Hi everybody! New chapter!

As promised, this one is longer and a bit more packed with exposition, and lots of new characters are introduced.

Enjoy!

Chapter 6:

Ace had worried for no reason in the end. As it turned out, every class they attended was filled with nothing but lectures and readings. It was just as boring as one would expect from a regular school.

On the other hand, Claire had severely underestimated the eccentricity of the professors at this school.

Their first class, Alchemy, was located in the dungeons and led by a professor in his early thirties wearing a rather large black and white fur coat – something that literally screamed fire hazard.

Unlike most science teachers back in her homeworld, this man wore eyeshadow that brought out the gray in his eyes. His slicked hair was halved into two colors – black and white – but Claire wasn't sure which one was natural or if none were. He had a form-fitted black-and-white blazer and tiny silver studs on his ears.

"Unusual hair colors in this bunch," he said, observing the group as they hastily arrived with minutes to spare. "Make sure to take care it properly." He then turned his focus to Claire and grimaced at the long puffy sleeves. "That outfit is most unbefitting," he said in disgust as if Claire was wearing a trash bag. "I can't believe the headmaster thought that is acceptable to wear in this school. I will see to it that you have something much more suitable by the end of the week."

Before Claire could open her mouth, he handed her a white lab coat, black rubber gloves, and a pair of safety goggles.

"Please be sure to wear these before class next time," he said and included one more pair of goggles for Grim. He waved them to their table with its own cauldron before turning to the rest of the class.

"Seeing as you are still a newborn litter, allow me to introduce myself again," he said as Claire desperately tried to button up her lab coat. He swept across the room like he was ready for a fashion runway rather than for a classroom. "I am Divus Crewel. You will refer to me as Professor Crewel or Master Crewel."

"Is he serious?" Claire mumbled, but Ace and Deuce merely shrugged their shoulders.

"As this is your first year, we will be going over the basics of Alchemy. I will be beating the taxonomy of the 100 types of medicinal herbs and poisonous plants. Until you have them all memorized, see to it that you refrain yourselves from eating anything off the ground like dogs when you go out for a walk."

"Dogs? What does he think we are? Grim?" Ace grumbled, not appreciating the disparaging remark.

There was a sudden snap that made the group flinch. Professor Crewel whipped out his teaching stick with a red dog collar dangling at the end and pointed the red tip to Claire's group.

"Your training will be strict, so I do not want to see anyone here with a failing mark for my exam. Is that clear?"

"Y-yes sir…" they all mumbled.

"Yes, what?" Crewel said with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, Professor Crewel…" They all glanced at each other uneasily, wondering how sharp his hearing was.

"We will also be covering fungi later in the year," Professor Crewel said, turning his attention back to the rest of the class, "For now, start by opening your book to page 12…"

"Well, I guess this is like botany with a mix of chemistry," Claire mumbled as she looked at the textbook. "Shouldn't be too bad…"

She glanced over at the others and saw opposite reactions.

"Urgh, I'm not good at memorizing," Ace sighed, resting his cheek against his hand as he stared blankly at the page with a picture of a purple aconite.

"What's a 'founguy'?" Deuce mumbled, looking genuinely perplexed.

"Who cares about the type of plants and what they do?" Grim grumbled as he flipped through the pages, "All that matters is if it tastes good or not."

Their next class was no better in terms of enthusiasm. It was led by a stiff professor named Mozus Trein, and Claire could tell that this was not a teacher she wanted to cross. He had white streaks in his neatly comb-backed gray hair and hard lines on his pale face that gave him a rather stiff and sour disposition. With his maroon robes, black suit, and white gloves, he looked ready to conduct an orchestra. Attached to his collar was a white jabot with a jade green pendant.

In his arms, he carried a chubby black cat with a white muzzle resting in his arms. It glowered at the class with its yellow glowing eyes and scanned across the room with contempt.

"This here is my familiar, Lucius," Professor Trein explained in a deep no-nonsense voice. "He will be assisting me to ensure you are all on your best behavior while in my class. I will not tolerate any sleeping here."

