(Please write if you see any mistakes in the text.)
Heartslabyul dorm: Trey's room
"Yo, man, how's it going?" - Ace waved to the third year lying on the bed when you came in too.
"How are you feeling, Trey?" - Deuce asked worriedly.
"We came all this way just to see your sorry face. It's cool—don't get up." - Grim jumped onto the edge of the bed. Trey also waved at you, to which you responded with a nod.
"Well, if it isn't Hunting Season! And Grim and Y/n-chan too! You're rolling deep today." - Cater sat on a chair next to Trey.
"Hey, Cater...I'm lost. Whaddaya mean by "Hunting Season"? - Ace asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I mean it's you guys! You're Ace, he's Deuce—that's what you call an Ace Deuce in poker!" - Cater chuckled at their expressions of confusion.
"Don't give us a couple nickname!" - The blue-haired one screamed indignantly.
"Riiight...Anyway, how d'you feel, Trey? And how'd you get hurt?" - Ace.
"Slipped on the stairs. I couldn't catch myself, and my ankle got all messed up. I'll be on crutches for a while." - ge signed.
"Yikes. That sounds pretty bad!" - Deuce shuddered.
"Yep. Looks like I'll be warming the bench at the Spelldrive tournament this year." - the third year lowered his head.
"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 handed him a can of tuna.
"Where did you get this from?"
"Heh. Thanks." - Trey smiled and took the can.
"Ugh, hashtag #fail! Now that we've lost a power player, we have to redo our team roster!" - Cater groaned in disappointed.
"Wait, what?!" - the two idiots screamed.
"Shut up you idiots!"
"Why are there so many people in here? Trey is supposed to be resting!" - a short redhead entered the room.
"Myah! It's Ragin' Riddle!" - Grim shuddered.
"I am not "raging." I will be perfectly pleasant if you obey the rules! How are you doing, Trey? Can I bring you anything to eat or drink?" - he asked in a worry voice.
"I told you, Riddle: you don't need to fuss over me like this." - Trey said with a tight smile.
"But it's my fault that you got hurt." - red lowered his head in shame.
"What? He didn't tell us that part!" - Ace interfered.
"I needed to talk to him, so I went to the junior classroom at lunch. And then..." - Riddle told how he almost fell down the stairs but Trey saved him, but fell himself.
"Trey never would have slipped if he hadn't caught me when I was about to tumble over." - Riddle.
"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 him.
"Still, I..." - Riddle.
"Hey, Y/n, d'you think...?" - Ace whispered to you quietly.
"I know."
"Riddle, come on! It's not gonna do anyone any good to have you harshing the vibe here. It's lame that Trey got hurt, but you'll rock the field that much harder to make up for him, right?" - Cater hugged housewarden by the shoulders.
"Well, I suppose that's true." - Riddle.
"All right, peeps, we should let Trey get his rest. Out, out, out!" - he rushed all of you out of the room and closed the door behind him.
Heartslabyul dorm: lounge
"All right, Cater. Was there something you didn't want to tell me in front of Trey?" - Riddle crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.
"You're always a step ahead of me, Riddle. I get the feeling Y/n-chan & co. know something about it. Want to fill us in?" - Cater and the others were now looking at you questioningly.
"Tch. Fine, I'll tell you..."
Timeskip
"Ah...So the headmage asked you to investigate." - Riddle raised a finger to his chin.
"I knew it. Grim coming by for a get-well visit? That's just plain sus." - Cater grinned smugly.
"I must admit that I found the circumstances odd as well. I've had Cater looking into it for me." - Riddle.
"And I found out that all of the victims have been talented players like Riddle and Trey." - Cater.
"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 volition." - Riddle.
"The other victims said basically the same thing!" - Grim whined.
"I believe we can safely surmise that potential Spelldrive tournament players are being targeted." - Riddle.
"You think someone is causin' accidents to take out threats from the tournament?" - Ace raised eyebrow.
"Of course. Get strong opponents out of the way to win easily."
"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 added.
"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?" - The ginger third-year shrugged.
