Y/n's pov
We woke up earlier today. It's time to stop this masquerade.
Floyd was in charge of breakfast so we went to wake Kalim up before Jamil could.
"Good morning, Kalim."
"Mm... Izzat you, Jamil? Morning..."
"No, it's Jade. Though our names do sound a bit similar. Heh."
"Wait... What? What are you all doing here?"
"I've brought some tea to wake you up and a change of clothes. Now rise and come with me, if you please."
"Huh? Wha? What's going on? Where's Jamil?"
"Don't worry. We're perfectly capable of helping you get dressed without him."As if on cue, someone knocked on the door and entered "Kalim, it's time to...what?! Azul? Jade? Grim...and Y/n?! What are you doing in Kalim's room?!"
"Hi, Jamil~" I smiled.
"You're welcome to sleep in today. In fact, I encourage it. We'll be taking care of Kalim starting now until the end of break." Azul said.
"What?!"
"After our chat last night, we realized something. Who's the busiest guy in this dorm?"
"It's Jamil, of course!" I said.
"We've been taking advantage of Scarabia's hospitality during our stay, you see. So we'd like to pay it back somehow." Jade added.
"You can call us the Jamil Support Squad!" Grim continued.
"Aren't we right, Kalim?" I asked him, already knowing his answer.
"OOOH! That's BRILLIANT! I've been thinking for ages about how I wish I could make Jamil's job easier!"
"Your compassion is a touching thing to behold, Kalim. Would that Azul could take a page from your book."
"Ha ha ha. You just had to get in a dig, didn't you, Jade? Anyway, allow us to handle matters here. You can kick back and take it easy, Jamil."
"By all means, take them up on it, Jamil! This is great for you!"
I pushed his back, forcing him out of the room "Now, let's go. Shall we get you back to bed or would you like to have breakfast?"
"Breakfast?!"
"Okay, let's go!"
We arrived in the lounge where we found Floyd making the last directives for breakfast.
"B-breakfast is already made?! Did you do this, Floyd?"
"G'morning, Sea Snake! Yup, me 'n the minnows took care of it. Azul was goin' on about how much he wanted to help you."
"But... But I can't put our guests to work."
"Just accept it, darling~" I said.
Jamil tried to stay focus "B-But Kalim can only eat food prepared by me. It could be poisoned."
"Woah, trust issues... You don't even trust us." I feigned being hurt.
"If it gets Jamil's Poison-Free Seal of Approval, I'm sure Sea Otter will eat it right up."
Jamil frowned "You have a point, but still..."
"Vice Housewarden, could you taste-test these grilled vegetables?" "I think this soup came out nicely. What do you think, sir?"
"Rgh... Fine. I'll test them all myself. Actually, are we prepared for our morning oasis trek? Usually, breakfast comes AFTER the march."
Azul made his entrance "Ah, about that. As housewarden of Octavinelle... I've given my fellow housewarden Kalim an alternate proposal."
"Wh... What?! You can't just do that!"
"Rather than aerobic exercise like long-range walking... You'll see far greater gains in strength and stamina from proper indoor weight training. Scarabia's desert is a terribly hot place, you know. We wouldn't want to risk anyone getting heatstroke."
"In fact, there's a huge fountain in the courtyard. If you wanna build stamina, how about swimmin' in that? It'd be more fun, too."
"Agreed. I can tell you from experience that swimming is a far better way to burn fat than walking."
"Isn't that great, everyone?" I asked as the Scarabia students cheered. "No more oasis marches!"
"It's also worth mentioning that skipping breakfast can make you more easily fatigued and distracted. Not that overeating helps either, of course." Azul added.
Kalim arrived "Good morning. Ooh, breakfast is done already?"
"Hot diggity! That looks delish!" Grim jumped up in excitement.
"Floyd's in fine form today. It comes out considerably worse when he's not in the mood..." Jade informed and I relate.
"And Sea Snake's already poison-tested your portions, Sea Otter. Go on and dig in!""Bon appetit!"Everyone complimented the food as Jamil stayed silent with a frown.
"First, the key to ancient incantations is memorizing vocabulary." Azul started.
"I'm out." I was about to leave but Kalim held me.
"Please, don't leave me! I'm aaawful at memorization. It puts me to sleep."
"Idk You can maybe try walking while reciting, that works."
"It's a good study method for people with shorter attention spans. Y/n can testify about that."I stuck my tongue out at him, earning a chuckle.
"Yeah, they do that often so I started following their example and it works pretty neatly." Grim informed.
"If it works for you, I'll trust it. Let's try it all out, guys!""Yes, sir!"
Kalim still held my hand as we walked around while he was reciting. I noticed Jamil's frown deepening as I tried repressing my laughter.
"Yes! I think I managed to memorize a spell I was having trouble with!" Kalim exclaimed happily.
'Let's taunt him even more~' "Good job, sunshine!" I kissed his cheek, making him giggle as his face was heating up.
I felt a stare on us and an angry aura. 'Hehehe.'
