Yuu doesn't start eating until after they've cut Grim's food into tiny, bite-sized pieces. By then, Trey has finished listing off the other dorms, having been asked about them by Grim.

"There's no way I'm gonna remember them all!" Between waiting for Yuu to finish cutting his food, and listening to Trey throughout it all, Grim could not be bothered to memorize any of the other dorms' names. It's a hassle enough as is, just even being able to say Heartslabyul.

"I wasn't even paying attention." Yuu laughs awkwardly.

"You can at least try to pretend, like Deuce." A mischievous smirk tugs at Ace's lip.

"I was not pretending!" Really, he wasn't—Deuce just…got distracted by Cater's tapping. "What are you even doing, Senpai?"

"Hmm?" Cater blinks, his gaze shifting away from his phone's screen. "Oh, just posting a video of Grim on MagiCam—don't you find his docile behavior rather adorable?"

"Huuhh?" Ace makes a face. "I guess you would be the type to find him cute."

"Ahh, so mean~!" Cater laughs nervously.

"Shot down again by your own kouhai, huh?" It's not the first time that Trey has seen it happen. Although, by now, Cater has since learned to deal with it, instead of moping around all day on MagiCam.

"At least I have Yuu-chan!" Cater gives them a playful wink, his heart almost skipping a beat at the sight he sees when Yuu responds to him by mirroring his actions. "Ahh!"

"Paisen!" Yuu chirps out. "I can call you that—right?"

"I don't mind it!" If anything, Cater is more than thrilled to have someone call him that. "Quite the forward one, aren't you?"

It's just like yesterday, only…Riddle isn't around.

"Hmm…" Now that Cater stops to think about it, where is he? "Is Riddle-kun around?"

"I believe he's still in the middle of eating his food—you know how focused he is during mealtimes." Trey knows it far too well, considering how difficult it is for him to interrupt Riddle at times.

"Is he always that strict?" Ace makes a face.

"You get used to it!" Somewhat—even Cater has difficulty adjusting. "Just avoid getting on his bad side."

"I guess it's too late for that, huh?" Cater only smiles when Ace directs a harsh glare in his direction. "Sorry, sorry—I didn't mean it like that!"

Sort of—Ace's earlier rejection still did sting in ways that Cater couldn't completely ignore.

"Heartslabyul sure has it rough." Yuu can't even imagine how they'd fare amongst their ranks.

"Maybe—but don't you think the Queen of Hearts is adorable?" Cater sure does. "Even some of her rules can be cute."

"That's certainly one way to view it." If Trey had any doubts left regarding Cater's placement in Heartslabyul, then that comment did a decent job at stamping them out. "It's no wonder the Dark Mirror placed you in Heartslabyul instead of Pomefiore."

"Would you say I'd be a perfect match for Pomefiore?" It's an interesting thought for Cater to consider. "Or have you been eavesdropping again on the other second-years?"

"I assure you, it wasn't on purpose." Trey coughs into his hand.

"What's that about Pomefiore?" Deuce asks, somewhat confused with the conversation going on between Cater and Trey.

"Rather than explain it, maybe it'd be best if you look at one of their students instead." Trey takes a quick look around the cafeteria, his gaze immediately fixating itself on a delicate-looking boy with blue eyes and lavender-colored hair. "For example—"

"Whoa, that girl's super cute!" Grim rudely interrupts Trey.

"Eehh?!" Deuce's eyes widen. "But this is an all-boys school?!"

"Idiot." Ace narrows his eyes at Grim. "There's no way they'd let a girl enroll at an all-boys school!"

"You're not wrong, exactly…" Trey nervously chuckles, feeling somewhat flustered over how he'd been interrupted. "Though, that only really applies at the time of your admission. Beyond that, anything goes after you've been sorted by the Dark Mirror."

"Life is full of surprises!" Cater pipes up. "One day, you think you have it all figured out—and then the next, your roommate realizes that they're actually a girl."

"It's happened twice for Cater." And at least once for Trey. "Don't be too surprised if it happens to you."

"So it's not just boys, then…" Well, that changes everything for Deuce.

"Huh." It's a lot for Grim to take in, but… "I guess that makes sense."

"It does, doesn't it?" Yuu smiles warmly at Grim as they scratch behind his ear.

It's not as though Yuu's admission goes against what they've just learned, especially considering the exceptions that Crowley has made for the two of them. It's why Grim decides to keep the questions he has to himself.

"So then…" Ace turns his attention back on that lavender-haired boy. "Boy?"

"Rather than make any assumptions, it's better to not make them at all—especially when it involves Pomefiore." Trey takes a moment to adjust his glasses. "Having said that, what is the first thing you notice about that student?"