"Certainly. I felt no external force." - Riddle.
"And some of the other victims had accidents in the classroom! How do you explain that?" - Cater.
"The culprit can tell us all about it when we capture him. And we intend to help you do that." - Riddle turn to you.
"Myah? YOU'RE gonna help us? What's your angle?" - Grim narrowed eyes suspiciously.
"You offend us, sir. One of our housemates was injured-why wouldn't we help him find justice?" - Cater shook his head.
"We're all house-buds here. Count us in." - Ace joined.
"He's gonna pay for what he did to Trey!" - Deuce too.
They all looked at you expectantly.
“Whatever. But know that you won’t get a penny for your work.” - you warned them. The roof is a priority.
"What?! You will also get paid for this?!" - Ace asked loudly.
"Obviously, otherwise I wouldn’t have agreed to this business. As if I have a lot of free time." - you snorted.
"Heh, the usual Y/n-chan." - Cater grinned.
"Now, if we're going to apprehend this culprit, we need to stay a step ahead of him." - Riddle.
"And we're gonna do that HOW, exactly...?" - Grim.
"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 answered and looked at your reaction out of the corner of his eye.
"And how do we know the next target?"
"I've got this, Y/n-chan." - Cater didn’t look up from his phone.
"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."
"Whoa, Cater, this is a ton of information!" - Deuce looked stunned at the rather large list.
"Now, let's move!" - Cater.
"Let's nail this creep!" - Grim.
Timeskip
Pomefiore dorm: lounge
"Let's start here, at Pomefiore. There's a junior named Rook Hunt who's caught my eye. He has a blond bob cut and a fedora—you can't miss him." - Cater quickly described it and you began to wander into the halls.
"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 said, sweat a little.
"Oh, is that him sitting over there?" - Deuce pointed to one large hall with a large throne. There were two students sitting at the table. One, apparently Rook, and the second, a short boy with lilac hair and big blue eyes.
"Whoa. That dude's, like, a glitter bomb in human form. He's basically sparkling." - Ace.
"Non, Epel, non. When you lift your teacup, do not insert your finger through the handle. It is most inelegant." - Rook said with a French accent.
"Oh...Right. I'm sorry." - the boy answered casually.
A second later, another person entered the hall. He had blonde hair with purple tips and more makeup than a news anchor.
"*Sigh* I just cannot decide how I want to do my makeup on tournament day! I'm thinking maybe that new foundation from Felicity Cosmetics?" - he rummaged in his purse and took out some creams.
"Oh ho ho! Mon belle Vil, the Roi du Poison...Surely your beauty is not so faint that you need makeup to shine?" - the frenchman dramatically put his hand to his heart and extended the other towards the blond.
"Of course I don't. But I don't dare miss an opportunity to accentuate it further!"
"I admire that passion. Magnificent! Very magnificent!" - Rook.
"Uhhhhh...And you're saying this guy is some kinda incredible athlete? Somehow, I doubt he's gonna be the target." - Grim wrinkled his face while you were choking on the smell of perfume that could be smelled a kilometer away.
"Yeaaah, maybe we should peace out and move on." - Cater also didn’t look happy, and you hastily left this damned place.
Timeskip
NRC: courtyard
"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. Word is, they work so well together on the field that other teams don't know how to counter them." - Cater read from the phone and pointed to two tall students in front. They have turquoise hair and black streaks on different sides of their faces and different eye colors.
"Whoa! They have, like, the exact same face!" - Grim pointed with his paw.
"No shit, Sherlock."
"Is it just me, or do they make all the other students look tiny in comparison?They're giants!" - Ace shout.
"I could see that being a big advantage for 'em." - the cat shook his head.
"So what do we think? Could they be in danger?" - Deuce.
"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 frowned, not noticing who was behind him.
"Oh ho ho! What is UP, Lil' Goldfish?" - the voice of one of the twins sounded.
"Bwah! He spotted us!" - the red screamed and backed away.
"What brings you to our humble abode, huh? Playing hide-and-seek? Sounds like fun." - he grinned and leaned down to the level of the housewarden.
