AN: Hello everyone, thank u so much for waiting on the next chapter!!! So here it is, chapter 1 of the Savanaclaw Arc!!! Hope u guys luv it!!!
Leona Kingscholar:
🦁 Third Year Student
🦁 Dorm Prefect
Ruggie Bucchi:
🍩 Second Year Student
Helen Plekke (OC):
🐾 First Year Student
🐾 Dorm Assistant
Jack Howl:
🐺 First Year Student
City Forest - Whispering Trees
In the farthest side of the forest, where the trees became slightly bare but still had their leaves in places as hollow holes of different sizes were covering the bark from top to bottom. Covering the area was a misty fog that could be thick or thin depending on the weather of the day. A gentle breeze blows here every day, going in and out through the holes that were created, making strange sounds that almost sounds like someone was whispering to you, reasons why this area got its name. When the fog was thick it was hard to see anything from far but you could still see the figures moving as if they were a living shadow. When the fog was thin, it looked more misty as if you had entered an enchanted forest, with this it was perfect for the people to hunt.
"Now pay attention, Yuki." Lilith spoke, holding a bow in her hand with arrows being carried on her back in a made quiver, looking at the young child who had the small, yet same, bow and arrow in her hands. "Once you and your sister are older, you two will want to venture out on your own. And to do so, you need to prepare yourselves first."
"Why isn't Yuri here with us?" Yuki asked her mother.
"Well...let's just say...that Yuri isn't very good with a bow and arrow..." Lilith said, letting out a small shudder after. "Uhh...Good thing that old man had a fake leg..."
"Huh?"
"Ah—N-nothing! It's nothing..." Lilith said and cleared her throat. "Now then, once in a while this area here will have the resource of meat we need for food. However, depending on the weather it is complicated to find them. Which is why we wait for the fog to be thin and start hunting while we can. With fog like this, it's easier to see and to hide our presence as well." Lilith explained.
"M-mommy." Yuki spoke softly.
"Yes, sweetie?" Lilith looked at Yuki.
"W-why do we have to hide?"
"Well, animals here haven't seen humans before and see us as dangerous creatures." Lilith replied, crouching down to her daughter. "And if they see us, they'll either run away or hurt us."
"H-hurt us?" Yuki whimpered.
"Yuki, listen to me sweetie." Lilith spoke softly. "I know that it's scary to think that, but in times like this we have to face our fears and fight through them. These are the reasons why we have these." she said, pointing at the bows and arrows.
"Why do we have them?" Yuki asked, tilting her head in question.
"For us, we need them to survive and to protect." Lilith replied.
"Who?"
Lilith looked at Yuki with a small surprised look on her face and then showed her a soft smile. "Those ones who you love and care for, sweetie."
Ramshackle Dorm – Twins' Bedroom
The moon shines brightly in the sky above, giving light in the night. A gentle breeze blew by swaying the leaves and grass that was around creating a gentle sound that was soothing and calming to everyone around. In the Ramshackle Dorm, everyone was sound asleep, the only sounds that could be heard by them was the soft sound of snoring from the female while Grim was snoring loudly and talking in his sleep. Yuki let out a soft groan as she tiredly stretched out her limbs and turned on her bed, not knowing that her mind was getting pulled in by the glowing mirror just as it did with her sister.
- - - - - - -
'I can hear the sound of the wind.' Yuki said in her head, hearing the sound of the wind blowing past her ear as she opened her eyes to get up and close the windows. Letting out a quiet gasp, Yuki sat up to look around, seeing that she wasn't in the Ramshackle Dorm anymore but was outside in a different place.
Everything was in black and white, but she could see that she was somewhere in a Savanna with giant rocks stacked up together as if it looked like some kind of throne for a royal. Behind her were rows of different animals; big and small, that she hadn't seen before in her life gazing up at the rocks. Yuki looked up wondering what was going on just as a hornbill flew past over them and to the top of the rocks, making the poor girl let out a quiet shriek at the sudden appearance from above.
Upon the hornbill landed, the animals moved to the side letting someone through and what came through was a mandrill holding a stick making his entrance, noting that the mandrill was important, and headed up to the top. After a few minutes, the mandrill walked up to the edge with something in his arms with two lions; a male and a female, following from behind. Once the mandrill was in front of everyone, he lifted the thing in the air to the animal and to her surprise that it was a little yellow lion cub as the yellow sunlight beam down upon the young cub. When the cub was shown, the animals let out noises of cheer, celebrating a new birth of the next heir.
