Chapter 44

"The exhibit booths are where arts club students sell and showcase their original creations and other goods," Riddle explained while we walked. "The seniors also have booths to exhibit their research and study findings. Do browse and see if anything piques your interest."

"Oh yeah, Crewel mentioned somethin' about seniors comin' back for the culture fair," said Grim. "How come we never see 'em on campus otherwise?"

"The typical M.O. for four-year magical academies is that seniors go off-campus for hands-on learning," Trey said. "I'm no exception—I'll be doing the same next year, and I'll only be back on special occasions."

"Ooh... Whaddaya mean by 'hands-on?' What do you guys do?"

"Some people apply to shadow a certain special team in an administrative organization..." said Riddle. "While others leave to excavate or explore ruins, or to decipher ancient texts. Still others accept internships with magic related businesses."

"What's this 'special team in an administrative organization?'" I asked.

Trey glanced at me. "Oh yeah, Ona—you came from a world without magic, right? Of course this would all be new to you. Twisted Wonderland's fire and police organizations include elite teams comprised entirely of mages. And the best and brightest mages in THOSE teams go to an international organization called the Arcane Response Unit. Lots of people grow up idolizing them."

I nodded. "That seems kind of cool."

"Sounds elite!" Grim said with a grin. "So once I become a great and powerful sorcerer, I can join this Arcane Response Unit?"

"I haven't heard of them taking in monsters before, but we do live in an age of increased diversity..." Riddle said. "I wouldn't rule it out if you put in the work."

"Mages have lots of different occupations, huh?" I mused.

Riddle smiled. "Heh. You have to do a lot more than fly around on a broom to cut it as a modern mage. Think about your own futures. Follow the rules and study hard if you want to get ahead."

"Future, huh?" I had not considered a future where I stayed in this world. What could it be like?

"Yeesh, that's like your catchphrase or somethin'," Grim said,

Riddle frowned. "Excuse me. You asked me a question, and I answered."

"I thought it was a good response," I said, and Riddle smiled at me.

Trey chuckled. "Ha ha. The future's a hard thing for freshmen to envision. The culture fair isn't all stuffy research exhibitions, of course. There's also plenty of booths you can visit for fun. In fact, my Science Club is running a decorative plant café. Care to check it out?"

"Ooh, a café!" Grim said excitedly. "That means food! Count me in!"

I smirked. "You're always thinking about your stomach, huh?"

So, we proceeded to walk through the clubs' exhibits. The science club's cafe was nice, and i enjoyed visiting the others as well. Then we came across the board game club's booth. I noticed a guy with long, bright blue hair who did not seem happy to be there.

"Uh, there's some guy mumblin' to himself in the corner of this booth," Grim said.

"Idia?" Riddle said, walking up to the guy. "What are you doing there?"

"WHOA!" the guy exclaimed, eyes wide. "Instructor Riddle?! What are you doing here?!"

Riddle stared at him oddly. "Since when am I an instructor?"

"Uh, n-never mind. Forget I said that."

"Are you all set for your on-stage research presentation?"

"Y-yeah, I'm good, no worries. You'll see for yourself soon enough, hee hee..."

Riddle appeared uncertain. I wondered what this was all about. "...Um, all right. Your field of specialty, technomancy, is one of the most fascinating areas of study in modern magic. I'm looking forward to seeing you share your insights."

"U-uh, sure. Anyway, I've got last-minute prep to do, okay? If you want to get in some board gaming, talk with Ortho." Idia gestured to the boy I realized must be his brother, so we made our way over to him.

"Riddle Rosehearts," said Ortho. "Trey Clover. Ona. Grim. Hello to you all! Welcome to the Board Game Club's booth! You can enjoy tabletop experiences from all over the world with our club members here. Oh, and you can also play the technomantic VR board game my brother developed!"

"The techno what, now?" said Trey.

"That sounds cool!" Grim said with a grin.

Ortho held up a VR headset. "You put on these technomantic goggles my brother developed... And immerse yourself in the world of virtual reality. Different things can happen to players in the virtual world based on what space the dice puts them on. Rolls are programmed to be completely random. There's no way to game the dice and make them land where you want. Sometimes you slay monsters in the jungle. Other times you dig for oil in the desert. You consign your fate to a game of chance and make your way toward the goal. That's VR Magical Dice—the latest in board gaming!

"How is that a board game...?" Trey asked.

"That sounds neat!" I said with a grin.

