"What can I say, except you're welcome?"

There's a song that Yuu seems to know, but the rest of the lyrics just escape their mind…so they hum the rest of it as they swept the stone-paved street.

"Is that all you know?" Grim stares at them with the harshest, resting bitch face that he could make, not really enjoying the work that went into wiping down the statues that lined the section of the street they were on. He pauses for a moment to spit out a small, ball of fire to scare away a bird. "Get!"

The last thing he needs is for its droppings to dirty the statue that he's spent almost half an hour wiping down…

"Hmmm…nope!" Yuu smiles dopily at him. "I know more…I think?"

"You think?" Grim heaves out a sigh. "You're starting to worry me."

"I'm sorry, but my memory's kinda fuzzy…" It's like there's a bunch of roadblocks in their brain, keeping them from accessing a lot of their memories. What slips out are the things that stand out the most to them, which just so happens to be songs. "Cleaning, cleaning, cleaning~!"

"Rrrgh…" Grim hisses at another bird that dares to get close.

"Don't hurt it—I like birds." Yuu frowns. "Scaring is okay, but no hurting!"

Chirp, chirp!

Yuu pauses for a moment when a bird lands right on their shoulder. It stares at them for a moment, tilting its head from left to right in question. "Omigosh—Grim, are you seeing this?!"

"I can see." And Grim isn't at all amused at the little friend that Yuu has managed to make. "Must've liked your stupid song."

"Reeaaallly?" Yuu's eyes almost light up with glee. "Then, then…!"

They have to make this song count!

"Not again…" It's not that Grim doesn't like Yuu's singing voice—it's just too, damn early for this. He would love nothing more than to return to the cushy bed that they slept on all night. It was warm, and comfortable…

And then the ghosts startled them awake, like their own personal alarm clock.

"Stupid ghosts." Grim stops to admire his work, taking in the statue of a heavyset woman dressed in regal clothing with a heart motif. "Hmmm…"

Looks clean enough…

Chirp! Chirp!

"Ehhhh?!" Where did all these birds come from?! "Yuu!"

"Ehehehe!" Yuu had no issues whatsoever, towards the birds that were perched on their shoulders and arms. "But if I know you, I know what you'll do~. You'll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream…"

"Are you sure you don't have any magic?" Grim places his paws on his hips.

"Pretty sure the Dark Mirror said no!" Otherwise, they would have finished cleaning Main Street by now. "Maybe the birds just like songs…"

"Well, can you stop singing until after I finish with these statues?" Grim still has six more to go… "Don't want them crapping on me while I work."

"Okaaaay~! C'mon, birdies—it's time to go!" Even though Yuu would rather spend the next hour just playing with the birds, they still have a job to do. "Bye-bye!"

The birds take off to the skies after that, allowing Yuu to return to their previous task of sweeping the streets…

"Sweeping, sweeping…" A yawn escapes their mouth, their eyes soon growing heavy with sleep.

"Oi—you're dozing off again!" It takes Grim a few minutes to realize that, as it's taken him a lot of effort to move from one statue to another. "Hey, you're gonna fall if you don't wake up!"

Thud!

Welp…Grim warned them.

"Zzz…" And yet, somehow, Yuu stays asleep.

"Geez, you just washed those clothes." Oh well—it's not like he's the one that's wearing them… "Hmm…"

Since Yuu is asleep, that means that there isn't anyone stopping him from leaving. Which means that Grim doesn't have to wipe down anymore statues.

"Heh." It's a tempting thought, but if he leaves, then… "Who's gonna watch Yuu?"

He can't just leave them there. Who else is going to open his canned tuna for him? Certainly not that raven-masked headmaster…

"H-Hey!" Grim's fur puffs up as watches a bird perch itself on Yuu's head.

Grim jumps off the statue's pedestal and lands on all-fours. He scampers over to Yuu's sleeping form and scares off the bird. However, unlike the other birds that he's scared off, this one persists. It flies around the area above Yuu, just barely out of Grim's reach as he swipes at the air. There's a part of him that realizes the futility of his actions, but another part of him overrides that and forces him to continue as his pupils dilate.

It keeps him distracted, just long enough for a student with silvery-gray hair and lavender-colored eyes to approach him without getting noticed. He arches his brow at the sight, not knowing what to make of it. The bird perched on his shoulder lets out a few chirps, which quickly catches the attention of the bird that's been keeping Grim distracted.

