I am SO sorry for not uploading! I forgot I actually existed so working on this chapter was delayed until I realized like:
'Do I have any Wattpad notifs..?'
(I habitually check Wattpad notifications when bored or spaced out)
*Comment on one of the chapters appears*
'Oh, cool.'
*Puts down phone*
'Wait a fucking minute-'
I proceeded to go back to my phone and read over the comment and realized that I do indeed exist and have a TWST book and my life wasn't just apart of my imagination.
Anyways! I'm back now, though school starts up in a couple days.
I will be writing chapters whenever I can, as long as I don't have too much going on.
It'll also depend on if I forget I'm a person again, because it happens ALOT.
But any how, I hope you all enjoy this (terribly delayed) chapter!
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"Yo, man, how's it going?" Ace waved as he walked into the Vice-Housewardens dorm room.
"How are you feeling, Trey?" Deuce asked, the Ramshackle trio coming in behind him.
"We came all this way just to see your sorry face. It's cool--don't get up." Grim strolled in without a care in the world and a grin on his face. Y/N and Yuu stared at Trey's casted ankle.
"Well, if it isn't Hunting Season! And Grim, Yuu and Y/N too! You're rolling deep today." Cater waved back from the edge of Trey's bed.
"Hey, Cater... I'm lost. Whaddaya mean by 'Hunting Season'?" Ace rubbed the back of his neck.
"I mean it's you guys! You're Ace, he's Deuce-- that's what you call an Ace Deuce in poker!" Cater smiled at the two, making a wide gesture with his hand.
"Don't give us a couple nickname!" Deuce scowled at the junior, swiftly sliding himself away from Ace.
"..What's poker?" Yuu whispered to Y/N, moving over towards the large bed.
"Perhaps it's some sort of human.. thing?" Y/N pondered over it for a moment, a dejected frown crossing his face. He sighed before reaching a hand towards Trey's injured leg, his frown deepening by the minute.
"Riiight... Anyway, how do you feel, Trey? And how'd you get hurt?" Ace looked back over to Trey, who was now being surrounded by Y/N and Yuu.
"Slipped on the stairs. I couldn't catch myself, and my ankle got all messed up. I'll be on crutches for a while." Trey sweatdropped as Y/N let out an annoyed huff, mumbling something along the lines of 'stupid humans' and 'weak bones'.
"Yikes. That sounds pretty bad!" Deuce looked at Trey, wide-eyed with obvious concern
"Yep. Looks like I'll be warming the bench at the Spelldrive tournament this year." Trey shrugged it off. Yuu grumbled something incoherent while softly hitting the green haired juniors leg, kneeling next to his bed.
"Myah... I was hopin' your injury would be small enough for me to justify keepin' this, but... Here. I brought ya a get-well can of tuna. Feel better, specs." Grim hopped up onto Yuu's back, holding out a can to Trey begrudgingly.
"Heh. Thanks." Trey chuckled, taking the tuna can and setting it on the bedside table. Out of the corner of his eye he caught Yuu trying to reach and pull Grim off his back.
"Ugh, hashtag #fail! Now that we've lost a power player, we have to redo our team roster!" Cater whined, not aware of the two freshmen with wicked grins.
"Wait, what?!" Ace and Deuce exclaimed just as the door of the room opened.
"Why are there so many people in here? Trey is supposes to be resting!" Riddle scolded as he walked into the room, startling the freshmen.
"Myah! It's Ragin' Riddle!" Grim jumped, falling off of Yuu's back and onto the hardwood floor. Y/N sighed and flicked Yuu on the forehead after catching the mocking grin the boy sent to the beast.
"I am not 'raging.' I will be perfectly pleasant if you obey the rules!" Riddle scowled at the beast before looking over to Trey. "How are you doing, Trey? Can I bring you anything to eat or drink?"
"I told you, Riddle: you don't need to fuss over me like this." Trey grinned while crossing his arms and leaning back onto the headboard of his bed.
"But it's my fault that you got hurt." Riddle looked away from Trey with a guilty frown. Yuu jumped a bit and turned to look at Riddle with wide eyes.
"What? He didn't tell us that part!" Ace said, looking over at Riddle with an accusing face.
"Indeed.. It seems Honeydew left out some vital information?" Y/N hummed, glancing over to Trey who looked away from him upon making eye-contact.
"I needed to talk to him, so I went to the junior classroom at lunch. And then..."