Ortho appeared excited. "Ooh, did I pique your interest? By all means, give it a whirl."

"Thanks for the offer, but we're making our last rounds right now," said Trey. "Could we come by and spend more time trying it later?"

"Oh, that's a shame. But sure, you're welcome to come see us anytime!"

"I'll definitely be back," I said, smiling at him.

"Well, well," said a familiar voice from further down the booth. "Hello, everyone. Welcome to our Board Game Club exhibit."

"Azul!" I grinned and ran over to greet him. "It's good to see you."

Azul smiled at me. "It's good to see you too, Ona."

"Hello, Azul," Riddle said politely. "I'd almost forgotten you were in this club. I thought you'd be throwing yourself into running the Mostro Lounge for an event like this."

"You wound me! I'm a student here too, you know. As a member of a club, it's only natural I would take part in a culture fair. Besides, I've struck up an arrangement with some loafers—ah, I mean, a few of the sports clubs. They'll be running the shop and working the stands as drink vendors at each of the main stages. The center of attention at the festival will, of course, be the SDC on the Purple Stage."

"Wow, you've thought of everything," Trey said with a smile. "I should be taking notes."

"Jade and I are but two of the many Octavinelle students who belong to arts clubs. We would have been woefully understaffed to handle the expected flood of customers."

I perked up at the mention of Jade. "Does he have a booth here?"

"Oh yes, that's right," Riddle said thoughtfully. "Jade started his own club. The Mountain Lovers Club. I did receive a booth application for that. The name sounded more like a sports-affiliated club to me, but I suppose it does count as an art."

"What kind of activities do they do, anyway?" Trey asked curiously.

"I haven't the faintest, personally," said Azul.

"Considering how intimidating the guy founding it is, it's gotta be somethin' scary," Grim said. "I bet they dig up crazy stuff in the mountains, and bury even crazier stuff."

I glared at him. "What did you just say about Jade?"

Grim's eyes widened. "Eep! I-I meant that Jade is, uh, charming?" I narrowed my eyes at him. "Aw, what do you want me to say?"

"I wouldn't put it past Jade," Riddle said, seemingly responding to Grim's first comment. "Perhaps we should go check on his booth. He applied to hold an exhibit, but there's no telling what sort of mischief he may be up to."

Now I rounded on Riddle. "Jade is certainly not up to any mischief!"

Riddle looked at me, surprised at the anger in my voice. "Come again?"

"You really should not have said that," Azul said casually, though I saw a hint of a smirk on his face.

"Jade's club is perfectly normal," I said. "He's not up to anything."

"And how would you know that?" said Riddle.

"Because I've been hiking alone with him! I've seen what he does with his club."

"Oh yeah, that's right," Grim said. "I remember that now. Guess I was wrong. Sorry, Ona."

I nodded at him. "You're forgiven." When I looked to Riddle, he appeared horrified.

"You went hiking in the woods with Jade alone?!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, that's what I just said..."

"Something could have happened to you!"

I shook my head. "Hiking isn't that dangerous, and I had Jade with me. He's an expert."

"That's exactly my point! Jade could have hurt you!"

"Clearly, he did not," Trey said, smiling nervously. "I think you're over-reacting. Maybe you should just-"

"No, I'm not." Riddle looked at me with a hard expression. "Look, Ona, you may think Jade is nice and innocent, but-"

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, don't even start. I know who Jade is, and I am very well aware that he is more dangerous than Floyd. I knew that the first time I met him."

"Oh really?" Azul said, sounding amused. "No wonder he is so fond of you. No one else here comes even close to matching his perceptive skills."

Riddle eyed me critically. "If you know that, then why would you spend time with him?"

"Because he's my friend!" I said.

"He's obviously pretending to be your friend so-"

"No!" I all but glower at him. "He's not pretending. He's not deceiving me. He cares. And his club is completely innocent!"

"You know, Ona," said Azul, "Jade does not care what others think about him. You don't have to try so hard."

"All the more reason for me to do it!" I remembered the way Jade's face lit up with true happiness when he engaged in his passions. I did not want anyone to disparage that. "I have to defend his honor."

Grim snorted. "His honor?"

"You have a poor choice in friends, Ona," Riddle said critically, crossing his arms. "Wasn't Floyd enough? Why do you need Jade too?"

"Because they're extremely different, and I like both of them for who they are!"

Riddle's face grew redder. "You don't understand what you're doing."

