when it came to safety, even as the flowers bloomed and encased the city, she came first."

"Waka-sama," Sebek spoke. "Perhaps he believed everything was okay-"

"It doesn't matter what he believes, if she had a feeling something was not right, believe her when she says it." Malleus nearly snapped. "All those years of instinct and you ignore them, Lilia."

"It's a time of peace-"

"No excuses!"

Lightning struck the dorm causing the residents, apart from Sebek and Silver, in the lounge room to jump.

"She is my friend, Lilia!" Malleus bared his teeth. "And you dare to tell me that within the same breath of explaining what happened, you also say 'she has handled herself before'? How disingenuous."

"Malleus-"

"Enough." He commanded and Lilia closed his mouth. "Were it not for you raising me, your punishment would be far harsher. For now, leave my sight as I do not wish to see you anymore for tonight. I will handle you properly tomorrow morning."

Lilia's face fell. "It was a mistake-"

"That could've cost Child of Man her life!" Malleus all but roared, causing the dorm residents to clear out of the room in a rush.

"Waka-sama-"

"Malleus-"

"Silence!" He rounded on Sebek and Silver. "Do not try and protect him! The best thing for both of you to do is either leave the room or stay quiet."

"…Yes sir."

"Good. All three of you are dismissed." The prince made his way towards the entrance of the dorm.

"Where are you going?" Silver asked, wondering if the angry fae would give an answer.

"Out." Is all he said as he opened the door and slammed it shut.

"We'll try and get you settled in tomorrow, but for tonight, I hope this is good enough."

Yuu sat on the bed as she took in the design of the room. She was currently in the RSA dorm, Daydreamers, which was the adjacent dorm to Heartslabyul. The room wasn't as weirdly shaped as the one in NRC and was more themed towards tea and clocks than mazes and roses. Shades of blue and white colored the room, a vast departure from the black, white, and reds of Heartslabyul.

Yuu turned to face Hatley, who remained in the doorway as he waited for her response.

"It's fine. Tell Andy I say thanks."

"You got it." He closed the door, leaving her to flop backwards onto the bed with a sigh.

"Man, this day…" Yuu closed her eyes and ran her hands over her face. "Ha….." She sighed and moved her hands away to see green lights fill the room.

In a flash, Malleus appeared and stood in front of her. He had a solemn expression on his face as he looked at her.

"…What are you doing here?"

"I came to check on you. How are you doing, Child of Man?"

Yuu sat up and looked at him. "A call or text would've worked." She ignored the question about her current state.

"You are aware that technology and myself do not mix well."

"I know, I know. It's a joke, Tsunotaro." Yuu rubbed her temple as her other hand worked the band out of her hair to let her braids fall against her back. "Listen, I know why you're here, but I really need some time to full process everything."

"…Must it be here in RSA?"

"Well it's not going to be there in NRC." She crossed her arms. "Where they will try and brush off what happened."

"What shall happen to Grim?"

"I don't know and nor do I care at the moment. Let him sit on how everything's been going." Yuu reached for the silk hair bonnet that Hatley had given her. "For the moment, please, return to NRC and I'll let you know when I'm ready to talk."

"….Very well. How will I know once you are?"

She grabbed her phone and waved it around, blantly ignoring the multiple notifications on it. "As long as you don't break yours, I'll te- call you."

"Then I will… see you later." He gave her one last look before disappearing in the same matter he arrived in.

Chapter Text

Grim lay on the bed in his and….formally Yuu's shared room. Her scent was faint and anything that remained of her, clothing wise and anything else, had disappeared from Ramshackle. She had probably come while he was in class or something, completely avoiding him where she could. He curled up and placed his paws over his ears as the past few days events played on repeat in his head. All the yelling, from Yuu and the teachers, all the angry words and glares thrown his way.

"How could she say that…" He weakly muttered. "After all we've been through..?"

Grim sniffed, rubbed his eyes, and climbed out of bed as he clutched a pillow in his claws. Suddenly, the sound of a door being thrown open and slamming shut came from downstairs. Grim's ears raised as hope flared up in his chest.

'It's Henchhuman! I knew she would come back!' He rushed for the stairs and practically flew down them.

"Hench-" The direbeast paused as he hit the lounge. "….What are you guys doing here?"

A collared Ace, Trey, and Cater were panting in the lounge. Ace gripped the arm rest of the couch as he took deep breaths, coughing every so often as his lungs fought to keep the air in. Cater was laying on the ground, wheezing as his chest rapidly went up and down. Finally was Trey, who clutched his glasses in his hand as he sat in the chair with his head lowered. Each of them had scuff marks and dirt on their uniforms as well as a few bruises that the feline could see.

"…What happened?" Grim tried to mask his disappointment at their intrusion.

"The whole…" Ace panted as he slumped onto the couch. "The whole ass dorm attacked us. This is the only place we could go once we got out."

"…So you just decided to crash here."

"Hey-"

"Grimmy." Cater sat up, looking defeated as his hair had fallen out of its hair band and into his face. "Were you expecting Yuu to come through that door? Is that why you rushed downstairs?"

"….N-No…" Grim looked off to the side. "You guys were just making so much noise."

"Grim." Trey put his glasses back on. "It's fine to say you miss her-"

"But she ain't coming back." Ace cut in. "She made it known that she doesn't want anything to do with us anymore."

"With YOU guys!" Grim countered. "She didn't say me!"

"She glared at you!"

"She was just angry at the time!"

"Both of you, stop." Trey commanded them with a glare. "Ace, you caused enough today and Grim, you know that was targeted at all of us."

Both of them deflated and looked off to the side as the third year sighed.