...
"I'm going to be late today, so go ahead and start practice without me." Riddle said to Trey as he took a few steps down the stairs.
"Sure, will do." The junior nodded from the top of the stairs.
"All right, I'll see you-- Wh-whoooa!"
"Riddle, look out!" Trey quickly reached out towards the shorter boy who stumbled on nothing and balanced him.
Unfortunately, Trey was sent tumbling down the stairs instead.
...
"Trey never would have slipped if he hadn't caught me when I was about to tumble over." Riddle sighed as he finished telling the short story.
"Yeah, but if I hadn't, you would have just broken your fall with a flight spell. It was stupid of me to intervene. So you don't owe me anything." Trey tried to reassure the red head with a nervous grin. Y/N looked at the two before lowering himself down to Yuu's height.
"I suppose they truly are friends."
"It's a weird dynamic, though."
"You aren't wrong."
"Still, I..." Riddle opted to ignore the two casting glances at him and Trey.
"Hey, you two, d'you think...?" Ace leaned on the crouching Y/N's back and whispered as he peeked at Trey and Riddle.
"It may not have been an accident." Y/N nodded as he and Ace looked over to Yuu, who seemed to have just realized what Ace meant.
"Someone definitely tried to bruise the Little Apple on purpose." Yuu frowned. Y/N looked up, his horns smacking Ace, who was still leaning on him, on the head before standing back up.
"Riddle, come on! It's not gonna do anyone any good to have you harshing the vibe here." Cater pat Riddle on the shoulder. "It's lame that Trey got hurt, but you'll rock the field that much harder to make up for him, right?"
"Well, I suppose that's true." Riddle thought about it for a moment before looking at Cater who looked at the group, mainly the three suspicious chatters.
"All right, peeps, we should let Trey get his rest. Out, out, out!" Cater grinned as he herded everyone out of the Vice-Housewardens room.
"Get better quickly, Melon!" Yuu waved to the junior as Cater pushed him out of the room.
"Don't be foolish next time." Y/N, being the only one not getting pushed, pat Trey on the head before following the others.
"Ah.. Right, of course." Trey chuckled as he waved at the two.
...
"All right, Cater. Was there something you didn't want to tell me in front of Trey?" Riddle looked over at Cater from his seat in the Heartslabyul lounge.
"You're always a step ahead of me, Riddle." Cater's happy face fell as he looked over to the freshmen. "I get the feeling Y/N & co. know something about it. Want to fill us in?"
"It'd be for the best." Y/N nodded his head.
...
"Ah... So the headmage asked you to investigate." Riddle looked at Y/N, who did his best to explain over Yuu's interventions about how foul the situation was.
"I knew it. Grim coming by for a get-well visit? That's just plain sus." Cater scoffed, looking at Grim who jumped under his gaze.
"I must admit that I found the circumstances odd as well. I've had Cater looking into it for me." Riddle hummed and gestured over to the junior.
"And I found out that all of the victims have been talented players like Riddle and Trey." Cater pulled out his phone, going to search for something on it.
"To be clear, it wasn't as if I had been pushed, or that I had tripped. But I did feel a peculiar sensation, like... my body was moving of its own violation." Riddle described. Yuu sat on the arm of Riddle's chair, humming as he thought back to the others they interviewed.
"The other victims said basically the same thing!" Grim shouted with a sour look.
"It wasn't the same.. But it was indeed similar." Y/N sighed, leaning on the empty wall next to Riddle's seat.
"I believe we can safely surmise that potention Spelldrive tournament players are being targeted." Riddle shook his head with an irritated frown, crossing his legs as he sat back.
"You think someone is causin' accidents to take out threats from the tournament?" Ace asked, sitting on the lounge sofa with Deuce.
"That'd be an ideal plan to take advantage." Y/N shrugged, a hand outstretched and now playing with the pins on Riddles bowtie.
"The whole world will be watching. A good performance can make a player's whole career. It's no surprise that some would resort to underhanded methods to even the odds." Riddle grabbed Y/N's wrist, pulling his hand away from the bowtie.
"It's a really annoying way to go 'bout it, though." Yuu huffed, his own hand being grabbed and pulled away from Riddle's hair.
"Sure, but it doesn't make much sense. I mean, you'd know if you got pushed off the stairs by a gust of wind magic or somethin', right?" Cater hummed, looking up briefly from his phone.