"H-Hey!" Grim heaves out, his body soon collapsing onto the ground from exhaustion. "Haaaa…"

It really is too early for this shit…

"Aren't you that familiar from the entrance ceremony?" And just like that, Grim is back on his feet, with his fur puffed up and his back arched.

Chirp! Chirp!

Grim's attention shifts towards the bird as it perches itself on the silver-haired student's shoulder, joining the other bird's side. A growl rumbles in the back of his throat, though it quickly dies down when a hand pats his head.

"Nice, nice, kitty." Yuu finally stirs from their sleep, slowly sitting up so they were no longer laying on the cold, hard ground. "Blegh…"

A hiss leaves Grim's mouth before he hides behind Yuu, letting out yet another hiss when the silver-haired student moved towards them. Yuu yawns loudly, taking a moment to rub the sleep out of their eyes before glaring blearily at the student.

"Wha's…the big idea…?" Yuu pauses for a moment, a smile soon spreading across their lips as they yell out, "Bird!"

"Are you okay?" the silver-haired student asks, paying no particular attention to the birds on his shoulder.

"Myeah, was just sleeping." Unfortunately, because they JUST washed these clothes. Yuu sticks out their tongue as they brushed off the dirt covering their sweater. Their hand reaches out to pet Grim, who was still far too wary of the silver-haired student. "Oh…I'm Yuu!"

Introductions are important, after all!

"Silver," the silver-haired student says.

"Like your hair?" Which is really pretty—why are there so many people with nice hair? Yuu doesn't know, but they're kind of envious.

"Mm…I guess." Silver's gaze turns to the birds on his shoulder. "Is this why you brought me here?"

The birds on his shoulder only chirp out a response.

"Aww, were they worried about me?" Yuu laughs sheepishly. "Geez, that's embarrassing…"

Still…it feels kind of nice to have someone worrying about them! Especially since it's just a couple of birds.

"So…don't you have classes?" Yuu isn't so sure when they start, but based on that uniform… "You should probably get going before you're late! If you're worried about me, I'll be fine! I got Grim, here!"

Grim lets out a low growl when Yuu pushes them out into view, no longer allowing him to hide behind them.

"Hey—stop it." Yuu taps Grim's nose with their finger. "You're being rude."

"I'm not apologizin'…" Grim refuses to sink that low.

"Wasn't asking ya." Yuu knows better than to force an apology out of him. "Anyways, Silver…it was nice meeting ya!"

Chirp! Chirp!

"You guys, too!" Yuu can only laugh when the birds take flight, having accomplished whatever task they had in mind.

Silver stares at Yuu for a moment, only nodding his head afterwards. He did have some questions for them, one of them relating to the events of yesterday's entrance ceremony. Of course, based on the way that Yuu's attention kept shifting…those questions are best left for another time.

He leaves after that, deciding to heed Yuu's advice. Once out of sight and earshot, Grim spits out a fireball.

"Ffgnaa…" Grim shakes himself, taking a moment to smooth down his fur. "You're too open."

"Am I?" Yuu tilts their head. "Hmm…anyways! Cleaning!"

"Yeah, yeah," Grim huffs out, returning to his previous post. He picks up the rag on the pedestal and goes back to wiping down the statue of a round woman that possessed the bottom half of an octopus. "Just who are these people?"

"Hmm…" Yuu stumbles over to the statue that Grim was cleaning. If they recall correctly, this person should be…a cecaelia. "Poor unfortunate souls…"

The phrase stands out in their head, alongside a melody that they start to hum.

"You're strange." The only thing keeping Grim from whapping Yuu in the face with his paw is self-control. That, and he's certain that it'll only encourage them to touch his paw pads. "Hey!"

He whaps them anyways, because their finger prodded the softer parts of his belly.

"You're so cute!" Yuu only laughs. "Still…there's something really familiar about these guys…"

It's as though they've seen them before…

"How do you not know about the Great Seven?" asks a teenaged boy with dark, orange hair, fair skin, and red eyes. His presence is so sudden, that it startles Yuu into almost hitting him with a broom. "H-Hey!"

He manages to dodge in time.

"Don't sneak up on people like thaaaaat!" Yuu whines childishly, their cheeks puffing up afterwards. "You're gonna make Grim spit out fire."

"Haaack." Grim coughs up a cloud of smoke, having accidentally swallowed his own fire.

