Kat grabbed the edges of the upside-down coffee table, hoisting it up with a grunt. "Oof..."

After a little bit of struggling, she managed to place it back on its legs, stepping back and huffing. "God, this furniture's heavy... Guess that means it's quality, though, right? If this was just IKEA stuff, there's no way it would've lasted this long..."

No response from Grim, sitting slumped on the black-and-white couch and staring blankly into space.

"...Hello?" Kat asked, turning to look at him. "Ground control to Major Grim. Can you hear me?"

Giving a long, depressed grumble, Grim crossed his arms, flopping over and turning his back to her. "Tch... Maaaaaan-- if I can't be in the Magishift tournament, then I don't wanna do anything else... Just leave me alone, okay?"

"...Seriously?" Kat asked after a second. "That's a little melodramatic... You're still not over that? Even after demolishing all those snacks?"

The skin on Grim's back twitched, and his tail gave an irritable lash.

"...Ugh-- whatever," Kat grumbled, rolling her eyes. "Um-- let's see..."

Grabbing the corner of the greenish rug on the floor, she yanked it up. Dragging it into her arms in a heap, she grimaced as the wet, dusty smell hit her. "I'm gonna take this outside... Hang it over the fence, let it dry out in the sun for a little. Okay?"

No response again.

Rolling her eyes, she started making her way towards the front door. Before she could reach it, the door swung open of its own accord.

Charles, the stick-thin ghost, shimmered into existence in the doorway. "Allow me, Miss Prefect!" He declared in his creaky voice, taking his hat off and sweeping a stiff bow.

Kat, who'd jumped a little bit, relaxed, sighing softly. "Aw-- thanks, Charles!" She smiled. "That's so sweet of you..."

"Oh, it's no trouble, my dear," the ghost beamed back, replacing his hat and drifting to the side to let her pass. "In fact, it was my pleasure!"

Folding his hands behind his back, he followed after her as she tromped across the lawn. "How were your classes today, Miss Kat?" He asked.

Kat shrugged. "Eh-- they were okay," she replied, slowing down a little while making her way down a particularly steep hillock. "Oh-- today, for P.E., we did fencing... That was really fun, actually-- and I'm actually a lot better at it than I expected!"

"Fencing?" Charles asked, bony brow ridges raising. "Oho-- I see... Yes, you DO seem to have a fencer's build, if I'm not being too forward."

"Yeah, yeah!" Kat agreed, nodding. "That's what Coach Vargas said, too... I've got long limbs, so I've got easier reach, and I'm skinny, so there's less of me to hit. I DO need to work on my stamina and endurance and whatever, though, but-- y'know..."

She shrugged again as they approached the fence.

"Hey-- can you give me a hand with this?" She asked, indicating the rug.

"Of course, of course!" Charles smiled. "Here--"

He raised his hand, and suddenly the piled-up rug lifted out of her arms, surrounded by a cold, misty radiance like a cloud. Drifting into the air, it draped itself over the fence like a towel as the misty light died away.

"Oh, wow-- thank you!" Kat exclaimed.

"You're quite welcome!" Charles nodded happily.

They made their way back up the lawn and into the house. Kat yawned, stretching her arms as Charles followed her back into the lounge.

Grim was still curled up on the couch. Now, though, Eddie and Benji were hovering over him, looking down at him with a mixture of concern and amusement.

"Hey, hey-- what'samatter, Grimmy-guy?" Benji asked. "You don't look so good... Somethin' got ya down?"

Eddie drifted over, elbowing him in the side with a mischievous grin. "What-- ya haven't heard? He's got his tail in a twist because he can't play in the Magical Shift tournament-- heheheh!"

Both of them burst into laughter, clutching their stomachs and doubling over in midair.

"Hmmm... Magical Shift, eh?" Charles mused as he and Kat approached. "Ahh, that takes me back..."

