twst novel. ( episode i: the crimson tyrant ) pg. 141-169.

[mandytl]

 

Deuce rolled to escape a violent downward swing, the metal rails beneath his feet subsequently sliced through like soft butter. He grunted as he fell onto his behind. 

“What IS that thing? What kind of animal is it?!” Yuuya asked frantically as he clung to a rock wall to escape the swinging pickaxe.

“How should I know?! I’ve never seen anything like it!”

“No one said jack about monsters bein’ in here!”

Ace and Grim yelled as they fled. When Grim spit flames at the terrible creature, they were soon consumed by the black liquid that comprised its body and extinguished.

“M-My magic ain’t working on it!”

“Move, useless!”

Ace conjured a wind gust, but it was quickly engulfed in a similar manner to the earlier fire.

“Leave… LEEEABHVE!”

Deuce scrambled to his feet while the Grim and the others distracted the monster.

As he made to escape, he raised his flashlight in hand once more with a gasp.

“A magic gem…!”

When Yuuya looked past Deuce down the mineshaft, he noticed a certain glowing something: a gem embedded in the rock, the projected reflection of light making it sparkle. Even with a single glance from this distance, it was evident it was something spectacular and gorgeous owing to its sheer size. He couldn’t help but be in awe of it and forget about their current situation. 

“Idiot! Now’s not the time!”

As Ace yelled at Yuuya, Deuce's body tensed. He glared down at the magical pen that was firmly grasped in both of his hands and started to mumble.

Ace unleashed his magic once more right at Deuce’s side, as if he was saying that they had no time for that. It was easily whipped aside by the pickaxe, creating a small whirlwind that grazed Deuce’s bangs. In a flash, a flood of water gushed in all directions from the magical pen he was still clutching.

Deuce then snapped at Ace, who sprang backwards with a startled shout.

“Would you watch it?!!”

“That’s my line, Mr. Zero Control!”

“Hurry up, you guys!”

Yuuya shouted back at them, as it looked like they were about to start fighting at any moment. Grim, on the other hand, was already making a break for it. The three of them ran as hard as they could down the dark tunnel, chasing after his round, ball-like back.

“It’s gainin’ on us!”

The chilling groans steadily closed in on their backs.

Yuuya soon found himself exhausted from all the running: dehydrated, sticky, and struggling to breathe. It felt as though his body was about to tumble forward, but he managed to keep it together by taking one step forward at a time.

But he wasn’t the only one struggling—every one of them was wheezing and panting in agony, seeming as though they might pass out at any moment.

“STOOONE BELONG TO MEEE!”

A sound carved through the air to his ear.

“Shit—”

Deuce waved his magical pen wildly.

“Come forth, CAULDRON!”

A dull thud echoed throughout the mineshaft. Yuuya turned to face the obstacle in the way of the narrow, winding path: a cauldron that was much larger than the one that had crushed Ace. 

“UH-UWOOOOUGH!”

There came an astonishingly loud roar from behind the hefty cauldron.

It continued to growl angrily at them for a while, but eventually the loud dragging sounds faded away and eventually stopped.

Yuuya, who had been looking at the cauldron as if in prayer, fell to his knees. Grim followed his lead nearby and rolled over on the ground. Their chests rose and fell with their labored breathing, and for a while, no one said anything.

Ace was the first to raise his voice, gasping for air.

“The hell’s up with that nasty monster?!”

“Search me. But we can be sure it was no ordinary ghost, at least.”

“It was all dark and scary and WAY worse than any ol’ ghost.”

The ghosts they’d met the other day were certainly frightful in a way, but that had been more in surprise at having seen one for the first time. Although their propensity for mischief-making could be a problem, it was easy to feel an affinity for the comical spirits when you spoke to them in a brighter setting.

The dread emanating from that monster was on a completely different level altogether. Yuuya rubbed an arm that was still covered in goosebumps.

With just one look, he could tell it was a threat to his life. But why? The black liquid dripping from its body set his very spine on edge and he couldn’t even try to hide his disgust. And that figure. That voice. Just recalling it made bile rise to his throat. 

“Even nine lives wouldn’t be enough to take down that thing.”

Ace stood up and glanced at the cauldron as if considering something. The entrance to the mine shouldn’t be too far behind them; they’d returned the way they came in to escape. 

He shook his head, and the next time he spoke, he looked as if any trace of regret had disappeared and his mind was made up.