"You okay?" Yuu frowns.

"Nooo." All Grim can taste is smoke.

"Geez, this is why you can't go scaring others!" Yuu places their hands on their hips. "Tha's just rude…"

"S-Sorry." The teenaged boy laughs nervously, a small bead of sweat rolling down his face. "I overheard and just…you really don't know the Great Seven?"

"Great Seven?" Yuu tilts their head. "Hmm…nope!"

"Wow, not only do you not have magic, but you've also been living under a rock!" The teenaged boy laughs as though it's the funniest thing he's ever heard.

"If you're just gonna poke fun at me, then at least tell me your naaaaame." Yuu puffs up their cheeks again.

"I'm Ace Trappola—a fresh-faced first-year!" He smiles widely at Yuu. "Nice to meet you!"

"Call me Yuu!" Yuu jabs a thumb to their chest. "And this is Grim!"

"Heh." Grim coughs out another cloud of smoke before going back to his task of wiping the statue.

"Whoa, you really have him under control." It's nothing like last night, Ace notes.

"That's because he knows better." At least, Yuu hopes he does. "Hey, hey—do you know Trey?"

"Trey—you mean the vice head of Heartslabyul?" Ace arches his brow.

"Heartslaaaaa…laaabbb…" That's a mouthful. "That."

"Not really, but…I did see him last night." Alongside the knowledge of what consequences would befall any rulebreaker in Heartslabyul. Ace would rather avoid ever being on the receiving end of his dorm leader's wrath. "Why you asking?"

"Heart!" Yuu makes a heart-shaped formation with their hands, holding it over their left eye. "It's not clover, buuut…it matches a card motif!"

"Yeah, I was told to pick a card, and I got the ace of hearts." It was rather lucky, too, since it matched his name. "That's how I got this marking."

"Nice!" Yuu laughs. "Nice, nice, nice, Aaaace!"

"You're having too much fun," Grim remarks.

"Fun, fun, fuuun~!" Yuu pauses for a moment and goes back to sweeping the street. "But only after cleaning!"

"You're really strange…" And yet, Ace can't help but find himself drawn to Yuu's eccentric behavior. It's too interesting to ignore. "Say, if you're willing to listen, I can tell you about the Great Seven."

"Sure, sure!" Yuu chirps.

"I listen for 'em." Grim doesn't trust Yuu to pay any attention. At the same time, he's rather curious about the Great Seven himself, so… "What can you say about that lady over there."

His tail points to the statue of the heavyset woman in regal clothing.

"That's the Queen of Hearts!" Ace answers with a smile on his face, his gaze soon fixating itself on the statue. "In the past, she was the queen who lived in the Rose Maze. She was someone who valued rules and discipline above all, strict in all things from the march of the Card Soldiers to the color of the rose bushes."

"Sounds obsessive," Yuu says, catching Ace by surprise with how close they had gotten.

"When did you…!" He didn't even see them move!

"While you were rambling on," Grim replies, taking a moment to use his hind leg to scratch behind his ear. "You never once looked away from the Queen of Hearts."

"Oh…" Ace laughs awkwardly.

"Go on," Yuu encourages him. "You still have more to say, don't you?"

"Yeah." Ace nods his head. "Continuing from where I left off, it was a land of madness where everyone submitted to her rule. Why?"

There's a small pause, which prompts Yuu to ask, "Why?"

"Because those who disobey…will soon lose their heads!" Ace laughs at the startled shriek that leaves Yuu's mouth, having just tugged on their sweater's high neckline.

"H-Heyyy!" Yuu retaliates by jabbing their elbow into Ace's side. "Don't do that!"

"Then don't leave yourself so wide open!" Ace's laughter only grows louder when he slaps away a blue-colored fireball. "Nice try, Grim!"

"That's Grim-sama to you!" Grim retorts, a stream of smoke soon leaving his mouth.

"Such a sassy familiar…you should discipline it more." Otherwise, it'll cause a scene again. "Before it sets someone's ass on fire again."

"Don't tempt me." Grim narrows his eyes.

"I'll let him if you don't behave." Yuu isn't as nice as they appear. At least, not to pranksters who like to mess with their sweater's neckline.

"Is that a threat?" Ace huffs out a laugh. "You don't seem like the type."

"Oh, it's not a threat…it's a promise!" Yuu looks at Ace through the heart-shaped formation that they make with their hands. "So don't push your luck."

