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What the fuck was happening? A question that she asked from time to time.
But this time was enough to leave her utterly speechless; she was pretty justified to ask that this time around! [Name] couldn't even put her confusion into words when she returned to her dorm after that club meeting with Malleus. Upon walking up the small flights of stairs back to Ramshackle, something was quick to catch her attention. A blue light illuminated one of the windows, one she seemingly forgot to close the shutters.
A few conclusions came to mind. One was that her ghost friends were doing whatever weird shit to mess with her. But that didn't make any sense. After reaching an understanding, [Name] thought she and they mutually agreed not to mess with each other? Why would they go out of their way and go against their agreement now?
The second conclusion was that someone broke inside her dorm and now was trashing the place, which, again, made no sense! Why now? Why would anyone break in now after a whole year of her living without a problem? It was a ramshackle dorm, for goodness sake. What could possibly be in there worth stealing, aside from her belongings, of course (not that she brought anything too valuable with her anyway). And the girl was sure to lock the door after her departure.
Well, whatever the possibilities were, it was sure not to bring any good news, she would assume. Then, she arrived in front of her door, now unlocking her door with practiced motions and rushed down the hall. With her magic necklace ready at her beckon, [Name] could only stand there and watch the chaos unfold; the various self-defensive spells that once formed at the tip of her tongue were now gone.
There standing in the dim hallway was this...grey monster-like cat, its ears emitting flickers of blue flames. With eyes tightly shut, the cat blew flames at this...ghost, according to the person standing by the staircase. Well, first off, that ghost was not any of her ghost friends. Or maybe one of them took on a mask that looked eerily similar to the headmaster, but she highly doubted it.
That aside, the person who had been instructing the cat and wearing a ceremonial robe then flickered his eyes to meet hers. For a moment, they stared at each other without saying anything, and [Name] was sure that the confusion she felt displayed clearly on her face.
His eyes, shielded by a pair of glasses, were a shade of Aegean blue. Beneath his left eye, however, was a beauty mark. His brown bangs were mostly parted on his left. The rest of his hair fluttered around his face and formed a wolf cut. You know, his hair looked really fluffy, and she wouldn't mind ruffling it had they'd known each other. Plus, his hair was the warm colour of pecan pie, which was quite comforting (wow, she hadn't baked that pie in a while).
"Ffgna?!" The ongoing attacks of blue flames stopped as the creature noticed they weren't receiving directions any longer. "Why aren't you giving any more orders, Henchman?!" And now she found out that the monster cat could talk. Oh, what fun. How weirder could this night get? And why the hell did she have the sudden urge to name the cat Claude Debussy the 54th? Definitely not the right time to bring that up in the midst of this confusion.
"Can I ask what is happening in my dorm right now?" A polite smile plastered across her lips, now witnessing the masked ghost poof with a cloud of smoke and back into Crowley. Yup, totally nothing to question there...
The principal looked at her as if he wasn't just a ghost, avoiding the wrath of the blue flames. "There you are, Miss..." he paused, and she could feel her heart leaping to her throat. The headmaster must've realized how severe his mistake was by her expression, but it was too long of a pause to excuse it as a simple mistake. "—ster Mochizuki." He really wasn't serious, was he? This seriously could not be fucking happening, could it? Then again, she recalled him messing up how to refer to her as last year as well, during the cultural festival.
"Miss...ster?" The new person mumbled to himself, taking glances between her and Crowley.
The fire cat crossed his arms and frowned at the prolonged silence. "Why are you all so quiet all of a sudden?"
Crowley cleared his throat loudly, bringing the attention back to him. "Anyway, as I was saying. I was looking for you earlier."
"Were you...?" Her throat felt clogged, but she managed to force out some words anyway, though the quality of them was questionable at best. That was supposed to be her cue to forget what just happened and act normal, wasn't it? She meant—he moved on like it was nothing. Like he didn't just shatter the secrecy she spent a whole year maintaining behind all those carefully-crafted words and smiles with such a careless slip-up.
Memories of Ruggie crossed her mind, and it was almost like being dragged back into that experience in the worst possible way. Instead of her partner, it was her own principal that revealed her. The numbing sensation, the dread that pooled in her stomach, the drumming of her heart that rang all too loudly in her ears.
But "you are to act as if nothing happened." It was those same words that were engraved in her thoughts, the same one that went through her head when she broke down in front of Crewel, the same one she had lived by for years. It was going to be fine. She could save the situation. She had to. So, within the short second or two, [Name] willed her expression into a practiced one. "Sorry, Mister Crowley, I was out for a bit. Who are they, though?"