He glared sharply at Claire or rather at Grim who looked ready to fall flat on his face. Lucius seemed to particularly despise him and gave a rather threatening growl in their direction, but the raccoon was oblivious to the hostility or didn't seem to care.

"You will be learning the history of magic in this class," Trein continued, "We will start with the discovery of magic crystals in the Dwarf's Mine on page 15 of your textbook. This discovery led to the "Beginning of Magic" which allowed the use of magic and its energy throughout the world…"

Ace didn't bother to hide his huge yawn while Deuce scribbled furiously in his notebook word-for-word.

"Why are we taking this class?" Grim complained as Claire poked at him with the eraser end of her pencil. "I want to use flashy and explosive magic."

Third period was 'Physical Education' or 'P.E.', and perhaps the one class that Claire dreaded the most. It was led by a rather broad-shoulder man named Ashton Vargas. He had a square face and dark brown thin beard with hair that was styled into a pompadour. Around his neck was a shiny whistle that was to become Claire's number one despised enemy.

"Look at all these muscles I built from eating raw eggs every day," Vargas greeted the class, posing like a bodybuilder in front of the class, his bulging arms threatening to rip his clothes. His red jacket with golden brown stripes had a golden stag on the upper left pec though it looked more like a jackalope from the way the muscle stretched the fabric. "Becoming a great mage requires one important thing – stamina and muscles!"

Isn't that two things? Claire thought as Vargas started to pose again. Deuce and a couple of the other guys stared with awe while Ace and Claire looked with disbelief and slight disdain.

"You bean sprouts focus so much on your magic that you need to be reminded of the importance of stamina. We'll start with 20 laps around the track and then 100 pushups! Let's move!"

It took all of Claire's sheer willpower to not groan as they all headed to the track field. "You seem happy," she said to Deuce who was clearly the only one excited about all this.

"I'm pretty confident in my speed," he said, as he stared out at the track field. Unconsciously, he started to hop up and down excitedly.

"I've no doubt in that," Claire said, remembering how fast he ran yesterday when they were being chased by that monster in the Dwarf's Mine. "If they have a track team, you should join."

As the other students around them get ready, she glanced down at her PE uniform. All of them were required to wear black long-sleeve tracksuits though Claire's were too long for her. She had to roll up the sleeves of her jacket and the legs of her pants several times. Each student had their own colored gym t-shirt to match their dorm's colors. Ace's and Deuce's were red for Heartslabyul, but since Claire didn't belong to one of the official dorms, hers was a simple white tee. Even though it technically shouldn't bother her, she felt a bit left out.

"I don't hate exercising, but why do we have to deal with a teacher like him?" Ace said, coming over and scratching underneath his neck where the collar was touching. Unlike the rest of them, he tied the sleeves of his tracksuit around his waist.

"What's so fun about running around in a circle? I'm not a hamster." Grim said, staring at the track field with disdain.

"No slacking off!" Vargas roared, the whistle already in his mouth, "Now get to it!" There was a sharp blast of sound, and this time Claire didn't even try to hide her groan.

By mid-afternoon, Grim was at his wit's end.

"I don't wanna go to any more of those boring classes!" he cried and complained.

"You wanted to go to this school. Deal with it," Claire snapped, still feeling very sore from all the running. Vargas had made her do ten extra laps after she failed to meet the ridiculous time limit he set up, and then she almost threw up after attempting to do pushups.

"You know, for a magic school, this is no different from what I had to go through back at home," Ace stated, "It's a lot like regular school."

"Minus the eccentric and weird professors," Claire said mumbled. "Well, I guess it is a good thing then," she added, nodding to Ace's collar.

"Well, it is technically still the beginning of the school year," Deuce said. "I'm sure we'll be doing more magic later on."

"We better," Grim grumbled, "If I have to listen to another lecture about the formation of magic rocks, I'm going to jump out the window."

"Please do," Ace said, "We could all use some quiet for once."

Grim didn't hear him, distracted as they arrived at the cafeteria. Yesterday's fiasco had been cleaned up as if nothing had happened in the first place. Claire sighed a breath of relief when she saw the repaired chandelier gleaming from above.

