Luckily, Shicmuon had been able to fall back asleep once he got back to his room despite how fast the boy's mind was spinning. He didn't know that man, he didn't find where that damn cat had gone, and he didn't understand why he bothered to answer such weird ass questions!

When he woke up in the morning, the sun shining through the window and the birds chirping cheerfully, he couldn't help but feel like it was a dream. He shut his eyes as he processed what he remembered. First… he was following that weird cat. The cat. Where did it go?

He looked to the side sleepily, too lazy to get up. Dio was snoring as loud as ever. What a pain. Ah. Dio had a strong reaction to the cat when he found it in his room. But it's not like that strange man from before is a cat. No, wait… Some people from Plairus have a connection to demons and have such been able to change forms… But why would someone from there be here in this shitty company? What a pain.

He pulled himself up after yanking the covers off. Rood and Lidusis were nowhere to be seen and according to the time, they were likely eating breakfast or something. Chevel had just left, loudly shutting the door behind him. Next time Shic saw him he was hitting him over the head.

Walking over to the blue-haired boy, he scowled down at the boy before thinking. He lifted up the mattress and with a yelp, Dio rolled off the bed. He put the mattress back where it belonged. Shic then went to brush his teeth.

"What was that for?!" He groggily sat up, scowling at the tall boy who merely glanced at him before going back to brushing his teeth. Dio grumbled as rummaged through his bag before pulling out his own toothbrush. He couldn't find his toothpaste though…

"Can I borrow your toothpaste?" He walked over to Shicmuon who merely held out his toothpaste.

"Thanks." Honestly, Dio didn't think he would actually let him use some. Baldwin is scary as hell and kind of an ass sometimes.

The two boys stood there in silence, just brushing their teeth. Dio hated it. It was awkward and tense and he was waiting for the other boy to just hit him. Shicmuon never noticed the silence and at the moment his mind wandered off to Rood. What was he doing? Once they were done, Dio sat on his bed before looking up at the taller boy. I don't know about you, but dealing with a tall boy who has never given an honest smile in his life with a tendency to beat people up who annoyed him, Dio was kinda scared.

"I have questions for you. About the cat."

"The… cat?" He thought for a minute before the realization dawned on him, "Oh. I'll, uh, tell you what I'm allowed to."

"No. You will tell me everything." Shicmuon hated it when people danced around the bush. It was pointless. Just tell me exactly what you wanted to say. It reminded him of a certain annoyance that just so happened to be head of the Association.

"Ri-right." He wasn't weak, this was just picking his fight. Dio Varus was in no situations, a coward and he wasn't afraid of anyone. Except for Baldwin. He's scary when he's pissed. And he was certainly getting annoyed right now and his mission is to protect Rood, not to die.

"Last night I saw the cat and it went into this room and then the cat was gone and this man was there. Who is the man?"

Was this a trick question? A riddle of some sort?

With the confusion on Dio's face, Shicmuon sighed before continuing.

"He had long black hair and his skin is whiter than the fucking moon. His hair is long enough that he probably trips on it."

He does sometimes trip on it but Shicmuon didn't need to know that.

"You mean… Oh! He's here?! He's so amazing isn't he?!" Dio's face lit up once he realized who it was and the taller boy frowned.

"No, he's weird."

"….What?"

"He's weird. Really, really, weird."

"…He's super cool."

"No, he's weird. I cannot express just how weird he is."

The two stared at each other and right as Dio opened his mouth, Rood walked in with Lidusis trailing behind him.

"What are you two doing?" The smaller boy looked at them, looking from Dio to Shic and then back.

"I was asking him questions and he decided to be stupid."

"Wha- I was not being stupid! You're just a jerk! You woke me up by lifting up my mattress and making me fall off! Which hurt!" He gave a huff, crossing his arms.

"His snoring pissed me off." He snores really loud and it made Shic want to throw him out a window. Really, he should be glad that he had some self-control.

"Good. Dio your snoring really makes me want to slam a head into the wall. Your head in particular." Rood started digging through his bag putting things in that he had taken out the previous day. He ignored the gasp Dio gave.

"Lidusis how can they be so meaaaaaan!" He wailed, running to Lidusis with tears in his eyes. He wrapped his arms around the quiet boy and looked up miserably.

"I don't think it was that bad…" Lidusis spoke with a blush gracing his cheeks and Dio pulled back and looked at the other boys with a giant grin.

"He's only saying that because he's too nice to say otherwise. At any point, if you guys want to eat before we go to the museum then you better hurry. We still have to pack the rest of our junk before we go."