“Let’s get out of here and go find us a gem somewhere nice and safe. There was a fork when we came in, right? So there’s plenty more places to look.”

"What?" Deuce looked up. "We finally managed to track down one of these gems and you're telling us to go somewhere else? I mean, you saw the size of that thing, right? That'll protect us from expulsion for sure. We can't give up now."

"Yeah, no. Only an idiot would willingly walk right back into the monster's lair."

"Call me an idiot, then. We've only got two hours left before the date changes! We don't have time to look anywhere else."

"Look..."

Ace regarded Deuce with a deep sigh as he buckled down on his point.

"I get you're trying to look cool and all, but I mean, literally, what can you even do? Are you gonna get us in trouble again like you did with the chandelier? Honestly, it's just straight-up annoying. I'd rather run out of time than die."

"... Coward."

“What?”

Deuce, who stood at roughly the same height as Ace, regarded him with a glare, chin tucked in and tone so low it could chill one to the bone.

“You run your mouth, but when it comes down to it, you don’t have the guts. If you’re not ready to put your life on the line, don’t go making promises in the first place. Weak, whiny little cowards can shake in their boots and keep their damn mouths shut! 

"I-I don't wanna get kicked outta school neither!"

Grim also raised his voice, spurred on by Deuce's resolve.

Ace balked at their reactions a little, then smirked coolly, refusing to be outdone. There was no going back on this now.

"Let's see you two take that thing on with your puny magic, then. You talk tough, but yours sucks compared to mine.”

“Aahn?! You wanna say that again, asshole?!”

"My magic ain't crappy!"

Yuuya just stood there in the middle of the cacophony of voices. An endless exchange of retorts like, 'It's all your fault,' and, 'YOU'RE the one who—' echoed loudly throughout his ears.

He looked down and noticed that each of his white-knuckled fists were trembling. They'd run so fast it felt like his heart was about to explode. He'd never been so out of breath or so heated up from exercise in his entire life, yet now he was so chilly he could scarcely stand it. Even so, all that tightness in his body was leading him to feel super stressed.

But he couldn't stand fighting. He hated it enough to have been avoiding it all this time.

What of everything that had transpired since yesterday, though? The more he tried to run away from trouble, the worse his situation became. Provocation. Intimidation. Arguments that led to violence. Only horrible things had occurred.

Was anything and everything his fault, just because he couldn't stop them? Would things be different if he'd spoken out then? Would they have been able to avoid all this unnecessary conflict?

In the midst of so much noise that not even his hands clasped to his ears could drown it out, Yuuya realized he was yelling.

"Cut it out, guys!"

The bustle and commotion ceased abruptly. No one had anticipated Yuuya's ability to shout so loudly.

"Y-Ya scared me."

Grim stood frozen stiff, tufts of fur sticking out every which way.

Ace and Deuce were taken aback at first, then turned daggers at him.

"'Cut it out'? That's rich." Ace laughed with derision, "How about you cut out the goody-two-shoes act already? I'm just saying, you're the one who's gonna have the biggest problem here when we can't get our hands on a gem. You've got no place to go back to, right? And yet you're still telling us ‘ohh, fighting is bad,’ and we should all hold hands and get along, as if that'll solve anything."

Ace spat out the absurdity of the entire concept, his chin tilted up defiantly as if to deny the other boy with his entire being. Give him any sass and the verbal abuse would come raging back tenfold, or even a hundredfold, and normally Yuuya would’ve certainly hesitated to do so.

But it was only now that the words came out freely and without stammering, because he knew painfully well that things couldn’t continue as they were.

"That's not what I'm trying to say."

Deuce scratched his head in frustration.

“It better not be ‘let’s give up.’”

“... Listen. The truth is that I'm just as scared as you guys are, but I’ve got to get that gem no matter what. I'll do anything it takes to get one--even give up an arm or two!”

“Great. Doesn’t mean you’ve gotta drag me into your mess out of desperation, though.”

“If you hadn't gotten in my way, I would’ve crushed it!”

“‘Crushed it,’ my ass. Except for that cauldron, you were totally in a daze. You didn’t even have a clear shot at it!”

“What the hell else was I supposed to do?! You can’t just stand in front of something like that and be ready for whatever!”

And just like that, they were at it again. With little hope of advancing the conversation, they were at each other's throats, bickering nonstop.

