-3rd POV-
All of them panted, tired from all the workout.
"Is it...over?" Epel said.
Everyone in the crowd cheered and clapped.
"Squeeee! Vil-sama!" A girl yelled out.
"S-So beautiful...!" A different girl cried, "So beautiful!"
"Bravo! Bravo! Bravissimo! Wonderful!" A male exclaimed.
Shoto smiled, "That's my baby sister." He muttered, clapping along with the crowd.
"Who's the girl? She's so pretty!" A male with the Royal Sword Academy uniform said.
"What's her Magicam? I need to be her friend!" A girl exclaimed.
"Wow! A full-audience standing ovation, right from the first song!" The host exclaimed, "Those were the Night Raven College entrants, led by Vil Schoenheit...In an incredible opening performance!"
"Thank you, everyone. I'll see you all again!" Vil smiled and waved, as girls squealed.
"Merci! I hope you'll stick around and enjoy the rest of the acts!" Rook said.
"Thank you for listening to our song, everybody! That was a blast!" Kalim exclaimed with a grin.
People cheered, as they all left.
-----
"Rgh..." Vil winced, before falling to the floor.
"Someone, bring me a spray bottle and bandages!" Rook said.
"On it!" A staff said, before running off to get the things.
"I stayed on the stage to the very end, didn't I?" The Pomefiore housewarden said.
"Yes indeed. The whole team did." The blond said.
"Vil-san, you really pulled it off..." Epel said.
"You didn't miss a single note or step." Ace said.
"You've got some serious guts, Vil-senpai." Deuce said.
"Vil isn't the only one deserving of praise. That was the finest performance yet for each and every one of you. I'm proud to have shared the stage with you all." Rook smiled.
"It's a little early to start patting ourselves on the back, don't you think? It's not over until we hear the results." Jamil said.
"But we've done all we could do. I'm sure our power shone through to everybody watching!" Kalim said.
"Indeed. All we could do now is pray that Lady Luck smiles upon us." The blond said.
-----
"Ace-chan! Deuce-chan! They killed it up there!" Cater said, "But the one who took the cake was (N/n)-chan! She was amazing!"
"I was ready to have both their heads if they made a poor show of it..." Riddle said, and smiled, "But that was a splendid performance. It did Night Raven College justice."
"Good grief, I was tense just watching that. My palms are all sweaty." Trey said.
"C'mon, Trey-kun. You sound like a PTA mom!" The orange haired male said.
"Our dorm problem pair has carried out their duty." The red haired male smirked, "I'll make them some tea once they return to the dorm. It's the least I can do."
He looked at the male, pointing at the rose, "And what about that? Is that for (N/n)-chan?"
Riddle blushed, "W-What?! I..."
The green haired male chuckled, "It must be."
Cater pouted, "If I knew we were getting something for her, you should've said something Riddle."
The male nodded, "I agree. We kind of feel betrayed."
-----
"I have to hand it to Vil. He delivers, and his quality exceeds all expectations. They'd draw enough of a crowd to fill this place even if the NRC Tribe was the only act here." Azul said, smirking.
"Daaang! That school of betta fish has got some moves! Now I wanna dance." Floyd smiled.
"I'm curious, Floyd." Jade looked at his twin, "I know you love dancing and singing. Why didn't you audition for the SDC?"
The gray haired male nodded, "Seriously. If you'd made the cut to be a member, I could have had a say in how the group was managed."
"What can I say? I wasn't in the mood at the time." The male said, pouting, but then smiled, "But Crabby, Sea Snake and Koi-chan looked like they were havin' a good time. Maybe I should audition next year."
Jade chuckled, "That should be quite a sight. Not that there's any guarantee your mood will be better next time around, I suppose. Oh, by the way, Floyd. I thought you were on drink-vending duty right now? You're not carrying your drink cooler."
"Hm? Oh, I got tired of hawking, so I left it by the entrance with a sign sayin' "Free drinks"." He laughed.
"What?! Are you out of your mind?! Go get it! Right now!" Azul exclaimed.
"Maaan, I don't wanna. The Floyd Café is closed for business today."
