The next day, Meg and Jack were on their way to their next class. Epel was usually with them but yeah, just as they have noticed, the purple haired boy was avoiding them.
Or was ignoring anyone in particular.
It's like he's in his own world.
"It's not like I really care, but I think Vil is pushing Epel too hard." The brunette glared at nothingness.
"I've known Vil since we were kids... And I know he's not the type to bully anyone. Moreso, I agree with you though I think his strict personality is admirable." The wolf boy answered.
But then, the two were interrupted when they sensed something fast aiming to their direction.
The beastman's fur rised up as he growled towards the perpetrator.
And the brunette just caught the arrow that was aimed at his head.
"You're going to kill someone with that weapon!" Jack told Rook who merely waved at him before leaving.
The Ignihyde boy on the other hand, didn't cared and just read the message attached to it.
'Thank you for taking part in the Song & Dance Championship auditions. The following student have passed our rigorous screening process...'
“Megaphentes Georgiou.”
'Please report to the Pomefiore ballroom after school today.'
"I didn't know that you audition for that contest. I couldn't even imagine you dancing and singing." Jack said as they continued their walk to their class.
"Yeah well, I only do it seldomly... Plus, I didn't even want to join the contest. Ortho just pushed me to it." Meg sighed at that.
"You don't follow Sir Idia but you follow what Ortho says?" This made the beastman confused.
"It's because he knows how to pull my strings. That manipulative piece of—"
"How can you even catch an arrow that fast? You surprise me everytime Meg." The wolf boy cut off, merely because he only just realized what the shorter had done.
"If the Shroud retainer can't even avoid a bullet, he could just get killed and die." The brunette said and looked at the taller.
"That's what I told myself while I was training... It's like playing a game with death. No big deal." Meg simply shrugged as Jack frowned at his words, quietly following behind.
The Ignihyde boy remembered those times. How he felt giving up because he don't know what his purpose is anymore.
But he kept avoiding the bullet, making himself laugh at being so coward to face death instead.
He laughed and cried at that as he picked himself up again to train.
Later after class, the group casted members for the Sing and Dance Championship arrived in front of the Pomefiore Castle.
"You there – the group of five with a cat. Halt!"
"Are you talking to us?" Deuce asked the Pomefiore student who suddenly appeared.
"I see, some of you passed the SDC ensemble audition." The other student stated.
"Yup! Vil asked to see us. Would you mind taking us to him?" Kalim asked with a smile.
But the Pomefiore boy just scoffed at that, "Heh... Not so fast. Nobody simply waltzes into our dorm!"
"Huh?" Ace, Kalim and Grim asked out loud, confused.
"The gates of Pomefiore are open only to those who exhibit both beauty and strength!" The student threw his glove at them as a gesture for a challenge, "The gauntlet is thrown. Pick it up!"
"Wait, I’m confused. Why did he just throw a literal glove at us?" The Scarabia Prefect tilted his head in confusion.
Because of this, Jamil stood in front of the white haired boy to protect him from the upcoming attack, "Stay sharp, Kalim! Incoming!"
But before the ravenette could do anything, a gush of wind blew the two students to the wall, knocking them unconscious.
"Sorry I was late." Meg said and approached the group.
"Why in the world would they attack us unprovoked?" The Scarabia Vice Prefect asked while looking at the unconscious Pomefiore students.
"Pomefiore is known for their tenacity and I heard that their Prefect is very strict to his Principles. So, of course he wouldn't just let anyone become a member of his group without testing them." The brunette explained before looking at them.
"There will be more up ahead I assume. I'll support from the back, let's go ahead to the ballroom." The Ignihyde boy said and gestured for them to walk ahead.
Which they did.
"How did you even knew about all this?" Ace asked, sighing.
Because his head hurts just trying to think and connect all of it.
"Earlier Rook shot an arrow aimed at my head but he merely smiled before leaving. If that wasn't enough of a proof that he was testing me, I don't know what is." Meg said that made the ginger haired boy look back at him with wide eyes.
