The situation couldn't have been stranger.
It was during the night. Yuu couldn't sleep, unlike Grim who was totally immersed in his dreams and felt the need to go outside. A nightly stroll wouldn't hurt, right? After all, they were alone and the ghosts left them to their own devices most of the time.
The place was calm, the wind went across the leaves of the trees and the sky was cloudless. Yuu could see the stars and the moon and a strange calm grew in his heart. The muscles of his shoulders were relaxed and he found himself surrounded by fireflies. There was something oddly magical about the air, even if he couldn't exactly pinpoint why. It was different from the College, where energy was overflowing. That night, the air felt subtle and harmonious. Yuu never saw green fireflies before, in fact, he never saw real fireflies before. All TV caricatures and book illustrations showed the insects to be yellow, not green, but then, who was he to question it?
The calmness was replaced by a wistful feeling. The sky was similar to the one from his world, yet, some constellations were slightly different. Yuu, who never felt particularly inclined towards astronomy nor astrology, found himself learning that subject at Night Raven College. He knew how to identify Orion and two or three more constellations in the sky from his world, that was why he found it hard to not compare it with Twisted Wonderland.
''I wonder if I'll ever get home''
Suddenly, the bushes started to make noise and Yuu felt startled.
Someone else was there. Yuu wasn't alone.
A wariness grew in his chest. He was alone in the middle of nowhere and lacked magical powers to defend himself, in case someone wanted to pester him.
A tall man with black hair and horns appeared from nowhere. He had a black uniform with green decorations and… reptilian eyes. And pointy ears, just like the headmaster's.
What followed was one of the strangest verbal exchanges Yuu ever had in his life. And it was something, considering that his life was turned into something very weird.
First, because The unknown man directed most of the conversation.
Second, because the direction of the conversation was moved by his changing whims and moods.
He asked about Yuu, then made comments about Ramshackle's room and looked disappointed at the fact it was inhabited now. And, even if it was, Yuu thought it should not be the business of a stranger.
It wouldn't be too surprising, in a school full of teenagers, to find out some of them liked to go exploring at night and visit the obviously creepy abandoned building. When Ace and Deuce started to visit Yuu and Grim, both boys tried to go on their own during their trips to the dormitory. Thankfully, the ghosts made it very clear that going around without the residents' permission was forbidden in the uppermost levels of the building. Yuu and Grim already had enough issues fixing their own rooms and living the college life to worry about whatever could be above them in a giant student dormitory. And there was a tacit agreement about letting the ghosts to their own devices most of the time…
Yuu emphasized the place was already taken in his words to the stranger and asked to know his name. After all, Yuu had already given his. Wasn't it polite to introduce yourself in return, especially considering the visitor was an unknown person trespassing his dorm at night?
What happened then left Yuu without words.
The stranger refused to introduce himself, stating it was for Yuu's benefit and told the boy to call him whatever he chose. And then, the man left saying he would need another place to be at night.
Was he selling drugs or something?
Yuu had never seen a person like that before. It was undoubtedly weird, but the boy wasn't left with a dangerous impression either. After all, the stranger left as soon as he appeared and didn't seem to be returning soon.
Ramshackle dormitory was theirs. It belonged to Grim and him. That was all.
He even had to comment on it to his roommate while they were on their way for breakfast the next morning. The statues of the seven dormitory founders were on their side when Grim asked if Yuu was absent during the night. Grim's reaction after Yuu told him about his exchange with the stranger was straight to the point.
First, he left an exclamation of surprise. But his tone was low, meaning Grim immediately got it.
''A weirdo with horns on his head. What's his name?''
Yuu decided to leave the bizarre specifics aside and told Grim the stranger allowed him to call whatever he wanted. Grim's reaction lacked prejudice and Yuu found himself feeling an odd relaxation. His roommate even gave the stranger a nickname, 'Tsunotarou' and asked Yuu to introduce them next time. The boy decided it was a fitting nickname, for the guy never gave details about him and their meeting was odd. Grim was positively curious.
They found Riddle Rosehearts and Cater Diamond from Heartslabyul on the path and the subject soon was forgotten. Riddle even fixed Yuu's tie and the boy found the gesture kind. Rosehearts wasn't a bad guy, but a bit frigid in some aspects.
Grim inquired about Ace and Deuce, Roseheart answered with a rule of the Queen of Hearts and soon found himself commenting on another subject.
Students were randomly getting injured previously to a magical sports tournament in school and Grim and Yuu were tasked with investigating the case by the headmaster. And in that case, 'tasked' meant a subtle threat from the eccentric man, in exchange for living goods. Yuu and Grim had no choice but to obey. Previously, the evasive man had explained to Grim & co that there was no news about Yuu's return home.
And soon, he found himself on another little adventure. An adventure that ended up in Yuu and some Heartslabyul members facing an Overbloted prince. Apparently, in that world, if a magician ended up with too much negative energy then they would turn up into a deformed entity surrounded by blank ink, with a deformed voice and a shiny eye. It looked like something taken from a horror movie about demonic possessions. The way to solve it was to beat the Overbloted individual until the effect passed away.
Yes, in this singular case good old violence was the solution.
It was used to return common sense back to the Overbloted magician, who would have no memories of the event.
In their school life, Yuu and Grim found themselves getting acquainted with the members of different dormitories and dealing with Overblots. Yuu, who was useless for magic, found himself to be good at strategizing on how to deal with the Overbloted magicians, or at least, at directing Grim if the students refused to cooperate. But soon, a sort of implicit trust grew (temporally) on the fighters. After all, no one would like to be involved with a demonic entity breaking havoc in the school. People would start making questions. And the common sense was something that Yuu decided should be forcefully knocked back on people, if that was necessary.
Yuu didn't enjoy dark humour, but sarcasm was another thing entirely. It was something deep within him that started to afloat very often, considering his circumstances.
For this chapter, I consulted the exchange between Yuu and Grim on this channel: watch?v=Q56c_TAr9QI (Again, Shell_BB)