"Pretty!" Yuu raises their hand.

"Sparkling?" Deuce suggests.

"Uhh…" Ace is at a loss for words. "Flashy?"

"Flashy might be the best word that describes it." It certainly describes Cater, in Trey's opinion. "Though, that mostly depends on how you view Cater."

"Ahh, do you have to say it like that?" Cater forces a laugh. "Though, it's true that Pomefiore scores pretty high on looks, especially with that beauty regime of theirs. In fact, their Dorm Leader is pretty famous on MagiCam, having over five million followers—and counting!"

"Lemme see!" Yuu can tell that Cater is looking at that account right now.

"Oho~, interested in seeing such a beauty?" Cater can certainly understand that. "You should make an account, so you can follow him for yourself."

"Don't have a phone, though…" Yuu huffs out.

"Then…how about I make one for you?" It would make it easier for Cater keep track of the photos and videos he's taken of them. "Just so you have something to fall back on when you finally get a phone!"

"Okay!" Yuu stays especially still when Cater takes a photo of them and Grim.

"We'll worry about the small details later, for now—here you go!" Cater smiles widely as he shows Yuu their MagiCam account. "Now let's just take you to Vil Schoenheit's account so you can follow him…and there we go!"

"Ahh, is that him?!" Yuu's eyes go wide at the fair-skinned young man that appears on Cater's screen. "He's so pretty!"

"Isn't he?" It's nice to see that he and Yuu have similar tastes.

"Whoa, I think I've seen him before on TV!" Ace pushes Yuu out of the way. "He goes to this school?!"

"Don't be so rude!" Deuce only manages to keep Yuu from falling out of their seat. "Geez…"

"I'm okay!" Yuu reassures him.

And yet, that's not enough to keep Grim from contemplating arson. It takes a light tap to his nose to snap him out of it.

"No fire!" Yuu says, their tone somewhat stern.

"Hmph…" Grim looks away.

"Based on looks alone, Cater wouldn't seem too out of place in Pomefiore—or so I've heard." Trey tries his best to change the subject, now that Cater has successfully wrangled it away from him. "That said, Pomefiore isn't just known for their looks alone. They're quite skilled at making potions and curses."

"What about Ignihyde?!" Yuu suddenly blurts out, the question having popped into their head without much warning.

"Ignihyde?" Cater arches his brow. "Well…can't say I know, personally, since everyone in that dorm has their guard up."

"If you don't mind me asking, why the sudden interest in that dorm?" Trey looks questioningly at Yuu, who only smiles at him.

"I made a friend!" Maybe two, if Ortho actually counts—Yuu has to ask him for a confirmation the next time that they meet.

"When did that happen?" Ace doesn't remember seeing Yuu interacting with anyone other than him and Deuce…wait— "What happened while Deuce and I were chasing after Grim?"

"I came across a tablet!" Yuu replies. "And then I met a robot!"

"Ahh—I think I know who you're talking about." And yet, that still raises so many questions…but Trey refrains from asking them. He even stops Cater from saying anything unnecessary. There's a time and a place for asking about how Yuu managed to befriend Ignihyde's reclusive Dorm Leader…now is not the time. "Ignihyde, huh…well, they specialize in the integration of magic with technology."

"I don't see any of their students around, but they tend to wear blue and black armbands." Cater takes a quick look through his albums. "I haven't been able to get a good photo of one—they're just so secretive."

"Is it really that important?" Grim doesn't get why Cater is so fixated on his phone.

"Not really—but I just like having a complete image collection of Night Raven College's uniforms!" Cater confesses as he shows off photo album. "As you can see, I'm missing Ignihyde."

"Who's this kid?" Ace points at the picture of a young boy with pale skin and black hair decorated with magenta streaks.

"Whoa—how old is he?!" Deuce didn't think that they'd let anyone so young into Night Raven College.

"You can skip grades and still enter this school—however…that's not a child." Trey learned that the hard way. "He's a third-year, like us. His name is—"

"My—you still have that old photo of me?" a deep voice asks rather abruptly. It catches everyone off-guard, especially when the source of the voice—the boy in the picture—is hovering above them in mid-air. He hangs upside-down, in a manner that reminded one of a bat. "Even though it's been two years?"

"L-Lilia-chan!" Cater is far too quick to turn off his phone. "I didn't think you were…around."

The boy—named Lilia—only laughs, his deep-red eyes practically gleaming with mirth. "It's hard not to pay attention when you're the topic of someone's discussion…not that I mind."

He's more amused, than anything.

"That said, I don't believe we've met," Lilia says, his gaze focusing on Yuu, Ace, and Deuce. "My name is Lilia Vanrouge, and though I might resemble a young boy—I can assure you that I'm far older than I look."