"Well, now. That's a bit of a pickle." Jade teased.
The gray haired male sighed, "What am I going to do with you? I'm taking the cost of those drinks out of your pay, just so you know." He said.
-----
"Vil-senpai's presence was incredible, but the freshmen held their own up there. They're not half-bad!" Jack said.
"Whew. I was scared outta my wits when all the lighting-related program data vanished after rehearsals..." Ruggie said, then smiled, "Thank goodness we got it restored in time."
"I set it up to automatically save data to the cloud, and it paid off big time." Leona frowned, "We were this close to dealin' with some giant hissy-fit from Vil otherwise." He said, as the hyena male laughed, "It's ostensibly a culture fair event, but there's a lotta commercial interests tied up in the SDC. Then again, knowing the headmage, he's probably got it insured somehow..."
"I'm not exactly some computer whiz, but I'm still confused about what happened. The equipment wasn't busted or anything. How did the data get wiped without anything else affected? What could cause that?"
"Aside from Leona-senpai, most of the sports club guys are pretty bad with tech. We could always bring the equipment over to Ignihyde later and ask them to investigate it." The white haired male said.
"Maybe it went over you chumps' heads, but there were traces of a massive spell cast over the whole arena. If I were to guess..." The lion male trailed off.
"...Well? Don't keep us hanging." Ruggie said.
"Meh, never mind. We've got enough work to do today as it is without addin' more to the pile. The SDC is up and running. That's good enough for me. There's no relaxing for us until this place is closed again."
"Yes, sir!" The two said.
-----
Malleus chuckled, "That was somewhat entertaining. Worth fixing up the stage to see it, I'd say."
"What's this, Malleus? You seem even more engaged than you were at my live show." Lilia smiled.
"Have you taken leave of your senses?!" Sebek exclaimed loudly, "Lilia-sama, your performance clearly had more of an element of surprise that left the audience wowed! Why, your singing was like the voice of a vengeful spirit risen from the grave! It had me trembling!"
"Lower you voice, Sebek. The next team's performance is starting." Silver said.
"We were given a generous invitation here. Let us enjoy the entire show." The black haired male said.
"Next up: The Royal Sword Academy entrants!" The host said.
"Ooh, Neige and the boys are up! Mew can do iiit!" Chenya cheered.
-----
"Hello, everybody!" Neige said, waving at the audience.
"Hellooo!" The dwarfs said.
"Eeee! It's Neige!"
"Who are those tiny kids?! They're adorable!"
Females said, as they soon cheered.
"Come on, everyone! Let's sing!" The black haired male smiled.
-----
"Coming to you live from the National Arcane Academy Culture Fair at Night Raven College...The Song & Dance Championship teams have all finished their performance! Let's have all our entrants step out on stage!" The host said, as they all came out and the audience started to cheer for them, "The winning team is put up to a vote, and everyone in the coliseum gets to cast a ballot. Which team did the best job of expressing the world contained in their song through singing, dancing, and production? Every team put on an incredibly high-level performance...So all of you choose which team you think shined the brightest! Use the QR codes you were given at the gate to vote on your smartphones!"
Everyone in the coliseum grabbed their phones and voted. Though, unfortunately, Shoto couldn't vote since Crowley was too cheap to buy another phone and give it to the twin in case something happened. (Y/n) promised to buy him one with Crowley's card if they ever leave campus and go out to buy some essential things they need. She will indeed freeze his office again.
"We have a real-time vote tabulation tool here...Brought to you by Olympos Inc., doing their part to support all our students."
"There, picked Night Raven College, and...voted." Epel said, as he finished tapping his phone, "M-My heart's pounding outta my chest..."
"Vil-senpai was right when he said that it takes guts to vote for yourself. There were a ton of other really good schools." Deuce said.
"Agreed. And all of them put on fantastic shows. But...I'm still voting for the NRC Tribe!" Kalim grinned.
"Absolutely!" Ace nodded with a smile, "After all that hard training, I deserve that prize money!"
"Someone's getting ahead of themselves." Jamil said, before smiling, "But we're definitely top contenders, both performance-wise and popularity-wise. Vote with your head held high."