"Finally, lunch," Grim sighed in elated relief as the aroma of hot food filled his nose. "Ah! It's the buffet!"

Unlike before when they were working as janitors, Claire and Grim now had an array choice of buffet-style food – all served by the cafeteria ghosts. Plenty of students were already eating, so the line wasn't too long of a wait.

"Everything looks delicious," Grim said, drooling as Claire, Ace, and Deuce got trays. His eyes seemed to sparkle at he went down each dish down the line. "Omurice, bacon-and-egg tarts, and grilled chicken! This is heaven!"

"Seriously, is lunch the only time you get excited about?" Ace said, exasperated at Grim's loud voice.

"You should've seen him when he got the premium tuna can from Cro- the Headmaster," Claire said, sighing. Looking at the array, she was pretty surprised at how 'normal' the food looked. She had expected exotic food she had never seen before, but the products were prepared in a similar fashion back at home.

"Hey, Claire!" Grim pointed excitedly, "I want the grilled chicken! There is still one left! Oh, don't forget the omurice and the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches! Oh, what the heck, just take everything!"

"Grim! Watch out!" Claire yelled.

In his excitement, he knocked into two upperclassmen ahead of them. Both were scrawny but one was almost six feet while the other just barely passed five feet.

"Hey, watch it!" the tall one hissed. He then immediately looked down at his tray and wailed. "Godamnit! You broke my egg!" A poached egg lying on top of a bed of pasta had split open with the yolk oozing into it.

"Aw man," his short friend spoke up, "Breaking the egg is the best part of eating the pasta."

"Hey, you stupid raccoon, how are you going to fix this?" the guy snarled, pointing to his plate.

"Hey, look, we're sorry," Claire said quickly, coming over. "I'll get you a new one." However, her offer was ignored as the two seniors turned their attention to her.

"Hey, you're that Magicless. What are you doing here? Butting into our conversation?"

"What? Magicless?" Claire repeated in confusion.

"Hey, that's crossing the line," Deuce said with a glare. However, the two guys ignored him.

"Give us that grilled chicken. And we'll call it even." The upperclassman pointed to Claire's tray.

"What?! No!" Grim interjected. "That's MY chicken!"

"What's this? A first-year not showing any respect to their senior?" the second guy said in mocked shock. Claire took a step back and grabbed Grim by the scruff of his neck before he could set someone on fire.

"Hey, the raccoon may be an idiot, but there's no need for the name-calling," Ace said hotly. He quickly stood between them and Claire and scowled defiantly up at them.

The senior turned to him and began to laugh. "You're from Heartslabyul. I've seen those things before" – he pointed to the collar – "No wonder why you're hanging out with that Magicless and her pet cat. Trying to get some tips from her? Or do you actually think you can actually beat us without your magic?"

Ace placed his tray down on the tray slide and stretched his stiff shoulders. "I don't think. I know."

Claire could almost see the daggers coming from both their eyes.

"Cheeky brat," the senior snorted, cracking his knuckles, "Looks like we still need to beat the cockiness out of you."

"Guys," Deuce interjected, "Using magic for personal use is against the rules…"

"Personal use?!" the upperclassman spat, "This is to teach you all a lesson!" However, the guy never got to the teaching part – Ace grabbed the guy's arm and twisted it, causing him to drop to his knee.

"Why you –" The friend whipped out his magic pen, but Deuce quickly grabbed him by the wrist. "Gah – let go!" The commotion caused several heads to turn and became an embarrassing moment for the upperclassmen.

"Please stop," Deuce said, firmly this time, before turning to Ace. "Ace, let him go as well."

"Like I said," Ace said flatly at the pinned upperclassman before releasing his hold, "I don't need magic to beat you."

"Whatever," he said, scuttling back, "My pasta was getting soggy, so I'll let you off the hook this time!"

"Yeah, that's right! Run away, you cowards!" Grim said smirking as the two left, "Look at them, acting so tough."

"Stop acting like you did everything," Claire snarled and bopped him on the head.