Far older than all of their ages combined…

"Hmm?" Lilia tilts his head to the side in thought. Then, without any warning, he hops down, landing right behind Yuu. He takes a closer look, his eyes widening in awe at the sight of lingering energy emanating from their body. "Ohh, it seems you've already interacted with one of our kind."

He almost didn't notice…

"Kind…?" Yuu looks questioningly at him as they give the shivering bump under their sweater a few reassuring pats. "There, there, Grim…"

Lilia only chuckles. "Don't think too much about it—just know that you're always welcomed in Diasomnia."

He pauses for a moment and then turns his attention to the others. He flashes them a toothy smile—one that shows off his sharp fangs.

"You're more than welcome to approach any of us in Diasomnia!" Lilia highly encourages it. "After all, any friend of Yuu's is now a friend of ours."

"Well, then…" It seems he's overstepped a few boundaries. "Apologies for dropping in on your meal—until we meet again."

Hopefully, they're a lot more talkative the next time that they meet…

As soon as Lilia is out of sight, Ace immediately blurts out, "Where the hell did he come from?!"

"He really did just…appear out of nowhere." Deuce would find that impressive, if he weren't so shaken up about it. "Geez…"

"Diasomnia sure knows how to make an entrance!" Cater can only force out a laugh. "Or at least Lilia-chan does…"

"Is all of Diasomnia like that?" Trey can only force a smile when Yuu asks him that question.

"Let's just say that isn't too out of the norm for those from Diasomnia…" Trey would love to give some examples—but not right now. Not after that sudden encounter…

"How did he know your name?" Grim asks as soon as he leaves the safe confines of Yuu's sweater.

"How did he know my name?" Yuu repeats the question, realizing that they never gave it to Lilia.

"The Fae have their ways—it's just best to leave it at that." At least, that's how Cater sees it. "Let's just consider ourselves lucky that our encounter was with Lilia-chan and not Malleus-kun. Man, just thinking about him makes me glad that Riddle-kun is our Dorm Leader."

Ace's face contorts into a scowl. "You can't be serious about that…"

"Sure, he's rather strict—but isn't he also cute?" Cater's eyes divert to the side, a smile soon tugging at his lips when he sees that Yuu agrees with him. "See? Even Yuu-chan agrees!"

"Seriously?" Ace turns to Yuu, who only smiles at him. "Geez, you need better taste in men…"

"Oh? Are you jealous?" Cater hides a smirk behind his phone.

"J-Jealous?" Ace sputters, his face somewhat red from embarrassment. "Why would I be jealous of that narrow-minded brat?!"

"Hmmm? So I'm a brat, huh?"

"Aww, crap…" Of all the times to be saying shit about Riddle…

"You're looking especially cute today, Riddle-kun!" Cater tries to deescalate the situation, but Riddle isn't having any of it.

"Keep that up, and you'll lose your head." Riddle's gaze is as harsh as ever.

"Hey, now—gimme a break…" It's far too soon into the school year for Cater to risk his own magic. "You're on your own, Ace-chan…"

"Don't…call me that…" Ace trails off as Riddle fixates his gaze on him. "S-Sorry."

"It seems that you still haven't learned your lesson." A shame, really. "It seems you'll have to go just a little longer without your magic, then. But don't worry—as a first-year, you'll only have to worry about learning the fundamentals instead of actually using your magic."

The idea that Ace can theoretically go without his magic for the rest of the year isn't one that sits well with him. Of course, there's not much that he can say about it, when Riddle is staring him down as though he's far taller than he actually is.

"Seriously, coming from someone with such a cute face…" It makes the next words out of Riddle's mouth even more jarring for Ace to hear.

"You also won't be able to cause a scene like yesterday again—isn't that great?" Riddle's tone is dangerously calm, his expression rather neutral. "Now just focus on finishing your lunch and heading to your next class."

He knows not of how much time that Ace and the others have spent at their table, but he can tell that it's long enough to warrant a warning. That's when Trey decides to step in, saying that he'll take over for him.

"Don't push yourself too much." Though Riddle is trying his best to hide it, Trey can tell that he's exhausted.

"It's fine," Riddle insists, brushing off Trey's concern. "I'm just appalled that we've allowed the sugar cubes to run out when they're necessary for following Laws of the Queen of Hearts, No. 399: After a meal, one must always drink lemon tea with two sugars."

"We're supposed to do that?" Deuce's sudden question gets cut off instantly by Cater's hand.

"Of course we're supposed to do that, Deuce-chan—don't even joke about that!" Cater's laughter is both forced and awkward. And yet, it's just enough to keep Riddle from even looking in their direction.