"Certainly. I felt no external force." Riddle agreed, both his hands currently occupied with stopping Y/N and Yuu.
"And some of the other victims had accidents in the classroom! How do you explain that?" Cater put his phone away.
"The culprit can tell us all about it when we capture him. And we intend to help you do that." Riddle declared, making both Y/N and Yuu freeze and stare at him.
"Myah? YOU'RE gonna help us? What's your angle?" Grim glared at Riddle and Cater.
"You offend us, sir. One of our housemates was injured-- why wouldn't we help him find justice?" Cater raised a brow at the gray beast.
"Are you well enough to help us, Little Strawberry?" Y/N inquired, bowing down to look at Riddle with a worried expression.
"You don't have anymore bruises?" Yuu asked aswell, a serious face staring the red head down.
"I'm completely fine, you two." Riddle huffed, not bothering to keep his voice down as he pushed Yuu and Y/N away from himself.
"We're all house-buds here. Count us in." Ace grinned, standing from the sofa.
"He's gonna pay for what he did to Trey!" Deuce joined in, a fist to the palm of his other hand.
"You two seem awfully enthusiastic about this." Riddle looked at the two with an amused smirk.
"Ahhh... I get it. You're gunning for that open spot on our team, aren't you?" Cater shook his head.
"Heh. Was it that obvious?" Ace rubbed the back of his head as he plopped back down onto the sofa.
"It was." Yuu hummed, looking at the two with a let down expression.
"N-no! That had nothing to do with it! I just want to avenge our housemate!" Deuce tried to deny it and waved his hands once he caught Yuu's look.
"Haa.. Fine... Your performance during the investigation will be taken into account." Riddle brushed his face as he glanced at the two.
"Woo-hoo!"
"Now, if we're going to apprehend this culprit, we need to stay a step ahead of him" Riddle ignored the cheer.
"And we're gonna do that HOW, exactly...?" Grim asked skeptically.
"By predicting which student will be targeted next and covertly following him. Should the culprit strike, we will protect the target and then immediately pursue the attacker." Riddle explained getting an 'ooh' from Grim.
"I'm assuming you have a way to know who's going to be said target?" Y/N raised a brow as he pushed himself off the wall.
"That's right." Riddle hummed.
"So it's just a stake out now." Yuu yawned, laying his cheek on the top of Riddles head.
"Bingo! I've already identified a number of potential targets from among the most promising players. I'll form a group on Magicam so we can coordinate our efforts and then give you access to the album." Cater grinned as he took out his phone again, showing the others what he had pulled up earlier.
"Whoa, Cater, this is a ton of information!" Deuce looked at his phone in disbelief.
"Now, let's move!" Cater cheered.
"Let's nail this creep!" Grim laughed as he sprinted away from the group.
...
"Let's start here, at Pomefiore. There's a junior named Rook Hunt who's caught my eye. He has a blond bob and a fedora-- you can't miss him." Cater hummed as he looked over the information on his phone screen, occasionally glancing up to take a look around the Pomefiore dorm lounge.
"Rook is an exceptional player. He performed extremely well in last year's tournament. But he is a bit of an... odd duck, one might say." Riddle moved to grab the back of Yuus shirt, keeping him from splitting from the group to wander around the dorm.
"Oh, is that him sitting over there?" Deuce pointed to a group of three boys, one with a blond bob, another with platinum hair and purple ends and the last with fluffy lavender hair.
"I assume so." Y/N hummed, first looking at the blond with a bob before drifting to the one who seemed to, quite literally, sparkle.
"Whoa. That dude's, like, a glitter bomb in human form. He's basically sparkling." Ace was taken aback as he watched the three. It looked like one was teaching the shortest.
"Non, Epel, non. When you lift your teacup, do not insert your finger through the handle. It is most inélégant." The blond bob, Rook, lightly scolded the lavender haired boy who held a teacup.
"Oh... Right. I'm sorry." Epel gently placed the teacup back onto the table, fixing the way he held the fine porcelain.
"..." Yuu watched the short mannerism lesson before frowning, his mind going back to his own lessons with a certain elf or two.
"Haa.. I just cannot decide how I want to do my makeup on tournament day! I'm thinking maybe that new foundation from Felicity Cosmetics?" Vil, the boy with platinum hair and purple ends, sighed as he reviewed something on the screen of his phone.