"They started it!" Grim protested, rubbing his head. "They tried to take my chicken!"

"Look, those two weren't in the right, but you didn't apologize when you bumped into them. I had to do that for you," Claire pointed out with a glare. "You're lucky that none of the teachers were here or else you guys would've ended up in detention."

"A simple thank-you could've been enough," Ace countered as he continued down the buffet line, acting as though nothing has happened.

"For what? Beating some guys up? You do realize that Cro – the Headmaster has put me in charge to make sure we don't get into any more fights. I don't want to get into trouble again – Deuce, did you want that pudding?"

"Huh?" Deuce looked up and saw that he was still standing in front of the dessert section while everybody else was already looking for seats.

"What's going on? You've been spacing out a lot." Claire frowned again though this time with concern. "Everything okay?"

"Uh no. I mean, yes, everything is okay," Deuce looked uncomfortable now.

Claire raised an eyebrow but didn't push it further. "Okay, then. Come on, Grim." She turned back to her tray to see to her horror that the pasta, omurice, chicken sandwiches, and rice dishes stacked before her had doubled in size and number. "Grim!"

"What? I'm hungry," he complained, rubbing his belly as Claire started removing three-fourths of the plates off of her tray.

"Unless you're paying, you're eating the same amount as the rest of us," she grumbled.

Grim continued to frown but then asked, "Oh yeah, those dumb humans called you something weird. What does it mean?"

"Weird? Oh, you mean 'Magicless'?" Claire said the strange term nonchalantly.

Ace and Deuce winced at the word. They looked at each other, but both were not willing to be the ones to jump in and explain.

"Well, I'm assuming it means someone without magic, but I'm guessing from what I saw, it is an... insult?" Claire finally said as the silence continued.

"It's a word that means… You know, not having magic and being a… Look, just don't say it again, okay? It's not a good word," Deuce finally said, more interested in staring at his omelet.

"And don't let anyone say that to you ever again," Ace added with a stern look. "You're not a Magic - well, you're not that."

Claire mulled over Ace's and Deuce's words. Although the word meant nothing to her, she understood why they were both so angry for her. "Okay… got it," she finally said as she balanced the tray and walked off.

"Hey, where are you going?" Ace called out.

"Um, over there." Claire pointed to her usual corner, tucked far away from prying eyes. It was the same spot she sat at yesterday.

"There is not enough room for all of us," Ace complained, heading in the opposite direction.

"Us?"

"Yeah, all of us – you, me, Grim, and Deuce. Come on!"

"Wait, aren't you guys supposed to eat with your own dorm?" Claire could feel the eyes of almost every student on their entourage. Not surprisingly, the cafeteria was not a blend of colors but rather patches here and there like a quilt – red, yellow, purple, and so on.

"Well, it is not a requirement. At least I don't think it is a rule," Deuce said, suddenly horrified at the possibility.

"I'm tired of all these rules," Ace announced, sitting down at an empty spot, "Besides, who would have a rule that doesn't let me eat lunch with my friends?"

Claire managed to hide her feelings of stunned shock at his nonchalant statement. Perhaps it was because of how he acted when they first met, but she just never thought Ace would consider her as a friend, even after everything that had happened. She assumed that they would just work as a group during class, but to want to hang out as a friend and to confidently say it... She couldn't help but feel bewildered (and slightly happy).

"Ah man, I'm starving," Ace said, his mouth already full of bread. He continued to ignore the staring, and Claire immediately sat across from him. Deuce looked hesitant though he sat down next to Claire as if to shield her from the gazing.

"Let's eat!" Grim scarfed down his omurice, sighing in content. "The egg is so fluffy. It's like I'm eating a cloud. And the cheese! It melts immediately in my mouth, complementing the lightness of the eggs."

"You should be a food critic, Grim," Claire noted as she took a bite of her pasta.

"Maybe after I become the greatest mage, I'll travel the world to eat yummy food!" Grim said, grinning at the thought. They continued to enjoy their meal for a couple of more minutes before Grim, with his mouth still full, turned to Ace and Deuce.