As they fought to figure out whose magic was dragging the group down, Yuuya remembered the Headmaster saying that magic wasn’t almighty. Even magic that appeared surreal from afar was trickier to use freely than one may think, given that Deuce said it was hard to manipulate magic well without focus.

“I’ll get it together next time,” said Deuce, but his voice rang out hollow. It wasn’t realistic to keep calm in the face of such a threat. He seemed to know that too, a pained expression on his face.

"Ace-kun's right. At this rate, snatching a magic gem is likely impossible. I'm willing to bet we'll get blown away if we challenge it head-on."

"Then whaddya propose we do?"

"Uhm, well. What if we... for instance, all worked together?"

"Worked together?" Ace stuck out his tongue in disgust.”Friggin’ lame. What, you gonna spout some goody-goody crap like ‘You’ve got a friend in me! Let’s protect everyone?’”

"Th-That's not how I meant it at all.

“Then what are you saying, dude? You did exactly nothing except run away. How’re you gonna ‘join forces’ with me?”

What the ghosts had told him resurfaced in his mind.

Night Raven College's prideful pupils, the chosen few with remarkable magical talent, never relied on anybody for anything. What could he, the most worthless and magically deprived of them all, possibly do to help? Then again, why did Grim bother to heed his advice when they faced those ghosts?

Screak, screak. An abnormally distinct and unnatural sound, so high-pitched and wretchedly pitiful that it sounded as though someone was weeping, filled the air

An eerie light floated through the tunnel, and a gigantic, faceless figure emerged from the darkness once more dragging a pickaxe heavily behind it, the grating sound created by the tool's hard metal scraping against stone.

"Mine. Stone, belong... me... belong, me... "

Yuuya inhaled deeply as he stood alone in front of the creature, only to shout so hard that his lungs were about to come up and choke him.

"THE STONE BELONGS TO US!"

Then he spun around, grabbed his flashlight, and bolted.

"LEEEAAABHE!"

The monster pursued him, its gigantic body writhing around unnaturally, not caring if its limbs were being stripped away. No sensible creature moved in a manner like that. Yuuya ran as fast as he could, slipping past a large palm that swung in his direction.

The railway crossties that normally supported the tracks were no longer in use, discarded along the rail lines all over the place. One wrong move, and he'd stub his toe and go tumbling to the ground.

"Eek!"

Something cold and clammy caught his ankle, and when Yuuya struggled to draw his foot back, he discovered that his white sock had turned black. There was a definite handprint at first, but it gradually  began to expand much like an ink stain seeping out of a pen in its case, diluting the initial contour.

As Yuuya scrambled backwards with his hands, the monster closed the distance between them. Slowly, but powerfully, the pickaxe was raised overhead.

"STONE BELONG TO MEEEE!"

"Come forth, cauldron!"

A metallic clang echoed throughout the mineshaft.

Yuuya opened his eyes, terrified, to find the monster struggling beneath a cauldron and stuck to the ground.

"Alright, I nailed it!" came Deuce's voice from behind a nearby boulder, his fist outstretched. "Counting on you guys to handle the rest."

Ace and Grim, who were hidden somewhere else, suddenly sprang out of hiding.

Ace drew his magical pen as Yuuya withdrew behind them. Grim's stomach swelled larger. All around them, tiny sparks flared in the air.

"Here goes, Jumbo Gust!"

"After that comes Grim-sama's Fire Special!"

Not long after Ace unleashed a powerful, biting gale did Grim mix his fire with it. The blue flames devoured the wind, swelling in intensity until it resulted in a massive whirlwind.

The huge tornado of flames headed straight for the monster, losing its body in a roaring rumble.

"U-UWOOOUGH!"

As a result of its screams, the cauldron bearing down on it rocked and swayed. Deuce's voice rang out from the opposite side.

"I got the magic gem!"

The stone glittered in his uplifted hand, illuminated by fire.

“Then let’s get the heck outta here!”

They all ran for the exit, but before they could burst into relieved laughter, a massive thud sounded.

"O-OOUGH, OOOGH—"

The four stopped in their tracks as a rumbling vibration swept through the mineshaft and rocked their entire bodies.

"You're kidding, right?"

Deuce's murmur was drowned out by a roar, as were the surrounding stones, which clattered and bounced.

With a wet, sizzling sound, something rose from the darkness. A hand dripping dark liquid. Its charred hat crumbled and slid to the ground. 

"STONE—"

Yuuya's jaw dropped in awe as a fractured head came into his vision.

"RETURN, STONE... TO MEEEE!"