The dream started to fade, knowing that Yuki was starting to wake up from her slumber. She looked up at the young cub again before everything faded away. Yuki let out a soft groan as she slowly sat up on her bed with her hair slightly a mess from movement. "That was quite a magnificent dream." Yuki quietly mumbled, tiredly rubbing her eyes.
"Morning..." Yuri yawned, waking up from her nightly sleep. "How'd you sleep?"
"Ah, morning Yuri." Yuki said. "I slept well. I had a weird dream though."
"A weird dream?" Yuri was now fully awake and looked at her sister. "What was it about?"
Right when Yuki was about to tell about her dream Grim shouted, making the twins jump. "Boooom!! And crash~~!! Nyanyaaaa~~!!" They looked over to see the silly creature still asleep as he was punching the air, almost hitting Shimo in the process. "Gunyaaa~ How's that... D'ya finally knows how strong Grim is..."
"Wh-what a loud sleep-talker!" Yuki quietly shouted.
"Tell me about it. I'm surprised that he didn't wake the others all over the other Dorms..." Yuri grumbled, getting up from her bed and went over to Yuki's to Grim. "Oi Grim, it's time to get up!"
"I defeated that tyrant Riddle~ Wha—Huh? Ramshackle Dorm?" Grim woke up and looked around, seeing where he was and whined. "Oh, man, it was just a dream...I thought I could make Riddle my lackey now...How disappointing."
"Well get used to it, cause you're stuck with us." Yuri said, picking the feline up in her arms.
"Good morning, sweet Dolls~" Vivid greeted them when she walked into the bedroom. "I hope you guys had wonderful dreams~"
"A very weird dream..." Yuki quietly muttered, not letting the others hear.
"Well now, let's not waste any time." Vivid said. "Breakfast has already been made, let's eat and get ready to go to class."
"'Kay.../Okay." the twins said, heading down for breakfast.
Grim grinned, getting out of Yuri's arms and on her shoulder. "Alright! Then, let's go to the school so we can learn more about being great magicians!"
Cafeteria
After they were ready, they headed out and went their separate ways. The Soshi Twins met up with their friends Ace and Deuce, who stayed in the Heartslabyul Dorm. Their last class was with Mr. Trein before lunch started and during that time, most of the students were starting to grow tired during Mr. Trein's lecture, Grim included, resulted in Lucius waking him up by bapping his nose.
During the lecture, Yuki continued to think about the dream she had last night, wondering what it meant or what was going to happen. She knew that Yuri had a dream like this that involved the whole Riddle situation, but hers was different from what she told Yuri, so she starts wondering what her dream meant.
After class was over and lunch was starting, the students started rushing out one by one. The Soshi Twins with their fox familiars in their arms, Grim, Ace and Deuce walked out the classroom. "Ugh...I think the only magic Professor Trein can cast is one that makes his students fall asleep." Grim groaned tiredly, slumping on Yuri's shoulder. "No matter how hard I struggle, I still end up sleepy!"
"You were asleep five minutes after class started." Deuce pointed out. "You didn't struggle at all."
"It's finally lunch~" Ace sighed happily. "What should I eat~?"
Once they reached the cafeteria it was fully packed with students from different Dorms. Some were already at their seats while most of them were standing in somewhat of a line, though it looks like they were all clustered together, fighting over who goes first.
"Huh...Looks like there's a lotta people in the cafeteria today..." Ace said in a slight daze of shock, seeing this many students.
"I wonder what's going on?" Yuri questioned.
"Today is a once-in-a-month special day! The famous bakery from the foot of the mountain is doing business here for the day!" the cafeteria ghost announced. "Early bird gets the worm, so go now if you don't want the goods to sell out!"
"I'll have three chocolate croissants!" the Heartslabyul student said.
"Score! I managed to buy some! This shop's egg sandwich is seriously good~!" a second Heartslabyul said happily, holding an egg sandwich in his hand.
"The egg sandwich is now sold out!" the cafeteria ghost called out, holding another sandwich in the air. "And there's only one more deluxe minced cutlet sandwich left!"
"Heh~ They all look good. I wonder what I should buy~" Ace said, looking at the food that was presented in front of everyone.
"It looks very popular. What will you buy..." Deuce was about to ask the Soshi Twins and sees someone was missing in the group. "Huh?"