"By the way, what are the other dorms like? Do they have rose trees and giant bushes and stuff?" he asked.

"You know the Great Seven statues displayed on Main Street?" a voice said that belonged to neither Ace nor Deuce. "Each of the seven dorms represents one of them." The four looked up to see a familiar face with a diamond mark on his cheek.

"You!" Ace almost spat out his water. "You're the guy from earlier!"

"You're the one who tricked us to paint those roses," Grim said. His enjoyment of the food vanished at the sight of Cater.

"Don't be so hostile," he said, sighing dramatically. "I didn't do it because I wanted to. It's just how things are done at our dorm."

"Yet you looked rather happy about it," Deuce muttered.

"Now, now, Deucy," Cater said, waving off the side comment, "Those rules only apply inside our dorm, so for here, I am just your kind and helpful upperclassman."

"Deucy?" Ace almost snorted but managed to turn it into a violent cough. Even Claire couldn't hide a giggle.

"P-please don't call me that," Deuce sputtered, red in embarrassment.

"Don't worry." A guy with short olive hair standing next to Cater laughed. "That's just his way of showing affection."

"Wait, you look familiar… who are you?" Ace asked, pointing to the unexpected Heartslabyul guest. He was taller than Cater by a couple of inches and wore framed glasses over his gold eyes. Like the others, he had a card motif (a black clover) painted right under his left eye.

"My apologies." The guy straightened his blazer and gave a cool smile. "I'm Trey. Trey Clover. I am a Heartslabyul third-year just like Cater. And you" – he turned to Claire, who hastily swallowed her pasta and wiped her mouth – "are in charge of the Ramsha – I mean, the unused dorm, correct?"

"Yes, I'm Claire, nice to meet you." She was about to stand, but Trey immediately waved her off.

"Please, no need to do that. I just wanted to thank you and apologize for all the trouble our guys have caused you. I'm sure you had it difficult." He spoke like an older brother apologizing for his younger siblings' actions.

"Thank you," Claire nodded, "Though technically, it is mostly Ace that has been causing the trouble."

"I'm sitting right here," Ace mumbled, pouting.

"Well, no matter," Cater said breezily, and the two upperclassmen sat down at their table, "Let's put all that aside! We're in the same school, so let's do our best to get along – hey, how about we all exchange numbers! You guys can follow me on Magicam."

He grinned and whipped out his phone again. Despite saying this to the entire group, his peridot-green eyes were focused particularly on Claire.

"Oh uh, I don't have a phone," Claire said in an apologetic voice.

"Whattttt?" Cater gasped melodramatically. "No phone? That's crazy! You're like an endangered species! I couldn't go through five minutes without knowing the latest news and trends."

Claire merely shrugged her right shoulder and continued eating. Even if she had her cellphone, she highly doubted that it would be compatible with any of the messaging apps or social media networks in this world. She wasn't even sure if this place ran on electricity or some magic outlet.

"We can't have that!" Cater declared and then snapped his fingers. "Oh, I know! There's a place nearby that has the newest models for real cheap! How about we go on a date, and I'll help pick one out for you?"

"Cater, you're scaring her," Trey said. "Keep it to a minimum." He gave an apologetic smile to Claire who wasn't sure if she wanted to gag or bolt from the table.

"Oh, my bad," Cater said, scratching the side of his chin in embarrassment. "So, anyway, you were asking about the dorms, right? If you got any questions, Big Brother Cater is here to help!" He gave a cheerful wink and grinned from ear to ear.

"How about you start with our dorm?" Ace interjected with a scowl, "What the hell is up with those crazy 'Laws of the Queen of Hearts'?"

"Ace!" Deuce hissed and glanced frightfully at the two upperclassmen. However, they weren't miffed by the outburst.

"You all know about the legend of the Queen of Hearts, right?" Trey asked. Claire gave a noncommittal shrug while the others merely nodded. "She created the strict rules to create order within the madness of Wonderland."

"Out of respect for the Queen of Hearts," Cater chimed in, "the Heartslabyul dorm wear red and black, just like the color of her dress, and uphold all laws that she had created."