"Yes. We've exerted every bit of power we have." Vil nodded, as he looked at Neige, "This time, I'm going to be number one." He frowned and put his vote in.
Rook stayed silent as he voted.
(Y/n) looked down at her phone and voted for NRC, 'If I don't vote our school...Vil-senpai would poison me...' She thought with a deadpan.
"Thirty seconds until the polls close!" The host said, as he then began to count down, "Ten, nine, eight, seven...Three, two, one...Time!" He exclaimed as a bell rung, "We are now getting the final tally...And the results are in!" His eyes widen, seeing the results, "M-My goodness...Is this really possible?! Would you believe that the difference between first and second place is one vote?!"
Everyone around murmured.
-----
"A one-vote difference?! If we lost this by one lousy vote, I'm gonna riot!" Grim exclaimed, sitting on Shoto's shoulder.
The dual haired male nodded, "I agree. My baby sister worked hard." He said.
-----
"These highly talented students have gathered here from all over the country. Each of them put on a performance that shone brighter than the most radiant jewels. I wish I could give every team here a winning trophy, but sadly, I only have one to give out. Who takes home the honor of being the world's greatest in this year's Song & Dance Championship? The winning school is..."
(Y/n) deadpanned, "Quit dragging it out for tension and get on with it..." She said, which made the announcer sweat slightly from the intense stare the girl was giving.
The drumroll sounded as everyone went quiet, waiting for the results.
"Royal Sword Academy!"
The audience cheered.
"What a wholesome performance it was! The entire stadium was drawn into a world of fairy-tale fantasy! Second place goes to Night Raven College! They lost out on first place by just one vote, but their vocals and moves were a tour de force."
The boys and girl were in shock, but then she shrugged not bothered by it since she won second with her twin at the sport festival back in her world.
-----
"Myaaah?!" The feline exclaimed shocked, "Nooo! My tuna bonanzaaa!!!" He cried, hugging the male's head.
Shoto sighed, "Please stop, you're digging your claws into my scalp..." He said, trying to get the tanuki off of him.
-----
"Let's have a big round of applause for all of our competing schools and their amazing performances!" The host said, making the crowd cheer, "Will the winning team please step forward?"
Audience clapped.
"O-Oh my gosh...Really? We got the top spot?" Neige said, shocked.
"Oh, pick your jaw up off the floor, Neige! Let's go get that trophy!" Grum said, smiling.
"Hooray! Happy day!" Hop happily exclaimed.
Shelpie opened his eyes, "...Wha? Did I doze off again?"
"W-We're number one...That's nice and all, but man, this is so embarrassing!" Timmy said, before hiding behind the sleepy dwarf.
"Yay! Thank you!" Snick smiled, before sneezing, "...Achoo!"
Dominic sniffled as he sobbed, "I'm so happy! All that hard work we put into practice was worth it..."
"Why are you crying, Dominic? Everyone else is smiling!" Toby smiled at the boy.
The host handed the black haired male the trophy they won, "Here's your trophy. Congratulations!"
"Thank you..." Neige said, grabbing it as tears began to well up in his eyes, "Thank you so much! I'm so happy!"
"Now, let's have an encore performance from our winning team! Take it away, Royal Sword Academy!"
People cheered and clapped.
"You're...kidding..." Deuce said.
"Just...one vote..." Ace said.
"Nngh...Nnngh..." Epel said, as he sniffled, feeling tears, "It ain't fair! It just ain't fair!" He sobbed.
Kalim smiled softly and pat his shoulder, "Now, Epel, don't cry. If you keep crying like that..." Tears soon streamed down his face, "...it's gonna make me cry toooo!"
The two hugged each other as they sobbed, "Waaah!"
"Kalim! Remember, you're supposed to be the Asim family heir. Have a little dignity." Jamil said, frowning, "We don't need footage of you bawling your eyes out streamed live to the whole world."
"But it buuurns! Aren't you upset about this, Jamil?!" The white haired male exclaimed, as the two boys pulled back.
"Oh, absolutely. I'm so upset, I'm beyond words or tears. My mind is a blank."