"We have to accept what we did, no amount of trying to explain it away will lessen that weight on your shoulders." He pulled at the collar. "This, as well as others, are proof of that."

"But… I never meant it…" Grim's ears fell.

"It doesn't matter. The amount of time Yuu had to clean up after your mess while trying to handle her own situation weighed on her."

"But-"

"Grim." Grim's eyes flicked over to Cater. "Did you ever tell her how sorry you were? How you'll try and do better?"

"Um, well…" He pressed his paws together. "It was just easier to ignore it or blame it on her…"

"Grim." Cater's voice got sharp. "What?"

"S-She's just easier to blame things on…"

"No wonder she kept wanting breaks from you. Shit, man."

"B-But-"

"Don't." Cater glared at him.

Grim sat on the floor and looked off to the side to avoid the intensity of the glare. "….do we know where she is?"

"No." Ace answered as he crossed his arms. "The worse place she could be is RSA. Tch, surrounded by all those fucking goody two shoes has gotta be boring."

"Compared to NBC with that guy, what was his name, Rollo?" Cater asked, only receiving a small nod from Grim in response. "He'd make her worse."

Trey sighed. "I don't want to think about this for right now…Too much has happened today and I think the other dorms are going through the same thing…"

"…Everything is gonna change huh?" Ace said in a quiet tone.

"Yeah and it's all our fault…"

Chapter Text

A few months had passed since Yuu left and surprisingly enough, NRC was standing after everything. Although, it was very clear that the magicless girl held more power than they had originally thought. While the students would normally snap to attention with Yuu's forceful shout of "Hey!", there was no snap, no putting the student in their places. For the ones who caused her departure, while the harsh insults and sharp stings had died down, the anger felt towards them didn't diminish.

With the Light Music Club, they were no longer as jovial as they used to be. Kalim would sit and be quiet with a drained and oftentimes, dead, look in his eyes. Cater's focus was entirely on his phone, he had grown more prickly and sharp. Lilia didn't bother to strike up a conversation as no one responded to him anymore. Leona held up in his room, basically refusing to come out unless he was needed. Jack would find himself in Ramshackle as a way to escape from the sharp glares of his dorm members.

Trey stayed as the vice dorm leader, but it came with the knowledge that no one would greet him as warmly as they once did and Riddle had started addressing him in a rather cold tone. Ace moved out of the room he shared with Deuce and the others, Riddle was "kind" enough to find somewhere else to put him. Jade had remained Octavinelle's vice, although had grown more distant of the position as the members often ignored him. Floyd had grown increasingly more hostile, either by Jade's own angered provocation or Azul refusing to acknowledge him. Vil mostly kept to himself, going about his day like he normally would, only it was with much less grace and more weight. Ortho was the only one to avoid a majority of the harsh words and actions due to him accepting what he had done.

Grim, after hiding away in Ramshackle for so long, suggested to Ace and Jack that go into town to get away from NRC for a while. A cold air blew in from the sea as Ace shoved his hands deeper into his pants pockets, behind him he could hear Jack and Grim talking.

"How are you…. holding up?"

"….I'm…." Grim pauses for a few seconds before sniffing. "Getting there…"

"That's good." Ace could feel Jack's eyes shift to him. "What about you, Ace?"

"Well, I'm not getting punched, so I guess you can say it's better." He responded sarcastically as they entered the shopping district of Foothill town.

"Come on, Ace." Jack sighed, exasperated at the response.

"It's fine, it's going fine." He grumbled and practically turtled himself into his jacket. "Listen, I don't want to talk about it…"

"I understand…"

Bells and the sound of doors chiming as people entered and exited buildings, smiles on their faces as they talked to friends and family. Normally, Ace would've ignore them but one voice rang out that had all of them freezing in their tracks. A simple chime followed by the sound of laughter tunneled their focus to the group in front of them mere feet away. Deuce held open the door as he conversed with a tan skinned male who sported long black hair and, what appeared to be, a weird green misshapen doll in his satchel and was wearing the RSA winter uniform. Malleus stood outside the establishment, scarf wrapped tightly around his deck as he appeared to be listening to what a short silver haired male was telling him, he also wore the RSA winter uniform.

Someone walked out of the building with a green top hat, dark skin, long light brown hair, and sporting the RSA winter uniform. The student was holding someone's hand, who he brought out with a smile. Ace could feel his breath hitch along with Jack's and Grim's as Yuu followed behind the RSA student, a smile was present on her face. She looked better, no longer drained and tired, as the magicless girl laughed and nudged Deuce's shoulder as he said something. One thing stuck out against everything else, one thing that hit them in the heart.

"She's… in RSA…"

Yuu was wearing a modified version of the RSA winter uniform. She had fled into the arms of heroes, far away from the villains that had harmed and used her. Yet, Yuu had still managed to keep in contact with a few members from NRC. She waved goodbye to Malleus and Deuce as they left, green eyes flicked to where Ace and the others were and she had to do a double take.

"She's… looking this way…" Grim's ears lowered.

"Thanks for that, Captain Obvious." Ace muttered.

Yuu harshly glared at them, they could see her good mood tank and her eyes visibly darken. Eventually, she looked away and pulled the other RSA students away from the area. The one with the green top hat glanced back to shoot them a glare before saying something to Yuu as they disappeared from site.

"She was that close all along….?" Jack whispered.

"Close but far from us." Ace looks off to the side and gave a joyless laugh. "We really are villains, huh…"

"Yuu…" Grim sniffed. "We're sorry…"

The apology went unheard and unrequited for it was far too late and she refused to accept it.