"I prefer hibiscus tea," Yuu interjects, now craving a cup of tea of their own. "It's red…just like your hair!"

Ahhh, now they want jamaica!

"Will you stop talking about my hair?!" Riddle is growing weary of Yuu's unnecessary comments towards his hair.

"No—it's pretty!" Yuu grins. "Like a hibiscus!"

"I believe you have an admirer, Riddle." Trey tries to lighten the mood, which isn't too difficult of a task with Yuu around.

"Well…I don't approve." Riddle looks away from Yuu, who only frowns. "I'll be heading off to the school store to buy more sugar cubes."

As far away as possible from Yuu, who is now looking at him through a heart-shaped formation that they've made with their hands… Oh good—they're looking at Ace now.

"I'll be on my way, now." Having said that, Riddle takes his leave. As soon as he is out of earshot and sight, Cater exhales loudly in relief.

"That was close…" Cater feels as though he's aged a few years.

"He's still is as obnoxious as ever…" Grim says, having finally finished his food.

"Surprised you kept your mouth shut." Ace laughs when Grim bats his hand away. "So touchy!"

"I wouldn't blame him, after the conversation he's had with Riddle the other day." That doesn't make it any less surprising for Cater.

"Sometimes, it's just best to keep quiet." Trey does his best to ignore the whispering in the cafeteria between those in Heartslabyul. "Riddle replaced the former Dorm Leader during his first week of enrollment. His words may be harsh…"

"May be?" Deuce questions.

"I assure you, he has the dorm's best intentions in mind." Trey adjusts his glasses. "Really, he's not that bad of a person."

"A good person wouldn't go collaring people at random." Grim's words only prompt awkward laughter from Trey and Cater. "Getting your magic sealed is horrible, and just sucks."

He pauses for a moment, his eyes shutting tightly as Yuu's fingers gently scratched him behind the ears.

"Well, it's a good thing you were behaving this time!" Yuu is very proud of Grim.

"Of course!" Grim flashes Yuu a toothy smile. "I'm not like Ace over there."

"Oi." Ace's face contorts into a scowl.

"How does he do that, anyways?" Deuce tries his best to diffuse the situation, while also trying to answer some questions he has.

"Hmm?" Cater blinks. "Oh, you mean Riddle-kun's unique magic?"

"What makes it so unique?" Yuu asks.

"To put it in simpler terms, it's magic that tends to be unique to the person who uses it—hence the name, unique magic," Trey explains. "You'll learn more about it in a later class."

"Riddle-kun's unique magic allows him to seal off another person's magic for a fixed amount of time." Cater absentmindedly twirls a lock of his hair around his finger. "It's called 'Off with Your Head'—which I'm sure you've heard him say before."

"Don't remind me…" Ace heaves out a sigh.

"Just the name is terrifying." It makes the ribbon that Grim has around his neck suddenly feel uncomfortably tight, causing him to paw at it in an attempt to loosen it.

"As a mage, having your magic sealed is as painful as losing your head—though, I don't suppose Yuu-chan would know." Cater gives Yuu's cheek a playful poke. "Since they're so well-behaved."

"Not like it'd work anyways, since they have no magic." Ace is almost jealous of the fact that Yuu is at no risk of ever getting their magic sealed off. "Then again, you're completely on your own at that Ramshackle Dorm."

Meaning the rules of Heartslabyul are of no importance to Yuu.

"Not true—I have Grim and the ghosts!" Yuu swiftly corrects him. "And you too, since you decided to move in!"

"Yeah, yeah…" At the very least, the Ramshackle Dorm is inhabitable and devoid of any pint-sized tyrants. "But only until I get this collar off. The instant that happens, I'm heading back to Heartslabyul…so no hard feelings."

"It's fine!" It just means more room on their bed. "Just try not to break anymore rules!"

"Don't remind me." Ace would rather not think about any rules—not now, at least.

"You know, Riddle isn't so scary if you just follow the rules…" Trey crosses his arms over his chest.

"By the way, am I going to get kicked out again if I don't come back with a tart?" Ace turns his attention to Cater, who only smiles at him.

"Yep!" he says, unabashedly. "Rules are rules, after all! Oh, and Riddle-kun really looks forward to eating the first piece of a whole tart, so I don't think he'll forgive you unless it's a whole."

"Aren't whole tarts pretty expensive?" Deuce doesn't know the exact cost, but…that's still a lot of madol.

"Blegh—I don't have that kind of money." And it's far too early for Ace to ask his parents for his allowance.

"Then why don't you just make one?" Cater suggests. "The other tarts were all made by Trey-kun."

"You can make tarts, too?!" Yuu stares at Trey in awe. "That's so cool!"