"Ohoho! Mon belle Vil, the Roi du Poison... Surely your beauté is not so faint that you need makeup to shine?" Rook questioned before reaching to adjust Epel's grip on the handle of his teacup.
"Of course I don't. But I don't dare miss an opportunity to accentuate it further!" Vil shook his head, sending the blond a dissatisfied look.
"I admire that passion. Magnifique! Très magnifique!" Rook clasped his hands together with a grin.
"Uhhhhh... And you're sayin' this guy is some kinda incredible athlete? Somehow, I doubt he's gonna be the target." Grim deadpanned as he watched the group.
"Mm. He is as much of an 'odd duck' as the rest of you." Y/N hummed as he compared his companions behavior to Rook's.
"Yeaaah, maybe we should peace out and move on." Cater laughed nervously as he and Riddle lead the group out of the Pomefiore lounge.
Y/N and Yuu watched the others leave them before looking back to the three.
"Child Yuu, what is your opinion on Physalis?" Y/N asked as he pointed over to Vil before glancing at the boy beside him.
"My opinion on Starfruit?" Yuu raised a brow and tilted his head to the side.
"..." Y/N nodded hesitantly, looking away from Yuu's prying eyes.
"Pfft.. Ehem. He's pretty, definitely." Yuu grinned mischievously as he watched the horned man flinch.
"I see." Y/N hummed as though it didn't matter, though he was, quite obviously, sulking. Well, obviously to Yuu, as it had frightened a passing Pomefiore student.
"You're a lot prettier though." Yuu stifled a laugh as Y/N's mood brightened before grabbing the taller man's wrist to catch up with the others.
"I'm glad your eyes are not going bad." Y/N coughed into his fist as he let the shorter boy drag him along to the group.
...
"There you two are. What kept you?" Riddle inquired as he and the others stood in the courtyard to wait for the two.
"I had something to discuss with Child Yuu regarding.. something." Y/N excused as Yuu let go of him as they stopped infront of the group.
"Hmm.. Alright then." Riddle looked over the two with judging eyes before looking over at Cater.
"Ahaha.. Next on Cay-Cay's big list of potential targets are Jade Leech and his twin brother Floyd. They're both sophomores at Octavinelle House." Cater pulled out his phone, showing Yuu and Y/N some of what he explained earlier. "Word is, they work so well together on the field that other teams don't know how to counter them."
"Whoa! They have, like, the exact same face!" Grim, having found the two within the crowd in the courtyard, jumped with a bewildered look.
"Not really. They look pretty different to me." Yuu yawned as he noticed the two standing taller than the other students.
"Is it just me, or do they make all the other students look tiny in comparison? They're giants!" Ace was equally bewildered at the twins height which towered over everyone. Y/N looked at Ace with a raised brow.
"I could see that being a big advantage for 'em." Grim commented as he watched one of the twins scare a couple of other students.
"So what do we think? Could they be in danger?" Deuce asked as he turned back to the others.
"I don't know about that. If I were the culprit, I'd save them for last. Just look at those two. I wouldn't want to get anywhere near them-- especially Floyd." Riddle scowled as he crossed his arms over his chest. Yuu paused with his hand halfway up to cover another yawn, his eyes looking at a tall student that stood behind Riddle.
"Ohoho! What is UP, Lil' Goldfish?" The twin smirked as Riddle flinched and turned around to look at him.
"Bwah! He spotted us!" Riddle backed up towards Y/N and Yuu, all the while glaring at the twin.
"..Goldfish?" Y/N looked over at Riddle before humming. "I'm not sure what a goldfish is, though it oddly suits him." Yuu nodded in agreement.
"What brings you to our humble abode, huh? Playing hide-and-seek? Sounds like fun." The twin took a couple steps closer to the group, making the others step back.
"F-Floyd... I've asked you several times to stop calling me by strange nicknames." Riddle scolded as he carefully watched the twin. "I also do not need you teaching it to them..!"
"But you're so small and red! How are you NOT a goldfish?" Floyd laughed as he pointed at Riddle's hair and slowly flushing face.
"He reminds me of some of the little Ikarus's at the labyrinth." Yuu looked over at Y/N, catching the amused grin crossing the horned man's face.
"This guy seems like he's a few cans short of a tuna casserole..." Grim jumped as Floyd turned to look at him next.
"A talking cat? Now THAT'S something you don't see every day! Can I squeeze you 'til you pop?" Floyd smirked as he reached out to grab the beast.