With that, Dio was off. A second later he ran back in, Changing out of his pajamas and throwing his shoes on before running off.

Shicmuon shook his head and instead took his time.

When he was done eating, Shicmuon stood up, his dishes in hand. While walking to the area where the dirty dishes were to be placed, he noted that Dirod was sitting next to Dio who look rather uncomfortable. His hand was on the blue-haired boy's shoulder and it wasn't a gentle hand.

Shicmuon walked by them, his eyes trained on the two. The nuisance was speaking too softly for him to hear and once he placed his plates in the metal tabletop, he walked back to them. Dirod stood up and turned before smirking when he noticed Shic.

How annoying.

Shicmuon spared no seconds before lifting his fist and ramming it into the other boy's nose. When Dirod took a step back, Shic stepped to the side before using his foot to knock the back leg out from under him. He promptly fell on his ass. Shicmuon crouched down next to annoyance that quickly sat up.

"Stay away from Dio or else you won't just be leaving with that bloody nose. Got it?" Shicmuon watched Dirod who merely gritted his teeth. Before he could go any further to ensure Dio's safety, one of the more known employees came up.

"Hey, that was some impressive moves, if you let this boy leave peacefully, I can let you meet the Black Magician."

"….you're annoying."

At this the old man, one of the few people to be there on the day of Blow's first appearances which ended up bringing him to Opion, scowled.

"I'm serious, there's a rule for no fighting in the cafeteria. Plus, I've worked with the Black magician before and-"

"Look. I don't care. I can see him whenever the fuck I want. You aren't special. Just annoying." He stood up, facing the other man who was about to retort when Dio stood in the middle of the two.

"What-what my friend means is that we were just about to leave, thank you for the offer!" With that said Dio grabbed Shicmuon's hand before pulling him out of the room. The only reason he didn't resist was only because it would have been more annoying to deal with those people any longer.

"Honestly, what is with that?! Do you have to pick a fight with everybody?!" Dio hissed at Shicmuon who only rolled his eyes.

"They were annoying. What did that idiot say to you? Even I could tell that he wasn't being pleasant. Why was he bothering you?"

"He was asking me to spy on Lidusis. He gave me an offer for money and for me to think about it. I plan on telling him to kiss my ass. There's no way I would go against Lidusis who is so kind and sweet!" Dio was determined. Besides, he didn't like Dirod. The only feeling he got from him was a cold harshness behind such an innocent-like smile. His instincts told him to be wary.

"Good. But perhaps we can use that against him. Rood would likely have a better plan. And tell Lidusis in case he finds out and misunderstands. And if he tries to bother you again, then tell me and I'll beat the shit out of him, got it?" The tall boy spoke calmly, speaking as he looks from where they came. He turned to look back at the shorter boy before scowling at Dio's sparkly eyes, his mouth open in awe.

"Why are you giving such a stupid face."

"I didn't know that you could be so niiiiiiice!" He wailed, suddenly wrapping arms around the taller boy.

Shicmuon stiffened and stood there for a moment for shifting his arm to gently pat him on the back in the hope that he will let go. When he did not let go immediately, he scowled and placed a hand on Dio's face before pushing the boy away.

"Hey! Meanie…" he was surprised by the strength the other boy had but let go.

"I don't like being touched." He didn't. When a person was touching you, that meant they were close enough to attack if they really wanted. Plus it was just uncomfortable. He didn't think Dio would attack him however which was the only thing that kept him from breaking another nose that day.

"Oh. Why?"

"I just don't. It's uncomfortable." The two looked at a moment before the shorter gave a shrug.

"Okay then. I'll try to remember not to touch you then." Dio grinned before walking past him and into the shared room.

Shicmuon stood there blankly for a moment. That was easier than he thought it would be. Usually, people would give him a weird look or would ignore what he said. If the other boy really planned on remembering or not, well, time would tell.

He shook his head, looking down the hallway when he noticed a crow sitting outside the hallway's window. They stared at each other for a moment before Shicmuon turned and followed Dio back into the room.

Chevel groaned as he leaned against the bus seat. He looked outside at the rainy sky, clouds so dark that they were making it feel gloomier than a funeral of someone beloved.

"I'm so tired." He grumbled, looking over at Rood who nodded.

"I'm actually pretty tired too. I would have slept better if Dio hadn't snored so loudly." The short boy muttered as he gave a scowl towards a certain blue-haired boy.

