( A Show of Benevolence)
Azul and his team arrived at the Scarabia lounge, where they were welcomed by Kalim. Kalim, a white-haired male, asked Azul why they were visiting their dorm. Azul greeted Kalim and expressed his awe at the impressive atmosphere of Scarabia. Despite the winter wonderland outside, the lounge was filled with warmth, resembling a midsummer day. Azul mentioned that if Kalim were to open a resort here, vacationers would flock to it due to the ideal location.
Kalim, grateful for the kind words, admitted that he didn't have much knowledge in business matters. He then noticed Jade, Tokaku, and the other members of Azul's team. Tokaku, who was known as the "Scary Girl" from the entrance ceremony, felt uncomfortable and hid behind Jade, wishing she had brought a mask to cover her face. Jade giggled at her shy behavior.
Floyd, a teal-haired male, commented that being called the "Scary Girl" was not as bad as being called the "Mad Girl." Tokaku responded to Floyd, playfully threatening him with a knife throw. Azul intervened, scolding Kalim for giving such a horrible nickname to Tokaku.
Realizing his mistake, Kalim apologized to Tokaku for his comment. Tokaku advised him not to label people with names he created himself. Azul then redirected the conversation, mentioning that his freshman had a gift for Kalim.
Curious, Kalim asked Azul about the type of gift it was. Azul replied that Kalim would soon find out. Azul turned to Tokaku and asked if she could present the gift to Kalim. Tokaku nodded and approached Kalim, but her path was blocked by Jamil.
Jamil, a member of the Asim family servant, explained that it was their duty to ensure Kalim's safety when receiving gifts from strangers. Tokaku reassured Jamil that the gift was not dangerous. Kalim also advised Jamil to relax, as it was just a gift from Azul's freshman.
With the tensions diffused, Tokaku handed the tiny bottle to Jamil for inspection. After sniffing the fragrant scent of jasmine tea, Jamil asked if it was perfume. Tokaku confirmed that it was indeed jasmine tea-scented perfume that she had made at home.
Jamil observed that the bottle didn't have a brand logo, indicating that it was homemade. Azul then praised Tokaku for her talent in crafting high-quality homemade perfumes. Jamil reacted in surprise, realizing that Tokaku was the one who made the perfume.
Kalim, Floyd, and Jade expressed their admiration for Tokaku's skill and the popularity of her homemade perfumes among the dorm residents. They described her perfumes as refreshing and were impressed by her talents.
While everyone celebrated Tokaku's skill, Jamil remained silent. He recognized that she was more than just an ordinary girl without magic and suspected her to possess hidden strength. He decided to keep a close eye on her, as well as on Azul and the Leech brothers.
"At any rate, I'm here today because I caught your magic carpet. I'd like to return it to you," the grey-haired male said to Kalim in a calm and friendly tone.
"Really? It ran off again?" the white-haired male reacted in surprise. "I'm sorry you had to deal with that."
"Oh, it's no bother at all. By the way, is Scarabia having holidays in the dorm this year?" Azul replied, then asked the male with genuine curiosity.
"Yes, that's right. Is Octavinelle doing the same?" Kalim answered and questioned the grey-haired male, showing a genuine interest in their dorm's activities.
"Why, yes! Fancy that!" Azul said with excitement. "In fact, what say we take this opportunity to improve relations between our dorms?" He then suggested to the white-haired male, showing a progressive and open-minded attitude.
"Wha...?!" Jamil, on the other hand, became surprised by the suggestion. Tokaku, from a distance, noticed the male's reaction and wondered about it.
"It seems there are many things to be learned from Scarabia's unique studying style that was apparently adopted this winter," Azul mentioned, keen on exploring new ideas.
"That's right! I would be positively honored to host Octavinelle's housewarden here in our dorm," Kalim replied to the grey-haired male, displaying a warm and welcoming attitude.
Then, Jamil spoke up, expressing his concern. "Kalim, I recommend against this."
"Aw, why?" the white-haired male asked sincerely, wanting to understand Jamil's perspective.
