No One P.O.V
As Jack stepped out from the corner, he was silently glaring at his dorm leader and Ruggie
"What do you want this late? Are you homesick and need a lullaby?" Leona asked
"I'll sing one for you. Shishishi!" Ruggie laughed
"Tell me the reason. Why are you guys doing something like this?" Jack asked
"I see. You're looking for a bedtime story. Alright, I'll tell you one. For two years in a row, we played against Malleus and Diasomnia Dorm in the first match of the tournament. The result, we were crushed. A participation trophy. Savanaclaw has taken down opponent after opponent, but even we were like newborn kittens who hadn't even opened their eyes. The unsightly state was broadcast to the whole world. Do you know what happened in the end? The dorm leader was branded as incompetent and scouts from pro leagues and sponsors dried up" Leona explained the story with an angry expression on his face
"That's because... you just weren't good enough..." Jack said
"That's precisely it. Until last year, we literally weren't committed to personal affairs. Having an honest match with that monster-like opponent without coming up with something in advance was stupid. We knew we'd lose, but still didn't come up with a plan. To hear that about Savanaclaw, the dorm founded on the persistence of the King of Beasts, it must have been a shock" Leona said
"That doesn't make the cowardly way you're attacking people any less wrong!" Jack shouted
"It's wrong? Jack... you know, I'm only thinking about what's best for all of the members of Savanaclaw. If we shoot down Malleus, we'll get revenge of all that and the value of Savanaclaw will restored. It's already been decided that if we don't win this year, Malleus will be entered into the Hall of Fame. This is our last chance. But you want to give it up for your sense of justice? Do you want to destroy your upperclassmen's futures?" Leona said as he guilt tripped Jack
"Th-That's...!" Jack had no words to say
"Using your head when chasing prey is the basics of hunting. There's nothing cowardly about it" Leona said
"Shishishi! In this school, its survival of the fittest. Goodie two shoes cant' survive here" Ruggie said
"Dorm Leader, if you gave it your all, you would have no problems against Diasomnia! I still remember your play from three years ago. I...!" Then Leona cut Jack's sentence off
"Don't talk like you know everything! Give it my all? Utterly foolish. Even if I did, nothing would change. ...Leave. If you want to see the morning sun" Leona threatened and Jack quietly left Leona's room
"That guy's a liability. Should I get rid of him?" Ruggie asked
"Just wait. Even if he goes and tells Crowley, he has no evidence. That and we need him to crush Malleus. Keep a close eye on him for now" Leona ordered
"Yes~" Ruggie said as he leaves Leona's room
"...Tsk, damn fresh-baby... Sounds just like my brother" Leona said
Drip
Drop
Maria P.O.V - In Maria's bedroom
Dream
I see.. Animals... Animals are marching...?
"A shiny new era is tip-toeing nearer" The lion with a black mane and scar said to the army of hyenas
"And where do we feature?" A female hyena asked
"Just listen to teacher" The lion said as he pinches the female hyena's cheek "We're going to kill Mufasa. And Simba too. Then I will be king!"
"Great idea! Long live the king!"
"Long live the king!" The hyenas cheered
"My teeth and ambitions are bared. Be prepared!" The lion shouted
Dream end
The next morning
I woke up from the dream and I was confused about the lion's choice
'Why didn't they try to talk it out first? Why resort to something like that?' I asked myself as I sat up on my coffin bed 'That was a really wild dream...'
"Oh, you're up. Breakfast has already started. Let's get going!" Grim said
I got up and started to get myself ready for the day. Once I finished getting changed, I went down stairs and ate some breakfast
Main Street
Grim and I were walking down Main Street as we head to school
"Oh yeah, I know you said you'll come back to the dorm late and all, but you came back way later than expected. You came back when I woke up to use the bathroom" Grim said
"Last night, when I was coming back from Octavinelle Dorm, I met a student with horns on his head" I said
"A weirdo with horns on his head? What's his name?" Grim asked
"I don't know. He told me to call him whatever I want" I said
"Hmm... then... how about Tsunotaro?" Grim suggested
"Tsunotaro? I like that name" I said
"If Tsunotaro is a student here, we'll probably run into him at some point. You gotta introduce me" Grim said
"If I see him again" I said
"I've never seen a human with horns!" Grim said
"Well, I don't think he's human..." I said and I saw both Riddle and Cater heading our way
"G'mornin, Maria-chan! You look extra cute today!" Cater said as he hugs me happily
"Hm. My Rose, your tie is a little off" Riddle said as he fixes my tie "Following the rules starts off with your attire. Or else your residents will never listen to you... Although, I guess it's not as bad for you being only one. Alright, there you go" Riddle finished fixing my tie
"Thank you, Riddle. You're very sweet" I said as I kissed his cheek and Riddle's cheeks turned pink
"Ace and Deuce aren't with you?" Grim asked