Humming, he tapped his chin with a spindly finger. "Say-- I have a splendid idea! If you want to play Magical Shift so badly, then why don't WE play with you?"

Kat blinked, looking over at him. "...Huh? You guys can play Magishift?"

"But of COURSE!" Charles beamed, puffing out his stick-thin chest and swelling with pride. "I was my dormitory's team captain ninety years ago! And--"

He sidled through the air, elbowing Kat in the side with a sly wink and making her shiver involuntarily. "I was quite a hit with the ladies, too, you know... Why, whenever I hit the field, the cheers were deafening!"

Snorting with laughter, Kat stepped back a little, looking over at Grim. "Well? How's that sound, buddy?"

Grumbling, Grim rolled upright, front legs still crossed. "Rrr... But don't we need seven people to play?"

Benji drifted over to him, slapping him on the back and making him bristle and jump with a small yelp. "Hey, come on-- if it ain't a competitive match, then it doesn't matter how many players there are! Come on, come on-- let's just get playin'!"

"Rrrrr," Grim grumbled again, twizzling his ears.

Laughing, Kat crouched down a little, stroking his head. "Aw, come on-- why not?" She asked, tilting her head. "Don't you wanna at least try it out? Sounds fun, right?"

He grumbled again.

"...Besides," she added. "A pro player always has to keep practicing, right? Don't want all those skills to go rusty before you get a chance to show 'em off..."

Grim hesitated for a moment, then grumbled loudly, jumping down off the couch. "Okay, okay, FINE! But only since I've got nothin' better to do... You ghosts better watch out, though, 'cause I'm about to wipe the FLOOR with ya!"

Huffing haughtily, he stormed towards the front door.

The ghosts trailed along behind him, laughing amongst themselves. Eddie actually hung back a bit, grinning at Kat as she picked up her schoolbag from the floor next to the couch before heading towards the door, too. "Nice work convincin' the little guy to quit moping," he said, winking.

Kat shrugged, opening the flap of the bag and pulling out another notebook and textbook. "Eh-- I'm just glad it actually worked," she said. "The little dude can be pretty damn stubborn... But he's also got a mad short attention span, and it seems like he can really only think about one thing at a time."

Stepping onto the lawn, she zipped her hoodie up, wandering over to a spot on the mostly-dead grass and sitting down.

Grim and the ghosts stopped on the flattest part of the yard.

"Hey, KAT!" She heard Benji call.

Looking up, she saw him waving at her, while Charles and Eddie were rooting around in some bushes, apparently looking for the disk. "You don't wanna play with us?"

Kat shrugged.

"I can't," she called back. "No magic, remember? Plus, I'm not really a big sports person, anyway... But show me what you've got, Grim! I'll be cheering for you!"

"Heheh!" She heard him cackle, rearing up on his hind legs and puffing out his chest. "Yeah, you BETTER-- I'm about to BLOW YOUR MIND, Kat!"

"You got it, Boss!" She called, giving another two-fingered Sailor Moon salute.

Eddie and Charles floated back over, with Charles 'holding' what could only be the disk, hovering over his three-fingered hand. "Found it!" He declared happily. "I knew we still had it somewhere around here..."

"Ooh, OOH!" Grim exclaimed, jumping up and down eagerly. "Give it here-- give it here! Lemme hold it!"

"Alright, alright," Charles chuckled. "But remember-- use magic! Ready? One, two... THREE!"

With a flick of his hand, he sent the disk whizzing through the air, and Grim jumped up eagerly, his pendant flashing. A cloud of sparking blue energy fizzled into existence around the disk, and it came to a slightly wobbly stationary spin above Grim's head.

"WOO-HOO!" Kat cheered, clapping excitedly. "Great JOB, Grim!"

He cackled proudly again, and she could see his grin from here.

"Don't mind all the rules and particulars for now," Charles continued. "Just control the disk with magic, and lob it STRAIGHT into the goal! Or..."

