"Do you get how strong I am?! The last deluxe menchi katsu sandwich is all mine! Nyahaha! I'll also be taking yakisoba bread and cream-filled bread!" Grim arrogantly bragged as he took as much food as he could carry in his little paws. Kira then raised her fist and gave Grim a good hard smack right on the noggin.
"Owwwww~~!" Grim yelped in pain, rubbing the throbbing bump on his head. "You're never gonna stop being anything other than an annoying, fat, gluttonous menace!" Kira shouted, glaring at him crossly. Grim glared back at her. "Ffgna?! I'm not fat!!" he screeched, feeling insulted by her remark.
"Grim, knock it off already! We're so sorry, senpai!" Deuce said, trying to stop the cat monster while apologizing to his seniors. "We sincerely apologize for your inconvenience." Alice said as she took out some chocolates from her bag.
"Please, take some of these." She held out the chocolates towards the two seniors, who were in the front, to make up for it, to which they had gladly accepted. Seeing this caused both Deuce and Kira to glare at Grim icily. Trey had given Alice those chocolates the day before. Ace was upset with it too, but...
"Ah, I'll have a roast beef and lettuce panini~♪" he ordered with a smile. Right now, his stomach was doing the talking. "You don't just get to cut in line either!" Deuce shouted at him. Ace just shrugged and walked off.
Deuce let out an annoyed sigh before he walked up to Alice and Kira, holding a plate of pasta for himself, a egg sandwich for Alice and some pepperoni pizza bread for Kira. "Here you go, ladies," he said, giving the girls their lunches. "I got you your lunches." Alice and Kira both smiled gratefully.
"Thanks, Deuce-kun." Kira replied. Before long, a young teenage boy with biscuit brown hair and large hyena ears walked over towards the counter. His face fell when he saw that the food item he was looking for wasn't there.
"Aw, crap~. I completely missed the lunchtime-free-for-all." he said glumly. "The deluxe menchi katsu sandwich Leona-san wanted is already sold out." He then looked over and saw Grim carrying the deluxe sandwich above his head with a victorious smile on his face.
"Nya-ha-ha! The taste of victory, I'll take my time savoring it!" Grim declared as he held up the menchi katsu sandwich, preparing to open it up so he could taste his triumphant achievement.
"Jeez, Grim." Kira said as she got herself some raspberry iced tea. "If you keep on doing that, I'm gonna have to start putting you on a leash." Grim huffed at her pompously. "Ha! You're just jealous because I—" he started to say before someone approached him with his arms folded behind his head.
"Oh. Hey, you. That's pretty great. You got your hands on a deluxe menchi katsu sandwich, huh." a boy with messy biscuit brown hair said, smiling. His bluish-gray eyes briefly made contact with Kira's, making her pause.
As Kira and Alice both looked, they saw that he had a pair of large ears sticking out from his hair. His round, blue-gray eyes held a spark of mischief, and he had a pair of small, pointy fangs when he smiled. And to top it off, they even saw that the boy had a little furry tail with dark beige spots sticking out from behind his black pants.
That was so odd... How come that boy seems so familiar?
"Huhn? What's it to you?" Grim asked, glaring at the hyena boy suspiciously while holding his sandwich close to his chest. "Hey, I have to get that sandwich no matter what, but they sold out right in front of me." the hyena boy replied.
"So I have a proposition." The hyena boy then reached into his blazer pocket and pulled out a small bean bun packet. "Could you trade me that deluxe menchi katsu sandwich for the mini bean paste bread?" he asked. Grim's paws clenched onto the sandwich as he turned away from the hyena boy.
"Huh?! No way in heck!" he shouted, shaking his head. The hyena-eared boy then frowned. "No trade? Aww, that's too bad. My senior isn't gonna be too happy when he finds out I don't have his required item for him." he said.
His ears folded as he let out a sad sigh. "Well, then, I'd better get going then. Enjoy your lunch." the hyena boy said as he turned to leave, but not before he patted Grim's head. As soon as he did so, Grim suddenly thrust his paws half-way towards the boy as if he was offering him his sandwich, much to his utter confusion.
"Ffna?! What's going on? My arms and legs are moving on their own...?!" Grim shouted. Even the others were also greatly confused. Grim has always been a known to be a gluttonous, selfish little gremlin.
Whenever he has food he really likes, he won't willingly share it with anyone else. However, he was now trading away his deluxe menchi katsu sandwich, which he had literally fought tooth and nail for. The hyena boy looked at Grim with wide eyes as he placed the sandwich into his palm.
"Huh, what's this? You're actually giving to me?!" the boy asked with a look of surprise before he smiled gratefully. "Aww, how generous of you! Thank you so much!" Grim tried to pull his sandwich away from his hand, but no matter how hard he tried, he somehow couldn't. "Wa-Wait a minute...!" he protested.
"Oh, my! Grim is actually trading away his deluxe sandwich for a mini bean paste bun?!" Alice exclaimed in astonishment. Even Kira couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Pigs are gonna start flying tomorrow, if nothing else." she stated.