"To say that so casually, with a face like that…" It reminds Ace of his dorm leader. "I'd say you're the one pushing your luck, since you're so short."

"You wanna lose your kneecaps? Because that's how you lose your kneecaps." Yuu's got a broom, and they're not afraid to use it! "I won't hesitate."

"Oh, I'm sooo scared of someone without a speck of magic!" Ace says, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Look at you, acting so tough."

"Geh!" Yuu's face scrunches up in discomfort when Ace pinches their cheek. "Stoooppp!"

That actually hurts!

"You should go back to kindergarten if you're gonna act so childishly." A mischievous grin tugs at Ace's lips. "You might actually learn a few things, like manners and about the Great Seven."

"Fuunaaaahhhh!" Grim doesn't hold back this time, expelling an even larger ball of fire from his mouth. It bursts upon impact with the stone-paved ground, like a water balloon that's been thrown. The flames quickly spread outwards, soon reaching Ace's feet.

"H-Hey!" Ace releases Yuu's face and jumps out of the way. "You trying to pick a fight?!"

"It's what you get for pissing me off." Grim places his paws on his hips. "Keep it up, and I'll make that hair of yours look even more like an explosion."

"Okay, then—you asked for it!" Ace removes the jewel-tipped pen from his blazer's pocket. He waves it at Grim, sending a gust of green-colored wind in his direction. The force is enough to knock him off the statue's pedestal, prompting Yuu to drop their broom and hold out their arms to catch Grim.

"H-Hey!" Yuu stumbles and nearly loses their footing. Moving around is so difficult, when everything feels like they're balancing on a beam. "What the hell, man?!"

"He started it," Ace reasons, not one to back down when he's been provoked.

"Yeah, but you continued it!" Yuu adjusts their hold on Grim, not particularly minding how his claws were clinging to their sweater. "If you're gonna tell people to go back to kindergarten, then don't act so childishly. Geez…"

Ace sputters and gapes, his expression soon contorting into a scowl when Grim started laughing at him.

"Yuu's got you there!" If his claws weren't tangled up in the fabric of Yuu's sweater, then Grim would have pointed a paw at Ace.

"Rrrgh…I'm out of here." Ace has stuck around long enough… "You're not worth my time."

"Not so fast!" A claw-tipped hand reaches out and grabs Ace by the shoulder. "Don't think you've gone unseen."

"Geh!" Ace recoils at the sight of Crowley's glowing, yellow eyes. "Headmaster…"

"Starting fights before class, huh?" Crowley's gaze stares down at Ace.

"N…No." A bead of sweat drips down Ace's face.

"Then don't use your magic so carelessly!" Crowley's head turns to Yuu and Grim. "As for you two…didn't I tell you to keep an eye on Grim?"

"Sorry!" Yuu bows their head. "I didn't expect him to try and set Ace on fire."

"He had it coming." Grim will not apologize for that.

"Griiiiimmmm!" Yuu whines. "You're not helping!"

"While I commend the three of you for not letting your altercation escalate…I still have to criticize the location at which it took place." Crowley gestures at the seven statues within the vicinity. "Do you understand the risks that come with causing any of these statues harm?"

"Y…Yes…" Ace averts his gaze, his tone rather quiet.

"You…what's your grade and name?" Crowley asks, his gaze never once leaving Ace.

"A-Ace Trappola…first year." Ace chokes back a scream when Crowley's grip tightened around his shoulder. It isn't enough to hurt, but the sudden action did catch him by surprise…

"A first-year, huh?" Crowley tilts his head, taking note of the heart on Ace's face. "From Heartslabyul, no less? You should understand the consequence that come from breaking any rules, no?"

"Y…Yes." Ace closes his eyes, already feeling a wave of regret washing over himself.

"Then you shall be punished accordingly, with Grim and Yuu, here." Crowley finally releases his hold on Ace's shoulder. "And your punishment will be to wash one-hundred windows around campus."

"That's it?" Yuu asks, quickly getting a hand clamped over their mouth.

"Shhh!" Ace hisses at them, not wanting Yuu to tempt Crowley into worsening their punishment.

"The most you three have done is cause a scene for those around." Crowley turns his head to scare off any students that lingered within the area. "While also putting the statues of the Great Seven at risk of harm… For future references, should you decide to fight again…try somewhere more secluded. Or better yet—don't fight at all…understand?"