He paused, looking around for a moment. "...Rather, past that tree, since we don't have a proper goal on hand at the moment. He nodded towards the dead, twisted tree at the edge of the yard, right up against the fence.

"Pfft-- that's IT?!" Grim declared, standing up on his hind legs with his front paws on his hips. "No problem! You ghosts are gonna eat my DUST!"

"Hey, hey, HEY-- don't be so hasty, lil' fella!" Eddie cackled. "Don't forget-- this is a GAME, remember? The guy holdin' the disk should expect some magical interference... Heheheh!"

"Aw, come on-- enough with all the yappin' and flappin'!" Benji interjected, bobbing around excitedly in the air. "We ain't gettin' any deader over here! Ready-- set..."

Putting his fingers in his mouth, he gave a sharp whistle. "PLAY!"

Pulling her knees up to her chest, Kat watched for a little while.

Grim zigzagged across the lawn while the ghosts popped in and out. It was a lot like the 'fight' the first night here, actually-- vanishing and reappearing, they cut him off as he tried to run. Dipping and dodging, he spat fire at them as they tried to swoop in and snatch the disk away.

He wasn't actually making much 'progress' in terms of getting closer to the goal... But he seemed to be having a pretty good time, which was really all that mattered.

Smiling, she pulled the notebooks and textbooks out of the schoolbag. Hmm- let's see here... Which piece of homework do I wanna start with first?

Finding a pencil, she started scribbling.

She only realized she had zoned into her work when another proud cackle from Grim made her zone back out, as it were.

"BOOYAH!" The little creature was cheering, zipping towards the tree-slash-goal with the disk still spinning above his head. "Looks like I was too fast for 'em! Now, all I gotta do is get it in the goal, and--"

Suddenly, Eddie and Benji rose up out of the ground in front of him, pulling exaggerated faces. "BOO!"

Grim shrieked, skidding to a halt and puffing out, arching his back like a Halloween decoration. "GYAH! H-H-HEY-- what's the big IDEA?!" He spluttered, panting.

Eddie cackled. "Heheheh-- what, ya didn't think we'd just LET ya waltz on up and chuck a goal in, didja?!"

"Rrrrgh... N-No FAIR!" Grim protested. "There ain't nothin' magical about THAT interference!"

"Uh-oh-- Grim, BEHIND YOU!" Kat called.

Grim spun around, jumping and spitting another fireball just as Charles tried to swoop towards the disk from behind. All three ghosts vanished in wet puffs, and Grim started running again, panting.

Benji rematerialized, turning and pouting at Kat. "Hey-- what GIVES, Prefect?!" He demanded, half-mockingly with his fists on his 'hips'. "If you're not PLAYIN', then don't give the little guy any TIPS, either!"

"Sorry, sorry-- force of habit," she grinned back, waving. "And-- you might wanna keep an eye out for the 'little guy', too, since he's heading for the goal right now."

"HUH?!" Benji and Grim demanded in unison.

"Rrr-- DAMMIT!" Grim protested, scowling at her. "What GIVES?! Whose side are you even ON, anyway?!"

"That was just to even the scales," she called back, smirking. "No more advice from me from here on out-- promise!"

Smiling, she went back to her homework, humming quietly while the sounds of Grim and the ghosts faded into the background.

A little while later-- she wasn't exactly sure how long, but not very long-- she heard a startled "FNYAGH!" From Grim, and looked up just in time.

A fizzing blue streak zipped about a foot past the side of her head. She flinched, hair blowing in the wind whipped up in its wake. "Jesus-- what the hell was THAT?!" She demanded, shaking her head and looking around.

"Oh, geez-- you okay, Prefect?" Benji called, wincing. "That disk nearly took your head off..."

"That was the DISK?!" Kat asked incredulously, looking in the direction of the vanished object. "Holy shit..."

"Rrrrrgh... D-DANGIT!" Grim shouted angrily, tail puffed out again. "Why's that stupid thing so hard to control, huh?!"