However, something told Kira that something didn't look right. Even though she tried her best to ignore it, it wouldn't go away, and she found herself observing the boy once more. A mischievous grin secretly spread across the hyena-eared teen's face as he placed the mini red bean bun into Grim's paws.
"Alright, negotiations complete~! Shishishi~♪!" he exclaimed, giggling. "Thanks for being kind enough to trade with me! That mini bean past bread is just as good!" he said as he smiled, trying to make Grim feel better about his loss. "It being tiny is a defect." he softly whispered as he flashed Grim a cheeky grin.
"Thanks and bye-bye~!" With that, the hyena boy gave Grim a mock salute before he vanished amidst the crowd of students. Before he left, Kira managed to get a glimpse of the armband on the boy's arm. "That hyena boy...He's from the Savanaclaw dorm, right?" she thought. But before she could ponder any further...
"F-F-FFGNAAAAA~~~!!!" Grim tearfully shrieked at the loss of his precious sandwich. "MY DELUXE MENCHI KATSU SANDWICH~!!!" Kira sighed. She now had to deal with a crying Grim. "Oh, jeez..." she groaned as she scratched her cheek.
After everyone else got their lunch, the group headed over to their usual spot in the cafeteria. Ever since their encounter with Riddle, the seven students decided to make this table their own: one where that wasn't too out of the way, but also where they could convene together without being bothered by the other students.
Plus, they felt like it didn't matter how different their respective dorms were since they were all friends and were allowed to hang out together, while most of the students usually kept to their groups from their own individual dorms.
Grim was still upset over his loss of the deluxe minced cutlet sandwich as he ate away at his meal. "Ooh, ooh, today...is the worst...day ever." he said between bites as he mournfully munched on half of the red bean bun, finding it very hard to swallow. "This bread is hard to swallow..."
"Grim, quit being such a crybaby. It's just a sandwich. It's not such a big deal." Kira said, rolling her eyes. "How could you say that...?!" Grim whimpered with tears in his eyes while he held the cream-filled bread in his paws. "That sandwich was perfect, y'know!"
Alice gave Grim a comforting pat on the back as she ate. "He says after vacuuming up three of them." Ace commented. "Then what was that earlier? If you're going to complain this much, you shouldn't have traded in the first place." Deuce said.
Grim forced himself to swallow the rest of the red bean bun before looking up his friends with heated eyes. "That's not it! It was like, my paw just started mimicking his as soon as he touched me..." Grim said, attempting to explain what happened between him and that kid. "The trade was over before I knew it."
"Oh, I see, you kinda just went along with it. Don't worry, that happens sometimes." Ace said. "That's not right either... Grrr, I can't explain it well!" Grim shouted as he ruffed his head, partially angry with himself for not being clearer.
"I bet it's cause you've got a pea-sized brain." Kira stated as she munched on her pizza bread. Grim threw her an insulted glare. "You shut up! Geez, I'm confused, so I'm just gonna eat to feel better! Deuce, gimme some of your pasta!" he shouted as he tried to snatch Deuce's plate away from him and stuff his face in it.
However, the peacock green-eyed boy reacted quickly and held his plate of pasta out from Grim's reach. "I'm not part of this! Knock it off!" Deuce shouted as Grim protested and tried to reach for his plate.
"By the way, the headmaster said he has something to talk about and to come to his office after classes today." Ace said before he took another bite of his roast beef panini. "Wonder what it is?" Alice glanced up at Ace worryingly. "Oh, dear. Are we in trouble again?" she nervously asked.
"Easy now, Alice-chan." Jazmin said, trying to ease her. "If I were to guess, isn't it probably about the stuff that happened with Dorm Leader Rosehearts the other day." Deuce said. "The "evil berserker mode" incident? Probably." Ace said.
Alice inwardly shuddered as she thought back to that incident that happened at Heartslabyul two weeks ago. Riddle had gone into something of a berserker rage known as Overblot. It was a state in which a mage loses control of their emotions and transform into a monstrous version of themselves.
When that happened, the victim had no control over their magic and would run rampant until... they would ultimately lose their life. Thus, Alice had to get all her friends together, including two third-years from Heartslabyul, Trey Clover and Cater Diamond, to get Riddle under control and save him.
And just when all seemed lost, Alice suddenly gained a magical Crystal Heart and managed to save Riddle from his Overblot. After that, Alice caught a glimpse of his memories and saw the complicated life that he led.
Due to his overbearing, domineering mother, he had no choice but to follow every single one of her rules, whether he wanted to or not. Her forceful ways ended up rubbing off on her son, turning him into a ruthless tyrant who would "decapitate" those who broke the Queen of Hearts' 810 rules.
It was Alice who tore down the walls that Riddle had built around his heart, for she understood more than anyone what it was like to have a complicated childhood and a strict, overbearing parent.