"Uh..." Yuri said, pointing in front of them.
"Outta the way, ya buncha punks!" Grim shouted, jumping from head to head of the students to the front. "That deluxe minced cutlet sandwich is mine!"
"We've lost sight of that starving beast again..." Yuri plainly said.
"That guy forgets we exist when food is involved!" Deuce said, watching the scene from the back.
"Should we go and stop him?" Yuki said.
"How'd ya like that!? The last deluxe minced cutlet sandwich is mine!" Grim cried out in victory, holding the last sandwich in his paws.
"Don't cut in line!" one of the Heartslabyul students shouted.
"A freshie cutting in front of his seniors won't fly here! Get out!" another one shouted, glaring at the raccoon-feline.
"Yeah we should go get him now..." Yuri replied and rushed through the crowd. "Grim, stop it! You have to wait your turn!"
"Grim, stop that! We're so sorry, guys!" Deuce shouted, grabbing a hold on Grim, who started to squirm in the hold.
"Ah, I'd like some grilled roast beef sandwich with lotsa lettuce~♪" Ace moved in and ordered his lunch, not helping at all.
"Don't just start ordering, too!" Deuce shouted, glaring at Ace, who just smiled teasingly.
"You are no better than this glutton here!" Yuri shouted.
During this happening fiasco, a familiar male hyena came into the cafeteria with a tired sigh. Ruggie looked around seeing that there were alot of students already here and had gotten their lunches. "Aw, man~ I'm completely late for the cafeteria food wars, huh..." Ruggie sighed out, holding two packs of red bean buns in his hand. "The deluxe minced cutlet sandwich Leona-san asked for is completely sold out now...Dang it, Spotty...for all the times for you to make me do things for you..."
"Nyahaha! I'll indulge myself in the taste of victory!" Grim laughed, getting Ruggie's attention, spotting the sandwich in Grim's paws.
"You better eat it before someone takes it from you." Yuri said, holding her tray of her lunch in her hands. "I should've taken it from you and given it to one of the guys that was ahead."
"Over my dead body if that ever happens!" Grim shouted, glaring at the female and clutching the sandwich in his paws. "I will fight you, if you try!"
"Ah..." Ruggie smirked watching the two argue while eyeing the sandwich and walked over in a cheerful demeanor. "Hey, you're pretty amazing~! I'm surprised you managed to buy a deluxe minced cutlet sandwich~!"
"Huh? Who the heck are you?" Grim questioned.
"Hey, I really have to buy that bread today, but they're all sold out. So, I came here with a proposal." Ruggie pleaded, holding out a red bean bun to Grim. "Would you trade me your deluxe minced meat sandwich for the mini red bean bun I have?"
"Good luck." Yuri muttered under her breath.
"Hah!? No way!" Grim huffed, moving the sandwich away from Ruggie's sight.
"Aw, come on, don't say that~" Ruggie smirked, holding his hand out once again. "Here you go~♪"
"Wha–!?" to the two shocks, Grim was actually moving, handing Ruggie the sandwich and grabbing the red bean buns. "What's this, my arms and legs are moving on their own–!?"
"That gluttonous Grim is exchanging his bread for a mini red bean bun!?" Yuri said, still stunned from the sudden action that was happening in front of her.
"Alright, trade complete~ Shishishishi~♪" Ruggie grinned and headed out, waving them a goodbye. "I'm so glad I found someone nice to trade with! That mini red bean bun is delicious, I swear! Thank you, bye-bye~!"
"My deluxe minced cutlet sandwich!!!!" Grim cried out, getting most of everyone's attention.
"What...just happened?" Yuri questioned.
Soon after that, the group got their lunch and sat at the table that they could find. The others were wondering what happened to make Grim cry out like that and Yuri told them what happened, leaving them surprised at the sudden response. Yuki was kind enough to share her lunch with Grim, who happily partook with some of her food, but still grumbled angrily from the mishap that happened to him.
"This is the worst day yet..." Grim grumbled, taking a bite out of the bead bun. "My bread was taken from me..."
"You just ate like, three breads already." Ace pointed out, pointing at the empty wrappers on the table.
"Even so, what happened a while ago?" Deuce said. "If you didn't like it that much, you shouldn't have traded with him."
"You got it wrong! It's—How do I explain it... When he moved his hand, it's like my hand moved on its own, too..." Grim tried to explain. "And before I noticed it, he had my bread already..."