"All?" Claire repeated with slight disbelief, considering that one of the laws required using flamingoes and hedgehogs to play croquet.

"Sounds like a really difficult place to live in," Grim mumbled under his breath.

"Each dorm head differs in how much they enforce the rules," Cater continued with a wave of his hand. "Our previous dorm head was pretty chill when it came to the rules, like painting the roses red for Unbirthdays or feeding the hedgehogs by their first names."

"Riddle just happened to be more of a traditionalist," Trey said, diplomatically. "That's why he ensures that all the rules are enforced."

"That's annoying," Ace mumbled and rolled his eyes in frustration.

"Then, what are the other dorms like then?" Grim asked Trey. "Do they have rules like Heartslabyul?"

Trey slowly contemplated on the question before answering.

"Well, like Cater said, there are seven dorms in total - each dedicated to one of the Great Sevens. There is our dorm – the Heartslabyul – which is founded by the strict nature of the Queen of Hearts. Then there is the Savanaclaw – founded on the fortitude of the King of Beasts. Octavinelle dorm is founded on the benevolence of the Sea Witch; Scarabia on deliberation from the Sorcerer of Sand…"

As Trey listed each dorm, he ticked them off with his fingers.

"The fifth one is Pomefiore, which is founded on the unrelenting efforts of the Beautiful Queen, followed by Ignihyde – the dorm founded by the King of the Underworld's diligence. And…" He paused slightly before continuing, "And finally we have the Diasomnia dorm, which is founded by the gracefulness of the Queen of Thorns. Seven founders, seven dorms."

"That's a lot!" Grim exclaimed, "I wouldn't be able to remember every single one."

"Don't worry," Cater said breezily, "You just need to remember the general idea, and you'll get it in no time!"

"It is also important to remember that the dorm you join is based on the Dark Mirror's judgment on your soul during the entrance ceremony, so you will notice each of their little oddities or quirks," said Trey.

"Like what?" Deuce asked, intrigued at this point.

"Take a look over there," Cater said, motioning to the table over his left shoulder. A group of brawny guys with yellow vests sat around a table. They seemed normal except for one crucial detail.

"Are those animal ears real? And the tails?" Claire stared in shock, wondering how she had missed them this entire time.

"Yes. Is this your first time seeing beastmen?" Trey asked, puzzled by her bewildered look, and Claire realized that she had slipped up on what apparently was common knowledge in this world.

"Um… well…" she stammered.

"Claire, you never been to Afterglow Savanna, right?" Ace quickly asked rather nonchalantly. "I remember you saying that."

Claire shot him a confused look, but something about his gaze made her nod.

"Oh, that makes sense," Cater interjected cheerfully. "Most beastmen live there though there are a few in the larger cities. No worries. Cater is here to explain!" He quickly pulled out his phone and showed photos of people with different animal traits – cat ears, wolf tails, bull horns, and more.

"Beastmen are pretty much people with some land animal characteristics, usually ears and tails. The term is only used for official or medical purposes, so don't expect to hear the word thrown around here much," Cater explained as he swiped past an image of a tanned woman with exotic green scales running along her back.

"They are physically stronger compared to us regular humans, so it is not a surprise most of them are sorted into Savanaclaw. The dorm is usually good in sports and martial arts, though the guys there are a bit hot-headed. Oh, and their colors are yellow and black." He pointed to their armbands at the Savanclaw table before putting down his phone. "Don't worry; I know a couple of people here who have never seen one. Let me guess, you came from the countryside, perhaps up north just outside the Land of Pyroxene?"

"Uh, sort of," Claire mumbled, nodding silently.

She now realized why Ace interrupted and shot him a grateful look. He mouthed the word 'clumsy' back and hid a smirk behind his drink as she flushed in embarrassment. Trey still looked dubious but didn't press on the matter.

"Okay, yellow and black are Savanaclaw," Grim interrupted, "Then what about lavender and gray? And the one with red and yellow?" He pointed to two nearby tables with students who were pouring through columns of thick textbooks. They seemed to be the only groups eagerly studying this early in the school year.