The cat looked at her as if she was crazy, placing his paw on his fluffy chest. "Huh?! You've never heard of the Great Grim?!" Now that the cat— Grim wasn't running around like a frantic feline, [Name] could see details she didn't notice before, like his three-pronged tail (almost like a pitchfork), the black and white ribbon that tied around his neck.
"Please don't mind him," said the boy, whom she still didn't know his name, which caused Grim to grumble to himself and cross his arms.
Grim hadn't said much, but already, [Name] could tell he was certainly...a fun person (cat?), to put it nicely. "Well, this is Mister Yuu Hirano. I ran into him earlier tonight, and it would seem that he is in a similar situation as you, Mister Mochizuki." It would be helpful if he elaborated, which thankfully, he eventually did. "He woke up from one of the Gates, yet he does not belong here at all."
Her eyes darted back to Yuu. A person who shared an experience similar to her—someone who also didn't belong here at Night Raven College...she could hardly believe it. "Then, what will happen to him?"
"You are a special exception, Mister Mochizuki, and you can at least use magic." Her fingers curled into a loose fist. Just how many times was Crowley going to bring up the fact that she was a 'special exception'? She got it the first few times, thank you very much. "I would've sent Mister Hirano back by now, especially because he's magicless." That was certainly news to her. Magicless? "But unfortunately, it would seem like he doesn't belong in Twisted Wonderland at all."
"Huh?" she couldn't stop herself from saying.
"What was the place you said you were from again?"
"Yokohama, Japan," he answered without missing a beat. She had to think about it for a minute. Yoko...what now? What in the world was a 'Yokohama-Japan,' and why did it sound like something from a children's novel or a fantasy book? Of course, nothing could beat the absurdity of Che'nya's full name (god, she wasn't even going to try and remember it), but it was nearly on-par.
It would seem like hearing of his homeland didn't make it any less jarring for Crowley, either, seeing that he took a moment to respond. "Yes, that place. As you can see, Mister Hirano has nowhere to go, and as an educator, I cannot allow one of my students to fend for himself in an unknown world with no memories."
It was already hard enough, the sudden appearance of this mysterious magicless student and his cat familiar, but now, Crowley decided to drop the fact that he had no memories? She could barely wrap her head around the situation! Jeez, give her a moment to process everything, at least. "You don't remember anything at all?"
"It would be nice if I could remember, but besides my name and where I'm from, I can't remember anything else." Though his words were nonchalant, a sliver of anxiety crept in regardless of how he acted. She meant—[Name] couldn't blame him. Not that she knew much of his situation, but having experienced something somewhat similar a year prior, waking up in total darkness, the blur of her memories, she could imagine how he was feeling.
"That is why he will be staying here temporarily instead of the other dorms until I can find a way to get him back home." She guessed staying at any of the other official dorms was a no-go, considering she had to live here too.
Yuu then raised his hand as if waiting for his turn to talk. "If I'm allowed to stay here, can I ask that Grim also stays here with us too?"
"You want that monster cat here?" Crowley did little to disguise the shock in his question.
Grim's eyes narrowed into a slit. "I have a name, y'know! And I'm not a monster cat!" With a flick of his tail, he sulked.
[Name] didn't think they had met beyond tonight, yet Yuu ignored his cat friend (could she consider them friends?) as if he'd done it time and time again. "If you'll allow it. You know, just in case those ghosts come back to bother us."
Ghosts? The only ghosts she knew around here were... "You mean you ran into three ghosts earlier?" to which her answers were nods from Yuu and Grim, although she could see Grim shivering at the mention of those ghosts. "Ah, I didn't think they'd pull a prank like that..." they were harmless; no matter the pranks they played, she knew that.
But that was beside the problem. Living at Ramshackle was lonely, wasn't it? Aside from the trio of the undead, the dorm remained barren and, at some points, impossible to clean on her own. The empty halls, devoid of life and light, were what she saw on a daily basis as she would leave and come back from school. The friends and companions she had at school would all part at the end of the day, leaving her by herself in the quietness that was her dormitory.
It was for the better. That was what she told herself again and again. It was better that she harboured this loneliness than have anybody else get too close and figure out her secret. No matter the offers she'd receive to live at other dorms, the girl would turn it down. [Name] was fine all last year. She was okay with living with her ghost buddies, occasionally leaving the dorm to hang out with friends. She was okay with her arrangement until this very moment.