“Crap—”

Suddenly, Yuuya felt his body being enveloped by something. A force pushed him strongly to the side, and he automatically stumbled a few steps forward. In nearly the same instant, there was a loud sound.

Looking beside him, he saw a lantern smashed against the ground where he’d been only a moment ago. If he’d stayed where he was, he wouldn’t have lived.

"Don't just stand there."

When Ace tapped him on the shoulder, he knew it was his wind magic that had saved the day.

"It just ain't givin' up!"

Grim and Ace unleashed their magic once more, but the monster's steps persisted despite being engulfed in flames. There was a painful tenacity in the way it dragged its body along straight towards Deuce, who was still holding the magic gem.

"How to stop it in its tracks... —a rope? A cage?! How about—"

Yuuya just yelled at Deuce as he glanced around, unsure of what to do.

"Anything will work!"

"Anything, then."

Deuce looked forward with intent, as though brushing off his hesitation.

“Come forth… cauldron!”

The magical pen he clutched flashed.

"Another cauldron! Then another cauldron! And to top it all off... a cauldron!"

"GRAAAAUGH!"

A cacophony of metallic clanging pierced Yuuya’s ears, then a sound like shattering glass.

A black puddle oozed out from under the large pile of cauldrons that now stood before them. This time, there was nothing to stop the four as they began to run.

Moonlight greeted Yuuya and the others softly as they exited the mineshaft, relief washing over them as the dazzling illumination filtered through the trees overhead.

But before they knew it, everyone had collapsed in a heap, the grassy field beneath them providing a nice, gentle landing. They breathed deep the cool scent of the trees rather than the damp air of the mine.

As Ace laid on his back, chest rising and falling, he uttered:

"Y'know, something's been bugging me for a while now."

"What's up?"

"Why're you always pulling out a cauldron? There's plenty of other stuff you could summon."

After a short period of silence, Deuce responded in a pouty tone.

"That's all I can think of when I've got to improvise. When I think about mages, I always picture one of those big, black cauldrons."

“So you really are just an idiot doing the only thing he knows.”

Ace mumbled in displeasure, but then let out a great "ha!" of laughter. It seemed to have unintentionally slipped out, but it kept getting louder. Perhaps out of relief Grim and Deuce started to laugh as well, till Yuuya couldn't help but join in.

"I can't believe we seriously snatched a gem straight from under that monster's nose," Ace said between fits of laughter, "There's just no way!"

"Right? And it was all thanks to Yuu's judgment call."

"No, I... all I did was run. That was all you guys."

Yuuya's proposal to Ace and the others was to use him as bait.

He recalled the satisfied expression on Grim's face as Yuuya had carried him around when they were chasing those spirits out of Ramshackle Dorm. Nobody would have cooperated with his plan if all he had done was watch. Perhaps they were giving Yuuya their best effort so that he would think highly of them.

I'll draw the monster's attention this time. Meanwhile, you guys get ready. Concentrate, Deuce-kun, so that your magic can hit the target. Ace-kun and Grim, if you work together and combine your magic, it'll probably get stronger. The fact that the other three had been rendered speechless when he finished talking made him feel a little better.

Yuuya was just a regular human being, having no amazing powers in comparison to Grim, Ace, and Deuce. But that's exactly why he could trust them. Even though facing the monster alone was terrifying, he had faith that the others would do something.

When he said it was all thanks to them, though, Deuce shook his head.

"You're the one who came up with the whole idea. The fact that you stuck your neck out playing bait was the ballsiest thing I’ve ever seen!"

Deuce's speech could be really rude at times, Yuuya mused vaguely, smiling wryly at his energy and the way Ace readily agreed with him.

"Your plan wasn't half bad. Even with the tanuki’s crappy magic, it turned out pretty good with me helping out!"

Surely Grim would protest about the way Ace laughed about his magic, yet even after all of that, the complaints never came.

"Hey, Grim," Yuuya said, getting up. "What're you doing?"

Grim was pawing through the grass beside the tunnel's entrance.

"I can smell somethin' yummy comin' from over here." Grim sniffed, nose twitching, ripping at something with his claws. "Found it. This is it!"

He'd picked up a black object the size of a large hard candy that rolled in his paws and seemed to be as solid as a rock. They all looked at it together.

"What's this 'sposed to be? A magic gem?"

"No... I've never seen or heard of a gem that black in hue before," said Deuce while comparing it to his own. The surface of Grim's stone was so dark that it seemed to absorb light, not even reflecting the glare from the moon.