"He shot an arrow aimed at your head?!" He then looked frantically at the brunette, "And you survived?!"
"I caught it."
"You caught it!?" Deuce was also shocked to hear this, even Yuu's eyes widened at that.
"I bet I can do that while I'm asleep." Grim arrogantly claimed.
But an arrow on the grey cat's way being caught by the Ignihyde boy made him hitch a breath.
"Can't even catch one while awake." Meg scoffed before glaring at the Pomefiore student ahead.
"We can really rely on Meg!" Kalim chuckled at that.
'He's on another level.' Jamil thought to himself as he threw fire magic to the Pomefiore boy's way.
"Stay on your toes... You'll get killed at this rate." The brunette then summoned a magic bow to shot the same arrow thrown at Grim's way.
He then aimed close enough to scratch a student's cheek.
"That's a warning." The Ignihyde boy told the frightened Pomefiore student.
"E-Eek!" He squealed and ran away along with his companion who got flamed by the ravenette.
"Let's go." Meg guided them to the Lounge.
"You must be the ones who passed the audition!" Another pair of Pomefiore students faced them.
"You got through the guys at the front gate, but they were just your warm-up."
"Now you face us. Don't think for a minute that we'll let you reach our housewarden without a fight!" They then threw an elemental attack but the group was shielded by a barrier.
"Do I have to do everything myself?" The brunette asked the others and so, Ace and Deuce decided to attack this time.
For a pair of students who claimed that the first ones were only warm-ups, the two were easily beaten with a mildly strong wind magic and a cauldron.
"Looks like this is it for me. Alas..."
"I'm proud to have fought alongside you to the bitter end!"
"We fall as brothers on this battlefield! ...Grk!"
The two dramatically lied down the floor and acted as if they were dead.
"Oh, come on! You don't get to act like tragic heroes when you're the ones who started it!" The ginger haired boy complained while staring at the two students who were determined to play dead.
"I'm starting to get the impression that Pomefiore is full of guys who like to spout nonsense. Rook's just one example.
Is that the nature of their souls?!" The bluenette exclaimed, couldn't believe it himself.
"I think it's less about souls and more about relative values." Jamil pitched in which was agreed by Meg.
"Yeah, if it's about the soul... I doubt Young Master and all the other Ignihyde should be there... They lack diligence."
"And you assume that you're diligent?" Yuu sighed at how confident the brunette was.
"I'm just not assuming Hero, I am diligent."
This made Kalim chuckle, "Aha ha! Our school is so full of different kinds of people. What fun!"
They then heard another group of Pomefiore students coming their way, "There they are! It's the ensemble members!"
"By our honor as Pomefiore students, you shall not pass!"
"Myah, another group! They just keep comin'!" The racoon-like monster exclaimed.
"Let's make a break for the ballroom." Yuu suggested and so they did.
It's easier and self-sustaining to just run away anyways.
"We finally made it to the ballroom!" The spades boy huffed and panted as they arrived the room.
The hearts boy also huffed and catched his breath as he whined, "Why is this happening to us?"
"Why, because you've become ensemble members, of course." A voice said that made them look up to who it was.
And they were welcomed with how brighteningly pretty Vil was, "Myah! That's blinding!"
"I see none of you have dropped out. You pass, for now." He said.
"Vil, what is going on here?" Kalim asked.
"What else? A simple warm-up exercise. You got a full-body workout, did you not? Now we can get rehearsals underway immediately." The Pomefiore Prefect answered.
"I think he's asking about the arrows being aimed at our heads. That's an attempt of murder." The Ignihyde boy said with an obviously annoyed tone, his arms were crossed at the latter.
"I believe that everything else would be far too easy for Monsieur Illusion thus I suggested that scaring him would be a great practice." Rook explained with a smile which Meg replied with a glare.
"Don't ever try that again. You can aim at my head but if you try that again towards the innocent, you'll regret it." The brunette threaten but the eccentric boy was obviously amused by his reaction.