Ace and Deuce looked at Grim with a confused look and then looked at Yuri, hoping to know the answer. "Yuu?/Ri?"
"Don't look at me, it all just happened so quickly." Yuri said, taking a bite out of her food.
"Ah, I see. You just went with the flow, huh~" Ace said in a teasing tone. "Don't worry, that kinda thing happens to anyone."
"That's not what I mean." Grim shouted before letting out a troubled groan. "Ugh... I can't explain it properly! Geez, I don't get it so I'm gonna eat my sadness away! Deuce, give me some of your pasta, too!"
"This doesn't concern me!" Deuce shouted, moving his food away from the reaching Grim. "Stop that!"
"Oh, yeah. Headmaster told us to come see him after school, right?" Ace asked them. "I wonder what he's gonna talk to us about."
"If I were to guess, it probably concerns the incident with Dorm Head Rosehearts the other day." Deuce said, pushing Grim away.
"The OB thing?" Yuki asked, grabbing Grim and placing him on her lap, much to Shimo unapproval.
"Oh, the evil villain berserker mode, huh." Ace thought, leaning back a little. "That might be it, yeah."
"Hah! He might give me canned tuna as a reward for being a big help that day!" Grim laughed, standing on the table with a big grin.
"I doubt it." Ace plainly said.
"Why would he want to reward us with canned tuna?" Yuki asked.
Yuri tuned out the conversation as she thought about Ruggie's encounter a few moments ago. She wondered why Grim was willingly to hand over a sandwich that he wanted for little bean buns. 'I'm kinda curious about that guy from earlier...' Yuri said in her head.
Botanical Garden – Temperate Zone
Ruggie walked in the botanical garden in the search of someone who was there, holding a bag that contained the sandwich that he traded with Grim. "Leona-san, I bought you your lunch!"
A familiar lion-featured male, who was lying underneath one of the shaded trees, let out a tired grumble as he awoke from his restful nap. "Noon already?" Leona grumbled, looking up with one eye open.
"Have you been sleeping since this morning?" Ruggie said, close to letting out a sigh. "You'll fail your required subjects again this year if you keep that up."
"Where's Hellen?" Leona asked, sitting up. "Wasn't she supposed to get my lunch?"
"She had something to do, so she asked me to bring your food instead." Ruggie replied, handing Leona the lunch.
Leona took a sniff in the air, catching the scent of the food in the bag. "Oh, looks like you brought what I asked you for properly."
"Geez, you keep asking for the expensive bread, Leona-san." Ruggie sighed, handing Leona the bag. "Here's the deluxe minced cutlet sandwich and iced tea that you ordered."
"Idiot. Isn't it because it's hard to get that you wanna eat it?" Leona said, opening the bag and taking out the sandwich.
"I'm the type who'll eat anything as long as it's edible. Same as Spotty, too." Ruggie shrugged it off, while Leona took a bite of the food. "Well, Prince Leona will never understand that feeling~"
"Hmph. That only applies to the first prince." Leona huffed a little. "I'm the second prince so I'm pretty much treated the same as any commoner."
"I'll never forget the day you said "I thought it was a dog house," when you saw the picture of my hometown." Ruggie said, remembering that day.
"Did I say something like that?"
"Yes, you did!" Ruggie said before letting out a sigh. "Ah, geez...I wanna try living in a castle just once to the point that I'd say the same about my own house."
"Hah! Being a royal is no joke." Leona said, sipping his drink. "Effort and talent don't matter. They only care about who was born first."
"Hm~ Is that so?" Ruggie said, looking at the now crushed drink, before remembering something from his cousin. "Oh, yeah Spotty told me to remind you. Today's the Prefects' meeting for the Magical Shift tournament. Don't forget to show up, okay?"
"Tch, that's annoying..." Leona clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"You get to have the biggest dorm room 'cause you're the Prefect, so do your duties properly." Ruggie nagged him.
"Yeah, I get it already." Leona groaned and let out a yawn. "I'm sleepy now that I'm full. Tell Hellen to wake me up when lunch is over."
"I'm not your messenger or is she your alarm clock though...Ah, you're already sleeping! Geez..." Ruggie let out a groan after noticing that the Prefect was already asleep. He then looked at the empty wrapper and thought back to the certain two at the cafeteria. "Speaking of...I feel like I've seen that raccoon and that 1st year somewhere before..."