Eddie burst into laughter, doubling over and slapping his wispy tail roughly where his knees would be. "HEHEHEHEH! Even if ya DID get into the tournament, Grimmy-guy, you'd be out after the first round!" He declared, then succumbed to another fit of laughter, with Benji joining in.

"Oh, come on now-- give him some credit!" Charles chided, drifting over and trying to pat Grim on the head. "He's not bad for a first-timer-- not bad at all!"

Grim bristled, shivering visibly and ducking under his ethereal hand, skittering away a few feet. "Hmph-- wh-WHATEVER!" He declared, standing back up on his hind legs and tossing his head. "I'm a GENIUS, remember?! I'm gonna be a Magishift ace in no time flat!"

Eddie and Benji seemed to find this even more amusing, laughing even harder and slapping each other on the backs.

"Oh? Good day, everyone," a voice called, and Kat looked up. Crowley, with the feather-shaped hem of his coat fluttering behind him, was strolling up towards Ramshackle, walking stick crunching on the gravel. Stopping at the fence, he nodded, touching the brim of his hat.

"Playing some Magical Shift, I see?"

"KEH--!!" Grim stiffened, then scampered over to Kat, skittering behind her and glaring out at the Headmaster. "Tch-- an' here comes the number one mood-ruiner... This is JUST what I needed," he grumbled.

Rolling her eyes, Kat got to her feet, tucking the textbook and notebooks under her arm. "Hello, Headmaster," she called, brushing down the front of her jeans as she made her way down to the fence.

The ghosts trailed after her, doffing their own caps with calls of "Good afternoon, Headmaster!" And "Hiya, Crowley!"

Humming happily, Crowley tucked the walking stick under his arm. "I see you two have made yourself quite at home-- and you seem to be getting along marvelously with the ghosts, too!"

Nodding, he folded his arms, smiling proudly. "I'm quite pleased-- quite pleased indeed!"

Grim, still sticking to Kat like a shadow, scoffed loudly. "Tch-- yeah, RIGHT! Don't get the wrong idea-- we ain't getting along or NOTHING! These guys just keep on comin' back..."

Jumping up onto her leg, he scrabbled up to his perch on her shoulder, still glowering suspiciously. "Well? Didja' WANT something, or what?"

The smile fell away from Crowley's face, and he suddenly looked quite serious.

"...Ah. Yes-- the truth is, I do have something I'd like to discuss with you two.. Might we have a word inside?"

He nodded towards the house.

...Whuh-oh. Kat felt her stomach start to knot up, fluttering nervously. "Uh-- sure, I guess," she muttered, shifting awkwardly.

Nodding again, Crowley pushed open the gate, stepping up onto the zigzagging path.

Sticking the books back into the schoolbag, Kat slung it over her Grim-free shoulder. Then she followed after Crowley, with the trio of ghosts drifting along next to her.

"...I feel like maybe you guys shouldn't stick around for this," she muttered, leaning in a little closer to them. "Or-- be... Visible? At least? Um-- I don't know what he wants to talk to us about, but... I'm already more than a little anxious about this, and I don't think an audience is gonna help much with that."

The ghosts exchanged glances, then looked back at her, nodding and smiling. "Oh, no problem, Kat-- we'll make ourselves scarce," Benji grinned. "Good luck with... Whatever this is about, huh?"

"Thanks," she sighed as they started approaching the front of the house. "See you guys later, I guess?"

"You got it!" Eddie beamed, flicking the brim of his hat and winking. "And if you need it, we're just a holler away, remember?"

With that, he faded away with a quiet chuckle, followed by Benji, then Charles.

Sighing quietly again, Kat shook her head, digging the keychain with the Ramshackle dorm key out of her front jeans pocket.

" 'Scuse me," she said, shuffling past Crowley, who was standing patiently under the eaves. After a little bit of struggling, she managed to shove the door open, hopping over the threshold and pulling the door open a little wider. "Come on in," she said, jerking her head towards the interior of the house.