"In accordance with Laws of the Queen of Hearts: Number 249, they are currently feeding the flamingos dressed in pink" Riddle said and I heard Grim silently laughing "By the way, there was another accident last night"
"Ffgna?! Really?" Grim looked surprised
"Who's the victim?" I asked
"According to the portrait that witnessed it, the victim was a 2nd year from Scarabia Dorm. Jamil Viper. It apparently happened in the kitchen" Cater said
"The portraits are very useful in the case. I think they're called security cameras from what Cater told me" I said
"Yep! You got it!" Cater said as he hugs me
"Since it's still breakfast time, they're probably in the cafeteria. Let's check" Riddle said as we made our way to the cafeteria
Cafeteria
Once we got to the cafeteria, we looked around to find Jamil Viper
"Ummmm... Jamil has dark skin and long, black hair..." Cater was looking around "Oh! There he is!" Cater pointed in the direction and we saw two of the Scarabia students
"Yo. You're the guy that got hurt in the kitchen yesterday? Tell us about it" Grim said and I let out a sigh
"Huh? What do you guys want out of the blue?" Jamil asked, looking weary of us
"Aahhh! This is the raccoon that set my butt on fire during the entrance ceremony!" The boy with white hair and red eyes exclaimed when he saw Grim
"Grim, it would do you well to watch how you talk to people" Riddle scolded Grim
"My apologies about Grim. He has zero mannerisms" I said
"The dorm leader of Heartslabyul and the violent raccoon from the ceremony. Ah ha ha! This is a funny combo" The white haired boy said as he laughs
"I ain't no raccoon! I'm the Great Grim! And this here is my underling" Grim introduced and I pinched his cheeks
"I'll have you know that I have a name or did you forget?" I said with an angry smile
"S-Sorry Maria..." Grim apologized to me
"That's better" Then I released his cheeks
"Ooh! I remember you! Your the coffin girl from the entrance ceremony! I'm Kalim, the dorm leader for Scarabia. This is the vice dorm leader, Jamil. Nice to meet you" The white haired boy named Kalim introduced himself
"Oh... Oohhh. This guy's got a loose screw or two" Grim said and I smacked his head
"And? Why do you want to know about my injury?" Jamil asked still looking weary of us
"Um... We're investigating the safety of the kitchen" I said as I thought of an excuse
"Hmmm? Well, I don't really mind. Last night, I was in the kitchen making agemanju with lamb per Kalim's request" Jamil started to explain
"Jamil's agemanju is the best! You guys should come try it sometime" Kalim said
"Kalim. Don't get us sidetracked" Jamil said
"Ah, my B, my B" Kalim apologized
"While I was finely chopping all the ingredients, for some reason my hand slipped and I cut myself" Jamil said as he showed us his wrapped up arm
"Jamil is so good with a knife even the head cook was blown away. Were you tired from magift practice?" Kalim asked
"No. Not so much that my hand would slip like that. However, while I was cooking, for a moment, I felt my consciousness slip away" Jamil said
"Were you perhaps dizzy or drowsy?" I asked and Jamil shook his head
"Most would probably think so, but... I've felt that sensation before. My guess is it was someone's unique magic" Jamil said, and we were surprised to hear about the latest information
"Oh yeah, your unique magic is ffmmghpff!" Jamil immediately covered Kalim's mouth "Puwah! Why's you cover my mouth?" Kalim asked looking upset
"We're not talking about me right now. Anyway, I think they used magic to control the movements of others" Jamil said
"I see now. That's why everyone just thought people were being careless" Cater said
"And since it was only for a moment, those who were injured would mistake being manipulated for being careless as well. Even when I fell on the stairs, I didn't feel like someone had controlled me to do so" Riddle said
"Trying to find that magic... This just became expertly difficult. What should we do?" Cater asked
While hearing the conversation, it made me think about the unique magic that can manipulate a person's movement
"Magic to control people... Ah! If I could do something like that, I'd make everyone give me all of the bread in school everyday!" Grim said
"Take all the bread... Couldn't you think of something a little more grand?" Riddle asked
"Then I could eat all the deluxe menchi katsu sandwiches I... Huh?"
'The deluxe menchi sandwich... That actually reminds me the one time in the cafeteria...' I thought as I tried to remember the day Grim gave his sandwich to a certain hyena boy, and I believe Grim is thinking the same thing as me cause he let a loud scream
"Aaahhhhh!!!!!" Grim screamed, making everyone jump
"You good!? You're shouting" Kalim said, still looking startled
"I-I know! I know who has that unique magic!" Grim said
"Come again?" Riddle asked
"The culprit is none other Ruggie Bucchi!" I said
"Ruggie... From Savanaclaw?" Cater asked and both Grim and I nodded
"Let's catch and interrogate him" Riddle said
"Uuummm... Ruggie Bucchi is in class 2-B" Cater said as he looked through his phone for info
"Thank you both for your help!" Riddle thanked the Scarabia duo
"Sure. I'm not sure what's going on, but good luck!" Kalim said as we left the cafeteria to find Ruggie
To be continued