A Witch Among Villians

To Appease the Tyrant part 1

"Gah!! That was nerve-wracking...! What's with that beastly attendant?!" Grim wondered with a look on his face.

"I don't think he tends to this place...He was kinda like a lion, though." 'And he seemed like the lazy, laid-back type that doesn't like being woken up.'

"Hey! We found a basket and some tongs here!" Ace said showing up with Deuce.
"Did something happen to you two?" The Spade boy asked.
" Oh, that's right! Chestnut picking! We won't be able to eat some tarts if we don't bring some back!" Grim said before he started telling them about the 'scary attendant'.

[LOCATION: Woods Behind Campus]

"That dude's definitely not an attendant." Ace pointed out.
"Now that I think about it, he was wearing a yellow vest. Maybe he's from the Mackerel Dorm?' Grim guessed wrongly, making Hazel giggle.

"No, it's Savanaclaw, Grim. He also had the animal traits that a lot of the students there. He was a lot like a lion though." Hazel said.
"Though it sounded that he was interested in you-wait. Did you say 'lion'?" Deuce asked. Hazel nodded at that.

"That was probably Kingscholar. I heard he's the prefect of Savanaclaw, but he doesn't seem to act like it." Deuce said.
"Alright! We picked up a lot so this should be good! Let's go back to Trey-senpai!" Ace said changing the subject, probably because of the collar.
"Nyaha! I can practically taste the tart already~!" Grim laughed.

----Heartslabyul kitchen---------

"Welcome back. I see you've picked a bunch." Trey greeted them as he put an apron on.
 "You can make a gigantic tart with these!"
 "Though, you'll end up doing more work, but... Do your best." Trey said rolling up his sleeves.
"All of this, huh... I feel like we'll be here for a long time." Deuce sagged his shoulders.
"Preparing beforehand is necessary when making dessert." Trey pointed out.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Let's just get it over with!!" Ace said , really eager to get the collar off.

"I could handle this if you would like," Hazel said as she took out her wand and got to work having the chestnuts floating in the air and having them peel themselves all at once as the boys looked on in amazement. Cater was even recording this with his phone.

 "Wow! Making these tarts will take no time at all at this rate!"

 "Hehe~! Everything will be a breeze with her!
 "Alright, next up's straining them." Trey said getting ready to put the strainer out.
 "There's still more!?" Ace yelled.

"Cooking isn't that easy you know. Besides, I only cut down some work with the chestnuts for you. The rest can be done by hand."  Hazel reminded them.

 "Haha. Well said. Even if you used your magic Hazel, I'm sure that your hard work will all be worth it." Trey smiled.
"I'm getting hungry just by the smell, yanno~" The cat sighed.
 "The marron base uses butter and sugar. And then, I also added some oyster sauce as a secret ingredient." Trey said catching them by surprise. 
ACE/DEUCE: Oyster sauce?!
 "Exactly. The savory flavor of the chestnuts gives the cream a rich flavor. And then, to make it better, I use this "Walrus-brand young oyster sauce." There's no famous pâtissière who doesn't use this for their tarts, you know?" He said, but Hazel had a feeling that this was a bluff.
"Really...? It's a pretty salty sauce, isn't it?" The Spade boy asked making a face.
"You know how they put chocolate in curry, too? It kinda makes sense..." Ace shrugged.
"(laughs) I was just joking! There's no way I'd put oyster sauce in a dessert, you know?" The green hair laughed.

 "What the heck!? Are you making fun of us!?" Ace yelled.
 "Haha! It's obviously impossible if you think about it a little~" Trey teased the two freshman. "The moral lesson here is that you shouldn't believe anything you're told. Learn to doubt a bit, okay~?" Trey said teasingly, but only he could Hazel whisper under her breath.