(Y/n) on the other hand went up to Neige, not wanting to be apart of the chaos, "Excuse me?"
The male looked at her and his eyes widen, a blush immediately taking over his features, seeing that the only girl of NRC and most prettiest in his book, came up to him, "Hello. You danced with Vi and the rest."
The girl nodded, "Yes. I just came here to say congrats on the win, Neige-senpai. And to say that the little dwarfs are very cute."
He smiled, "Thank you!"
Hop smiled at the girl, "Thanks! You're very cute too!"
She smiled a bit and leaned down to pat their head, "Thank you. I'll be going back to my team now." She said, before turning to walk off.
"A-Ah! Wait!" Neige called out, making her stop and look at him, "Do you have Magicam? I would love to be friends with you!"
(Y/n) blinked a bit, before nodding with a small smile, "Sure."
They both shared their users as the dwarfs stared at the girl with admiration.
"Are you a princess?" Dominic said.
"Y-Yeah. And is your brother a prince?" Timmy said.
The girl let out a small laugh and shook her head, "No. We're no royalty of any sorts. We are just heroes-in-training. But thank you for thinking so. I'll see you guys another time." She waved and headed back to her team, and was confused on why Vil had tears prickling his eyes.
"Oh, fair Vil, Our Roi du Poison." Rook began, "I must apologize, for my choice has brought much anguish. But I simply couldn't lie to myself."
Vil's eyes widen, "...Huh? What are you talking about?"
"The one most deserving of your ire...is moi."
"What...?" Everyone said confused.
"...What? What do you mean, you're the one most deserving of my ire?" The Pomefiore housewarden said.
"Well, you see...Here." The blond said, showing his phone, showing who he voted for, which was the opposing school.
"...n-no..."
"Whoa! Vil, hold it together!" Kalim exclaimed, waving his hands around.
"Steady, senpai! Here, hold on to my shoulder." Deuce said, walking over to the male.
"Are you nuts, Rook-senpai?! Why did you vote for Royal Sword Academy?!" Ace angrily exclaimed.
"I don't believe you! Why'd ya do somethin' so boneheaded?!" Epel exclaimed.
"I told you: I simply couldn't lie to myself. Neige's group believed in themselves and each other when they danced and sang. When I saw them up there, they struck me as powerful...and as the fairest of all in that exact moment." Rook said.
"This is just...I can't..." Vil said, trying to form a sentence.
"Vil. Nobody should believe in your beauty more than you yourself. It is most becoming, the way you maintain such rigid self restraint while polishing yourself to triumph over your rival. But as long as you lack conviction...No amount of validation from the rest of the world will ever leave you fulfilled. Even if you wind up old, emaciated, grimy, and stooped over...If you were to truly believe that you are the fairest of all despite that, even the Magic Mirror of legend wouldn't contest your claim. The strength and pride to believe in yourself is what marks the true fairest one of all. Roi du Poison. Fair Vil. I implore you to believe in yourself more than anyone else. Beauty is always with you. At this exact moment, you are the fairest one of all."
Vil sniffled.
"Viii!" Neige called out, running up to the male.
"N-Neige?"
His eyes widen and let out a small gasp, "Vi, I've never seen you cry outside of an acting role before."
"Well, you caught me at a bad time. Heh...I'm always second to you." He smiled.
"Maybe that's what the numbers said. But you guys gave an amazing performance that nobody else could have pulled off. Sure, I took first at the competition...But your group is number one in the hearts of everybody who voted for you." He smiled.
"Neige..."
"So c'mon, Vi. Don't cry!"
"Heh. The Roi des Neiges is right. Your smile is far more becoming than your tears, Vil." Rook smiled, and took out his handkerchief, "Here. Take my handkerchief."
"...Thanks." Vil said, taking out of the male's hands.
"Ah, you're the one who flagged me down before opening time. Your name is Rook, right?" The black haired male said.
The blond nodded, "Oui. My apologies for rushing you."
"You're "R," aren't you? The one who comes to every single one of my meet-and-greets and writes me letters?"
Everyone's eyes widen, "What?!"
"Meet-and-greets?!" The Pomefiore housewarden repeated.