"Uh, no?! Stay away from me, weirdo!" Grim shrieked and ran over to Y/N before climbing up his uniform to his shoulder.
"My, it would appear a contingent from Heartslabyul House has paid us a little visit. Here to assess the competition in advance of the Spelldrive tournament, perhaps?" The other twin, Jade, came up and stood next to Floyd with an oddly threatening smile.
"Nah. We... can't really go into it, though." Cater sweatdropped as he backed away from the two.
"We take a dim view of spying at Octavinelle. I would ask you to justify your actions, as suspicious as they are. And please, spare no detail." Jade followed the junior for a couple steps, standing over all but one within the group.
"This guy sure talks fancy, but man, his eyes are stone cold." Ace hid himself behind Y/N before realizing Riddle was there aswell.
"Man, would you look at the time? Gotta run, guys! It's been real! Byeee!" Cater was the first to start running, with Riddle following him shortly after.
"Wha-! That's totally unfair!" Ace shouted as he grabbed Deuce's wrist and ran off, Grim hitching a ride on Deuce's shoulders. Yuu and Y/N looked at each other before shrugging and following the others.
...
"Shoot! They're chasing us!" Deuce warned the others, leaving Ace and Yuu to trail at the back of the group. Floyd called out to them with a lazy voice, encouraging them to go faster.
"Gah! Sorry Yuu, every man for himself!" Ace shouted earning a confused look from the mentioned boy.
"What-?" Yuu felt himself trip over what was probably Ace's shoe, soon seeing the ground rapidly approaching his face.
"Seriously, Ace?!" Cater shouted as he looked behind himself and watched Ace leave Yuu behind as bait.
"Oh, whoa!" Floyd reached out and grabbed Yuu by the back of his shirt, holding him just inches above the ground.
"It seems they've cut the bait." Jade chuckled as he stopped beside Floyd who pulled Yuu back and set him on his rear.
"Awww... They're gone. Looks like Shrimpy is ours now." Floyd pouted as he watched the others run off before looking down at Yuu.
"Heheh. I do so enjoy a brisk midday jog." Jade chuckled as he glanced down at Yuu, who had a rather sour look on his face. "Alas, we'll have to pick this up another time. Come. We need to prepare the lounge for tonight."
"Bummer. But all right. Can we take Shrimpy too? They're the ones who left him behind, so it won't be our fault." Floyd asked his brother as he grabbed Yuu beneath his arms and lifted him up.
"Oi! Put me down, will ya!?" Yuu scowled as he looked back at Floyd, though was only brought back into a bone-crushing hug.
"Hm. I suppose it wouldn't hurt, would it?" Jade pondered for a bit, holding his chin as a devious smirk made it way to his face.
"Ehe~ Hey, Shrimpy. You're gonna belong to us for a bit, got it?" Floyd laughed, squeezing Yuu even worse than before.
"No way! I ain't gonna belong to no one..!" Yuu frowned, doing his best to pry Floyd's arms from around his torso.
...
"Bwa.. Haa.. That was terrifying. What is the deal with those guys?!" Grim flopped onto the ground of main street with tears pricking his eyes from the earlier fright.
"I'm not the one to ask. Those two have baffled me since we were freshmen together." Riddle sighed, briefly checking and tidying his uniform.
"Messing with them seems like a real bad idea." Cater smiled nervously, slowly backing away from Ace.
"If I were the culprit, I know I'D steer clear." Ace groaned, unaware of the furious existence behind him.
"They.. probably aren't the only ones you should steer clear of, Ace." Deuce, having backed up along with Cater, looked at the man towered behind Ace.
"What? Why're you all looking at me like that?" Ace raised a brow at the others fearful faces.
"You seem to have a knack for attracting trouble, Trappola." Riddle hummed as he watched Y/N place a hand on Ace's shoulder, letting the boy finally realize what they were referring to.
"Say, Little Peach, when you tripped Child Yuu, what exactly were you thinking?" Y/N asked as he looked down at Ace with a threatening smile.
"Thats..! We were being chased by two giants, so it was every man for-" Ace turned back to look at the horned man, only to shut his trap upon looking him in the eye.
"'Every man for himself' hmm? I suppose you weren't thinking at all then, Ace." Y/N put pressure into the hand on Ace's shoulder, his smile dropping completely. "I'm sure I am MUCH worse than some little inhuman twins."