"Yes…" Ace nods his head, motioning Yuu to do the same, since his hand still covered their mouth. Grim, however, just yawns loudly and closes his eyes.

"Then after school, meet up in the cafeteria." Crowley waves his hand at Ace to dismiss him. "You may leave now. If you dawdle any longer, then you'll be late for class."

"Yes…" Ace heaves out a sigh as he removes his hand from Yuu's mouth and takes his leave.

"As for you two…you may continue where you left off." From what Crowley's seen so far, Yuu and Grim have been making good progress…at least, until Ace entered the picture. "Try not to get too distracted."

"We wooooon't!" Yuu sets Grim down on a statue's pedestal. "Keep cleaning, Grim!"

"Hmmm." Grim scratches his ear a few times before accepting the rag that Yuu hands him. Then, without saying another word, he goes back to wiping down the statue.

Yuu grabs their broom off the ground. "Cleaning, cleaning, cleaning~!"

Chirp, chirp!

And just like that, a bird lands on Yuu's head, chirping along with the nonsensical song that they sang. It's an interesting sight that leaves Crowley thinking for a moment before taking off.

Cleaning up Main Street from the main gate to the library goes…a lot faster than Grim had ever expected it to go. It helps that there were squirrels that were using their tails to sweep up the streets, and birds to pick up any fallen trash.

All because Yuu decided to sing a song…about cleaning.

"You really are strange." Grim sighs as he leans back into Yuu's stomach.

Growl.

"You need to eat." It's sometime past noon, and while the library did have a lot of interesting things to see, Grim didn't find it particularly useful, because Yuu kept. Falling. ASLEEP.

"Mrrrgh, fiiiine!" Yuu lifts their head off the table. "But only because I can't read."

Not that they can't read—because they can, it's more that they…really can't, because of processing issues. The words just…didn't want to stick.

"Oof!" It really takes until Yuu stands up, with Grim in their arms, to realize just how sore they are. "Aaaugh…"

"Feeling it, huh?" Grim's ears flatten themselves as he heaves out a sigh. "Me too."

"This sucks." And they still have to wash a hundred windows… "Oh well—food time!"

The cafeteria isn't that hard to find—not with Grim's nose picking up the smell of food. Inside, is a grand hall, filled with students eating to their very fill. The cafeteria is set like a buffet, offering a wide variety of foods, limited only by its current quantity.

"Whoaaa!" Grim's pupils dilate as he stares at a plate of grilled chicken. "Hey, hey—take that one!"

"Hold on!" Yuu is too busy going after a serving of rice pilaf and hamburger steak. "Ahhh!"

Yuu is just as excited as Grim to see so much food. They have to pause for a moment to wipe away the drool trickling from their mouth. By the time they head over to a table, their tray is filled with various plates of food. Of course, they set aside the ones that had caught Grim's eye, allowing him to dig in as soon as he had hopped off Yuu's shoulder. He has a hard time eating through the chicken, causing Yuu to momentarily turn away from their own food to cut Grim's food into tiny, bite-sized pieces.

"There!" Yuu grins widely, feeling oddly elated to see Grim eating so easily. "Now it's my turn! Thanks for the food!"

Yuu opens their mouth wide and shovels in a spoonful of rice pilaf. It tastes just as good as it looks, which only encourages Yuu to eat even more. They get so preoccupied with their food, that they don't even notice that a certain Trey Clover has approached them.

"You should try to take it easy." Trey uses a napkin to wipe away the grains of rice that had stuck to Yuu's face.

"Trey!" Yuu smiles widely. "How's it going?"

"It's…going." Trey laughs nervously as he pushes aside the memories of last night's punishment.

"Hey, what brings you all the way over here, Trey-kun?" Cater Diamond drops by, having noticed how far Trey had stray. He arches his brow at the sight of Yuu and Grim. "Oho, is that the magic-less person and their familiar from the entrance ceremony?"

"I'm no one's familiar!" Grim pipes up, nearly choking on a piece of chicken.

"Hey, heeyyy—chew carefully." Yuu pats Grim's back gently. "Slow, sloowww…"

"Ahh, you're a lot cuter closer up!" Cater sets his tray on the table and pull his phone. "Lemme take a selfie with you!"

Without even waiting for Yuu to respond, Cater moves in closer and snaps a picture. The flash momentarily blinds Yuu, though it doesn't stop them from shoveling another spoonful of pilaf into their mouth.