"I think she does," said Azul. "Honestly, she's never safer when she's with one of those two."

I nodded. "Exactly. Neither of them would hurt me. And Jade genuinely loves his club. I will not allow you to insult him by suggesting otherwise."

"Then why don't we go check out his booth for ourselves?" Trey said, chuckling nervously.

"By all means, pay him a visit," said Azul. "I'm sure he'd be delighted to have company. I assume he'd be all alone and bored out of his skull otherwise. And I'm sure he's dying to see you, Ona." He said the last bit with a little smirk, but I was still too upset to care.

"Fine," Riddle snapped. "Let's just see what he's up to."

"He's not up to anything!" I insisted as I stalked after him. I heard Azul chuckle in the background. Riddle led the way to the Mountain Lovers club booth, but I soon saw that Jade was not alone.

"Why, hello there," Jade said with a polite smile. "It's an honor to receive a personal visit from the culture fair management committee chair. Welcome to the Mountain Lovers Club exhibit."

"Little Shrimpy!" Floyd exclaimed, engulfing me in a hug before I could do anything about it - not that I wanted to.

"Hi, Floyd," I said, grinning as I hugged him back.

"Floyd!" Riddle said sternly. "Please try to restrain yourself."

Floyd released me and looked curiously at Riddle's angry expression. "What's wrong, Goldfishie? Are ya jealous?"

"Do you want a hug too?" I couldn't help but tease.

Riddle's face turned even redder. "I am not jealous, and I do not need a hug!"

"Oh, but I bet Jade does," Floyd said with a smirk.

"That's alright, Ona," Jade said in his formal tone. "You do not need to bother."

I smiled at him. "It's no bother at all." I walked all the way around the booth and pulled him into a tight hug. From the way he hugged me back, I knew he had actually wanted it.

"Enough of this!" Riddle said.

"Oh, Goldfishie!" Floyd said suddenly, getting close to him and holding something in front of his face. "You get our First Guest Prize: a mystery mushroom, hand-picked by Jade."

Riddle moved back. "Hey, don't shove weird objects in my face! What do you think you're doing?! And stop calling me by that silly nickname!"

"Hey, be careful with that!" I said, recognizing the object. I ran over to them.

"I'll have you both know that it's not a 'mystery mushroom' OR a 'weird object,'" Jade said, sounding slightly offended. "It has a name."

"It's a brown beech mushroom," I said as I took it from Floyd.

Jade looked at me in utter surprise. "That's... correct. How did you know?"

I grinned. I loved seeing him surprised since it was so hard to do. And I knew he enjoyed being surprised. That was one reason why he liked being around Floyd so much. "I read about it in a book Floyd gave me. I don't have his memory, but some of the mushrooms, like this one, stuck in my mind."

"You read a book about mushrooms... and enjoyed it?" Jade was still trying to keep up his public persona, but I could see in his eyes that he was extremely pleased. This made me even happier.

"She sure did!" Floyd said excitedly. He pushed me towards his brother. "Now you can talk about mushrooms with her instead of me!"

Jade chuckled before smiling warmly at me. "I suppose I will have to do that, princess."

My eyes widened. "H-Hey, there's no reason to call me that."

Jade gave me a look of mock hurt. "What, only Floyd can call you by a nickname?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Enough of this!" Riddle said, still angry. "Jade, you need to keep your brother in line! I'll have both of your heads!"

"Don't even try it!" I said, rounding on Riddle. "You insulted Jade earlier and now think he's supposed to control his brother? That's hardly fair. They're not doing anything wrong."

"Nothing wrong?!"

Floyd slung and arm around me and rested his chin on my shoulder. "Goldfishie was insulting Jade?" His body was tense, and his eyes were narrowed.

Trey's eyes widened when he noticed Floyd's anger. He turned to his companion. "Maybe you should be careful."

"Careful about what?" Riddle said with anger of his own.

I gave Floyd a smile and ruffled his hair affectionately. "It's okay, Floyd. I took care of it."

Floyd immediately relaxed and smile brightly at me. "Okay, Little Shrimpy!"

I saw Trey visibly relax as well. He then looked over the booth. "What's all the commotion at the entrance? Ooh, I see. This is an exhibit of terrariums and photos."

"Heh heh. By all means, Trey, feel free to join us," Jade said. "This is a pastiche of all the things I've foraged in the mountains."