"It's not that impressive…" Trey laughs awkwardly, feeling somewhat bashful.

"Are you serious? That tart I ate was as good as a pro's!" Ace would like to say that he's exaggerating…but he's not.

"Haha, thanks." Trey thinks for a moment. "Hmm, well…I do have the tools and ingredients set up, but…I won't help you for free."

As Vice Leader, Trey still has to ensure that Ace learns his lesson.

"Ehhh?!" Ace is taken aback with Trey's comment. "I have to pay for it?!"

"Haha, there's no way I'll be taking money from my kouhai!" Just the thought of it makes Trey laugh. It's so out of character for him to do so… "The next tart that Riddle wants to eat requires a lot of chestnuts. Could you gather them for me?"

"Is that it?" Ace rubs the back of his head. It sounds like a hassle, but… "Well, how many do you need?"

"Since it's for the upcoming Unbirthday Party…about two to three-hundred will do." It's a rough estimate, but Trey feels that should be enough. He takes Deuce and Grim's loud outburst in stride, continuing on with his orders as he gives them to Ace. "I'll have you assist me with roasting the chestnuts, and then peeling the outer shell."

"Can I go home?" Grim pipes up.

"Me too." It doesn't involve him, so Deuce doesn't see why he should stick around to help.

"Traitors!" Ace is far too quick to call them out, stopping only when he sees Yuu finishing the food on their plate. "Say, Prefect…"

It takes a hand on their shoulder for them to realize that Ace was talking to them. "Hmm?"

"Would you mind helping me out?" Ace knows that if Yuu goes along with him, then Grim has no choice but to follow after them.

"Uh-huh!" Yuu nods their head, their mouth still full of food.

"Gehhh…!" Grim growls at Ace, who only laughs at him.

"Now, now~!" Cater interjects. "I'm sure it'll taste even better if everyone pitches in to make it! Like creating memories? You might even be able to make your debut as a food blogger!"

"Keep it a secret from Riddle, but a freshly made marron tart has the most delicious taste." Trey knows this all too well, based on his own experience. "Only those who help make it can get to try some."

Grim's ears perk up at that comment.

"Oi, oi—let's get a move on!" He gives no warning when he jumps onto Yuu's shoulder. His paws tap down on their head again, as he had done before when they were picking out his food. "We're gonna pick chestnut after chestnut after chestnut!"

"Someone's eager!" Yuu laughs, finding Grim's behavior extremely adorable.

"Guess I'll help, then…" Deuce finally concedes, deciding that it wouldn't feel right if he was the only one to leave.

"Then that settles it!" Trey is happy with this development. "There should be plenty of chestnut trees in the woods behind the campus botanical garden."

"Then we meet after class in front of the botanical garden!" Ace can already tell that it's going to be a hassle, but it certainly beats doing nothing.

"Go, go! Chestnut picking!"' Grim continues to tap his paws on Yuu's head.

"Hey, hey—look over here!" Grim calls out to Yuu. "There's a lot of fruit over here!"

Sniff, sniff.

"They smell so good!" Everything does, in the botanical garden. There is so much greenery, with various plants and trees growing in the area.

"Hold oonnnn…!" Yuu has some difficulty keeping their balance after walking down some steps. "Easy…eeeeeeasy!"

It's a lot difficult to walk in a straight line without Ace and Deuce to keep them in check. Of course, the only reason that they all went their separate ways was to look for buckets to collect the chestnuts in. Speaking of which…

"Bucket, bucket~!" Yuu doesn't see any here—

"Ow!"

Did they just step on something?

"Oi."

Rustle!

"O-Oi?" Yuu responds back, taking a few steps back from the muscular young man that appears out of the bushes. "Uhh…"

The young man stands at a height that is far taller than theirs, with brown skin and green eyes that gleam eerily in the light. His brown hair is long, and thick, with two braids framing his face. He is rather handsome, though what catches Yuu's attention the most is the pair of lion ears he has popping out of his head—did they just twitch?!

"You've got some nerve, stepping on someone's tail without saying anything," he says in a gruff voice, still somewhat laced with sleep.

"Tail…?" Now that Yuu actually looks… "You…have one."

A lion tail to match the lion ears…

The young man clicks his tongue. "Of course I have one—haven't you ever met a hybrid before?"

Yuu furrows their brow. "N…No?"

"Wait…you're the little herbivore that the Mirror said can't use magic." The young man grins, showing off his sharp fangs. "That explains your concerning lack of awareness. Hmmm…"

He stares at Yuu for a moment. Then, without any warning, he leans in closely, causing Yuu to tense up as his nose starts sniffing their hair.

"H-Hey!" It is only now, that Grim realizes what's going on. "Get away!"