"What's your name, so I can tag you?" Cater's finger moves across his phone's screen.

"It's Yuu." Just Yuu…nothing else, because Yuu can't remember.

"I'm Cater Diamond!" Cater flashes Yuu a smile. "Call me Cater, or Cay-kun if you'd like."

"Cater…Diamond!" Yuu points at the area underneath their right eye. "Like so?"

"Yep, yep!" Cater laughs. "How'd you meet them, Trey-kun?"

Trey pauses for a moment to cough into his hand. "Last night…"

"Oh~?" Cater's eyes widen. "Is this who kept you out so late?"

"Yes." Trey sighs.

"That makes a lot of sense!" Cater claps his hand over Trey's shoulder. "You're a good guy, you know?"

"Please don't." Trey carefully pulls Cater's hand off of his shoulder.

"Heehee…say, what's your number?" Cater turns his attention back on Yuu.

"Don't have one." On account of Yuu not having their phone…would it get signal here? "Hmmm…"

"You don't have one?!" Cater takes a step back, his eyes wide with shock. "No way—that's so rare!"

"Ehh…" It's not much of a bother to Yuu…not yet, at least.

"I know a place to get the newest models for cheap~!" Cater holds up his index finger, a smile soon spreads across their lips. "How about we go on a date to choose one?"

"Date?" Yuu repeats, their brow furrowing in confusion.

"Cater—hold back a bit." Trey laughs nervously.

"Ahaha, sorry, sorry!" It's hard for Cater to resist sometimes. He winks playfully at Yuu. "Maybe some other time?"

A hiss leaves Grim mouth at that comment. He glares at Cater, his fur practically bristling. There's a low growl that rumbles in the back of his throat, which only stops when Yuu starts petting his head.

"Calm down, calm down—I don't date people I just met." It's too awkward for Yuu, though…they might make some exceptions if food is involved. Of course, the date Cater offered them only involved phones, so… "Ask me again when we've gotten to know each other better."

Maybe then, Yuu will think differently…or not. Who knows?

"Yeah, yeah!" Cater laughs.

"So this is what's kept you two here." A short-heighted boy with red hair and silver-colored eyes approaches their table, his arms folded over his chest. "You…you're from the entrance ceremony."

"Hiiiii!" Yuu waves their hand. "I'm Yuu, and you…?"

"Riddle Rosehearts," he replies, his tone just as icy as his expression. "Have you managed to reel in that familiar?"

"Grim's not a familiar, buuuuuut…he's been behaving!" In his own way…it still needs work, but Yuu feels he's been making good progress. "So what brings you here?"

"These two…" Riddle's gaze shifts towards Trey and Cater. "Don't just stand around, chatting—finish lunch and head to your next class. Laws of the Queen of Hearts, No. 271: One should eat lunch and leave their seat within fifteen minutes."

"Well, it's a good thing they're not sitting!" Yuu points out, blissfully oblivious to the look of annoyance that briefly crosses Riddle's expression.

"My, my." Cater laughs awkwardly.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind." Trey steps in, to prevent the situation from escalating. "I was just checking up on Yuu."

"Hmm." Riddle tilts his head upwards. "I suppose the Headmaster had his reasons for this unexpected guest. Still, I think he's too lenient on letting that creature remain on campus."

There's a low growl that escapes Grim's mouth, but Yuu quickly shushes him. "Behave!"

"Or would you rather have your magic sealed off again?" Riddle asks.

"Rrrgh…" Grim grits his teeth, still seething over yesterday's events. After a few gentle pats to his head, he stands down, albeit, reluctantly. "You win this round."

"Hmmm…I guess you are right," Riddle remarks. "He has been behaving."

"Don't push it!" Grim hisses out before going back to eating his meal.

"Anyways, I like your hair!" It's a very nice shade of red, with two strands that form a heart on top of his head. "Very nice, and cute!"

"Cute?" Riddle huffs out. "Don't call me that."

"Too late!" Yuu chirps. "Can I touch your hair?"

"No." Riddle clicks his tongue. "Have some self-control."

"I'll try!" No promises though! "You can sit down with me if you want—I don't mind."

"I do," Grim says with his mouth full of food.

"Be nice." Yuu taps Grim on the nose. "Anyways…you up?"

"I'm afraid I'll have to decline." Riddle has other important matters to handle. "I'll be taking my leave, but do try to set a better example, Trey—you're vice leader, after all."