Riddle had not seemed to take the hint and continued to glower at Floyd. "And what are you doing here, Floyd? Aren't you in the Basketball Club with Ace and Jamil? Surely you all should be working on building the Blue Stage in the gymnasium."

Floyd released me from his hold and crossed his arms. "I wasn't in much of a buildin' mood, so I was draggin' my feet. Then they kicked me out. Aha hah." He smiled a little.

Riddle did not look impressed. "Culture fairs only come together when students work as a team. Neglecting your duties because of a little mood swing is worse than breaking the rules!"

Floyd appeared irritated. "What's the big deal? The captain said I could go, so I went."

"Hey, leave him alone," I said to Riddle.

"Why do you keep defending them?" Riddle said eyes now narrowed at me.

"Because you keep attacking them."

"I'm not attacking him. I'm reprimanding him. There are certain rules that need to be followed."

"You can't apply the same standards for everyone. People are different, and you have to work with those differences. Vil understands that at least."

"Yeah, what she said," Floyd said, sounding happier. "Besides, I gotta do a bunch of Mostro Lounge work this afternoon. I'm gonna be carrying around heavy tanks and walkin' around selling drinks. Man... Jade doesn't gotta do any work. Why do I have to do all the heavy lifting today? I wanna mess around like you guys are."

"We're doing management committee work right now!" Riddle huffed. "We are NOT 'messing around.'"

"Heh heh. Don't fret, Floyd," Jade said. "There's a special bonus to be earned by the vendor who makes the most drink sales. Azul said so himself."

"You know I don't care about stuff like that," said Floyd. "In fact, doesn't the Mountain Lovers Club do a bunch of mountain climbin'? Doesn't that count as a sport? Don't go tryin' to pass it off as an arts club now."

"Ooh, so you guys do mountaineering?" Trey said curiously.

"Actually, hiking isn't our primary activity," said Jade. "We're not scaling tall mountains and collecting proof that we reached the summit, or anything of that sort. We just go on leisurely walks in the mountains around campus, where we take in the scenery, as well as the flora and fauna. Our main goal is to appreciate the mountains' bounty, while also enjoying its edible plants and mushrooms."

"Ah, I see. That puts it closer to a photography club or cooking club."

"I don't know about that. I simply take in the mountains with my senses and enjoy the experience. Sometimes I do observe things, but I'm not doing any serious experimenting like the Science Club."

"So basically, you just go to the mountains and scavenge for grub," said Grim.

"Heh heh. I certainly wash and cook what I find, but generally speaking, yes."

"See?" I said to Riddle. "His club is perfectly normal."

Riddle hesitated. "He doesn't seem to be doing anything disruptive..."

"He is definitely not doing anything disruptive. Now apologize for what you said earlier."

"Oh?" said Jade. "What did he say?"

"He was making all kind of ridiculous claims about you and your club. I tried to set him straight."

Jade seemed a bit amused by this. "You did, did you?"

"Oh, yeah, you should have heard her," Grim said. "She was going on and on, defending your honor and all that."

Floyd laughed. "His honor?"

"Riddle was insulting Jade's club and our friendship," I said hotly. "I couldn't let that stand."

"Why, thank you, Ona," Jade said. He retained his typical polite demeanor, but I could see in his eyes that he was touched by my actions. Seeing him happy like that made me smile, and I felt myself relax.

"Fine," Riddle said. "I'm sorry for not listening to you, Ona."

My expression hardened as I looked at him. "Apologize to Jade, not me." He narrowed his eyes at the request.

"Is this really necessary?" Trey said.

I gave him a hard look. "Yes, Trey. He needs to learn to admit when he's wrong, right?"

Trey's eyes widened in understanding. "Yes, of course." He placed a hand on Riddle's shoulder. "Come on now."

"Fine," Riddle snapped. He took a deep breath and looked at Jade. "I am sorry. I was wrong about you... this time."

Jade seemed positively delighted. "Apology accepted! Let's forget this whole thing happened, shall we?" Riddle let out a small grunt and looked away. "And thank you, Ona." His tone turned soft as he wrapped his arms around me from behind.

I placed a hand on his and looked at him with a gentle smile. "You're welcome."

Riddle cleared his throat. "I see photos of plants and rocks on the wall. Did you take those?"

Jade let go of me and returned to his normal demeanor. "I did indeed. I'm sure it all looks rather mundane and humdrum to you land-dwellers... But as a sea-dweller, I find it all fascinating."