Headmaster's Office
After lunch was over, the group headed to the Headmaster's Office to talk to Crowley of the event that happened at Heartslabyul. They did want to know what happened to Riddle that made him become that and to also fight that giant ink monster. This was the second time fighting a monster like that again and the first seeing Riddle's inky transformation—that still scared them that very day. The twins wondered if this would happen again in the future and if it did, they hoped that they would defeat them more easily than last time.
"You're all gathered here, I see. Now then, I'd like to get started quickly." Crowley said once everyone was in the room. "This will concern the incident that happened in Heartslabyul Dorm the other day, but I figured that I should thoroughly explain it to you. I figured that as fellow magicians, there is a need for you to be fully aware of the consequences that could happen."
"You mean, the Overblot, sir?" Deuce asked.
Crowley nodded, leaning back in his seat. "Indeed, that's right."
"I've heard about it from my big bro before, but..." Ace said in a bit of a bored tone. "I didn't expect that that'd happen during Overblot. It really was evil villain berserker mode, huh."
"Hey, what does "Blot" mean in the first place?" Grim asked as he adjusted himself on Yuri's shoulder.
"Yeah, we've been wanting to know about that ever since what happened at Heartslabyul." Yuri said, helping Grim. "Right, sis?"
"Yes." Yuki nodded, holding Shimo close to her.
"Oh, that's right. I have to explain starting with that for the both of you. Then, let me tell you. Oh, how kind of me~" Crowley said, getting deadpan looks from the students and cleared his throat. "Blot is akin to "wasted material" that accompanies each magic use. Let's take this for example. An automobile needs fuel in order to move, and at the same time it is used, smoke comes out from the exhaust pipe, correct? And when magical energy is used, blot occurs at the same time...Would that be easier to understand in that sense?"
"In other words, it's kind of like an exhaust pipe for magic?" Yuki said, tilting her head to the side in wonder. 'What's an automobile?'
"I feel like it won't be good for the body..." Yuri shuddered.
"Exactly. There have been present and older historical records of research being done about it, however it's still largely a mystery. There is only one thing we are certain of." Crowley replied and continued to explain. "It is highly toxic and once it is used too much, it can greatly harm one's mind and body."
"Oh, yeah. I remember my granny telling me: "Don't use your magic so willy-nilly if you don't want to Blot!" or somethin' like that?'" Ace said, doing his grandmother's impression.
"Such great powers go hand-in-hand with incomparable risks." Crowley said with a little dread. "Not even the greatest magicians have an unlimited supply of magical energy."
"In other words, the more you use magic, the more it becomes bad for the body!?" Grim flinched in fright, gripping on Yuri's shoulder.
"No, not completely." Crowley said, making Grim sigh in relief. "Hm... I feel like it would be easier to understand if I showed you a demonstration rather than just explain using words. Oh, ghosts! I have a little job for you!"
The others were questioning who Crowley was talking to and to their surprise they saw a bunch of ghosts appear above them. "Oh-ho, did you call for us, Headmaster?"
"Eh? Wha—GHOSTS!?" Ace shouted in shock.
"Please help me teach these young ones a small lesson." Crowley instructed, leaving the group in shock.
"We got it." the second ghost nodded, getting ready for battle. "Should we show 'em how it's done, Sir?"
"Come, boys. Ready your magical pens. Headmaster's special lesson is far from over~" Crowley smiled and then looked at the twins. "By the way Ms. and Ms. Soshi, I want you two to stay by the sidelines and watch."
"Eh?" the Soshi twins said in question. "Why!?"
"The two of you don't use magic the same way as the others." Crowley pointed out, looking at their jewelry. "We need the magical pens for this one."
The twins didn't say anything else as they let out a sigh and moved towards one the walls, with their foxes in their arms and watched the guys battle the ghosts. A few minutes later, the guys defeated the ghost and are now a panting mess nearly about to collapse on the floor. The twins walked over towards them, helping them by giving them support to stand. Once they caught their breathing, they looked at the Headmaster with different expressions on their faces.
Grim stood up on his hind legs and glared at the Headmaster in anger. "Hey, Headmaster! That training with the ghosts didn't help me understand Blot one bit!"
Crowley ignored the glare that he was receiving from Grim and pointed his finger at Grim's collar. "Please look at the magical jewel on your collar, Grim."