"Y/N. I understand that you're upset, but I cannot allow you to harm a student of my dorm." Riddle quickly stepped in as the temperature dropped around them, pulling Ace away from Y/N.
"...I suppose it would affect Child Yuu negatively if I did, so I will let it go. Apricot, who is the next on the list?" Y/N looked over to Cater, the tension in the air lifting ever so slightly.
"Wouldn't it be better for you to go get Yuu, Y/N..?" Deuce asked nervously, a cold sweat soaking his back.
"Child Yuu is strong enough to defend himself if necessary. He will also call for my help if needed." Y/N huffed and shook his head with a troubled frown. "Apricot."
"R.. Right. It's getting late, so let's make this the last one for today, 'kay? It's Jack Howl: freshman, Savanaclaw Dorm. Rumor has it that he's a great athlete. Scouts from all the major teams are fighting to sign him." Cater sweatdropped as he repeated aloud the words that covered the screen of his phone to the others.
"Classes are over, so he should be at the dorm." Deuce pointed out, glancing over at the uncharacteristically quiet Ace that now stood beside him.
"Oh, is it 5:00 already? Rule 346 says that
'croquet must not be played after 5:00 p.m.'
I should head back to Heartslabyul and make sure that no one is breaking the rules in my absence." Riddle told the others, readying himself to head back.
"Tch. I thought you'd rounded out some, but nope, you're as square as ever." Grim sighed as he looked at Riddle accusingly.
"Th-that's not true! I assure you that I've become much more lenient about enforcing the rules!" Riddle pouted as he looked down at the beast, offended.
"He really has. He's way nicer than before. And we all appreciate that Riddle diligence. So go do what you gotta do, Boss!" Cater grinned as he waved at Riddle who was finally leaving the group to return to his dorm.
"...Then I guess the rest of us are headed to Savanaclaw House." Ace grumbled out, quickly pacing off towards the school.
"Did I frighten him that badly?" Y/N asked, turning to the other three still with him.
"Aha.. I'm pretty sure you scared everyone, Y/N-y (Kinda like a nickname, adding y or ey to the end of the name.)" Cater chuckled nervously.
"Yeah, what was that about? You were 'bout as scary as Riddle was when he was in berserker mode!" Grim exclaimed, his fur having stood on end during Y/N's mood drop.
"I have to agree, Y/N, Sir.." Deuce rubbed the back of his head as he looked up at Y/N.
"..I was unaware. My apologies." Y/N hummed, turning to follow Ace.
"He doesn't sound all that sorry." Grim deadpanned.
...
"Huh... So this is Savanaclaw." Deuce marveled at the savana-based dorm style.
"Whoa, did they carve this place into a mountain? And check out these huge bones! I wouldn't wanna meet whatever animal they're from." Grim commented at he looked at the dorm that seemed to be made of rock and large skeletons littered infront of it.
"Couldn't be less like Heartslabyul." Ace said, Cater on his left to keep a barrier between himself and Y/N.
"No kidding. Even the air here feels so... primal. It's like we've left bounds of civilization." Cater agreed, taking a few pictures of the skeletons Grim pointed out.
"It makes sense, I suppose. It is meant to be a dorm for those who are, more or less, beasts." Y/N yawned, the sudden rise in temperature making his drowsy.
"True. So what's this Jack guy look like?" Ace asked, looking at Cater who pulled out his phone.
"Apparently he's got wolf ears, silver hair, and a big, bushy tail too." Cater repeated the info on his phone, looking up upon hearing Grim.
"A big, bushy tail... Wait, you mean like that guy runnin' laps over there?" Grim pointed over to a tall, well-built boy that matched Cater's description perfectly.
"Whoa, good eye! There's no way that's not our boy." Cater complimented the beast, making him puff out his chest.
"And I thought those twins were big! This guy's HUGE!" Ace remarked, appaled at the amount of large students that they've run into.
"Is it some odd human trait to be short? So far, all of you have been rather.. stunted?" Y/N hummed as he looked down at the three human boys beside him.
"Stunted..?" Deuce muttered thoughtfully. It made sense coming from the 6'7 man, who was almost 7'ft with the horns.
"Aha.. No wonder all the scouts are after him." Cater kept them from getting too far off topic.
"With that build, he'd be an asset on any team" Deuce agreed as he watched Jack continue running laps.