"Even then, you pick the most boring subjects," said Floyd. "It's all rocks and plants you could find anywhere. I don't get what's fun about it. Even our ancestors would at least collect rarer things."

"Heh heh heh. Maybe that's why I'm the only member of the club."

"Just because it's common doesn't mean it's not fascinating," I said. "Each rock and plant still has his own story."

"Then maybe you should join his club," Floyd said with a small smile. Jade brightened just a bit.

"I already have a club, but maybe I could transfer?"

"No," Riddle said coldly. "That is against the rules."

"I don't remember there being a rule about that," Trey said.

"You must have missed it."

"Whether you are an official member or not, you are always welcome to join me in my excursions," Jade said with a polite smile, though I could see the genuine happiness in his eyes.

I grinned at him. "I will take you up on that sometime."

Before Riddle could protest, a loud bell sounded throughout the school. "This is an announcement to all students preparing for the culture fair," someone said through the PA system. "Festivities will open to the public in five minutes. Please return to your booths and make your final preparations."

"Oh no, it's almost opening time already!" Riddle exclaimed. "I haven't even checked the east building yet!"

"Then I think we'd best get going," said Trey. "Here's hoping your booth is a success."

"Best of luck to you as well," said Jade. "Thank you all for visiting."

"Bye-byeee!" Floyd said while waving. "See ya later, Shrimpy!"

"Bye, guys!" I said with a smile. Suddenly, I remembered something. I turned around and held the mushroom out to Jade. "Do you want this back?"

"No, you can keep it," Jade said with a smile. "I know you'll take care of it."

I smiled back at him. "Oh, can I eat it?" Grim said, holding onto my leg.

I gasped and held the mushroom close to my chest. "No way!" I shook him off of me.

"Aw, why not? It's edible, ain't?"

"Yes, but this one isn't for eating. It's from Jade."

"Hurry up, you two!" Riddle snapped. I carefully found a place for the mushroom in my bag where it would not be crushed, and then I followed the others.

"You know, Riddle," Trey said once we were in the hallway, "I don't think you have to worry about Ona and the twins. If she can stand up to you, I think she's perfectly capable of letting them know if they do something that makes her uncomfortable."

"For sure," I said.

"Maybe you're right," Riddle said, now decidedly less angry. "Let's just move on."

We moved out into the streets, where there was already a bustle of activity. I did not realize so many people would come for this fair. It was all pretty exciting. Riddle continued to check up on each group, making sure everything was in proper order.

"The east stage has dressing rooms for the clubs making presentations on the Blue Stage in the gymnasium..." he explained as we walked. "As well as the Red Stage on the sports grounds. We'll have students from other schools using those rooms as well."

"So, is that where the SDC competitors are gonna be hangin' out?" said Grim.

"No. The coliseum has locker rooms and facilities where the SDC entrants will be staying."

"We've got a lot of visitors from Royal Sword Academy this year," said Trey. "We'll need to make regular rounds. Our campus is full of hotheaded guys who are quick to pick fights. When students from our rival school are around, well..."

A loud sound of someone running into something caught my attention. "Hey, punk," said a student. "You got snot all over my uniform. You're not even gonna apologize?"

"I said I was sorry..." said a little kid. "Achoo!"

"Ewww!" exclaimed a second student. "He sent more snot flyin' our way!"

"Snick!" said another kid, handing the first kid a handkerchief. "Here, blow your nose."

"Thanks, Dominic..." said the first kid. He took the cloth and blew his nose.

Dominic turned to the Night Raven students. "I'm sorry about that. I'll pay the cleaning bill for your uniforms."

"You bet you will," the first student said angrily. "Y'know, I was wondering what kindergarteners were doing here... But you kids are wearin' the Royal Sword Academy uniform, aren't you?"

"Who're you calling kindergarteners?!" said a grumpy looking kid. "I'm the great Grum, and I'd bet I'm older than you! Don't you dare go insulting dwarfs!"

"Heh. I was gonna let you off easy 'cause you were kids, but I guess that means I don't have to now!" said a third student.

"Since you got our nice uniforms all gross, we're gonna get mud all over those white jackets of yours!" the first one said.

"Good grief," Trey said, shaking his head. "I didn't even have time to finish the thought out loud."

"Physical altercations on campus are a clear breach of rules," Riddle said, taking out his pen. "I don't need to wait for a verdict. I'll clamp down on this right now!"

"Now, this is a rule you should enforce," I said before stepping back to watch the action.