"Letters?!" Epel exclaimed.
"Ah...! How did you know?" Rook said, shocked.
"There's only one fan of mine who writes letters addressing me as a fancy name like Rio des Neiges. It hit me when you called me that earlier. I knew R buys each of my photos at fan events and composes poems to share their impressions of each picture...But I certainly wasn't expecting R to be a man. I was so surprised!"
"What? Rook-senpai's a fan of Neige LeBlanche?!" Deuce exclaimed.
"Dude, if he's writing poems about every single photo the guy publishes, that's way down the hardcore fandom rabbit hole!" Ace said.
Jamil gasped, "Wait a minute. When you brought that photo album with you to training camp..."
-Small Flashback-
"Lastly, Rook...I trust you. Really, I do. But your luggage consists of a single photo album—a thick tome, at that. Care to explain?"
The male chuckled, "This is but a record of my life's work. I prefer to keep it close. It's a bit private. Opening it in front of everyone would be quite embarrassing..."
"I beg your pardon, then. Far be it from me to impinge upon someone else's privacy."
-End of Flashback-
"Was that entire album nothing but official photos of Neige LeBlanche?!"
"Whaaat?!" Everyone exclaimed.
"Wow! If you're that big a fan, it must be nice getting to meet him up close!" Kalim smiled at him, "You should ask him for a handshake!"
"A-Ah...I suppose..." Rook said, but went quiet.
"Rook-san's gone awfully quiet. What's the matter?" The lilac haired male said.
"Heh. Feeling awkward, are we?" Vil smirked.
The blond suddenly had sniffed, as tears streamed down.
"H-He's quietly weeping..."
"Roi des Neiges...Allow me to properly introduce myself. I am Rook Hunt...Member #0000002 of the Neige LeBlanche fan club, Eternal Snow!"
"You're in his Fan Club?!" The blue haired male exclaimed.
"And you've got a single-digit ID in it?!" The orange haired male said.
"Your work has shone a light upon my life and allowed me to live with hope in my heart. It is such an honor to speak with you face-to-face. Thank you so much for everything today." Rook said.
"You carry yourself so differently here than when you come to my meet-and-greets. I'm sorry I didn't recognize you sooner. Thank you for always supporting me!" Neige smiled.
"I shall write you another letter to encapsulate my thought about your performance today."
The male chuckled, "When you do, make sure to sign it as Rook, not just your initial, okay?"
"Neige LeBlanche...He handled that with grace. I'm starting to see why he's such a beloved figure. He's a leading global celebrity, but he still treats fans warmly and attentively. That's definitely a strength." Jamil said.
"I dunno, part of me thinks Rook-senpai's just coming off way too strong as a fan..." Ace said, sighing.
Vil huffed, "What a cad. This is quite the last-minute betrayal, you know."
Rook sniffed, "Yes, I voted for Royal Sword Academy. But it had nothing to do with my fandom, truly! I was—"
"Please, Rook. I know you're not the type to act on personal bias. Don't insult my intelligence." He frowned, "But I've known you for two years, and I never had the slightest clue that you were a fan of Neige's. You really are a hard man to read." He handed the male's handkercheif back, "Now wipe those tears away. Here, have a handkerchief...Your own, actually."
"Merci, Roi du Poison..." He said, grabbing it and wiping his tears but more kept pouring out.
Neige chuckled, "Glad to see you got your smile back, Vi! Ooh, I know. Let's sing together! That should put even more of a smile on everyone's face!"
"What?" Vil said, confused.
"Come on, let's go!" He said, grabbing the male's hand and tugging him.
"W-Wait! Neige!"
"Oh. My. Stars. Look! What a dream team Neige and Vil make!" A girl said.
"Two top global celebrities are congratulation each other after a battle well-fought! What a beautiful, touching sight!" A male said.
Soon the crowd cheered.
"Come on, Night Raven College boys and girl! Let's sing!" Neige said.
"Wh-Wh...Whaaaa?" The boys, except Rook and (Y/n), exclaimed.
"Here we go! Three, two, one!" He counted down, before he began to sing.
-----
The crowd cheered and clapped, as the black haired boy waved at them.