"Understood!" Trey smiles nervously as he's reminded, yet again, about last night's events.

Riddle nods his head and walks off, leaving Trey and Cater alone with Yuu and Grim. There's a small moment where neither says anything, but as soon as Riddle was out of earshot, Cater opens his mouth and says, "Wow, I don't think I've ever seen him act like that."

"Yuu is…rather unique." For a lack of better terms, Trey all but says. "Still…you are rather forward."

"It certainly helps that Yuu-chan has no connection to Heartslabyul!" Cater reasons. "Must be nice to act so freely, without any fear!"

"Do try to keep that to yourself, Cater." Trey adjusts his glasses. "Anyways, it seems I left something back at the dorm that you're staying in…"

"Ahh, the umbrella!" Yuu knew that they were forgetting something. "I can bring it to you right now!"

"There's no need," Trey reassures them. "I'll get it myself…that is, if you'll allow me to come over again."

"It's fine, it's fine!" Yuu smiles widely. "Just make sure I'm there first!"

"Hey, can I visit too?" Cater asks a bit too eagerly, his eyes absolutely sparkling at the idea of finding a few photogenic locations.

"Yep—but not today!" Yuu has no idea how long it's going to take them, Ace, and Grim to finish washing aaaaalll of those windows. "Maybe tomorrow!"

"No take-backsies~!" Cater playfully winks at Yuu. "Anyways—it's time to eat!"

"Can't waste too much time, or else we'll be late for our classes…" Trey finally sets his tray down on the table, sitting down afterwards in the empty space next to Grim. He ignores the resting bitch face that's fixated on him and eats his food without saying another word.

Cater spends a good three minutes trying to find the right angle for his food. Once he finds it, he snaps a quick photo and starts going through the motions of posting it on his MagiCam account. "Oho~? You've gotten quite a few likes, Yuu!"

Now for him to see what the comments say…

"What's wrong?" Yuu tilts their head to the side.

Cater averts his gaze, his smile somewhat wavering. "It's nothing."

Something about the way other people were asking if Yuu was single… is making Cater feel somewhat annoyed. On his post, too…

"If you say so…" Yuu goes back to eating, deciding that they've wasted enough time talking. They still had a lot more food to go…

It takes less than ten minutes for Cater and Trey to finish their meals. Cater lingers a few minutes longer, though he gets up just shortly before the fifteen-minute mark.

"Sorry, sorry—but rules are rules!" he tells Yuu. "Gotta head to class now!"

"We'll be seeing you," Trey says with a smile on his face. "Do take care of yourself."

Lunch is a lot less lively, now that Trey and Cater have left, but Yuu doesn't mind it much. Grim certainly appreciates the silence, no longer growling or showing any visible disdain.

"You know, you're still kinda rude." Yuu gently prods Grim's stomach. "But you're doing better!"

"Don't expect anything else from me." As things are now, Yuu is still pushing their luck…but they're at least within Grim's tolerance range. "Now hurry, and finish eating before you pass out again."

Which does happen—but only after Yuu has finished eating. Grim isn't at all surprised, though he's more preoccupied with keeping other students away from Yuu when a few of them get too curious. The only time he's unsuccessful is when a student with dark blue hair and teal eyes completely ignores him in favor of collecting the trays filled with empty plates on them. He walks off after that, without ever once saying a word.

There was a marking over his right eye that makes Grim wonder if he's in the same dorm as Cater, Trey, Riddle, and Ace. Just the mere thought of Ace makes Grim's face contort into a scowl. Hopefully, it doesn't take them that long to wash a hundred windows.

Hopefully.

All Ace wanted to do was head back to his dorm after classes were dismissed. Instead…

THUD!

He got tackled by some pint-sized brat who can barely even walk in a straight line, let alone run—and yet, they were too damn fast for comfort!

"Whooaaa…" Yuu laughs. "I didn't think that'd work!"

"How are you so damn fast?!" Grim peers over Yuu's shoulder.

"I'd like to know that too, if you can just…GET OFF ME!" Ace is aware that he is causing a scene before every passing student that entered the Hall of Mirrors.

"Not until you wash those windows!" Yuu reaches out to pinch Ace's cheek. "Lazy bum…"

"Stop that!" Ace grabs onto Yuu's wrist and pulls their hand away from their face. "You don't even weigh that much—I can totally kick your ass!"