The young man slaps away a ball of fire without ever needing to look away, only doing so after he finishes sniffing Yuu's hair. He backs off after that, a smirk forming on his lips as he lets out an amused chuckle.

"I really don't smell a speck of magic on you." How defenseless. "I don't feel like taking on an opponent that can't fight back…but I can't just let you walk away after stepping on my tail."

Grim lets out a frightened shriek when the young man slaps away another of his fireballs. "Y-Yuu…!"

They need to leave—like right now!

"I'm in a bad mood now after being woken up from a good nap." Not to mention, his tail still hurts from getting stepped on. "It's best you start gritting your teeth."

"Teeth?" Yuu blinks at that comment. "If that's what you want…"

"What are you even sayin—aaugh!" It happens all too fast, that there's barely any time for the young man to react when Yuu suddenly lunges at him. They climb him like a tree, their grip just strong enough to avoid getting thrown off when he starts moving around. "G-Get off!"

A threatening growl rumbles in the back of his throat when he hears just how close Yuu is to his ears. That's when he feels a very distinct pressure on them, the pain soon rushing in as it just hits him—they're biting his fucking ear!

"Ahh…am I interrupting something?!" A hyena-eared boy stares at the scene before him, a vibrant blush soon coloring his face red.

The young man can even bring himself to give the boy an answer. This is just too awkward for words. "Well, there goes my bad mood."

Now he's just confused.

"I just…wanted to let you know that it's almost time for your supplementary lessons, Leona-san…" The hyena-eared boy averts his gaze. "If you keep failing, then we'll end up as classmates next year."

The young man—named Leona—heaves out a tired sigh. "Alright—just stop nagging at me, Ruggie."

"It's not like I want to nag you…" Ruggie would rather be doing other things instead of having to remind Leona to go to his classes. Instead, here he is just looking at…whatever this is. "Seriously, am I interrupting something serious?"

"It's nothing—you can stop biting me now, I won't hurt you…" A wave of relief washes over Leona when he feels those teeth leave his ear. "You're quite the strange herbivore."

"My name's Yuu!" Yuu corrects him. "Yuuuuu!"

"Alright, I hear you—don't have to be so loud." Especially when they're still so close to his ears. "Hmmm…gotcha!"

As soon as Leona sees an opening, he takes it. That's how he manages to pull Yuu off of himself. He holds them outwards, staring at them with a displeased expression on his face as their legs dangled in the air. They blink a few times before sticking their tongue out at him.

"You really are pushing it!" Leona barks out a laugh. "You should really watch yourself the next time you come onto my turf—and make sure to keep your familiar in check."

Grim can't do much, while Ruggie has him by the scruff of his neck—though he certainly came close to it when he tried to ambush Leona from behind. That doesn't make him any less annoying with all the hissing and whining that's been coming out of his mouth.

"In any case, I have to leave." Otherwise, Ruggie will never let him hear the end of it. "Try not to bite any more people."

Leona doesn't expect a response out of Yuu as he sets them down, which is why he's pleasantly surprised when he hears them say, "No promises!"

Maybe things won't be quite so boring with them around…

"Here's your familiar." Ruggie unceremoniously throws Grim at Yuu, who catches him right in their arms.

"Get back here!" Grim yells out, his fur bristling in anger. How dare that brat treat him like that!

"Calm, calm~!" Yuu gently rocks Grim in attempt to calm him. It takes a few minutes, but eventually, Grim's yelling dies down as he leans into Yuu's chest. He buries his face into their sweater, hoping that it's enough to muffle his purring when Yuu starts scratching him behind his ears. "There, there."

It helps that Leona and Ruggie have since left, leaving Yuu to console Grim without any interruptions.

"We found a bucket and some tongs over here!" At least until Ace and Deuce show up to report their findings.

"Did something happen to you two?" Deuce asks, having noticed the way that Grim was clinging onto Yuu.

"It's nothing!" Nothing important, at least, in Yuu's opinion—but only because Grim isn't in any mood to talk about it. "Grim's just in a bad mood…he'll be fine!"

Yuu's sweater manages to completely muffle out the swears the come out of Grim's mouth.

"Time for chestnut picking~!" Yuu tries to change the subject, hoping to improve Grim's mood.

"Ahh, that's right!" Mission accomplished, because Grim finally stopped hiding his face in their sweater. He climbs onto Yuu's shoulder, his body now shaking with excitement. "We won't be able to eat any tarts if we don't bring those chestnuts back!"

Yuu only laughs when he goes back to tapping his paws on their head. "See? All better!"

Ace stares at them for a moment, clearly wanting to say something…but he refrains from doing so. It's not often that Grim is in a good enough mood that he's actually behaving. Rather than sour it, Ace decides he'll ask what happened at a later time.