"Thank you, everybody!" Neige said, then turned to Vil, "Your turn, Vi!"
"Heh. I'll see you all again!" Vil smiled.
"Aw, they're back to being friends again! Yay!" Kalim grinned, wrapping an arm around (Y/n).
"What a beautiful sight. Beaute! Full marks!" Rook said.
"Wow...I have to hand it to Vil-san." Epel said, shocked.
"He said he wanted to kick his rival right off the stage, but there he is, smiling and singing with him." Jamil said, with eyes widen, before smiling a bit, "I guess that's what pros do."
The Pomefiore housewarden kept smiling before looking at the rest with a frown, "Aaagh! Again, someone knock me out this instant!"
-----
"Again...Another loss." Crowley sadly said to himself, "I thought for sure that we'd beat them this time around! What were we missing? Where did we go wrong?"
Footsteps walked up, making him look.
"Hello, Mr. Crowley. It's been quite a while." The male said.
"Ambrose the Sixty Third! I didn't expect to see the headmage of Royal Sword Academy today!"
Ambrose chuckled, "The sight of youths engaging in friendly rivalry is a lovely one indeed. Royal Sword Academy is taking home another victory this time."
Crowley frowned, "Yes, so it would seem." He then smiled, "But only by a one-vote margin! That's within any margin of error you could name."
"And yet, a victory it remains. We win, you lose!" He laughed.
"Grrr...! We'll win the next one, just you wait."
"Well, there's always the upcoming interscholastic Spelldrive games in May. I'm quite looking forward to that! After all, Royal Sword Academy might earn their hundredth win there." Ambrose looked at the male with a serious look, "By the way, Mr. Crowley...I've been picking up traces of large-scale magic all over the coliseum."
"And?"
"The sheer volume of magic was far beyond what would get used in a practical magic exam. What in the world transpired here before the SDC began?"
"I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about." Crowley said, "As headmage of the school hosting the culture fair, I can assure you that great pains have been taken to ensure the safety of this event. I'll grant that perhaps some students got a little rowdy during rehearsals...But I'm sure that's all it was. My students can be a tad bit quirky at times, but really, that's all part of what makes them shine." He smiled.
"Hmmm...If you say so, I suppose. I'll keep a closer eye on them tomorrow."
"My, my. I could hardly ask for greater assurance than that. I hope you enjoy the festival as well, Professor Ambrose. I'll be going now." He said, then walked off.
The said older male stared at him as he walked off, deep in thought.
-----
"Whew...This has been one rough month. I never did get my tuna bonanza. And all that hard work I went through as manager was for a big ol' load of nothin'! Myargh! I should be buried up to my ears in tune right now!" Grim angrily said, "Now that the SDC's over and the guys've all gone back to their dorms, this place sure feels bigger, huh?"
(Y/n) nodded, "It does feel a little empty..."
Shoto nodded too, "It was pretty nice having company..." He mumbled, which made the girl smile since he was warming up to them.
"Well, we're all cleaned up for the night. We should get to bed." The feline said.
-----
A knock was heard, making the girl sit up in bed and look at the door, "Is Sho-nii at the door?" She mumbled tiredly, getting up, before hearing a voice coming from the mirror.
"...lo? Hellooo? Are you there?" Mickey called out, making the girl wake up.
"Mickey...!" She said, walking up to the mirror and seeing the smiling mouse.
"Hiya! Top of the evening to you! It's been a while. How've you been? I wonder how long it's been sine we last met. Then again, maybe "met" isn't the right word. I only see you in my dreams. I've been trying to get back to this dreamland ever since, you know. I've tried wearing the same pajamas, reading the same book before bed, you name it! But nothing seems to work. So how come I made it here tonight? I didn't do anything special." He frowned.
(Y/n) frowned, 'So Mickey's not making this happen?' She thought.
The mouse smiled, "Anyway, we lost touch right when you brought up that strange camera you have. I've been curious about it ever since."
The girl smiled a bit, "Thank you for the reminder. May I take your picture?"
"Sure, absolutely!"
She grabbed the camera and pointed it towards him, "Smile for the camera."