"The whole point of our current training regimen is to catch up to the other dorms. If we invite the housewarden of one of those dorms to join us, we're showing the enemy our hand," Jamil explained, emphasizing the importance of their current training goals.
Meanwhile, Grim and Enma were attentively staring at the olive black-haired male as they listened to his conversation with Kalim, intrigued by the discussion.
"I'm still not used to the rivalry among the seven dorms, but it's not gonna cause a soul if we let another dorm in the house," the black-haired male calmly stated, showing a more accepting and open-minded perspective.
Then, Tokaku responded to his words. "You're right about that fact. At the same time, you seem a bit naive for someone who holds on so tightly to good morals." She looked at the male sideways, playfully teasing him while folding her arms.
Enma became a bit flustered and dropped sweat. "What did I say wrong this time?"
"Think about it yourself. You're a Kendo trainee, so you must know about defense principles," the blue-haired girl replied to the male, challenging him to reflect on his own statement.
Enma sighed. "I can easily understand if you just explain it to me directly," he said to the girl, wanting a clearer explanation.
Tokaku blew a sigh before she explained the concept to the black-haired male. "Never show our weaknesses to our enemies. Now do you understand?"
"I still don't get it," Enma answered honestly. The blue-haired girl was a bit frustrated. "You're the most low-minded guy I've ever known," she muttered under her breath.
Returning to Kalim and Jamil's conversation,
"Oh, please. He's hardly an enemy. Besides, didn't you invite the Ramshackle residents?" Kalim said to Jamil, trying to reason with him.
"Well, er... Yes..." the olive black-haired male replied, admitting his own actions. Then, he turned to Azul. "Look, Azul. I'm saying this for your own good."
"You're absolutely right, Jamil. Other dorms are always going to be, on some level, our rivals in the grade standings," the grey-haired male agreed with Jamil, acknowledging the competitive nature of their academic environment. "I'm afraid we'd best take our leave, boys. Kalim, Jamil, best of luck with your training," he said, calling Jade and Floyd and gracefully excusing himself from the conversation with Kalim and Jamil.
Before they left, Azul and the Leech brothers took a moment to reflect.
Azul let out a weary sigh. "Once again, we find ourselves spending another holiday cooped up indoors during the chilly winter months. Just the four of us. It's inevitable, I suppose..."
"And all that effort we put into capturing that magic carpet and bringing it back..." Jade chimed in. "Not to mention the chaos it caused in the Mostro Lounge," added Floyd. Together, the three of them sighed in unison. "Sigh..."
Grim couldn't help but comment with a sweat drop. "You sure know how to lay on the guilt trip!"
Tokaku, addressing the feline, said, "That's how they convince me to be a part of their plans."
Suddenly, Kalim interrupted. "Hold on a second!" he exclaimed to the Octavinelle trio.
Meanwhile, Jamil let out a sigh. "Here we go..."
"Azul is one of the most skilled magicians in our entire school. Scarabia would greatly benefit from having him here! Besides, turning away esteemed guests without consideration would bring shame to the Asim family name," the white-haired male announced, allowing Azul and the others to stay in Scarabia.
"Well, Kalim, you are truly kind and generous! I would be more than happy to share any insights I have with you," Azul responded happily.
"The two of us, along with our freshman, will gladly assist with cooking and cleaning," Jade offered.
"Yeah! We already do it at the lounge, so we're pretty good at it," Floyd added.
"I can help too, but just don't get too close to me. Consider yourself warned," Tokaku said to Kalim.
"That would be wonderful! It would also lighten Jamil's workload," the white-haired male grinned.
"I don't NEED any help... Ugh, forget it. You're not listening anyways," Jamil replied, frustrated.
"Alright, let's get ready for some special training! It's your dorm against ours. Put away your things and meet us in the courtyard," Kalim announced to Azul.
"Certainly. Go easy on me, Scarabia gentlemen. Heh heh heh..." Azul replied, chuckling.
Meanwhile, Jamil glared at the grey-haired male. Unbeknownst to him, Tokaku observed from a distance.
(Board Game Intelligence)
Night had fallen, and the vacant room was filled with the presence of Enma, Grim, the Octavinelle trio, and Tokaku. They had gathered to discuss the enigmatic behavior of Kalim.