Now to exercise.
"Proper exercise is critical to honing a more efficient mind for study. However, overstraining yourself will have an adverse effect." Azul informed.
"Mock battles are a good way to exercise while venting stress." Jade added.
"Yas! I'm into that! I need to let out some steam!" I started punching the air.
"Aha ha! I'm in the mood to cut loose too, so count me in! Hmmm, who to fight?" Floyd matched my energy.
"All right, split into teams of five and let the melee begin! Aha ha! Mock bottles really are fun. And they're a great way to gauge the results of your training."
"Yes, Housewarden!"
"Angelfish/Eely boy! Let's get together!" We said at the same time.
"i'd like to prohibit this team."
We looked at Azul with frowns.
"If those two are together, they might wipe out the entire dorm."
We pouted and Jade added "Unfortunately, I cannot help but agree... That's why I think I should be with Y/n."
"What?!" Floyd shouted.
"Sneaky little..." Azul grumbled.
Jamil just sighed at the scene.
In the cafeteria.
"There's one main reason we've grown as well as we have. And that would be...our diet, of course! It's about getting the nutrients you need...not too many and not too few. This helps your afternoon performance." Azul said.
"Cooking is an essential life skill for gaining an understanding of food and developing a healthy diet." Jade seconded him.
"Aren't you two professionals in the matters?" I looked at them.
"Maybe I should start cooking every now and then... I wouldn't have to worry about poison if I prepared meals myself."
"Good idea, sunshine. Then Jamil will have more rest. You'll have to let me try what you make~" I saw Jamil shaking this time.
"Okay, Sea Otter. You're in charge of stirrin' the pot."
"Keep an eye on that soup and make sure it doesn't boil over, would you?" Jade added.
"Sure thing! Glad to help."
"All right, everyone. Let's make this a meal to remember." Jade said.
"Yes, sir!"
Once it was done, I patted Kalim's head "Good job, sunshine."
Jamil clenched his fists and grumbled "All he did was stir the pot..."
Back in the dorm.
Kalim and I were running around the fountain and played with the water.
The others looked at us with amusement "It's good to see the housewarden's back to his senses."
"Kalim did some mistakes but everyone does. Our vacation's only half over. There's still room to make up for lost time." Azul said, smiling at the sound of his loved one's laughter.
"With a training camp this helpful, staying at school doesn't sound so bad." "Yeah, agreed. The only chance we get to spend time with you guys is when we're at school." "It feels like I'm waking up from a nightmare..."
As we went back to the lounge, Jamil seemed on edge.
"Hey! It will soon be 3 o'clock. Just like Riddle, I take tea time really seriously." I said.
"Shall I prepare some tea?" Jade asked.
"No, I'll handle it. I'm the farthest along with my assignment, after all." Azul said.
"Allow me to help." Jamil requested.
"I'd appreciate that. Shall we be off, Jamil?"
3rd person's pov
The adrenaline made Y/n forget all about their sorrow.
In Scarabia's hallway, the two young men were walking.
"The students' completion rate for these assignments is up fifteen percent from yesterday. Those are some statistically significant results. Y/n and Grim told me Kalim was going through drastic mood swings... But he's been acting pretty calm since we arrived. Isn't it nice that Kalim's regained the faith of Scarabia's students?"
"...No. No, it isn't."
"It's not?"
"No offense, but I can't let you people stay in Scarabia any longer. It's time you went back under the sea."
"Pardon? Where did this come from, Jamil? Have I done something to offend you?"
"You really don't get it? Does the sad look on my face mean nothing to you?"
"What...?" Azul looked at him in the eyes.
"...You made eye contact with me. Fool. The one you behold is your master. When I ask you a question, you will answer. When I give you a command, you will assent. Snake Charmer."
"What?! Gh... My head! Rgh..."
"The pain will last as long as you resist. The sooner you give in and submit, the easier it will be for you. Go on, I'm waiting."
"Rrrgh... Urgh..."
"Azul, who is your master?" He smirked.
"My master is......you, O mighty Jamil. I await your command, Master."
"Heh... Ha ha... Ha ha ha ha ha! You thought I was a mediocre magician, but you were sorely mistaken—an embarrassing misjudgment for the housewarden of Octavinelle. But really... Because of you, all my carefully laid plans have gone up in smoke. All I needed was a little more nudging from my genie, and the students would have kicked Kalim out. It was my way of getting Kalim ejected from his position without getting my own hands dirty. Do you have any idea how much painstaking effort I put into laying the groundwork for that? First, you're going to take the twins and go home to the Coral Sea... Wait, hold on. Azul. You returned all your contractually stolen powers back to their original owners recently, right?"
"Yes, Master."
"Tch. I guess I only have one genie of the Lamp. Your signature spell is quite a valuable asset... But it would be hard to keep you controlled long- term. Plus you monopolize them too much."
"Sir. I remember the contents of the contracts."
"What?"
"I remember all the secrets of the people I made contracts with. Their troubles. Their weaknesses. Their desires."