Mickey pose with a smile, and the girl took a picture of him, "How's it look?"
She looked at the polaroid picture, then showed it to him, "Now I've got proof that I'm not dreaming."
He chuckled, "That really is a nice photo! I wish I could have a copy...Oh wait. I wouldn't be able to take it back with me from dreamland, would I? Either way, I feel like you and I are closer than before now. I can see and hear you more clearly. It's like the only thing separating us now is a single pane of glass." He knocked on the glass, "We're getting to talk longer, too. Maybe one of these days, you and I could watch a movie together! Do they have movies in Twisted Wonderland? I'd love to watch any of your favorites."
The dual haired girl smiled and nodded.
"I sure wish Donald and Goofy could join us here in this dreamland...If they found out I had a friend here, oh boy, I can just picture the look on their faces!"
"Oh, speaking of friends...Hold on a second. I'll get my brother and Grim." She said, looking around and not seeing the said feline, 'Is he with Shoto?' She thought, before walking off and walking over to her brother's room and opening the door, but not seeing Grim. She walked up to him and shook him, making him wake up.
"(N/n)? What is it?" Shoto mumbled, eyes fluttering open.
"I can't find Grim anywhere...but I do have someone you have to meet." She said, tugging his hand gently, making him get up with a yawn and follow after her.
Once at the girl's room, they walked up to the glowing mirror, but the girl instantly paused in her walk, getting visions of the carriage and a big feline that had the same color scheme as Grim.
"What's the matter? You're lookin' a little pale there." Mickey worriedly said.
"I've suddenly got a very bad feeling." She mumbled.
"Oh no! It sounds like there's some trouble on your end. I wish I could help, I really do. But I can't cross over to your side. Go on and find your roommate!" He smiled.
"Ah, before I go..." She pointed at her brother, who peeked over and waved, "This is my twin brother, Shoto."
The mouse smiled, "Nice to meet you, Shoto! I see that you're both are twins. You both must be close."
The two nodded with a smile.
"Well, I'll see you both later, (Y/n)! Shoto!" He said, as the two agreed and backed off from the mirror, as the glow faded.
The twins then ran out the dorm and to the coliseum, where the Purple Stage still stood.
"Where is he?" (Y/n) mumbled, before they heard a scratch.
"There...Theeere it is..." A familiar voice said, before laughing, "It got buried when they fixed the stage, huh...?" They then ate the gem, "Rrr...That's the good stuff...Rrr...Rrr..."
The twins eyes widen, seeing Grim not being his usual self, before he turned to them and hissed.
"Who's there?! Grrr...This is my stone!" He then ran up to them and went to scratch the girl.
"(Y/n)!" Shoto exclaimed, hugging the girl close to him and took the hit.
"Sho-nii!" The girl worriedly called out, feeling tears welling up.
"Raaawr!"
The dual haired girl looked at the feline, "Grim...?" She cried out.
-----
"Whew...I used up a year's worth of energy today." Idia said.
"You did great! The research presentation you put on was incredible." Ortho smiled.
"My synthesized voice let me give a smooth speech without a single hitch. That was a blind-typing perfect chain combo. Talk about being a pro gaming athlete, right?" He grinned.
"That's definitely worth bragging about to Committee Chair Rosehearts."
"When I put my mind to something, it's easy-peasy, lemon squeezy." His grin grew wider and let out a chuckle, before dropping the grin, "Of course, the second the Q&A session was over, I retreated to the safety of my room as fast as humanly possible. Too much normie aggro."
"You could have stuck around to see the rest of the festival."
"And sit through research presentations and arts and crafts booths? That's way too low-level to be worth my time. Besides..." He trailed off as his computer went off.
"You have unread emails. Looks like some internship invitations from the people who attended your presentation. IT, communications, technomantic engineering research, software development...Ooh!" The small boy's eyes widen seeing the last one, "Amazing! There's even one from The Olympos Inc.! Would you like me to open it on your monitor, or read it out loud for you?"
"Don't bother. Throw 'em all in the trash folder." Idia said.
"What? But..." Ortho said.
"It's fine. I'm not going anywhere regardless..."