[Name] didn't even know Yuu and Grim existed now, yet the thought of living with them brought this sense of hope she couldn't just ignore. Their presence, albeit extremely sudden and jarring, filled the silence that followed her around as she lived her life getting by her school years.
She mulled over the potential possibilities of Yuu staying at any of the other dorms. Even if she somehow managed to convince Crowley, would the other students take well to having a magicless person crash at their dorm? Perhaps some people would be okay with it (she'd like to believe her friends fell under 'some people' as well), but ruling from the high egos and constant fights, most would not like it. Best case scenario, they'd poke fun at Yuu for having no magic, but that was it. Worst case scenario, they go out of their way to physically harass him, especially if it seemed as though he got a free pass at Night Raven when it was already difficult enough to get accepted.
Goddammit. [Name] would be fucking damned if she let a magicless person, who didn't even belong in this world, be off on their own, especially with the endless worry that piled her thoughts! Regardless of her secret, regardless of the concerns that were raised with her judgment, she could never live with her decision if she chased him away for her own selfish reasons.
The breath that caught in her throat slowly released as she began voicing her thoughts. "Do you have anywhere to go, Grim-san?"
Grim, on the other hand, stiffened. "What's it to ya?" he asked but didn't get a response in return. In fact, everyone stayed quiet, choosing to stare at him for the answer. "Gah, fine! I don't...!" He relented surprisingly easily under the pressure of everyone's gaze.
That was when [Name] turned to Crowley and lowered her head. "Then, I would like to ask that Grim-san stays here too if you're letting Hirano-san stay here." She couldn't see what expression was on Yuu's face, but from the corner of her eyes, she saw he did eventually mirror her action, lowering his head as well.
"You guys..." it would seem like that was the only thing Grim could say in his speechless stupor. It wasn't obvious, the raw emotions in his voice, moved by their efforts, but it was there regardless.
A sigh left Crowley's lips. "Well, if you're both requesting for him to stay, then I suppose I don't have a choice. Alright, fine." The trio perked up. "I'll allow Grim to stay so long as you are responsible for him, Mister Hirano."
Yuu nodded without hesitation, finally standing up straight when he saw [Name] doing as such. "Sure thing. I'll keep an eye on him the best I can, Mister Crowley."
The swaying of Grim's tail now seemed to display his emotion as he raised his arms in the air, almost like celebrating. "You serious?!" [Name] didn't know if she truly made the right decision, but seeing the shine in Grim's eyes and the relief across Yuu's lips, it felt like it was the correct choice.
But like all good things in life, it didn't last for long. "However." The headmaster was quick to burst their happy little bubble. "I cannot let someone who isn't a student stay here for free, especially with a monster with them."
The excitement from before shimmered down. "Talk about a joy kill; can't even let us have a moment..." the mumble from the cat reaching Crowley's ears only made him frown.
"Please let me finish what I'm going to say." The silence that fell among the students was his cue to continue. "Because you were brought here because of the Dark Mirror, you are still our responsibility until further notice. Until I can find a way to get you back, Mister Hirano, you can stay here at the Ramshackle Dorm with Mister Mochizuki."
The satisfaction of the outcome could be seen in Yuu's expression. "I guess you're my new roommate now."
"I guess so, Fellow Roommate." [Name] shared the same sentiment, having no problem coming up with a reply. At least her new roommates seemed quite decent enough.
"Ahem." Wow, Crowley really couldn't let them have their fun, huh? It was the second time tonight that he brought the mood down. "I was going to ask that you provide for yourself here, or Mister Mochizuki can help you with it. But since I can't burden one of my students with providing anybody other than themself and since you do not have anything to your name, allow me to offer you this."
Oh, it was now that he acknowledged burdening her? Where was that sympathy from the very beginning, letting them stay here even without talking with her?! Of course, she ended up agreeing to their stay anyway, but the thought that he was just going to dump them onto her without explanation had she not shown up when she did put a sour taste in her mouth. Not to mention he didn't say anything about how much of a mess Ramshackle was a year ago, either!
"I feel like I should be nervous about your offer, Mister Crowley." Her new roommate tried smiling away his worry, but it only appeared as a bit forced more than anything.
"Not at all. Not at all." Her eyebrows slightly furrowed when he chuckled. As if chuckling about his offer made it any less nerve-wracking, and she wasn't even the one who was being offered! "I'm just putting you on cleaning duty on campus for now; you and Grim can become like the handymen of the school. Isn't that fun?"