"You sure it's not like, some leftover blackened remains from the monster? Doesn't look much like the rest of the rocks ‘round here."

"I guess I might've kicked something when we were running away."

Grim's tail swayed back and forth, regardless of whether he was listening to them or not. 

“Hwahhh….”

He looked at the stone with hungry eyes and soon began to tremble all over.

“I can’t take it anymore! Time t’dig in!”

“Wha?!”

The black stone vanished into his great maw right before their eyes.

Hee dropped on the road, turning into an unidentifiable lump. After an audible crunch, Grimm let out an “Ooh!” and his eyes grew wide.

"Are you okay?!"

"It's... DEEEELISH!"

Grim hopped up and down, oblivious to Yuuya's worries.

"Full-bodied 'n rich in flavor... blissfully fragrant flowers burstin' into bloom on my tongue... like there's a garden inside my mouth~!

Grim virtually danced in place as he licked his chops with joy. Guess he really liked that black stone, huh. 

Beside Yuuya, who seemed aghast at the thought of picking up and eating something off the ground, Ace let out a “blech” as he looked down at the scene.

"Guess monsters have a weirder palette than we do."

“This one’s not on the menu.”

Deuce clutched the precious magic stone as if to hide it away. Looking down at the stone, which was so big he had to hold it with both hands, he gave a pleased nod.

“Let’s go back. We need to deliver this to the Headmaster.”

"GASP! You actually retrieved a bonafide gem?"

The quartet of companions rushed into the Headmaster's office only to be greeted by Crowley's hysterical tone.

"Why, I expected you'd give up and return right away."

Deuce goggled in shock at the unexpected reply.

"You're kidding me! Didn't I say I'd do whatever it took?!"

"Yes, you most certainly did... But it's another thing entirely to discover you actually found one. Admittedly, I'd heard that the mine had long since dried up, so I'd already gone ahead with the expulsion procedures."

“W-w–what the hell, ya bozo?!” Grim trembled uncontrollably.”We even fought a monster for this!”

"Monster?"

"What he said!"

Ace leaned in close, seizing the opportunity to air his frustrations.

“There totally was a monster out there. It was a disaster.”

Yuuya and the others described in great detail what they'd encountered in the mineshaft—its shape, its face, the horror of it all.

After they finished recounting how they had defeated it, Crowley buried his face in his hands.

"Ohh, ohhh..."

"What's wrong?"

"WOOOOOHH!!"

As they called out to him in small, scared voices, Crowley's wailing only grew louder, as if he might burst.

"The heck? He just started bawlin' outta nowhere."

"Why, I... " Through the held mask, Crowley snuffled loudly. "Who would've imagined I'd ever see the day that Night Raven College students would go hand-in-hand and triumph!"

"No way would I ever hold hands with this guy!"

"Uh, yeah, right back at you. Talk about gross."

Ace and Deuce scowled and pointed accusatory fingers at each other, while Crowley simply nodded satisfiedly at their synchronized behavior.

"Yuu-kun. I'm simply overwhelmed with emotion."

"I-I see."

Yuuya craned his neck around as Crowley grabbed him by the shoulders.

"This incident established a certain fact for me, Yuu-kun. You undoubtedly have talent..."

"I-I do? What kind of talent?"

"—as a beast tamer."

"Beast tamer?!"

Crowley only smiled at Yuuya's perplexed expression, looking for an explanation.

 “I’ve been pondering ever since you and Grim-kun rid yourselves of those ghosts.”

The Headmaster cast a sidelong glance towards Ace and Deuce, who were still squabbling, before slumping his shoulders and speaking again.

"Night Raven College's students, the chosen few, are all talented, budding mages."

"Yes, sir. I’ve heard as much."

"However, it's that very excellence that gives them great pride and makes them utterly unwilling to cooperate with others. A great deal of them are self-centered and egotistic."

"... I'm well aware of that now."

The ghosts' ramblings had been a helpful reminder. However, this was a far more serious issue than anticipated given that Crowley, the head of the institution, went so far as to insinuate as much.

Sniffing, Crowley gave Yuuya a few taps on the shoulder as if to verify something.

"You're incapable of using magic, but that's precisely why you could be assisting those that can. A plain, mediocre human like yourself is exactly what our campus needs. My intuition as an educator says as much."

"Uhm. Headmaster...?"