"Chestnuts…" Deuce tightens his hands into fists, very much prepared to take on the chestnuts he and the others have seen in the woods outside the botanical garden. Hopefully, they can gather them all with the least amount of contact with the chestnut's spiky shell.

"Ow, ow, ow—get it off, get it off!"

"Quit moving—ow!"

And then Yuu had the unfortunate luck of having a few chestnuts land on them, their spiky shells quickly catching onto their sweater's fabric. It starts there, and quickly escalates when they crash into the tree, causing more chestnuts to rain down on them. On the bright side, it certainly saves them a lot of time collecting all those chestnuts, since a good chunk of those fell into their buckets.

The downside, however…

"Ow, ow, ow!" Yuu yelps loudly in pain when Deuce manages to remove a chestnut from their sweater. He stares at the chestnut as he holds them with a pair of tongs, carefully setting them down in the bucket before letting out a loud grunt when Ace none-too-gently removes a chestnut from his back.

"Can't you be gentler?!" Hopefully, that didn't leave any spikes behind…

"We can either stretch this out as long as possible, and make Trey-senpai wait even longer for us…or we can just get it over with." It's going to hurt like hell, but Ace would prefer to just rip it off like an adhesive bandage. "Now stay still—this one's gonna hurt…ow!"

"Hurts, doesn't it?" Deuce scowls at Ace, having roughly removed one of the chestnuts sticking to his blazer.

"You did that on purpose!" Ace points an accusatory finger at Deuce.

"Maybe I did." Deuce isn't the type to let things slide that easily—at least, not when it involves this situation. As hectic as it is…

"Less talking, and more removing!" Grim pipes up, having been especially fortunate to avoid the falling chestnuts. "I can't use the tongs like you!"

Otherwise, he'd be helping Yuu out.

"It huuuurts!" Yuu wails out, having removed a chestnut on their own.

"Geez, you're such a crybaby…" Ignoring the fact that the chestnut Deuce removed actually brought out a few tears in Ace's eyes. "Aaugh!"

"Don't be rude!" Deuce says, just seconds after removing another chestnut. "We're all in this together."

"I rather not beeeee!" Yuu whines.

"Too bad…" Deuce heaves out a sigh, a scream soon ripping itself out of his throat. "I said be gentler!"

"That's for being so rough!" Ace will be as petty as he pleases. "H-Hey!"

Surprisingly enough, it takes them less than an hour to return to Trey, who can already guess what happened, based off the bandages wrapped around Yuu's arms, their sweater currently tied around their waist.

"Everything okay?" he asks.

"Please don't ask." Ace absentmindedly tugs at his blazer. He can still feel the spikes, even though they're gone…

"Well…" Trey begins, feeling somewhat awkward. "You sure picked a lot."

"We…sure did." Deuce ignores the how, and just focuses on the now.

"Now we can make a huge tart!" Grim exclaims as he leaps onto the kitchen counter.

"Peeling all this is going to be a challenge." Not helping is that neither Ace nor Yuu can use magic, but Trey refrains from making any unnecessary comments. "But I think we'll just manage—just try to follow my lead, Deuce. It's easier once you get into the rhythm of things."

"Yeah…" Deuce heaves out a sigh.

"Guess Yuu and I'll will just…peel these by hand." Ace makes a face as he peels the first chestnut. It's not too difficult, but this is just the first of many to come… "This is gonna suck."

Throughout it all, Grim only laughs as he collects the peeled chestnuts that appear out of the air after Deuce and Trey cast their magic. It's awkward at first, due to how inexperienced Deuce is at using his magic, compared to Trey.

"I know it's difficult, but it helps if you look at it from a different perspective," Trey explains.

"It's like a song!" Yuu pipes up, having noticed the rhythmic tempo at which Trey was using his magic. "You have to time it to the beat!"

"It's exactly like that!" Trey smiles widely. "It can be any song, so long as you're able to keep up with it. The deeper your focus, the easier it gets."

"A song…" Deuce repeats. "Hmm…I think I get it."

"Seriously?" Ace asks, still somewhat uncertain himself as he peels another chestnut.

"It's strange, but it's something you'll understand once you're doing it yourself." Obviously, Ace can't at the moment, but Trey keeps quiet about that. "Now let's continue."

Bit by bit, they make considerable progress, though it still takes quite a lot of time. Deuce still has some difficulty, despite how closely he observes Trey as he moves his hands to the beat of tune he can't hear. It's really only until he hears Yuu humming that he starts to finally understand.

That's when things start to pick up, and by the end of the hour, the chestnuts have all been peeled.

"Good job!" Trey congratulates them. "Your hard work will make it tastier."