Grim looked confused and looked at his collar and to his and the others' shock, the jewel was covered in black splotches. "Wha–!? My magical jewel's got some dirt on it! It won't come off even if I rub it with my paws...!" Grim said, trying to rub the splotches off.
"It's a black ink that taints the magical jewel." Crowley explained. "That's the "blot" that happens after using magic excessively."
Deuce looked at his pen closer and saw that it was also covered with black splotches. "Ah...! Now that I look closely, my magical pen has a faint ink stain, too...!"
"Is it permanent?" Yuki asked, looking at the jewels in worry.
"Not completely." Crowley replied.
"Oh, that's a relief...Phew~" Grim sighed out a breath of relief, leaning against Kaen, only for the fox to move and make Grim fall on the floor. "Oof!"
"If you take a proper rest, and are given enough time off, the Blot will disappear on its own." Crowley said to them and continued on to explain. "A magical jewel does not exist simply to be an outlet for one's magic. One other purpose it has is to accumulate Blot that could directly affect the caster. To an extent, it is a wonderful item that can carry such a huge burden."
"I see..." Deuce pondered. "In other words, once our magical jewels have become hazy, it's a sign for us to rest our bodies, correct?"
"That is correct. Blot disappears if you eat, sleep, and rest properly."
"That's good!! Then, that means I can rest assured about using my magic when I become a great magician!" Grim said, getting up from the floor. "I mean, I eat and sleep a lot already~"
"Too much if you ask me." Yuri muttered under her breath.
"Magical energy comes in all sorts of varieties. With the exception of a select few, the maximum permissible amount of magical energy is not really that large." Crowley pointed out.
"What do you mean?" Grim asked.
"In other words, the more magical energy a person has, the more careful he has to be about accumulation of Blot." Crowley said, putting it more better to understand.
"So, if we keep using magic stupidly without even thinking of the consequences, it's easier for us to accumulate Blot, you mean?" Ace said, twirling his pen.
"To an extent, yes. Though, considering your skills with magic for now, I don't think you have to worry too much about Blot yet." Crowley said, showing them a smile. "Good for you, huh~?"
"It's kinda hard to be happy about that, y'know!" Ace and Yuri shouted at the Headmaster.
"If our magical jewels turn darker the more we use magic, will we all turn into evil villain berserker mode like Riddle?" Grim asked, remembering Riddle's Overblot form. "I was so scared when I saw a huge monster behind him, yanno?"
"The magician's overall state and well-being actually plays a huge influence on their magical limit before experiencing Blot." Crowley explained, with given details. "Anger, sorrow, terror, confusion...Experiencing constant negative energies like that makes it easier for Blot to accumulate. It becomes easier for one to go into Overblot."
"Negative energy..." Deuce mumbled, looking at the splotches on the jewel.
"What about that giant inky monster?" Yuri asked the Headmaster. "
"A gigantic shadow similar to the one Rosehearts had when he went berserk. I guess you could call it the manifestation of all the negative energies and all the Blot that Rosehearts has accumulated." Crowley answered Yuri's question. "Though to be honest, I know not much more than this. From what we know, there are multiple ways a magician can experience Overblot. However, there really aren't that many examples out there.
"Not having enough examples is good." Ace shuddered. "I don't wanna experience that ever again."
"It was fortunate that you were able to make Rosehearts come back to his senses as soon as it happened, but if he were left alone then...AHHHH!! I DON'T WANT TO THINK ABOUT IT!! HOW FRIGHTENING!" Crowley suddenly shouted, making them jump. He then realized what he did and cleared his throat. "Ahem, I'm sorry. I suddenly lost my cool. It was quite the long explanation, but magic use comes with equal danger, is what I'm trying to point out. Everyone, please do not forget my warnings."
"Yes, sir." the group said.
"And that is all for your ever so kind Headmaster's special lessons!" Crowley happily said. "Everyone, please head back to your classes now."
"Uhh...Headmaster, aren't you forgetting something important?" Yuri said, crossing her arms.
"Eh?"
"Have you found a way to help us get back to our world...?" Yuki asked.
"Ah...Uh...Oh, a way for you to go back home, yes?" Crowley sweated a bit, looking in another direction. "Of course, I've been doing my research. I didn't forget it at all, no sir. But you see... I've been so busy nowadays."
"You're avoiding eye contact." Grim said, looking at the Headmaster with disapprovement.
"He's lying..." the twins said at the same time.