"I suggest we hurry up and speak to him." Y/N sighed, brushing some hair out of his face as he looked at the group with impatience.
"Gettin' a little antsy there, Y/N? Don't worry, hon! Cay-Cay's got your back. I won't let the big bad wolf bite you." Cater comforted the horned man, not missing the chance to tease him. Y/N huffed a brief laugh as the junior winked at him.
"Hey, you! Mr. Scowls-a-lot!" Grim called out to the Savanaclaw freshman, successfully getting his attention.
"...Huh?" Jack stopped his work out and looked over to the group with a expression that was between confusion and irritation.
"Just wanted to let ya know somebody's probably gonna try and hurt you. But don't worry-- Grim the Great will protect you!" Grim announced, earning deadpans from his group. What a brilliant way to get someone to immediately dislike you.
"What? Look, don't bother me when I'm training." Jack scowled at the beast before noting the rest of his group.
"Haa..." Ace sighed with an unbothered expression.
"THAT'S your approach, Grim? I can't even count all the ways that was terrible. If you were on Magicam, I'd totally unsubscribe from your feed." Cater told his own disappointment directly to Grim, quickly covering his mouth.
"Mmmph! Mmmmmph!" Grim protested as Cater handed him off to Y/N who squeezed the beast in his arms.
"Sooo sorry about that, Jack. Listen, king, could we have just a minute of your time?" Cater smiled at the freshman nervously, though the scowl never left Jack's face.
"What's all this about? You said you wanna protect me from something?" Jack asked the group through his displeasure.
"A lot of Spelldrive tournament hopefuls have been hurt in 'accidents' on campus lately." Deuce told his fellow freshman with ease, Ace following up just behind him.
"And we're trying to figure out who's behind it." Ace watched as Jack's expression finally relaxed, though he still held a challenging gaze.
"Go on." Jack folded his arms over his chest, an eyebrow raised with mild interest.
"To put it bluntly, our plan is to stake out some of the criminals prospective targets. What do you say? Will you give us a hand in catching this guy?" Cater gave in and told him a summary of what Crowley tasked the Ramshackle trio to do.
"....No. I can take care of myself. I don't need your protection." Jack refused without much thought, getting ready to go back to his training.
"Mm. I suppose the little dog wants to be independent." Y/N hummed, irritation pricking the back of his head. The remark came out snarkier than he'd originally intended.
"...I told you, I don't need your help. And besides, I doubt I'm gonna be a target. Seeya." Jack, obviously offended by the remark, glared at the man who was much taller than himself before leaving the group alone.
"Aaaaand he's gone." Cater sighed as he moved his gaze from Jack's retreating back to Y/N's disgruntled expression.
"Well, can't say I didn't warn him." Grim stared at the Savanaclaw freshman's back before looking at the others with a stuck-up look.
"Yeah well, you might want to reconsider your approach there, bud." Ace advised the beast by human standards, getting a fed-up frown from Grim.
"Hrmph! Why don't tell that to Y/N, then? You humans are so finicky about every little thing!" Grim complained loudly, catching the attention of multiple Savanaclaw students.
"Hey, what are you lot doing here?" A boy with oak-brown hair and hippopotamus ears asked them, two other students coming up beside him.
"You're a long way from Heartslabyul House." Another boy with dull red hair and zebra ears pointed out, the Heartslabyul students backing up in response.
"Heheh. Probably lackeys sent by Mr. Red Baby!" The last student, who had ashy-gray hair and hippopotamus ears, mocked the opposing dorms leader.
"You think you can just barge onto our turf and walk away without payin' the price?" The first Savanaclaw student scoffed as he cracked his knuckles with a frown.
"Wow, anyone else having déjà vu...?" Deuce wondered aloud as he backed up, stopping next to Y/N.
"Fine, we're leaving. Sorry to bother you." Ace backed up along with Deuce, grabbing onto his wrist to drag him back. Cater followed his dormmates with a defensive Grim in his arms.
"Aww, don't be like that. Play with us first!" The second Savanaclaw student taunted the group, stepping right up to Y/N, who stood infront of the others.
"Let's play Predator and Prey! Guess who gets to be the prey?" The third smirked as he stared down the group before locking eyes with Y/N.
"It would be you all, I suppose." Y/N snarled out, a clenched fist quickly coming into contact with the second students nose. The student stumbled back and held his nose, which was now bleeding.