"What a twisted collection. I can see I made the right call not making friends with you. Does this intellectual cache of yours include Headmage Dire Crowley's secrets?"
"Of course, Master. I know one thing he would never want others to learn."
"Hah... Ha ha ha... That's it. That's it! It's all going to work out! You can be a substitute of my genie of the Lamp for now, Azul!"
"Do you wish to know the headmage's secret?"
"Oh, absolutely. Once I have the headmage's weakness in my grasp, I'll finally be free. I'll kick Kalim out of school and become housewarden myself!"
"Why do villains always love evil monologues?"
Jamil looked behind him and saw Y/n.
"That was ingenious. Though I don't like being used."
"Y-You heard..."
Jade stepped to their side "All of it, from start to finish. Your entire conversation from the moment you left the lounge......has been livestreamed to the world from Azul's smartphone."
"WHAT?!"
"Azul's Magicam livestream presently has five thousand active viewers."
"It's trending online under the topic: "A Certain Magicians' School's Dirty Little Secret." It's your moment in the sun, Vice Housewarden. Naturally, all the dorm students are gathered in the lounge, watching you."
Footsteps were then heard, approaching the hallway.
"Vice Housewarden Jamil, is everything you just said true?" "Have you really been deceiving us this whole time?!"
"Talk about a wolf in sheep's clothing! You're a fraud, through and through!" Grim said.
"Y-you... You've got it all wrong. I..."
"You can't even try to deny it after everything you just said. I already said it, Kalim was under a spell and you just confirmed it by using it on Azul. You're the reason all this chaos unfolded in Scarabia!" Y/n retorted.
"Gh...! I was trying to avoid escalating matters, but you leave me no choice. Azul, I command you! Subdue and restrain them all."
"...Yes, Master."
"Aren't we done playing games already?" They asked.
Jamil raised an eyebrow at their nonchalance.
"It would have been funny to continue but I guess you're right." Azul stopped pretending.
Jamil was shocked.
"Jamil, you said the funniest thing to me earlier. Allow me to return the favor. You thought I was an arrogant magician, but you were sorely mistaken. An embarrassing misjudgment for the vice housewarden of Scarabia—the dorm that embodies the spirit of mindfulness."
"What's going on? I know you made eye contact. I had you under control!"
"Please. I'm a competent magician. I always prepare for all eventualities before I act."
"Yah, he made a contract with Floyd and now he got that weird voice." Y/n complained.
"Whaaat? I like it. It sounds all cool and grizzled~" Floyd said in a deep voice.
"I prefer your original voice."
"Oh~ That means angelfish loves me naturally~" he hugged them.
Azul scoffed "Bind the heart. It jams an opponent's magic and diverts it elsewhere."
Jamil looked down.
"Ja...mil?"
'Of course... the first one concerned. Why does it hurt though...' Y/n clenched their chest.
What is this? What's going on?"
"K-Kalim..."
"Y-you were controlling me?That can't be true, right? I've been having occasional blackouts lately where hours have passed the next time I come to... But those were just dizzy spells or me nodding off, right? I tend to doze off anywhere as it is. You've always gotten on my case for it. So please, say it isn't so. Tell me I was just nodding off."
Jamil stayed silent.
'He's in so much denial... it hurts.' It got cold again.
"Mind-controlling me, plotting to expel me... You would never do any of that. Jamil, you're... You're the last person that would ever betray me, right? After all, we're best friends, right?!"
"Ha ha... Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha... Aha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!"
"H-hey... What's wrong?"
"Oh, I'll tell you, Kalim. I'll tell you EXACTLY what's wrong. You've been the same for as long as I can remember. Oblivious, gullible, foolish... AND I HATED IT! You trot along merrily in ignorant bliss, utterly blind to my suffering! Every time I see you smile, it makes my skin crawl! I'm sick of it! There's no point in maintaining my facade now. You have no idea how many days I've spent wishing that you would just go away. But that ends today! Myself, my family... I don't care about ANY of it anymore!"
Kalim tried to stop him but "The one you behold is your master... When I ask you a question, you will answer. When I give you a command, you will assent! Snake Charmer!"
"Agh...!" "Urgh... My head..."
He mind-controlled the Scarabia students.
"All of you, eject Kalim and the Octavinelle guests from the premises!"
"Yes, Master."
"Hey, stop this, will you?" Y/n created ice to stop them but it was kinda uncontrolled and almost hurt them badly.
'Uh-oh what is going on?' They looked at their hands.
"Be more careful, angelfish. " Azul advised.
"Jamil, please, just stop! You can have what you want! You can be housewarden! I'll go home to my family!"
"What? You thought that would work? My spell won't be broken so easily... Kalim. Not as long as you exist in this world, Kalim!"
"Jamil, you're courting danger! If you keep using your signature spell like this, you'll exceed your blot tolerance level and—"
"Shut up! Don't you order me around! I'm through following others' orders! I'm going... TO BE FREE!"