"I-I-I'm not lying. I am very busy with preparing for the intra-dorm Magical Shift tournament for this coming October." Crowley quickly injected, covering up his mistake. "And there's still the Prefects' meeting after this..."
"Magical Shift Tournament?" both Grim and the twins questioned, tilting their heads to the side.
'Another super foreign word...' both twins thought in their heads.
"You don't know about Magift, you two!?" Ace gasped, looking at the twins in shock, earning a shake of the head as a reply.
"It's a world-famous sport." Deuce explained to them. "They have a professional league and even world competitions."
"I dunno about it, too!" Grim piped up.
"Magical Shift...A.K.A. Magift is a sport played by two teams made up of seven players." Ace explained it to them. "To put it simply, you try to take a disc from each other and try to shoot it at the goal positioned in the opponent's territory. The team who scores the most points is the winner."
"That sounds fun!" Yuri said, while Yuki nodded her head in agreement.
Ace hummed as he looked at the two. "Hm...But I think it'd be difficult to have the two of you appear in a Magift tournament."
"Why?" Grim asked.
"Magical Shift is a sport that uses magic." Deuce tells them. "You carry the disc with magic, and all attacks and defenses used require magic as well."
"Part of the player's appeal is when they exhibit super flashy magic, too~♪" Ace added.
"To which we have and don't at the same time, cause how we use it is completely different from the rest." Yuri said, looking at the gem on her pin.
"Exactly! That is why Night Raven College is a world renowned powerhouse when it comes to Magical Shift! A lot of our school's alumni play in professional leagues now! Even more, Magical Shift is a sport that tests not only physical skills but also one's magical skills." Crowley explained to them. "Professional teams will be observing our school's intra-dorm Magift Tournament. A lot of renowned magicians around the world will come to watch. There will be a lot of shops lined up during the tournament as well, and they will be exhibiting products from all over the world. It is a very important and exciting event that's broadcast via television worldwide."
'Televised...?' the twins thought.
People around the world will be watching!?" Grim squealed with his eyes sparkling. "Then, if I win that tournament, everyone in the world will know about me!?"
Crowley nodded his head. "Of course, players who do exceptional and win in the tournament are invited to join professional teams, so it is a given that it comes with popularity, too."
"In Grim's case, people will be surprised to see that a monster is participating in the tournament." Deuce said, increasing Grim's excitement.
"Alright~!" Grim jumped up and did a pose. "I'm gonna go train starting now and aim for victory!"
"Ah, but Grim can't participate." Crowley interrupted.
"Eh?"
"I've mentioned multiple times that it's an intra-dorm competition, have I not?" Crowley informed, ignoring Grim's stunned expression. "Your dorm doesn't have seven people, right? That is why you can't participate."
"WHAT?! No way!!" Grim cried, deflating to the floor.
"There are a lot of other things you can do during the tournament, you know? There's handing out drinks and helping prepare the grounds." Crowley reassured him. "The players standing on the field aren't the only main characters, after all."
"Don't wanna, don't wanna!!" Grim shouted, throwing a small tantrum. "I want people watching to say "Kya~ Grim's so cool!" or "Did you see that amazing play!?" That's what I wanna hear!!"
"That's a pretty wild delusion..." Ace said in a dull tone.
"Yeah...You can't do anything about it since you don't have enough people." Deuce said. "You can only hope that more people join Ramshackle Dorm next year, but for now you have to give up on it."
"We do have enough!" Grim shouted. "There's me, and those two over there! Those foxes, and Vivid! So that has to be enough!!"
"Both Ri and Ki don't use magic the same way as we do, Kaen and Shimo are the twins' familiars." Deuce corrected him. "So that only leaves you and Vivid-san, Grim."
"Why you..." Grim grumbled under his breath, pouting away.
"Now then, I shall excuse myself now!" Crowley said, rushing out the door. "Ah, so busy, so busy."
"You're so mean to making me expect something..." Grim pouted, making circles on the floor.
"Come on, you big baby." Yuri said, picking Grim up from the floor and holding him in her arms. "Let's head back to the Dorm."
Each one of them walked out of the office and headed back to their Dorms. Yuki paused for a few seconds and looked over to where the Headmaster went, mostly getting an uneasy feeling that something might happen. Shaking her head from her thoughts as she caught up with her sister, hoping that nothing bad happens through the next following days
To Be Continued...