"Thank you," Crowley nodded, stepping over the threshold in one long stride. "I'll see myself into the lounge, shall I?"

Without waiting for a response, he bustled into the living room.

Rolling her eyes, she shut the door behind her, jamming it back into 'place' with her hip before walking across the hall and into the living room.

With a wave of his walking stick, Crowley floated the one good chair over again, folding himself neatly into it.

Sticking the keychain back into her pocket, Kat sat down on the couch, pulling the schoolbag into her lap. "...Um," she said. "So... What's this about? Sir?"

Crowley sighed again, putting his walking stick across his knees and folding his hands in his lap. "I have a request I'd like to make of you two."

Kat blinked, frowning. "A... Request?" She repeated.

Jumping down off her shoulder and onto the couch cushions, Grim grumbled loudly.

"Aw, maaaan... What, MORE dumb jobs?!" He complained, plunking himself down into a sitting position next to her. "Come ON-- we ain't your janitors anymore, remember?!"

Kat glanced down at him, then back up at Crowley.

The headmaster hummed thoughtfully, crossing his own legs and tapping his chin with his gold-clawed fingers. "Oho," he mused. "Is that so? You two ARE still accruing living expenses during your time here, however... And, as I seem to recall, we never discussed the matter of COVERING those expenses after your enrollment. Did we?"

Kat sat up a little straighter as a small jolt of dread zapped down her spine. Oh, this bastard... He is NOT doing what I think he's doing.

"You know, hard work can be QUITE a beautiful thing," Crowley continued. "Wouldn't you agree, Grim-kun? And you as well, Miss Kat?"

He turned his bright fanged grin on the pair of them, spreading his hands.

Kat blinked back at him for a few seconds. Then she crossed her arms, unable to keep the scowl off her face as she sunk a little lower into the couch ...He is. He fucking IS. I can't believe this shit.

"...Fine," she said shortly. "What do you want?"

Crowley cleared his throat, straightening his tie. "Ahem! Very well, then-- allow me to explain."

Putting his elbows on his knees, he leaned forward a bit, steepling his fingers. "To tell you the truth, there has been a rash of suspicious incidents sweeping the campus lately... Incidents which have left many students injured."

Sitting up straight again, he folded his arms. "As such, I would like YOU two to investigate the matter."

Kat blinked. "...What?" She asked after a second.

"I'd like you to investigate these incidents," Crowley repeated. "As well as the injuries that resulted."

Kat blinked again. "...But-- why?" She asked after a second. "Why US, I mean? I've definitely never done anything like this before..."

Now it was Crowley's turn to blink at her. "...Why?" He asked.

"Yeah," she said, nodding. "Why?"

"Ah-- yes, of course. Well, it's-- it's because..." Crowley faltered for a moment, then perked up, smiling brightly. "...Because of your prowess as a beastmaster, of course! Why, your compassion and wisdom have already proven to be quite the asset to you in your endeavors at this school! People seem to be drawn to you... Not only Trappola-kun and Spade-kun, but also Diamond-kun, Clover-kun and even Rosehearts-kun himself seem to hold you in quite high regard!"

Nodding, he spread his hands again, smiling even more broadly. "I'm certain that if you-- a kind, agreeable, and, I'm sure you know I don't mean anything untoward by this, but frankly quite lovely young lady-- were to ask, even the most recalcitrant of individuals would practically spill their hearts out to you!"

Kat blinked again. "...Is this," she said, slowly. "Your way of saying you think that, since I'm a girl, and this is a school full of teenage, more or less boys, that they might... Think I'm hot, and tell me more than they normally would, to-- to... What? Impress me?"