She made Riddle see how his strictness was hurting both himself and his fellow dormmates, and he learned how to be more patient and forgiving. He even gave second chances to students who simply didn't know any better and no longer demanded unreachable heights from his peers.
However, for some reason, Crowley insisted that the Overblot incident be kept under wraps. Alice didn't know if it was because he was afraid of getting sued by Riddle's parents...or maybe because of another issue. She decided that for now, she would not say a word about the incident. At least, all of that is in the past now.
"Hah...! We might get a whole pile of canned tuna as a reward for how hard we worked!" Grim said with a bright smile. "No canned tuna please." Ace and Aria said in unison. Grim grumbled at them as he went over to take some of Alice's lunch.
As the group talked, Kira looked back at the direction that hyena boy went. "That reminds me, where have I've seen that guy earlier before...?" she thought to herself before she ate. It would be best to be careful around Ruggie. She had a feeling that his sly demeanor ran much deeper than what she initially perceived.
Meanwhile, at the Botanical Gardens, Ruggie, the hyena boy, walked down the brick path, the sandwich lunch in hand. He looked around until he found the person he was looking for: Leona Kingscholar, the Dorm Leader of Savanaclaw, napping underneath a shady tree, leaning against a soft pillow.
"Leona-san, I'm back with lunch~." Ruggie called as he approached his sleeping senior. "Grrr..." Leona let out a grumble as he lazily stretched out his body before opening one eye. "Hnh, already afternoon?" he asked groggily.
"Were you by chance sleeping here all morning? You're gonna fail another class." Ruggie said, shaking his head at him. Leona let out a jaw-cracking yawn, revealing his sharp canine teeth, before he sat up and lifted his head, taking a sniff at the air. "Oh, smells like you got what I ordered." he said.
Ruggie just rolled his eyes. "Ugghh. Leona-san, you always want the stuff that's the most competitive. Here's your order of one deluxe menchi katsu sandwich and iced tea." he said as he handed the lion-eared man his lunch along with a carton of iced tea, taking a seat next to him.
"Stupid. The more difficult it is to get, the more you wanna eat it." Leona said as he took the plastic wrapping off the sandwich and began to eat. "I'll eat anything as long as it isn't moldy." Ruggie replied with a slight tease as he began to eat his own food. "I'm sure Prince Leona wouldn't know anything about that~."
Leona narrowed his almond-shaped eyes as he stared at the ground. "Hmph. I'm not the crown prince, I'm the second." he clarified, his voice stern and hollow. "I couldn't be king even if I wanted, I'm not different from the masses."
Ruggie gave Leona an annoyed glare. "I'll never forget when I showed you a picture of my home and you said, "I thought it was a doghouse"." he said as he swallowed his bite of food. He still remembered that day. Leona was so blunt about his home; he didn't even try to be subtle about it.
It still stung whenever he recalled it. Leona gave him a blank stare. "Did I say that?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Ya sure did~. Ugh. I'd love to live in a castle so big it makes my home look like a doghouse." Ruggie said with envy.
Leona scoffed as he gave a sarcastic grin. "Hah! Being royalty isn't that great." he said with a bite of bitterness. Leona then cast a forlorn gaze to the ground as bad memories surfaced in his mind. "Your effort or skills make no difference, everything is decided by what order you were born in..." he sighed in disappointment.
"Ya know, I'm kinda curious, Leona-san. Why are you always so hung up about that?" Ruggie asked. "It doesn't matter." Leona answered before he downed the rest of his iced tea and crushed the tea carton in his gloved hand.
"Hmmmph...Is that so?" Ruggie asked with his hands folded behind his head. Then he remembered something important. "Oh, yeah. After school today is the dorm head meeting about the Magical Shift tournament. Please, do not miss it." Leona resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
"...Tsk, pain in the neck..." he groused. "As the dorm head, you get the biggest single room. So work to earn that place." Ruggie said, giving Leona quite the lecture. "Ah, fine, fine." Leona said in a lax manner as he laid back down on the pillow, turning his back to Ruggie and letting out a lazy yawn.
"I'm stuffed to the brim and sleepy. Wake me up after lunch." he said drowsily. Ruggie scowled. "I'm not your alarm clock, Leona-san..." he grumbled, only to stop when he realized that Leona had instantly fallen asleep, if his light snore was any indication. "Eh, he's already asleep!" Ruggie shouted in disbelief.
But Leona didn't hear him. "Ugh, I can't~..." Ruggie let out an annoyed sigh as he scratched the back of his head. Even after all this time, he had no idea how he ever managed to put up with him. He had yet to find a reasonable answer.
As he cleaned up the trash and turned to leave, he suddenly paused as he remembered something. "Now that I think about it, where have I've seen those first years and raccoon before?" Ruggie said to himself as he pondered where and when he encountered those two first year students and their little cat gremlin.
For some reason, they seemed pretty strange, out of place even. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he had a feeling that there was more to those freshmen than meets the eye, especially that tawny gold-haired lion teen.