"They're from Octavinelle and Scarabia respectively," Trey answered.

"Those two dorms are known for their intelligence," Cater added, "They usually compete for the top scores during the written exams. Though I will say, Scarabia's current dorm head isn't really that great in studying. A few of us were wondering how he even managed to get in."

"We're getting off-topic here," Ace complained.

"Sorry about that," Trey said, chuckling before checking the other tables, "Oh, good, over there – the students with purple and red bands – they are from Pomefiore." He pointed over three tables away to a group of the most beautiful students Claire had ever seen. Instead of textbooks, their tables were filled with make-up kits and glass vials filled with deep hues of purple, blue, red, and green.

"Do they naturally sparkle like that?" Claire asked, staring at their rather immaculate and pristine looks. Some were checking their faces for blemishes with their handheld mirrors; others were filing their nails.

"No," Trey laughed and shook his head. "That's just how the dorm is."

"Whoa, there is a girl over there?" Grim asked, pointing to a rather petite and frail-looking student with short wavy lavender hair.

"Girl?" Deuce looked flabbergasted. "Here?" He craned his neck to try and get a better look.

Claire couldn't help but stare as well at how cute the student looked with their porcelain doll-like face and the lavender hair that fell gently on their cheeks. That was one thing she noticed while in this school – students here had a wider range of natural hair colors compared to her world.

"Don't be ridiculous," Ace snorted, taking a quick glance over his shoulder before going back to his meal, "That is totally a guy."

"What?!" Claire, Deuce, and Grim looked flabbergasted.

"This is an all-boys school," Ace said before pausing to think. "Well, at least until Claire was enrolled, and the headmaster said she is the first in more than fifty years. Though I can see why you guys got confused. That guy's even prettier than her."

"Oh, shut up," Claire snapped, but Ace merely stuck out his tongue and grinned.

"Come now," Trey said, pacifying the situation before Claire could throw her plastic fork at Ace. "Ace, there is no need to tease the young lady."

"If you're going to act like that, I should set you up on a date with Roselia in the west building," Cater interjected with a playful smirk. "She is rated first-class among the portraits and is rather excellent in teaching the guys here the finer ways of treating a lady."

"Uh, no thanks," Ace said hastily, shaking his head, "No matter how cute she is, she is just a painting."

"Setting your standards kind of high, aren't you?" Cater teased, and this time, it was Ace's turn to blush. Deuce and Claire couldn't help but quietly giggle.

"Well, beauty can definitely take you far in life. Promefiore always ranks high in beauty-related tests and their skin-care regimen is second to none. Their dorm head has over five million followers on MagiCam." Cater pulled out his diamond-patterned phone once more and excitedly showed them the account.

The profile picture was a headshot of a young man with shoulder-length blond hair, dip-dyed with lavender at the tips. His smooth face and seductive purple eyes made Claire wonder if he was a part-time model or even an actor.

"What would I give to have that many followers," Cater sighed as he stared forlornly at the number at the top.

"Hey now, Promefiore is not just about looks," Trey admonished. "Many of them are quite proficient in potion-brewing and curse-casting."

"Oh, yeah, there's that," Cater said sheepishly, "But moving on, the next dorm would be Ignihyde." He craned his neck and looked around the cafeteria before turning his attention back to the group.

"I don't see any here, but you can tell who they are by their blue-and-black arms bands," Cater continued, "Unfortunately, they are a rather private crowd, so I don't exactly have any friends there. I mean, if we were to compare, the Heartslabyul students are a bit more like social butterflies. We mix like oil and water."

"So, they're gloomy and dull," Grim stated flatly.

"Well, that's not the best way to describe them," Trey said with a short laugh. "They're just a quieter group, but they excel in building and designing equipment that requires digital input and magical energy."

"So, that's six so far," Deuce said slowly, counting on his fingers, "Then the last is the… um… Dia-something-or-other?"

"Quit acting like you go it right," Ace said and rolled his eyes, "It's Diasomnia. Like 'insomnia'."

"I know that," Deuce insisted, "I just got a bit tongue-tied. That's all."