"I slept a lot though… I couldn't sleep so I went to the library and ended up falling asleep there. My back still hurts from sleeping in such an awkward position and I could barely move when I first woke up." Chevel pushed his chest forward a bit in an attempt to crack his back. He then twisted so that while his legs were facing forwards, he took a hold of the back of the seat and used it to help him face his torso backward. There was a loud crack.

"Ew! Chevel that's disgusting!" Ibriel gave a pout looking at her brother. She was seated directly behind him with Iel sitting next to her.

"Perhaps, rather than your body being tired, it is your soul instead. Dealing with others such as Dio and Baldwin seem very stressful." The white-haired girl spoke with mischievous twinkle in her eye. Shicmuon turned at the mention of his fake name.

"I'd rather not be compared to Dio, thanks." He spoke his usual blank poker face on. Dio, however, had his cheeks puffed out.

"Why are you guys so mean!? You're always bullying me!"

"You make it easy. Far too easy." Rood gave a sly smirk towards his pouting friend who huffed in response. Shicmuon gave an amused snort before looking out the window which was fogged up from the difference in the heat from the outside and the cold air from inside.

"And Baldwin you were so nice to me earlier now you're being meaaaaan!" Dio gave a loud huff. Everyone turned to Shic who glowered at the pouting boy.

"I didn't know you knew how to be nice Baldwin," Chevel spoke and laughed when he received a middle finger in reply.

"There was a particularly annoying nuisance that was bothering Dio. So I punched him. That is all." Shic turned back to the window before remembering something.

"Speaking of which, Dirod was trying to get Dio to be his spy against Lidusis and I thought we could use that against him or something." Being manipulative wasn't exactly his strong suit. He would rather just punch someone in the face and be done with it. That isn't to say that he doesn't appreciate it when it is used in an amusing manner. He will leave that to the people good at it.

Lidusis looked down at his clasped hands as he swallowed a lump that formed in his throat. He never understood why his brother hated him so much. He could never recall a time that he had ever wronged Dirod and it hurt. God, it hurt worse than the molten glares he received and the bruised ribs that he used to have constantly. He never wanted to hurt his brother although he couldn't hope for the opposite to be true.

"That's a good idea…" Rood said then pressed his lips together in thought, "Well, for now, I'll have to think of something. Dio, go accept his offer with some kind of bullshit and if we can figure out what he is planning from there, then we can go from there. He'll regret trying to pick on Lidusis."

The others nodded, and the gray-haired boy could only smile, unclasping his hands. He was glad that he had gained so many friends that cared for him. He didn't know what he would do. Before he had met Rood and the others, he had been at his breaking point. One can only take so much pressure until they shatter.

"Oh, you know, Baldwin also said that if anyone was bothering me that I should tell him and he'll beat them up!" Dio spoke proudly.

Shicmuon got up from his seat and turned around quickly, grabbing Dio by the collar, his face slightly red. The blue-haired boy thought it was from anger. The others could tell that it was from embarrassment.

"I'm sure he said that because your whining is annoying." Rood said as quickly stood and grabbed the flustered boy's fist, efficiently holding him back.

"Hey! You guys back there sit down!" Professor Khan yelled from the driver's seat.

Before they could respond, the bus stopped with a sudden lurch. Some students gave out a loud yell as they were shoved out of their seat. Shicmuon and Rood both shift their weight to stop themselves from falling down; quickly shooting out their free hand to stop Lidusis from falling out of his seat.

"What the fuck was that?" The auburn-haired boy look towards the from to notice that their driver, Khan, had their head rested on the wheel. He was unconscious.

Damn.

"Ah hell," Shic muttered under his breath and shuffled around Lidusis. He passed the other kids, each whispering to each other and looking around to see what was the cause of the stop.

Rood followed behind wordlessly, his body tense. He couldn't help but think back to the people from before.

When they got up to the wheel, Professor Khan was bleeding slightly from his head, a wound that wasn't much of a worry but regardless. A bus full of kids and the person in charge was unconscious. A bus full of startled kids. Not a fun situation for anyone lemme tell ya.

Rood pulled down the first aid kit that every bus was required to have, Shic said nothing about his amusement when he noticed the fact that he went on his tippy toes.

It was a quick bandage job. Really, the wound wasn't that bad.

"What happened…?" Lapis murmured from his seat, rubbing the bump on his head that he got from the rude awakening.

When they looked outside the front of the bus their question was answered in just a moment. A man looked up from outside, a blank look on his face. He didn't look particularly special and anywhere else he would likely just blend into his surroundings.

"Did… he do that?" Lapis muttered, partly to himself.