"Oh, no, no-- nothing of the sort!" Crowley assured her, waving his hands placatingly. "I simply meant that you seem to be able to gain others' trust quite easily... You have an approachable, honest quality about you that is quite rare at this school, and--"

"Okay, okay, OKAY," Kat interrupted him, raising her own hands. "I get it, I get it... It's that frickin'-- normal-person spiel again, right? Look, I- I'll do my best, if I really HAVE to... But I'm not, like, FLIRTING with anyone, or anything like that. Okay?"

Sitting back a little further in the couch, she folded her arms again, jiggling her leg.

"Anyway-- what's all this about injuries?" Grim asked from next to her. "What's THAT mean?"

Sighing again, Crowley sat back in his chair folding his arms. "It's precisely what I said-- injuries. Cuts, sprains, burns... Falling down staircases, dropping things on themselves-- all manner of mishaps."

"...Oh," Kat said eventually. "That's-- not good..."

Crowley nodded. "Indeed," he stated somberly. "No two incidents are exactly the same, mind you-- the specifics vary from case to case. However, the fact is, the infirmary records show a sharp and very clear increase in patients over the past few days. In fact, with this afternoon's incident on the stairs, that brings the total number of injured students to ten."

"Ooh," Kat muttered, sitting up a little straighter and pressing her knuckles to her lips. "Is everybody... Well, I mean, they're INJURED, so they're not 'okay', but... Um..."

Crowley sighed, glowing eyes closing for a moment. "Fortunately, none of the injuries have proven to be life-threatening... For the time being, that is. However..."

He trailed off, leaving the unspoken end of the sentence hanging in the air.

...It's probably only a matter of time.

"Mmm," Grim mused, breaking the ominous silence. "I dunno-- are these really 'incidents', though? Ya sure it's not just normal stuff-- like, kids bein' clumsy, or messing around with their friends?"

"That... Is actually a good point," Kat said slowly. "I don't mean to be rude, but-- are you sure this really warrants investigating in the first place? Like-- I mean, this IS a high school, and teenagers, especially boys, they-- well..."

She gestured vaguely. "They're kind of... Feral? I guess? Rowdy? You know what I'm saying?"

"Mmmm," Crowley hummed again, starting to drum his clawed fingers against his arms. "You make a fair point, Miss Prefect... And of course, with the prospects of the upcoming Magishift tournament looming ever closer, I'm sure that many of our students find themselves too distracted to focus properly. However, the fact remains that this volume of incidents is far greater than we've had in past years..."

Opening his eyes, he looked at them again. "...And, moreover, each of the injured students were considered strong contenders for positions on their respective dormitories' Magishift teams."

"Wh--"

Kat blinked again. Then she bristled, jumping out of her seat. "SERIOUSLY?!" She demanded, gesturing angrily. "Way to bury the LEDE, man! Why didn't you START with that?!"

Crowley looked startled, blinking back at her comically with his mouth falling open into a small 'o'.

Coughing, she shook her head, sitting back down and putting her hands in her lap. "Sorry," she mumbled, blushing. "That-- IS pretty suspicious..."

Shaking his head, Crowley cleared his throat, nodding again. "Indeed it is-- a most excellent deduction, Miss Kat. However, as it stands, we've been unable to uncover any evidence of foul play."

Grim crawled onto her lap as the headmaster continued to speak. "All the incidents happened in public spaces, during busy times of the day, and each and every witness gave the same testimony:"

Leaning forward, he paused for dramatic effect. "...'It looked like he was just being careless'."

Blinking slowly, Kat leaned back. "...Huh," she said after a second.

Grim, in her lap, yawned hugely, arching his back in a stretch before plopping down on his stomach with one cheek on his paw. "Well-- if they all said the same thing, that probably means they're right... Looks like those kids were just bein' careless, then. Case closed!"

Crowley blinked again, cocking his head at Grim in a very birdlike manner. "Oh, my... Grim-kun, that was certainly quick. Are you really satisfied with pulling off such a slapdash investigation?"