"F-Floyd...I've asked you several times to stop calling me by strange nicknames." - Riddle .
"But you're so small and red! How are you NOT a goldfish?" - Floyd.
"This guy seems like he's a few cans short of a tuna casserole." - Grim muttered, attracting the attention of the tall guy.
"A talking cat? Now THAT'S something you don't see every day! Can I squeeze you 'til you pop?" - he grinned wryly and leaned down.
"Uh, no?! Stay away from me, weirdo!" - the cat hid behind your legs, and Floyd turned his attention to you.
"Oh! Hi, pufferfish-chan! Maybe you'll let me squeeze you?" - he waved his hand at you.
"The hell?! What did you call me?!" - you looked at him with anger, to which he only smiled wider.
"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?" - a second guy appeared next to his brother and looked at you with interest.
"Nah. We...can't really go into it, though." - Cater sweated and grabbed you by the shoulders while you glared at Floyd.
"We take a dim view of spying at Octavinelle. I would ask you to justify your actions, suspicious as they are. And please, spare no detail." - Jade said with a threatening smile.
"This guy sure talks fancy, but man, his eyes are stone cold." - Ace sweated a little.
"Man, would you look at the time? Gotta run, guys! It's been real! Byeee!" - Cater began to run, dragging you along with him. The others joined you.
"Shoot! They're chasing us!" - Deuce exclaimed in fear.
"Hey, couldja stop, friends? Just for a second? We just wanna chat!" - Floyd shouted in a cheerful tone.
"Decidedly, no! Full retreat!" - Riddle ordered as you sped up and the twins fell behind.
"Awww...They're gone." - Floyd whined sadly.
"Heh heh. I do so enjoy a brisk midday jog. Alas, we'll have to pick this up another time. Come. We need to prepare the lounge for tonight." - Jade grinned, as he watched your retreating figure.
"Bummer. But all right." - his smile returned as if nothing had happened.
NRC: main street
"*Pant* *Pant*...That was terrifying. What is the deal with those guys?!" - Grim sat down on the ground while the others except you tried to catch their breath.
"I'm not the one to ask. Those two have baffled me since we were freshmen together." - Riddle.
"Messing with them seems like a really bad idea." - Cater leaned against one of the statues with his hand with a tight smile.
"If I were the culprit, I know I'D steer clear." - Ace.
"Then it's off to the next name on my list! 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 took out his phone again.
"Classes are over, so he should be at his dorm." - Deuce.
"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.
"Tch. I thought you'd rounded out some, but nope, you're as square as ever." - Grim crosses paws.
"Th-that's not true! I assure you that I've become much more lenient about enforcing the rules." - housewarden objected.
"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 waved to him.
"Then I guess the rest of us are headed to Savanaclaw House." - Ace shrugged.
Timeskip
Savanaclaw dorm
As soon as you passed through the mirror, you felt the heat and dry air.
"Huh...So this is Savanaclaw." - Deuce looked around.
"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 pointed to the huge bones sticking out from the ground.
"Couldn't be less like Heartslabyul." - Ace.
"No kidding. Even the air here feels so...primal. It's like we've left the bounds of civilization." - Cater.
"So what's this Jack guy look like?" - ginger ask.
"Apparently he's got wolf ears, silver hair, and a big, bushy tail too." - Cater.
"A big, bushy tail...Wait, you mean like that guy runnin' laps over there?" - the cat pointed to the tanned guy whom you saw a couple of times in the cafeteria.
"Whoa, good eye! There's no way that's not our boy." - Cater nodded.
"And I thought those twins were big! This guy's HUGE!" - Ace.
"Would you stop it?"
"No wonder all the scouts are after him." - Cater.
"With that build, he'd be an asset on any team. Let's just hurry up and talk to him. He's kind of intimidating..." - Deuce got a little nervous .
"Hey, you! Mr. Scowls-a-lot!" - Grim shouted towards the student, attracting his attention.
"...Huh?" - he looked questioningly in your direction, but still approached you.