"How can you judge the innocent Monsieur?" The two shared a heated glare.
Though their staring contest was interrupted by Vil, "Listen well: we are Night Raven College's selected representatives. We will be aiming for the top spot in the world, on the battlefield that is the Song & Dance Championship."
"I have no use for performers incapable of overcoming a little adversity." The pretty boy stated while looking at the freshmen.
"The battle for the figurative crown has already begun. As of this moment, there will be no more fun and games. I'll be whipping you all into presentable shape!" The Pomefiore Prefect proclaimed.
"U-Uh... I'm still confused, but whatever you say!" The Scarabia Prefect said with a chuckle.
"Is it just me, or is Vil giving off the same vibe as our housewarden?" Ace asked Deuce.
"Heartslabyul and Pomefiore are both based on the spirits of queens. Maybe they just gravitate to that...?" The bluenette answered.
"My my, Roi du Poison. I see you're taking off at full tilt right out of the gate. You're so bright and dazzing that everyone else is stunned into inaction. Heh heh heh." The Vice Prefect of Pomefiore chuckled.
While Epel remained quiet.
"Attention, ensemble members: first, allow me to congratulate you on passing. Bravo!" Rook exclaimed with a smile.
"Ace. Deuce. Kalim. Jamil. Epel. Meg. And finally, myself and Vil. The eight of us shall be a tribe from this day forth. I look forward to working with you all up through the SDC. Now go on, Monsieur Crabapple a word of introduction, if you would." He gestured the younger who sheepishly moved forward.
"Hello. My name is Epel. It's a pleasure to meet you..." But the purple haired boy's introduction was interrupted by Grim.
"Hey, hold up! You left me and Yuu outta that whole speech. Why'd you call us over when we already flunked out?" The racoon-like monster frowned as he crossed his tiny arms.
That's where the Headmage appeared out of nowhere, "In my infinite generosity, I shall field that question!"
"Myah! Headmage! Again with the poppin' outta thin air? You're scarin' the daylights outta me!"
"Oh, I beg your pardon. I did not especially mean to conceal my presence, for what it's worth." Crowley then cleared his throat, "Ahem. Anyway. Allow me to explain why you were summoned here with the ensemble members."
"Starting this weekend, we will have four weeks until the Song & Dance Championship kicks off. And I would be ever so appreciative if you could share Ramshackle Dorm as the site for their training camp!" He announced with a smile.
"TRAINING CAMP?!" The students exclaimed, shock at the news.
"We do have a lot of empty rooms, but..." The magicless boy muttered.
"Headmage, why would we need to stay together at a training camp when it's already on campus? We all have our own dorms." Jamil asked which the Ignihyde boy added some words to.
"Yeah, I'm perfectly fine with the comfort of my computer."
"You mean bed?" The grey cat asked, in disbelief.
"Oh... Yeah, that too."
"It's a team-building exercise. You come from different dorms, different class years, different birthplaces, different cultures... It is my hope that living together will help you foster a greater sense of camaraderie." The Headmaster answered making Meg groan.
"I hate teams." He muttered under his breath.
"It's true that first-rate music groups eat at the same table and sleep under the same roof to build rapport." Vil added to the older's words.
"I considered Pomefiore as an option, but I feared that would make some members feel more out of their element than others. At Ramshackle Dorm, however, everyone would be starting from the same baseline." Crowley explained.
"T-This is still really sudden..." Deuce still couldn't believe it.
And Ace also agreed, "Yeaaah, I'm suddenly getting a powerful urge to drop out."
"I think a mixed dorm training camp sounds like a blast! My only question is, would it be okay for both me and Jamil to be absent from Scarabia for a whole month?" Kalim asked the Headmage.
"Worry not, my boy. I will be exercising my authority as headmage to support you all in whatever capacity you need. Oh, what a kindly soul I am!" The crow proudly exclaimed.
