A/N: Late! As always! But as a reward, you get two chapters! Mainly because this chapter got too long (7.3k) and I had to split it into two. I won't be doing many long chapters unless it's very plot heavy, so yeah! More chapters if I ever make long chapters! Hooray!
Not much to say this chapter, so TIME FOR FAN ART!
Anyone remember the ADORABLE comic MissWizzydizzy made for the old TCP 2? WELL I THINK YOU SHOULD SEE IT AGAIN UNTIL YOU'RE TIRED OF IT! WHICH YOU WON'T BE BECAUSE IT'S SO CUTE! BEAUTIFUL.
THIS ONE WHERE RAEL IS HIDING IS SO FREAKING CUTE, I WANT TO EAT IT!
AND THIS ONE IS MY FAVORITE BECAUSE THERE'S SO MUCH CHAOS, IT'S SO FUNNY! Thank you for this, Miny!
One more ART PIECE! THIS IS AN NON CANON ART PIECE, BUT HERE YOU GO FOR THOSE WHO WONDERED WHAT A BLUSHING RAEL MIGHT LOOK LIKE! Made by MOI!
THAT'S IT! START READING!
——
The first week of classes began smoothly, despite the lack of familiar faces. I found myself at yet another history class—as the Academy thinks you can never know too much history—and nearly sighed from the sheer boredom of having to sit still for over an hour. But my boredom was slightly diminished thanks to my new classmates who seemed to be gossiping about someone. Being nosy and all, I listened in, in hopes of finding out who they were talking about.
"Ah... isn't that?"
"Oh, wait, wasn't he the one who...?"
"Rael Vandergarden... was it?"
Oh. They were talking about me.
Their hushed whispers and mutters in the classroom made me shift uncomfortably in my seat. I tried to ignore it though, focusing my gaze on the professor who'd just begun his lecture. Due to my many 'accomplishments' at the Academy, I'd become a bit well-known. My newfound popularity didn't hit me though until one of my classmates approached me after class.
"Excuse me, are you Rael?" I felt someone tap my shoulder and turned around to see a girl.
"Ah, yes? I am," I spoke, a bit awkwardly as I wondered what she wanted. Her eyes widened before she smiled.
"I knew it! Your performance at the Mystic Legacy Trial was amazing. Were it not for you, I wouldn't have made it past the second trial."
I tilted my head, trying to remember what she was talking about. Until my eyes widened. "Wait, were you with—?"
She grinned, raising a hand out. "That's right, I was a part of Weiss' group. Fiona Honey's my name." I shook her hand and felt her grip my hands tightly. I tried not to wince with pain before noticing how calloused her hands were. It was rare in the Academy, let alone a girl to have calluses on their hands.
But these were the hands of someone who trained a lot. Unlike most students who neglected physical training and combat. I looked at her curiously as she let go of my hand.
"I couldn't thank you enough for helping us out. When Weiss wasn't cussing you out for going out on your own, he spent the remainder of his time telling us just how awesome you are. Oh, and your short temper too." My smile at the mention of Weiss dropped when she finished her sentence. Fiona noticed my reaction and laughed.
"Of course, we didn't take it seriously. Especially considering how he was delirious from using too much mana." I gave her a small smile. It's good she didn't believe him, or I might've had to meet him and make him explain himself...
"I wanted to ask you if—" She began but was cut off by someone putting a hand over her shoulder.
"Fiona. Leave the poor guy alone." A tall yet pretty girl said, eyeing me with slight interest. "Don't invite him to your weird Weiss cult." Fiona's face flushed as she glared at her friend and then turned to me while furiously shaking her head.
"No! It's not like that! I-I was just, uh... Zii! You ruined this for me!" The previously cheery girl grew too flustered to finish her sentence. Her face reddened as she turned to lightly punch her friend on the side. Zii, who'd been eyeing me, evaded too slowly and fell to her knees with a grunt.
"Ugh... Fiona... please don't punch me or you'll rearrange my organs..." The girl named Zii was disregarded as Fiona turned with a pout. I watched this scene with a stiff smile, pondering if I should leave or not...