He was joking...right? She was trying so hard not to let the bafflement show on her face. Fun, he said... "Isn't that just a glorified way of saying, janitor?" Yuu took the words right from her mouth.
"I have to agree with Hirano-san there..."
"Of course not! I can't put you on file as a student, but if you're working for the school, it'll excuse you from being kicked out. You're also allowed into the library to do whatever research you need, for I am so gracious." Ah, there was his infamous catchphrase. "But only after you have finished all your work, though!" Well, she supposed he was gracious for not abandoning her and for letting Yuu and Grim stay.
But was it really? She could only stay here because of her mother's involvement. Whether or not she pleaded with Crowley that night to let her stay, he most likely would've allowed her anyway. She pressed her lips into a thin line. And wasn't letting Yuu stay the bare minimum? What kind of headmaster would he be had he left a magicless student from another world on his own? A sure way to lose his job, that was for certain. Or, at the very least, damage his reputation.
"What?" The spark of energy was now devoid as Grim voiced his opinion. "Do I get a say in all of this? I'm not okay with this arrangement...! Why can't I become a student and wear those fancy uniforms?"
Crowley looked at Grim without blinking, an overly kind smile plastered on his lips. "I do not have any problems if you are unsatisfied with my arrangements. I can always kick you out again if you don't like it." Okay, that was definitely a threat. She was sure even Grim could understand that.
The fire cat blanched, jumping back. "Alright, alright! I'll do it, I guess..." his ears twitched, the frown on his face unchanging. And so, that was how [Name] ended up with two unexpected roommates by the time Crowley left after delivering dinner for Yuu (which apparently led to him turning himself into a ghost earlier).
"So," it was her new roommate that broke past the silence formed by the disbelief of the situation. "About that Miss-ster Mochizuki thing."
It was as if life decided that what she had already been through wasn't enough. It was never enough when it came to her; the amount of bullshit she faced daily. And yet, here life was, throwing another hurl her way, one that made her heart tremble. Like an electric shock, [Name]'s senses were zapped into very clear awareness. The once comforting image of Yuu was now a painful reminder that he knew. He knew, and it wasn't her fault. "We're going there already, huh...?" Her dry mumble was poorly hidden behind a neutral tone.
Could it have been too much to hope that he'd play oblivious for a little while longer? No, it was stupid of her to think so (if she could even call whatever mental state she was in now as thinking. You know, if you looked past her panic and racing thoughts, maybe you could count it as thinking properly). It was for the better that she dealt with it now than to live in constant paranoia, wondering whether he knew or not and whether he would tell everyone behind her back.
His eyes did a quick scan over her and her horrible excuse of an act. Her facade had cracks and holes; she knew well, but all she could do was try to get her shit together. "I think it'll be better if it's out of the way as soon as possible." He offered her a sympathetic smile. Perhaps it was his way of telling her that she could be at ease. And for a moment, it almost worked.
[Name] must look so pathetic right now as she stood there in the hall, attempting to recompose herself, trying not to break down and cry as she did with Crewel. "Would it be too late to try and convince you otherwise?" How unfortunate she was, clinging onto a hope that didn't exist.
"You can try; I won't stop you." His words were gentle, almost as though pitying her. But she didn't want his pity. For a stranger to look at her with those eyes, it was the last thing she wanted. So, she didn't answer, even if the girl was the one who asked in the first place. Yuu seemingly got the hint from her silence. "Ah, right. Sorry. It's kind of cruel for me to give you false hope, huh?" At least he understood that much.
The fire-breathing cat settled his paws on his hips and glanced back and forth between them. They both talked in this cryptic language, and he didn't like it! "What are you both talking about? The fact that that human is a girl?" Sure, there were many things Grim didn't understand, but the headmaster slipping up earlier made it a bit obvious. Had he not paused for as long as he did, the fact would've completely flown over his head.
There were a few differences [Name] noticed if she compared the situation with Ruggie and this one. Maybe it was because she was so caught off guard last time, be it that she was there to freshen up after a potion accident. After all, the potion's effect lingered—the tiredness and haziness that followed as side effects. And maybe it was because Ruggie was dear to her. That the fact of her losing him was possibly more terrifying than him finding out about her secret. The fact that he might've turned away from her and walked the other way, forgetting whatever relationship they'd formed had ever existed just like those kids did.