Grim yawned again, trailing off into a quiet grumble. "But, c'mon-- it's got nothing to do with ME! And I can't even play in your dumb tournament in the first place, remember?"

Rolling over, he turned his back to Crowley, curling up into a grumpy croissant on Kat's lap. "So why should I care about what happens to it? 'S not MY business... Tch!"

Kat looked down at him for a few seconds, then looked back up at Crowley, shrugging. "I dunno... Look, I'll admit that it sounds pretty sketchy, but I'm SUPER underqualified for this. By the sounds of it, whatever's going on probably has something to do with magic-- if there is anything going on in the first place-- and I'm..."

She gestured to herself. "REALLY not the best person to deal with that, soooo..." Trailing off, she shrugged again.

The headmaster gave her a couple more comical blinks. Then he shrugged as well, sighing and putting a finger to his chin. "Is that so... Well, I'm truly sorry to hear that. Especially since I'd prepared such a magnificent reward for you..."

"HUH!" Grim scoffed, uncurling slightly and shooting Crowley a scathing look over his shoulder. "Yeah, RIGHT... I ain't fallin' for THAT again! If I said I'm not doin' it, then I'm not doin' it-- not even for a HUNDRED cans a' tuna!"

With that, he curled back up, grumbling quietly to himself. Stroking his side, Kat shrugged at Crowley again, grimacing.

"Is that so?" Crowley mused slowly again. "Even if, say... I allowed you to participate in the Magical Shift tournament?"

"EH?!" Grim spluttered, trying to scramble upright with such haste that he just ended up tangling his claws into Kat's jeans. They started pricking the skin beneath, making her wince and hiss.

"Ow-- ow, ow, ow, ow... OW!" She protested, grabbing him around the midsection and lifting him off her lap. "Stop-- STOP it! Put the claws away-- OUCH! Fuck!"

Somehow, she managed to unhook him from the denim with minimal damage to both it and her flesh. Putting him down on the couch next to her, she leveled a suspicious stare at the innocent-looking Headmaster. "...What do you MEAN, 'participate'? What exactly does that mean?"

Beaming, Crowley sat up a little straighter, spreading his hands. "Should you two manage to bring this case to a close, I shall generously permit your dorm to enter the Magical Shift tournament!" He declared. "Well? What do you think? Surely, this is incredibly, immeasurably, indescribably kind of me, wouldn't you agree?"

Ding. There it was again... And with three whole adjectives. ALLITERATIVE adjectives, even.

Kat shifted a little, still staring suspiciously at the Headmaster. "...Yeah, I don't know about this," she said after a second. "I mean--"

"F-- Fnyaaah--" Came the little squeak from next to her, and she looked over at Grim. Her stomach dropped at the sight of the dazzled, stunned expression on his face.

...Fantastic.

"Look, I really don't know about--" she tried again.

Crowley was continuing, though. "As a participant, your skill and prowess will naturally be broadcast across the world! Why-- can't you just imagine the cheers from the sold-out stadium seats?! 'Grim, this year's most promising rookie, has just taken the field! Huzzah-- three cheers for Grim-sama!' And so on, and so forth."

"O-Oh, man..." Kat didn't think it was possible for Grim's eyes to get even bigger or sparklier, but somehow they did. "It's-- it's like I can already hear it," he practically drooled, staring off somewhere into the middle distance.

...Fuck me running, Kat thought. We're really doing this, aren't we?

Crowley coughed again, picking his walking stick up from across his knees and standing up. "Ah-- but of course, you two have declined my offer," he sighed, starting to make his way back across the lounge. "How truly unfortunate... Feel free to disregard this little chat. Good day."

"W--WAIT!" Grim all but shrieked, leaping down off the couch and sprinting across the room. He practically Tokyo drifted to a stop in front of Crowley, back arched and tail puffed. "I'm in-- I'm IN!" He panted. "I'll do it! Ya hear me?!"