But Fiona calmed down and exhaled. "I'm sorry for showing such a sight to you, Rael. What I wanted to ask you, before Zii rudely interrupted me—" She gently elbowed her recovering friend, causing the poor girl to fall once more. I winced, before staring at Fiona with a slight alarm.
"I wanted to ask you if, um, you wanted to come to my tea party? There's this cafe that recently opened up that allows you to reserve a room ahead of time with amazing scenery to their beautiful garden and..." She bit her lip. "I... wouldn't mind if you brought Weiss. Not like you have to! It can just be you, you're great too!"
Ah, I see what was happening. It wasn't that I had become popular... but rather my friends had. I was facing a flustered and blushing girl who had her heart set on... my friend.
My lips twitched at the realization that I was not different from the original Rael—whose whole role was helping Ophelia and giving advice... But instead of helping her this time, I was helping my friends.
Wait, I forgot that I gave Ophelia advice on Ru before the Mystic Legacy Trial... My expression darkened at that thought, causing Fiona to stiffen.
"Sure. I'll help you out." I snapped out of it and gave her a thumbs out. Her eyes widened before she sighed with relief. Her friend, who was sweating as she grabbed her sides with a grimace, tried to smile for her sake.
"T-that's great Fi, you finally did it..."
Fiona cracked a bright smile as she stared at Zii with excitement. "I couldn't have done it without you! Thanks, Zii!" I watched with horror as she slapped Zii on the shoulder, and she crumbled like a house of cards. Fiona's excitement was extinguished as she realized she had forgotten to control her strength again.
I took a step back, not wanting to become a witness to a crime scene, and ran out of the classroom.
I continued to run until I reached my next classroom. I opened the door and sighed with relief at the familiar face. I didn't know I'd end up in the same class as him, but I was happy regardless of it.
"...why are you red in the face?" Q asked, ogling me as I caught my breath and sat down next to him. I put a hand on his shoulder and shook my head.
"You don't want to know." Or you'll become a witness too...
He gave me a weird look before brushing my hand off. I began to take out the books and pens I needed. Hopefully, I won't get bothered by more love-struck students who try to use me to get closer to my friend.
——
By the time I reached lunch, I was a husk of my old self. Claus stared at me with concern.
"What happened to him?" Q, who'd been forced to eat lunch with us, sighed.
"...Popularity."
Al, who was already scarfing down one of his favorite meals—pizza, nearly choked. "Popularity? Rael? I never thought I'd hear those two words together..."
I opened my eyes to glare at him. Weiss, who had been poking Oden with his fork, looked up.
"My, I guess now that you're popular with the ladies, you'll start ditching us again, huh?" My death glare changed targets to him instead. I raised a trembling hand as I leaned against Q.
"You're the reason I'm like this! Stop being so handsome and friendly!" Weiss looked shocked before smiling bashfully.
"Gosh, I can't help how I look..." We all gave him a look and his smile fell. "Okay, stop looking at me like that! And how is this my fault?"
Q had grown tired of carrying me and plopped me down on one of the chairs. "I'll grab some lunch. You want pasta right?"
My eyes lit up as I eagerly nodded before whirling and glowering at Weiss. "I've been getting approached this whole day by starry-eyed girls and boys who wanted to use me to get closer to you!"
Weiss rolled his eyes as he took a bite of his bread roll. "Just say no, it's as simple as that."
"I tried that but they got upset that I was willing to help others and not them!" I put a hand to my eyes, pretending to wipe away a tear from my eyes. This earned no sympathy points from my apathetic friends who ignored me. I scowled to myself.
I really did deserve a bit of sympathy, though! I was nearly trampled when I tried to run away from the scene—those love-struck students refused to let me go until I said yes. And not all of them were from the second trial or anything—they simply fell for him at 'first glance'. I bet they'd fall out of love with him at the 'first meeting' though...
"And that's my problem... how?" He didn't seem to care how his handsome face and nice personality were creating danger in my personal life!
I knew he'd say this though, so I made sure to make it his problem. I tried not to smile as I blinked innocently at him.
"Well, I might've let slip that you'll be hosting a dinner party at the end of the week..." I told him, right as Q appeared with two plates of food. I grabbed my plate with a grateful smile—only for Weiss to grab it and pull it away from me.