Standing in front of her now was Yuu Hirano, a person she had just met, not even half an hour ago. Despite two people (well, a monster cat and a person) discovering her secret, the looming fear of losing them didn't come about this time around. She didn't know them at all! In fact, she believed it was probably a tad concerning if she cared about what they thought of her on the level she regarded Ruggie. But even if the situations were slightly different, it didn't erase the fact that the uncomfortableness coiled around her throat, making it just a bit harder to breathe. "Let's not rub salt in the wound, Grim-san..." she eventually said, though refusing to look at either of them.
"Ffgna?! What did I do?!" The cat seemed genuinely confused.
Humour was always her go-to. It was a safety net that she'd fall back on if ever the situation was too much. "Quite rude of you to point out the obvious, Grim-san." But there were times when her playful jests and jokes were too much, even for her to maintain. Her smile then faltered. "You two have to keep it a secret."
"Huh, why?" Grim really couldn't understand the beret-wearing girl in front of him at all. What was so bad about saying she was a girl?
[Name] didn't offer any further explanation, but that was fine. Yuu already knew why. Even if her words were vague, judging from not only the headmaster's reaction when he corrected himself but her reaction as well, Yuu could infer that girls were seemingly not allowed on campus. Or, at the very least, not usually expected. "Okay, got it. I won't tell. I'll be sure to keep him in check too."
Why was he getting thrown around in these situations?! He didn't even do anything yet! "Oi, I didn't do anything...!"
That was when Yuu looked at Grim and smiled. "No more tuna for you if you say anything."
The cat flinched before quickly making his way over to [Name], almost as if he was using her legs to hide behind. "This is the second time I've been threatened!" He huffed and crossed his arms, already done with everyone's accusations. "I wasn't plannin' on telling anyone anyway, so stop threatening my tuna."
"As long as you keep your promise, your tuna will be safe."
"Tch, you're such a pain. Fine, I won't say anything." While Grim proclaimed his promise, he was still behind her, using her as a shield from Yuu's stare and smile.
[Name] stayed quiet during the little bickering. She did find it sweet that Grim felt safe enough to run to her for protection, even though she had a feeling that he would never admit it when she pointed it out. But more than that, the beret-wearing student wanted to trust these two. She had to trust them. "Thank you, you two..." the light show of gratitude was hopefully enough to convey the emotions she was feeling.
"Of course. We're roommates now, so that means we're in this together, right?" Yuu then extended his hand to her. "I'm Hirano— Yuu Hirano. It's nice to meet you formally. You're a senior, right?"
The way he almost introduced his last name first was quite odd. It meant that he was used to introducing his surname before his first name, wasn't it? [Name] did find that rather interesting. Plus, seeing the usually composed Yuu stumble over his name was...endearing. The uneasiness might not have gone away fully (not yet), but at the very least, she could try to trust them. Finally, she reached out and grabbed his hand in a firm handshake. "[Name] Mochizuki, a second year student at Night Raven College. A pleasure to have you as my new roommate, Hirano-san."
"Yuu is fine."
"Hey, I'm here, too!" Apparently, being left out of the formal introduction didn't bode too well with the cat. "I'm the Great Grim, so you better remember it well, Henchman 2."
"So, I'm guessing I can't call you Claude Debussy the 54th, then?" she asked after donning an innocent smile. What better time to bring it up than now?
Grim looked at her as though she went mad, almost— no, most definitely offended. "Hell no; know your place, Other Henchman. It's Grim and Grim only!"
"Sure, if that's what you want, Claude Debussy the 54th." The glint in his eyes proved his amusement to the name. It would seem that Yuu did not miss the opportunity to join in on the banter, which Grim did not appreciate one bit by the stomping of his foot. Hey, now she knew he could make a joke or two.
Their lighthearted back-and-forth drew a short string of laughter from the girl. The once empty and isolated Ramshackle Dorm suddenly didn't feel so lonely anymore, not when these two brought so much life and brightness just by being here. "Yuu-san and Grim-san it is, then. Ah, you two should probably eat your dinner now. Wouldn't want you complaining about being hungry on me." It was probably a long night for them. They deserved at least that much.
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☆°.*•~✦ ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ: 4,724 ᴡᴏʀᴅs ✦~•*.°☆
❥︎ Hetty and I have been so excited to introduce Grim and Yuu, and now they're finally here! Yuu's character profile along with his appearance will be added to the OC profiles eventually (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧ ~C
❥︎ Yes we've been waiting for this moment for so long~ I'm sure both of them would make great company for mc <3
Again, the link to our ocs profiles will be linked in the comments right here to anyone who wants to check them out ♡ ~ H