"Cut it out, you three..?" Leona walked up to the group before noticing the student with a bloody, and possibly broken, nose.
"Housewarden Leona!" The first student called out to the lion beastman who was accompanied by the hyena beastman, Ruggie.
"These students are trespassing on our territory!" The second student continued to hold his nose and his eyes watered slightly from the sudden pain.
"Let's teach 'em a little lesson! Heheh." The third one quickly suggested, ignoring his friend who just got decked in the face.
"Teach 'em a lesson? And how'd that turn out for ya?" Leona gestured to the second student with a dissatisfied but amused look.
"Ah, I believe we met earlier, at the cafeteria." Ruggie noticed Grim hiding within the group, deciding to go out of his way to greet the beast.
"Hey! It's the almost Grilled Cheesburglar!" Grim shouted out, stepping to the front of the group with a paw pointed accusingly at the hyena.
"Hey now, friend. Let's not get carried away with such delicious-sounding nicknames. I have a proper name befitting my manly stature. It's Ruggie Bucchi. Don't wear it out." Ruggie snickered as he smugly introduced himself, a provoking grin on his face.
"Hey... I know you. You're the herbivore and horned bastard who stepped on my tail at the botanical gardens." Leona glared at the horned man, who confidently returned the glare two-fold.
"You... You stepped on the housewarden's tail?" The first Savanaclaw student looked at the man infront of him, bewildered.
"Now you're really gonna pay!" The second student shouted, having found a way to stop his nose from bleeding.
"Hmph! My, it seems the poor kitty has a grudge against me. What ever shall I do?" Y/N rolled his eyes, the veins in his neck faintly showing from under the skin.
"What an arrogant-!" The first Savanaclaw student scowled at Y/N.
"Oh, that's right. I thought I'd seen you somewhere. It was at the gardens, huh? Where's that cub of yours at?" Ruggie raised a brow as he briefly looked over the group, only to see the certain brunette missing.
"..Child Yuu was picked up by a set of twins." Y/N hesitantly replied, not really having much reason to be upset with the hyena. His response seemed to trouble both Ruggie and Leona, one more than the other.
"C'mon, Leona. Ruggie-- let's beat 'em up!" The second Savanaclaw student suggested, still fired up by the punch to the nose he took.
"Stop yappin' like a pack of wild dogs. You really wanna risk starting a fight before the tournament? What if you get disqualified?" Leona raised a brow at his dorm students, earning baffled looks from them.
"What, so you're just gonna let 'em walk away? Not even nibble on 'em a little?!" The third Savanaclaw student expressed his displeasure obviously.
"No one's lettin' anyone walk away. We're gonna resolve this with a 'friendly' game of Spelldrive." Leona corrected the student with a smug grin and shifting to a more prideful posture.
"Spelldrive?" The first student asked, confused.
"After all, it doesn't violate any school rules to cast spells during a game of Spelldrive." Leona huffed, looking down on the Heartslabyul trio and Ramshackle duo.
"Shyehehe! I doubt these weaklings could endure so much as a single game. " Ruggie snickered as he followed Leona's gaze, though excluded Y/N for obvious reasons.
"Welp, I'm not takin' THAT lyin' down. Now we got no choice but to fight." Grim stepped forwards once again, having regained his confidence.
"You say that like we had a choice to begin with." Deuce sighed, though didn't refuse playing.
"All right, fine! You're on. Cater! Remember this when you pick the official team!" Ace grinned as he looked over to the junior standing with them.
"Are you kidding me here...? Hashtag #lame. All right, let's do this..." Cater groaned before turning to Y/N. "Y/N, you watch from the sidelines. Try to read their movements and convey it to us, okay?"
"Hm? You.. Don't want me to participate?" Y/N raised a brow. Caters suggestion caught the others attention aswell.
"Well... You are kinda.. aggressive? Especially since Yuu isn't here. Wouldn't want anyone to get killed by accident, y'know!" Cater tried to joke about it, though only caused his companions faces to pale at the thought.
"Fair enough. It would be troublesome for both me and Yuu if such a thing did occur. Go on, then." Y/N sighed, waving for the others to go to the large field.
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I finally got this chapter out! Again, I'm so sorry for the delay!
To try and make up for it, again, I've made the chapter 6000+ words long, so twice as long as it'd usually be.
I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and enjoy the story. And sorry for any mistakes, this was written from 11pm to 3am.