"Hey! Didn't you eat enough—"
"What did you just say? Repeat that one more time, and clarify what you've just done." He smiled but the warmth didn't reach his eyes. I cleared my throat, unafraid of my actions.
"I told them that you were going to host a dinner party at that new fancy cafe that opened up. Lemon... something, if I remember right. There's like... over 30 attending, so good luck with handling all of that. Oh, and they were asking for Al, Claus, and, Oden too. I promised you'd all be attending there too."
I saw their expressions change but took advantage of their shock to grab my plate of pasta. I saw that the entire plate was practically overflowing with pasta and a variety of sauces. I turned to Q and gave him a thumbs-up. He sighed instead of giving one back.
"You really messed up, Rael."
"Ah, you were invited t—"
"No." He immediately turned down my offer and I smiled wryly. Thankfully, those who wanted to get closer to Q seemed aware of his personality and backed off after I told them no the first time.
I stabbed into my delicious meal, and right before I could take a bite—I felt an ominous feeling. I glanced up and saw my closest friends staring at me with fury. Well, everyone except for Al. He looked pretty happy to have received attention from the opposite gender. Unluckily for him... only boys seemed interested in getting to know him. Mainly due to his previously infamous ways of confessing to girls, most of the female students stayed away from him.
"Rael..." Claus said my name slowly, reaching for his bloodied—I mean, ketchup-drenched knife and raising it close to his face with a dark look in his eyes. "It's one thing to force Weiss, but you also decided to involve me?"
"Hey!" Weiss exclaimed but was ignored.
Oden crossed his arms, glaring hard enough to bore holes into my face. I felt relief that he wasn't as grief-stricken anymore. I considered Oden's normal behavior a victory until Claus inched closer to me, his dark eyes staring me down.
"Did you think you could get away with this? I'm sure you're aware of the consequences, right?"
"N-no?" I stammered, trying not to show fear as he pointed his dull knife at me. He narrowed his eyes at me.
"You're going to have to be a part of this."
"B-but there wasn't anyone interested in me..." I said, making Claus pause.
"Really?"
"Y-yeah."
"That's a bit..." He gave me a look of pity before sighing. "Fine. I guess you'll have to help out differently." He smiled mysteriously as if he'd already thought of a good way to punish me. I shivered and inched closer to Q.
"Q... my friend, my buddy, won't you help me—?" I began, putting a hand on his shoulder with tearful eyes.
"No. You're on your own." He coldly brushed my hand away, and I was forced to face the consequences of my action.
So much for revenge...
Knowing Claus, I already had an inkling of what he was going to force me to do. But I doubted I could do it all on my own. Was there anyone I could tric—I mean, convince to help me?
Wait... I do have someone. I'm sure he wouldn't mind helping me out a little at least.
Yeah, he'd definitely be up to the task.
——
"I hate you," Heath spoke through gritted teeth before greeting the guests who had appeared with a smile. I disregarded the harsh words spewing from his mouth as I seated the students at their respective tables. Though he was acting like this, he practically volunteered when I told him I'd just find someone else to help me.
"Oh, Rael? I didn't know you worked here." I turned and saw Fiona and Zii walk in, one wearing a yellow dress while the other wore shorts with a simple vest. I was wearing a black and white waiter uniform, at least looking the part of my punishment.
I don't... "I decided to give you guys the best service and volunteered to help. I hope you two have a lovely time." I lied with a professional smile as I sat them down at Weiss' table. You couldn't have paid me enough to do this, but this was my punishment for orchestrating this mess. It was either I do this, or face Claus' wrath.
The group of students was separated by tables, four for each star of this 'show'. Besides Weiss' comically large table, the others were moderately sized, enough to fit five to eight people.
And Heath and I had to take care of all of them by ourselves... I suppressed the urge to sigh as I walked to stand next to Heath. Everyone was already mingling, staring at Weiss and the others with big sparkly eyes. I watched the scene and wondered if this was how Rael looked at Ophelia. I didn't have any better comparison than that... well besides—
"Hey, how's it going with Mary?" I asked Heath who was staring into the air. He tensed up and began looking around before glaring at me.
"Why would you mention she-who-shall-not-be-named like that?! D-did she write a letter to you or something?" He looked scared as he stared at me. I guess using Mary as my second example was a bad idea... I shook my head.