"No way…" Students began to mutter to themselves, others stood partly in their seats to try and catch a glimpse of whatever assaulted the vehicle.

Shicmuon stared for a moment before picking Professor Khan before watching the man before them.

"Shorty. Make sure he doesn't fall out of the seat. Everyone else needs to shut the fuck up and hold on." Ignore the scowl Rood sent him, he sat in the bus driver's seat before putting a hand in his pocket. As if knowing what he was planning to do, the man transformed into a demon about the size of the bus. He gripped the magic crystal that he kept in his pocket and suddenly a red magic circle formed in front of the bus.

Shic really wished that he could just mute people at this time. They were noisy when they were curious, noisy when scared by the demon and noisy at the sight of the 'unknown' magic.

With a loud blast, the demon was pushed into the trees. It was that moment that Shicmuon pressed the gas pedal, the bus swerving past the demon. Cheering him on, the student held onto their seat like no tomorrow.

There was a loud shout of it's following, and Shicmuon glanced at his side mirror to see the demon giving chase.

How annoying.

Racing through the forest, the trees flew by as he raced down the road, the bus moving faster than it really should be in normal settings. But this is Shicmuon. When have these settings ever been normal? Or anything in general?

Never.

"Wh-wha…?" Professor Khan stirred slightly before slowly raising his head in confusion.

"You're awake. Good. Anything you can do about that demon chasing us?" Rood asked calmly, gesturing to the demon chasing behind the bus.

"Huh?!" His head whipped around which he quickly regrets. With a mumble of quiet curses, Khan lifted up his head and stared at the demon for a second before turning his head to the side slowly to the driver's seat. He had learned his lesson the first time.

"I don't- What is going on…"

"You might have a concussion. Well, let's hope that one has a plan… or at least partly knows what he's doing…" It was a long shot really. But if Baldwin really was Shicmuon… Then maybe he wasn't completely without a brain even if the way he acted sometimes proved otherwise.

Shicmuon didn't really have a plan. Not really. Drive really fast until the got to the Association, the original destination. Surely the would be a report of one of the buses speeding down a road with a giant fucking demon chasing after him. Common sense really. If someone missed that then he swore high and low he would kill everyone in the building.

And there was a report. Not that it was necessary. The moment the large Association came into view the demon slowed to a stop, the bus still hurtling along. There was a figure up ahead, donned in the Association uniform. A brown-haired man waving his arms, wolf ears and a tail. Not a furry mind you.

Of course, Shicmuon recognized Van and vice versa. Van thought Shicmuon was going to stop before he hit him. He didn't. He was driving too fast to safely slam on the breaks. Although he didn't think that would have stopped the bus in time anyway.

"Did you just hit someone?" Professor Khan's eyes were wide and the students muttered softly to themselves as the bus slowed to a stop, quite a bit far from where Van had been.

"It was just Van. He-"

"Oh my god, he hit someone… I'm going to be in trouble with how fast the bus was going and letting him drive and getting knocked out and-"

Rood put a gentle hand on Khan's shoulder. The professor looked at him. He pointed out the figure walking along the side of the bus.

"What…?" He was confused.

"He jumped out of the way. Even if he was hit, he has really high defense anyway so he probably would have just gotten bruises or something." Shicmuon stated in a bored tone as he opened the bus doors.

"Why didn't you stop? You could have hit me!" Van gave a huff as he walked up the steps into the bus.

"The bus was going too fast. You're the dumbass that stood in the road with a bus hurtling towards him." While the others were surprised by his harshness to someone so well-known, Van only shrugged.

"Have I ever been known as smart?"

"No."

"Exactly." He grinned quickly ruffling Shicmuon's hair only to receive a fierce glare from the boy. If he was anyone else, Van would have been terrified but he's known that horrible boy for so long that the glares never really scared him.

"Is everyone okay?" Van asked the students and received a chorus of yes and head nodding. The only hurt one was the professor but he was bandaged already and would be checked on once they got to the building just up ahead. There was just adrenaline pumping through them at this point.

He gestured for Shic to get out of the seat which the boy did. He went back to his seat, Lidusis getting up to get out of the way, and continued to scowl.

The short ride, with Van driving, was uneventful, the demon is gone from sight. As they pulled up the front, the other buses were already there and waiting for them. If Dio hadn't fallen back asleep in a closet for god knows why they probably wouldn't have been so late. They might not have even had that strange small incident but maybe it would have happened regardless of it.

It wouldn't be the last incident that would happen on this trip to this particular group but at least they have two rank one magicians on their side, right?