"Right Diasomnia… Their colors are green and black. They're over there at that special table over there." Cater pointed at the far end, and Claire realized that the seats were close to where she sat yesterday when she ate lunch as a janitor.

Unlike the other dorms, the students were fewer in number and assembled with military precision – their back straight and eyes looking straight forward. Even their placement of their forks and knives was moved with the same meticulousness. Claire noticed that many of the other students seemed to actively avoid the table and the general area.

"They're kind of like celebrities around here though they got this aura that makes it hard for us normal people to approach them," Cater explained, "Especially their dorm head. That guy has serious 'Don't-come-near-me' vibes."

"Is that a kid?" Ace said, pointing to a small pale kid with pink streaks in his short black hair. He was so short that his face barely reached over the top edge of the table. "Is that even allowed?"

"Well, skipping grades is not too uncommon," Trey said, "However, he isn't a kid. He's a third-year just like…"

"Lilia," a soft voice said. "You may call me Lilia Vanrouge."

The whole group immediately yelped in shock at the sudden appearance of the amused third-year 'kid' hanging upside-down from the air. Claire's eyes widened, recognizing the pattern of speech. This was the same student at the entrance ceremony – he was the one who was frustrated that the school forgot to invite Diasomnia dorm head to the ceremony 'again'.

"D-did he just teleported here?" Grim sputtered in shock.

"Pray tell, I couldn't help but overhear how interested thou was about mine own age." Lilia quickly righted himself back up with his feet lightly touching the ground. His speech was a mix of modern and olden language, and his soft-spoken nature made it even more difficult to understand.

"While I may appear to be a sprightly young boy, I am, as the man with the spectacles has said, a child no longer." Lilia chuckled at their gobsmacked look.

As he spoke, Claire could see a small pair of fangs at the front of his mouth and pointed ears and wondered if he was part-vampire (something that wouldn't surprise her at this rate). His face was ghastly pale from the lack of sun, and his eyes were bloodshot. Despite all that, he sounded healthy and smiled rather friendly-like.

"May I suggest instead of all this speculation from afar and come join our table? After all, are we not all students from the same school?" He gestured to his group with a wave of his hand. Claire glanced over to see that the sternness on the students' faces had not changed.

"They don't exactly look like they are the welcoming type…" Deuce noted quietly.

Lilia chuckled again and turned to the first-years with great interest. "I apologize for interrupting your meal. I hope thou enjoy thy stay here, and if you are in need of any guidance, I will be pleased to help." He gave a quick bow before vanishing once more.

"How did he hear us," Ace whispered hastily, leaning against the tabletop, "Aren't we like over twenty feet away? That's freaky!"

"Well, let's just say that Diasomnia has many… eccentric characters," Trey admitted. "They are in a sense, the elites of this school."

Claire shook her head as if she just got dunk with ice-cold water. Forget elite, those guys are supernatural!

"Many of their members excel in all forms of magic," Trey continued, "Their dorm head, Malleus Draconia, is actually ranked as top-five mages in the world."

"Top five?" Claire repeated as she popped the cap off of her water bottle, "Not to sound rude, but why is he here at this school then?"

"No one knows. Malleus is his own level of crazy," Cater said, shivering slightly, "Though our dorm head has his own brand of crazy too."

"So true!" Ace said angrily, "All I did was eat one piece of tart, and he went and collared me like this. He is so narrowminded and crazy."

"Oh, is that so? I'm narrowminded and crazy?" A Heartslabyul student stood behind Ace. Claire almost choked on her drink while Deuce frantically played charade, indiscreetly trying to signal Ace to shut up.

"Yeah!" Ace continued, not getting the hint, "He's less of a head and more of a tyrant if you ask me."

"Ace!" Deuce finally sputtered, managing to find his voice, "Behind you!"

Ace turned and almost fell out of his seat. "D-dorm head?!"

The very person that had been the source of all their troubles stood before them with his arms folded across his chest.

Author's Notes

Ace and his big mouth again. Sigh...

So, we get to learn about all the dorms and a bit of the world-building of this place.

See you in the next chapter!

-TWSTStories