"Kalim seemed to be in good spirits today," the feline remarked, a smile on their face.
"Indeed. He appeared to be his usual self," Azul agreed.
"But when he's in a bad mood, his eyes narrow and his tone becomes quite intimidating," Grim added.
Jade, curious about the situation, asked the feline, "Are you sure that's what's happening here?"
"I'm not entirely convinced. You have your own mood swings, Floyd, but Kalim doesn't give me the same impression. I suspect there may be another underlying cause," the neat teal-haired male explained to his twin.
"Grim mentioned it was because of their poor standings in Spell Drive and the exams," Grim informed them.
"Really? Since when does Sea Otter care about that?" Floyd asked, clearly skeptical.
" Sea otter? ' Grim asked, curiosity piqued.
"He means Kalim. Floyd has a tendency to give people nicknames based on sea creatures. In your case, Grim, he calls you Sealie as a term of endearment, referring to your cute, round figure," Jade explained to the feline.
"I'm not round! I'm full-bodied, thank you very much!" Grim protested. "Kalim reminds me of those fuzzy sea otters that happily bang on drums. That's why I call him Sea Otter," Floyd elaborated.
"He does have a generally sunny disposition. I can't imagine his demeanor would change so drastically over something as minor as poor grades. What do you think, Tokaku, even though you're not familiar with Kalim?" Azul turned to the blue-haired girl.
"I don't sense any malice or hidden personality behind Kalim's smile. He seems genuinely innocent," Tokaku replied.
"You're absolutely right. I believe there must be a different root cause at play. If we want to uncover the truth, we'll have to get to know Kalim better," Azul concluded. He then looked at Jade and said, "Jade, could you have a little 'talk' with him?"
"Consider it done. Jamil might be a tougher nut to crack, but Kalim might be more willing to 'talk' with me," Jade replied.
"I'd like to join Jade in this mission. I don't think I can handle someone as challenging as Jamil," Tokaku interjected.
"Well, you're allowed to assist Jade in any way. That includes talking to Kalim," Azul said, approving of Tokaku's decision.
"In that case, I think I'll spend some time with Sea Snake," Floyd suggested, a mischievous smile on his face.
"Excellent idea. I'll join you for that," Azul agreed, and the three males chuckled together.
Grim watched the Octavinelle trio closely, his eyes narrowed. "Their smiles haven't reached their eyes this whole time," he mumbled. Meanwhile, Tokaku stood with her arms folded, letting out a sigh.
Later, in Jamil's room, he expressed his frustrations. "Once again, Kalim ignored my input and made a decision without considering the extra work it would entail. Does he have any idea how much more work this means for me? Ugh. Well, he's asleep now. Hopefully, the rest of the night will go smoothly," Jamil grumbled to himself.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "A visitor at this hour?" Jamil questioned, puzzled, as he went to open the door.
"Good evening, Jamil," Azul greeted him as he appeared at the door. "Mind if we drop in?" Floyd continued. "Sorry to disturb you so late," Enma apologized as they entered the room.
"What do you want?" Jamil glared at Azul.
"When Kalim showed us the treasury, we noticed a board game we had never seen before. I asked Kalim to explain the rules, but I'm still having trouble understanding it," the grey-haired male explained.
"It's a wooden board with small divots, and you place gems in them or something like that. Can you help me understand how it works?" Floyd provided some hints to help Jamil figure it out.
"I recognize that board. It's a popular game from the Land of the Scalding Sands," Jamil said.
"As a member of the Board Game Club, I'm always eager to try out new games. Would you be interested in playing a round with me?" Azul asked Jamil.
"I'd love to see what you're capable of, Sea Snake," Floyd added, excitement evident in his voice.
"The great Grim never turns down a competition," Grim chimed in.
Jamil pondered for a moment before responding, "Kalim has gone to bed. I don't see why not. My dorm room doesn't have enough space for all of us, though. Let's play in the lounge."
With that, the olive black-haired male invited the others to play in the Scarabia lounge. The three males, accompanied by the feline, were filled with happiness, though it was merely an act.