And he tries by turning the tables, rolling over so that Yuu and Grim are pinned beneath his weight.

"You're so scrawny—how were you able to knock me down?!" Ace can wrap his fingers around Yuu's wrists, and still have room left over.

"Physics!" is Yuu's only response. "I think…"

Ace makes a face. "You are so weird."

Going unnoticed, is Grim as he manages to slip out from under Yuu. He shakes himself, his fur puffed up at the ends. He looks at the scene before him, about ready to complain before a brilliant idea struck his mind…

He's put up with enough shit already, so why shouldn't he sit this task out for once?

"I did tell Yuu not to expect anything else from me." So Grim takes his leave, while Yuu and Ace rolled around on the floor, deciding that they can do all the work.

It lasts until a student from Heartslabyul, with dark blue hair and teal eyes, steps in to stop the fight from escalating—if it could even be called a fight. It looked more like some sort of impromptu wrestling match that got nowhere.

"Just what are you even doing?" he asks, somewhat frustrated as he tightens his grip on Ace's blazer.

"Trying to keep him from skipping out on washing a hundred windows," Yuu answers, as though it's obvious, which catches the blue-haired student by surprise. "Crowley put us up to it, because he and Grim decided to fight around those statues."

"You get into a prestigious school, and then do something like that on the first day?" The blue-haired student stares at Ace with a look of disapproval, which only sours his mood.

"Shaddup—who even are you?" He scowls.

"I'm Deuce—Deuce Spade," the blue-haired student replies. "We had class together, so the least you can do is remember your classmates' faces."

"Big talk coming from someone who hasn't memorized them all either…" Ace mutters under his breath.

"What was that?" Deuce pulls Ace closer to himself.

"Hey, hey!" Yuu forces their way between Ace and Deuce so as to keep them apart. "No fighting—too many witnesses. Also Crowley will disapprove."

And if Crowley disapproves, that might mean they'll have to wash even more windows, and now that Yuu stops to think about it, a hundred windows is a lot when it's just between two people and a catlike monster…who has suddenly gone missing.

"Grim?" Yuu calls out. "Oh no…"

Crowley is going to be super disappointed in them!

"That little bastard ditched us!" Ace clenches his fists.

"Didn't you also try to ditch?" Deuce remarks, quickly catching the punch that Ace throws at him.

"You're not even involved in this!" he snaps.

"I am now." It's now part of Deuce's business to get involved.

"Well, then Juice—help us catch that furball!" Ace finally breaks free from Deuce's grip. He takes a moment to adjust his blazer before running off to go catch Grim.

"It's Deuce!" Deuce corrects before running after Ace. "Deu!

"Heeeeeeyyy!" Yuu soon follows after them, not wanting to be left behind. "Wait uuuuppp!"


A/N Lmao, I KNOW IT'S BEEN A WHILE...but I legit kEPT. Forgetting to update here, because I keep posting on AO3 first and like, I get so EASILY distracted. ANYWAYS, gonna try NOW, to actually get this fic up to date with what's on AO3.

Been busy with classes now, since I'm back to school (UGH). Enough about that, though, let's just talk, yeah?

Grim's a lot more docile, but he STILL acts up…just like a cat. :3

Also, just so everyone knows, Yuu has no magic. This is just some elaborate joke that I took seriously after a passage I wrote made it seem like Yuu's singing attracted a bird, so I talked it over with friends in the Bread and Bitter Discord, and just…YEAH. Current explanation that I'm sticking with is that MC gets referred to as a Beast Tamer, soooo…that's just Yuu being a Beast Tamer.

Hence why Grim's been a lot more chill. Very protective of Yuu, though again, he's willing to ditch her the instant he sees an opening. That's just how he is…at the moment.

Moving on, Ace and Deuce have made their appearance! Cater has met Yuu, and part of his interest in her stems from the fact that he likes cute things and it's also a reference to the rerolls I did when I was first starting up Twisted-Wonderland. Cater KEPT showing up in my rolls, when I was aiming for Riddle's SSR form. So now it's just carried over to this fic.

As usual, let me know if you see any mistakes (especially since I KEEP forgetting to edit the mistakes I've seen on AO3, and I'm just copy-pasting from there). And it'd be hella cool if you can drop down and leave a review, yeah? I crave validation, since it keeps me going!

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Until next time, everyone! KD out! XD