𝐀𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 ‎ ‎ ‎ twst

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠-𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗖𝗜𝗣𝗔𝗟

PROLOGUE II.
ⁱⁿᵗᵒ ᵗʰᵉ ᵘⁿᵏⁿᵒʷⁿ

      THE HEADMASTER certainly has an eccentric sense of fashion. Bluntly put, he resembled more of a ringleader hosting a circus rather than a principal in charge of a well-known, prestigious academy. Right now, he was staring at you with a deep frown; it went without saying, he was not too pleased seeing you lounge inside the living room.

You don't blame him. Imagine leaving with two in mind and returning to a third joining the party. Doesn't sound too ideal now, does it?

You just wished he didn't make you sound more of a burden than you were. "Oh, Great Seven... How did it come to this?" He mumbled, pinching his mask, where the bridge of his nose was. "Is this perhaps punishment for forgetting to bring you dinner the first time?"

You didn't know how to react, so you just sat in your seat quietly beside Yuu, and Grim sitting comfortably on top of your head, while The Headmaster paced quickly around the room. You almost felt apologetic to the man, although it couldn't be seen on his face due to the mask, he sounded so stressed. Keyword: Almost. None of this is your fault.

"First, The Black Carriage to collect a magicless human, A wild familiar almost setting my school ablaze, and now A young girl that seemingly appeared out of thin air!? Goodness, tonight is quite the eventful one, indeed. Tell me, My Dear." The Headmaster knelt and took hold of one of your hands. "What is your name?"

"It's (n)." you blandly responded.

"Miss (n), a lovely name, yes. However, I'm unsure of what to do..." He muttered, rubbing his chin with his other hand.

"Yanno..." Grim, piped in, looking very unimpressed. "This guy easily makes me upset."

Yuu sweatdropped at Grim's comment. He couldn't argue either, he got pissed off by the adult too, for understandable and obvious reasons. Nevertheless, he was currently the only one he could rely on, so whether he wanted to or not, he had to suck it up.

"Excuse me, Headmaster. Is it possible you can allow (n) and Grim to stay here with me?"

The Headmaster averted his attention from on you to male, gawking at him as though he had grown ten heads. "Naturally... I would have let the Young Maiden reside here regardless of your opinion. In addition to that, Sir Crewel would have my head if he learned I left a poor girl helpless and homeless. But, as for Grim..."

"Headmaster... if you're concerned about Grim wreaking havoc in your absence, maybe you should leave that responsibility to Yuu." You suggested. "Though my time here is short, I can tell that if Grim were to listen to anyone, it would be Yuu. Let him be Grim's supervisor. You even called him... a beast tamer, right?"

"Yes... but." He sighed, finally relenting. "It cannot be helped, can it? Alright."

"Funa!? Seriously!?" Grim was practically jumping in excitement from The Headmaster's approval. Yuu too was grinning, but at you, grateful you assisted in persuading the Headmaster.

"However!" The Headmaster interjected, "There's no way I can let someone who wasn't chosen by the Mirror of Darkness... a monster, at that, enroll in the school. You too, Mister Yuuken. I cannot let you just freeload until you can go back to your own world. And well, Miss (n), not only are you female, but you were not chosen by the Mirror of Darkness, nor do we know if you are another rare case, magicless."

"You could have at least given us a minute to celebrate. Talk about short-lived joy." Grim grumbled.

The Headmaster raised his hand to cut off Grim's incoming monologue. "Please, listen to the rest of my proposal. Although we may not have summoned some souls, as you are on our campus, you are still our responsibility. In any case, for the time being, we will offer you this lodging for free. However, we'll have you pay for some living necessities by yourself."

"How are we going to purchase things if we are empty-handed?" You asked.

"That's a good question. Hmm... I see, let's do it like this."

Yuu squinted his eyes suspiciously. "What in the world do you have in mind for us?"

"My, that's quite an aggressive expression you have there, Mister Yuuken." The Headmaster smirked. "You don't have to be that on guard. I'm only going to make you do odd jobs like maintenance within the school. Judging from your appearance, Mister Yuuken, you have the great capability to complete a thorough cleaning. For starters, what about you and Grim teaming up as the "handymen"? If you do that, I will give you special permission to stay inside the school. I will also permit you to use the library to gather information on ways to go back to your world, as well as to study. I am kind, after all. Only after you finish your work."

"Myah!? What about this Human!?" Grim yelled, sticking a paw in your direction. "You didn't tell her to do anything, how come she gets to relax and do as she wants!?"

"It's against my morals to let an unwell girl do hard labor." The Headmaster shrugged. "Whether she wants to accompany you the next day and work is all for her to decide."

Grim stamped his foot in protest. "I don't wanna do any cleaning either! I wanna wear one of those flashy uniforms and cast a ton of spells too!!!"

"Oh my, Grim. If you don't wish to comply is your choice. I'll just toss you out again, properly this time."

"F-Funa!? N-Nevermind! I'll do it! I'll do it!!!"

The Headmaster beamed. "Wonderful! And I suppose I also have your agreement on this arrangement too, Mister Yuuken, Miss (n)?"

"Sure." You both simultaneously replied.

"Very well!" The Headmaster clasped his hands together. "Then, you two... maybe three. Starting tomorrow, work hard as Night Raven College's handymen!"

"Ughh... I can't believe this. This is absolutely the worst." Grim sulked, slinking off to who knows where.

ㅤ

ㅤ

Your head fell back as soon as The Headmaster left. You... had so many questions to ask. None of what you heard sounds familiar to what you were accustomed to. I mean, Magic? Black Carriage? Dark Mirror? What kind of twisted scenario was this? Your head was beginning to ache the longer you thought about it...

"Hey, (n)?" Yuu approached you from behind. "Grim and I are going to call it quits for the night so, we will be heading to bed shortly. Just thought it would be a good idea to inform you in case you wonder where we left off. And..."

"If you ever need anything during the night, don't hesitate to wake me up."

Your eyes widened slightly before they softened. There was the warm fuzziness present in your chest again. No one... has ever treated you with such kindness before. A small smile appeared on your lips.

ㅤ

"Yuu... Thank you."