"Just wanted to let ya know somebody's probably gonna try and hurt you. But don't worry—Grim the Great will protect you!" - the cat looked even smaller compared to the guy.
"What? Look, don't bother me when I'm training." - Jack answered gloomily and frowned at you. You gave him the same look and you looked into each other’s eyes for some time.
"*Wow, is this Y/n’s long-lost brother?*" - Ace quietly whispered to Deuce, to which he just shrugged.
"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 grabbed the cat and close his mouth.
"Mmmph! Mmmmmph!"
"Sooo sorry about that, Jack. Listen, king, could we have just a minute of your time?" - the third year student distracted your attention, and you stopped glaring at each other.
"What's all this about? You said you wanna protect me from something?" - Jack looked around at everyone, but for a second he focused on you.
"A lot of Spelldrive tournament hopefuls have been hurt in "accidents" on campus lately." - Deuce explained.
"And we're trying to figure out who's behind it." - Ace said, attracting the wolf's attention.
"Go on." - Jack.
"To put it bluntly, our plan is to stake out some of the criminal's prospective targets. What do you say? Will you give us a hand in catching this guy?" - Cater finished and everyone looked expectantly at the Savanaclaw student.
"...No. I can take care of myself. I don't need your protection." - he stated before turning around.
"He and Y/n are even more alike." - Ace muttered.
"Hey! We're not done yet!" - Grim broke away from Cater’s hands and shouted after him.
"...I told you, I don't need your help. And besides I doubt I'm gonna be a target. Seeya." - Jack said without turning to the cat and left. You repeated his words in your head and looked after him with suspicion.
"Aaaaand he's gone." - Cater looked at his retreating figure.
"Well, can't say I didn't warn him." - the cat shrugged.
"Yeah well, you might want to reconsider your approach there, bud." - Ace.
"Hrmph! You humans are so finicky about every little thing!" - Grim pouted.
You noticed as three students heading in your direction.
"Hey, what are you lot doing here?" - one of them asked.
"You're a long way from Heartslabyul House." - the second one leaned his elbow on the first one.
"Heh heh. Probably lackeys sent by Mr. Red Baby!" - third one laugh slightly.
"You think you can just barge onto our turf and walk away without payin' the price?" - his grin was replaced by an angry grimace.
"Yes, I am. Do you have a problem with that?" - you walked out to him and crossed your arms, making him growl.
"Hah, I know you. You're the one who starts fights in the cafeteria and dealt with the overblot. I thought you'd be taller." - he grinned and fire appeared in your eyes.
"Fine, we're leaving. Sorry to bother you." - Ace grabbed your shoulder and tried to push you away before you killed anyone, but you didn’t pay attention to him.
"Aww, don't be like that. Play with us first!" - the second said.
"Let's play Predator and Prey! Guess who gets to be the prey?"
You were about to pounce on them when you heard a familiar annoying voice.
"Cut it out, you three."
💥Little notes💥
-You were a little worried about Trey, although it didn't show.
- Riddle doesn't annoy you so much now.
- Pomefiore is your least favorite hostel.
- You felt some kind of connection with Jack.
A/n: Hello. I remember that I promised to update earlier and I'M SORRY. I had some important things to do earlier.
So here's a bonus for you!
Top 3 people who are on Y/n's list to kill first!
3rd place...
Ace Trappola!
- Ginger Clown.
- His jokes are not funny.
- Often does stupid shit.
- Constantly drags you into it.
In 2nd place...
Leona Kingscolar!
- Lazy pussy ass.
- Considers himself better than you.
- Makes fun of your height.
- Rich bitch.
- Calls you a damn porcupine.
And finally 1st place goes to...
(drum roll)
...
...
Dire Crowley!
(Which also ranks first among terrible actors, big children and people who shouldn't have children.)
- Complete asshole.
- Leaves all the work on you.
- Don't knock before entering.
- Doesn't look for a way to bring you home.
- Promises money but doesn’t give it on time.
- Shity ass suit.
I hope you enjoyed it!
Bye~