Crowley actually took a few steps back, looking down at Grim with what appeared to be genuine surprise at his fervor. "Ah-- ahem!"

Coughing again, he shook his head, putting his hands on his hips and peering down at Grim. "What's that? You'll... Do it, you say?"

Oh, stop fucking MILKING it, you melodramatic bastard, a small part of Kat's brain thought as she scrambled to her own feet, gaping angrily at them.

"You BET I will!" Grim retorted, standing up on his hind legs with the cocky grin reappearing on his little face. "If ya let me into the tournament, that is-- I'll solve your case, lickety-split!"

He grinned up at Kat as she strode over, still glaring with wordless, helpless exasperation at the two of them. "Ain't that right, Kat?!"

"Wh-- gh..." Forcing herself to take several deep breaths, Kat flapped her hands rapidly for a few seconds, trying to get herself to calm down.

"B-But-- I mean... D-Don't we need seven players?!" She protested. "For an official team, I mean-- a-and what about ME?! I can't use magic, remember?! And-- and..."

"Oh, there, there-- no need to fret, Miss Kat," Crowley beamed. "As Headmaster, I will simply perform a magical miracle of some sort to fill the ranks of your team!"

Magical miracle? What the hell is that supposed to mean?! Her thoughts protested. What, is he gonna "Cure Up Rapapa" this shit?

...God, I never finished that season of Precure.

...I haven't finished a LOT of seasons of Precure.

...I wonder if I'll ever even get the opportunity to.

Shaking her head, she forced the thoughts down as far as they would go for now, huffing angrily as she ran her hands over her hair. "But-- but... I mean--" she tried to protest again.

Clambering up her pants leg, Grim crawled his way back up to her shoulder, patting her urgently on the cheek with a paw.

"HEY!" He insisted. "Stop worryin' so much about details that we can work out later! Come on, Kat-- let's start hittin' the pavement! We've got a case to crack!"

"Wonderful!" Crowley beamed, folding his arms and nodding happily again. "I'm counting on the both of you... Do your best!"

With that, he stepped neatly around Kat, strolling quickly back down the front hall and pulling the door open. "Well then-- good day!" He announced, bowing, then slammed the door behind him.

"Hey, WAIT!" Kat protested, running after him and yanking the door open.

...She wasn't really surprised to see nothing but a single black feather on the doorstep, which, right on cue, got swept away in a gust of chilly autumn wind.

...God.

I've really had enough of that man.

Author's Notes:

When the sports-- when-- when the... When the ball-- when the sports and the ball go like--

When the sports-ball goes.

...Sports.

(Grim losing control of the disk and almost hitting Kat with it: 'foreshadowing is a literary device in which the author--')

*long, exasperated exhale*

...Principal Nezu wouldn't do me like this.

(I really have to catch up on BNHA. I'm so fucking behind. God.)

I'm also realizing that Crowley has grown-up theater kid energy. ...Drama teacher energy? ????????

...He better back off on manipulating Grim, tho. That's Kat's territory he's steppin' all over. Does a certain fruity Frenchman call HIM Trickster? No? Then he better KNOCK IT OFF.

(Not that she's even met said fruity Frenchman yet, but... It's the principle of the thing.)

(...Not that it needs to be said, but I'm using 'fruity' as a term of endearment. I'm also fruity, so I'm allowed.)

(Even though Rook-- well, I HC Rook as... Yes. Just yes. His orientation is 'yes'. He's not even pan-- he's, like, several miles ahead of pan at this point. Pan is a distant speck in the rearview mirror, and he's still fucking accelerating. There he goes. He's gone.)

Also. CANON FEM!YUU IN THE MANGA!!!!! YEAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm kinda sad to see Jumbo Shrimpy Yuuken go (I hope this isn't the last we see of him, he's such a good boi) but I am HERE for Yuuka FUCKING IT UP. ESPECIALLY in the Savanaclaw arc. Yeet Leona's ass, you beautiful bifauxnen judo queen.