"What about you Meg? Aren't you worried about your responsibilities as a Vice Prefect of Ignihyde?" The bluenette asked.
"You asked... Meg? Dude, do you even know how much he tries to run away from it?" The ginger haired boy answered for the short boy.
"Yeah true, as much as I hate the thought of having to be all buddy-buddy with everyone... It beats the fact that I get away from being the Vice Prefect. The Young Master can handle that himself, he got Ortho around." Meg shrugged as the hearts boy proudly smiled to himself.
"It is in Night Raven College's best interest to take other schools down a peg and win the title of 'the world's greatest' for ourselves." Crowley stated.
"Hold your horses, Crowley. If we ain't in the ensemble, why should we contribute to this at all? I don't want anything to do with it!" Grim exclaimed, fully refusing to lend his help.
But of course, the Headmaster already know him like the palm of his hands, "Really, Grim? Are you certain of that? You know, if you find it in your heart to share your dorm for the training camp, there might be something nice in it for you..."
This easily gained the racoon-like monster's attention, "Myah? W-What kinda 'nice' are we talkin' here?"
"Should our team win first place, Rook and I will donate our shares of the prize to Ramshackle Dorm." Vil answered the question this time.
"Why would you do that?" The Ramshackle Prefect asked.
"It is a pittance to me—hardly worth the time it would take to enter it into my ledger." The older answered.
"It's only fitting to provide proper compensation to those contributing to Vil's cause." Rook also answered.
"So if you split fifty thousand thaumarks eight ways, then get two shares of that, uhhh..." The grey cat tried to compute the numbers mentally.
"It's about 12,500 thaumarks." Meg answered impatient.
"Mrooow! That... That could buy me way more than four thousand cans of tuna!" Grim was shocked to hear that, and was obviously fully convinced.
"See? You could very well earn a fabulous prize merely by sharing rooms you're not using anyway and providing support. But you really want no part of it? What a shame." Crowley shook his head in disappointment.
"And here I was thinking of footing the bill for some renovations to the dorm's plumbing if you agreed to the camp idea." He said with a big sigh before continuing his words of manipulation, "What a shame, truly. But I suppose I'll have to respect your decision and move on..."
The racoon-like monster groaned at this, "Rrrgh... This is my shot at a tuna bonanza... Hey, Yuu... What's your take on this?" He asked his Prefect.
"If it means improving our living arrangements..." The magicless boy stated, trying to think carefully.
"Really, now? So you'll contribute after all!" The Headmage said with a smile as if he couldn't believe it.
"Wow... Who could have known?" Meg sarcastically said which the older ignored.
"Then I suppose I had best get arrangements for the training camp in order. Good luck honing your performance to a razor edge, entrants!"
"The training camp became a done deal before we could get a word in edgewise..." Deuce stated with a sigh.
"No kidding. But I guess a change of pace won't hurt us. For one thing, staying at a training camp means no off-with-our-heads if we breach any of the Queen of Hearts' rules. We can take it easier than usual." Ace said with a grin, liking the idea already.
"First Scarabia has a training camp with Octavinelle, and now we're doing one with Heartslabyul, Ignihyde and Pomefiore? This is going to be a rip-roaring time!" Kalim also grinned in excitement.
"If that's your call as housewarden, so be it. I'm not going to oppose you and make myself look bad in the process." Jamil just said, as if it was a line he memorized all these years.
"Then our meeting is adjourned. It's time to get the rehearsal started!" Vil announced.
"Wait, I thought we weren't rehearsing until training camp starts." The ginger haired boy was confused.
"Think again, Spudling One. You're all rank amateurs at singing and dancing. We don't have a moment to waste." The Pomefiore Prefect told him.
And Rook just smiled as he went near the speakers, "Wonderful! Let's play a song to kick off the NRC Tribe's shared journey."
The others just went onto their places, with Meg just ignoring a quiet Epel who is now staring at him.
"Start the music: 'Piece of My World'!"