"Uuugh, my arms…" Deuce can feel how sore they are.

"Shuddup…" Ace doesn't want to hear it from Deuce, who was able to use magic, unlike him, who had to peel the damn chestnuts by hand.

"Nice, nice!" Grim butts his head into Yuu's side, prompting them to pet him.

"Now the next thing to do would be to boil these chestnuts so we can turn them into a paste…" It's nothing too difficult for Trey, though now that he actually looks at the amount of chestnuts that they've peeled versus the other ingredients he has on hand. "Although, it seems I underestimated the amount of cream I needed to mix in with the chestnut paste."

"I can go buy some!" Deuce is quick to offer. "Is it sold at the school store?"

"You can find anything at that place, so it should be there." A grin tugs at Trey's lips. "Could I ask you to pick up a few other things? Two cartons of milk, a dozen eggs, aluminum cups, five cans of fruit…and oyster sauce."

"What?!" Ace blurts out, having been caught off-guard by Trey's request.

"The umami gives the cream a rich flavor," Trey explains, as though he's done it many times. "There's no famous pâtisserie that doesn't use oyster sauce in their tarts."

"Seriously? That's a very salty sauce…" Deuce turns to Yuu, who only shrugs at him.

"That doesn't sound right, but I don't know enough about tarts to dispute it," they confess.

"Well, they do put chocolate in curry, sooo…" Ace thinks about it for a moment. "I guess it makes sense."

Upon hearing that, Trey can no longer contain his laughter. "I was just joking! There's no way I'd actually put oyster sauce in a dessert."

The fact that these three were willing to believe him that easily…

"Screw you!" Ace angrily snaps. "You said that with such a straight face!"

He actually believed it, too…

"If you actually stop to think about it, then you'd know it'd be impossible!" It's hard for Trey to keep a straight face after that. "Don't believe everything you hear without questioning it. Let that be a lesson for you."

"So…do you actually need oyster sauce?" Even with what Trey had said, Deuce still isn't so sure if he still needs the sauce or not.

It takes Trey a moment to realize what had happened. "Ahh…I see—no, I don't need any of that. It was just a joke."

It seems that Deuce is the type to take things quite literally. Although, Trey could probably say the same thing about Ace and Yuu.

"I'll try to be a little more obvious next time," he reassures them.

"Next time?!" Grim exclaims. "You're gonna do it again?!"

Trey can only laugh at Grim's question.

"Then…I still don't think I can carry all that alone." It's too much for Deuce to go on his own, so…he turns to Yuu again. "You mind coming along with me, Prefect?"

Yuu blinks twice before a smile spreads across their lips. "Sure!"

"I'm going too!" Grim has had enough of Trey's bullshit, and based on the look of things, it's going to get even busier when they start turning the chestnuts into a paste. Rather than deal with that, Grim would prefer to escape with Yuu and Deuce for some fresh air.

"Guess that leaves you and me to make the chestnut paste." Trey adjusts his glasses with a smile on his face as Ace heaves out a weary sigh.

"Yeah, yeah…" The next time Ace sees a tart in the fridge, he's outright ignoring it.


A/N REALLY fucking happy to have finally gotten to Lilia! I am SO hyped that I finally got to his encounter (especially with teuffels's Lilias art popping up on my dashboard)! He was super fun to write. Of course, I do have a Lilia bias, so…whatever, lol.

Anyways, a lot happened in this chapter, beyond Yuu just being feral, and Trey probably being the only one in the group to NOT have ADHD otherwise distracting him. By the by, this is a confirmation here that Yuu, Ace, Deuce, and Cater all have ADHD—I do what I want, and at the time I wrote this chapter, it was October, which is ADHD Awareness Month! While I'm on the topic, have another confirmation that no one is neurotypical unless I say so, and like everything else, I rarely ever say so.

Moving on, the Leona encounter was something I've been planning for MONTHS (yes, this includes the bite), so I'm just happy to finally get it out of the way. As for why Ruggie was so flustered over that bite…just wait and see, lol! Just know that shuuenmei (aka, torinokomachi) had a hand in it, when I was first posting my live reactions in my discord server.

Also don't mind me, just posting in some of my worldbuilding in an attempt to combine some of the rhythm mechanics of Twisted-Wonderland. In any case, I just feel like…there's a certain rhythm to follow to make consistent magic easier to use.

Moving on, we're kinda at a calm before the storm, so…expect a lot to happen next chapter. ;D Here's to hoping I can get something out soon!

I know a lot of y'all aren't taking the time to review, but to those who do, I appreciate it (especially if you're not part of the group who just goes to leave reviews asking about OTHER fics on this one like an asshole).

Until next time, everyone! Stay safe!