"Never mind, just go and refill their glasses," I told him, pointing at the tables. He scowled.
"Shouldn't you do that?"
"I'm your boss though. Now move those feet, servant boy," I crossed my arms with a smirk. He didn't even bother arguing back and began to work diligently. For being raised in a castle, he sure was good at serving others.
I walked closer to one of the tables, in hopes of eavesdropping on any juice conversations that were happening.
"Woah! Did he really?" One girl gasped out loud.
"Even after using so much mana...?" They were all staring at one girl with shock and wonder, listening intently to her retelling the story of how the brave and heroic Weiss saved her and other students by using himself as bait.
"Yes! He ran off with them and saved all of us. You should've seen the spells he cast! Had he not... I might've not been here today. I couldn't be more grateful towards him, since Lore Academy is my dream." The girl who'd arrived the earliest and sat next to Weiss gazed at him with bright eyes. Or was that love in her eyes? I wasn't sure except it was obvious how much she liked him.
"Ah, Rael, when's the food appearing? I'm starving!" Weiss, who seemed to be having a good time, playfully complained as he rubbed his stomach. I wore a grim expression as I shook my head.
"Please wait at least five more minutes, sir. I promise it'll be done by then."
"Fine... at least entertain us while we wait. There's only so much praise I can handle before I grow embarrassed." I put a hand to loudly gasp with shock.
"You can grow embarrassed? Even though you're always so shameless?"
"Me? Shameless? There's no such thing!" He said confidently, and a few of the girls giggled.
"Oh? Then I guess you wouldn't mind if I told them that time when you—" I began, my smile growing larger at the chance of teasing Weiss. But my sentence was cut off when the girl next to him turned to me with a forced smile.
"Excuse me, could you fill up my glass? You were talking so much that I became thirsty." I froze, a bit surprised at her words, before smiling. "Of course, excuse me while I refill my pitcher."
My expression didn't change as I refilled the pitcher. But as I was returning, nearly bumping into Heath, he stopped me.
"Are you okay?"
"Huh? Why do you ask?"
He gazed at me before shaking his head. "Never mind." I didn't think too much about his words as I returned to the room. The girl who'd interrupted me was laughing at something Weiss had said, leaning in closer with a smile. She noticed me approaching and her smile disappeared, replaced by obvious disdain for me.
But why did she dislike me even though this is the first time we've... Oh. I finally realized where I recognized her from. That animosity... She's the girl who'd been crying and trying to cling to Weiss in the second trial. She must still be upset that I told her off for trying to bother someone who was injured and exhausted.
My smile grew sweeter as I refilled her glass. Petty and jealous people were obnoxious to deal with, but I'd survived over a year through Crille's cruel words and bullying. This was nothing in comparison.
The girl barely tried to bother her annoyance at seeing me. I pretended not to notice as I asked the table; "Anything else?"
She rolled her eyes as the rest shook their heads. Weiss' face was stiff as he glanced at me before shaking his head. Huh, did something happen while I was gone? I didn't think much of it as I looked at the person sitting next to him. The girl, who I'd learned was named Vanessa from the other girls, narrowed her eyes on me.
"You can go now." She dismissed me, like an annoying fly in her room. My expression barely changed as I nodded.
"Yes, ma'am." I turned and began to refill the other tables too. I ignored the looks that Oden and Claus were giving me as I chatted briefly with some of the students. By the time I was finished, the food was ready to be served.
I began to grab a few plates and walk towards Weiss' table—only for Heath to sprint towards Weiss' table.
"Don't worry about that one and handle the rest." He told me as he grabbed a few plates. I saw Vanessa notice Heath as he approached their table and her eyes widened before she gave him a friendly smile. I wasn't too surprised since Heath's looks were equal to that of Weiss.
But I still let out a small sigh at the unfairness of handsome-looking people. Regardless, let's finish this quickly and then take it easy for the rest of the day.
However, this punishment was turning out to be more annoying than I initially thought. I suppressed the urge to sigh again and walked to one of the other tables.
This was going to be a long day...
——
A/N: I liked writing this chapter. Feels like I'm finally writing well after my year long break. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.
Thanks for reading!