Yuuya looked up at Crowley as he fell silent, uncertain to what he was thinking as the eyes peeking out of his mask stared down at him affixed.

The older gentleman eventually muttered a quiet, "I've decided."

"Trappola-kun, Spade-kun. I hereby waive your expulsion in exchange for retrieving a gem suitable for the chandelier, as promised."

"HELL yes!" Deuce cried, triumphantly pumping his fist in the air. "We get to stay!"

"Had me a little worried there," Ace said before breaking into a soft smile that radiated joy and sighing with his hands on his hips.

"As for you, Yuu-kun."

"Yes?"

"I grant you the opportunity to attend school at Night Raven College as a student."

"A-As a student?"

Surely he heard that wrong. But Crowley continued to wear his smile.

"... A student? Really?" He repeated himself over and over in disbelief. "Not as a handyman?"

"Did I not just say that? There's no doubt in my mind that you'll be an invaluable contribution to our academy's future, thus you'll be treated handsomely. For you see, I am exceedingly gracious!"

Yuuya's gaze was drawn to Grim as he listened to the bounce in Crowley's voice.

Grim was standing alone a little distance away, his drooping ears covering his face so that his expression wasn't visible.

When the boy sought to call out to the small creature, the Headmaster motioned with a single, curved golden claw towards Yuuya's nose as if to say, 'wait'.

"Having said that, there is one condition."

"Condition?"

"I've stated it before, many times, but you've incapable of using magic. I doubt you'll be able to attend your lessons in a satisfactory manner. And that is why... —Grim-kun."

"Fnyah?"

Grim looked up, and their eyes met.

"Grim-kun, Yuu-kun. I've decided to let the two of you enroll as one student together."

"Then the two of us as one means..."

"I-I'm gonna get to go to school...?"

Grim began to sprint, his face beaming, as the adjacent Ace and Deuce nodded, "I guess so" and "Maybe." Then he ascended Yuuya's body and leapt, using his shoulder as a springboard, straight into Crowley.

"I'm really gettin' to be a student at Night Raven College?!"

"Indubitably."

"For real?!"

"That's correct."

"For real for real?!"

"There's no need to be pushy! Take this as proof."

Crowley waved his staff, and tiny glimmers of light rained down on Grim. As the sparks twinkled, a soft ribbon wound around Grim’s neck, and Crowley smoothed down the white of his neck.

The light gathered at his chest, burst, then dissipated.

"There, in lieu of a magical pen. I assume you'd find it difficult to grip one with those paws."

"My very own magic gem?!"

After it vanished, a lavender stone hung from a ribbon around his neck, the size of which was comparable to the one in Ace's pen despite the fact that it was a completely different hue—the hallmark of a student from Night Raven College.

"Yahoo! I did it! I did it, Yuu! Look, it's my gem!"

"I'm happy for you, Grim."

Grim, who'd been positively wilding out with joy, came down from his shoulders.

They'd only been together for two days, and it was difficult to say whether he'd ever behaved or cooperated at any point. Grim had assaulted him from the start, being selfish and quick to fight. Yuuya could tell he was the kind of troublemaker he'd normally want to avoid after just two days of interaction.

At the same time, he was painfully aware of just how badly Grim desired to be a mage. Yuuya, on the other hand, had no vested interests. Maybe that's why seeing Grim so happy made him happy too.

When Yuuya gave him a heartfelt “congratulations,” Grim grinned from ear to ear.

Ace and Deuce also wore smiles on their faces.

"Way to go, Yuu! You too, Grim."

Grim didn't appear to hear a word of Deuce's congratulations since he was humming to himself.

"I knew I was the greatest an' the coolest ever! Watch out, 'cause I might just become a great mage in no time flat!"

Ace and Deuce took the opportunity to whisper in Yuuya’s ear as Grim cavorted about.

"You sure he’ll be okay?"

“...probably,” Yuuya replied, doing little to wipe the expression that screamed “I know how you feel.” off of Deuce’s face.

Ace just patted him on the back and said, "Get it together. You guys are supposed to be as one, right? So you'd better keep a close eye on Grim."

Two as one. To put it another way, they were on the same boat, and if Grim caused another incident, they’d both be on the chopping block together again.

"You needn't worry about that matter! I gave every little thing its due consideration. Here, Yuu-kun. Take this.”

The Headmaster presented him with a small camera.

"This is referred to as a ghost camera, an ancient magical tool that allows the user to photograph a portion of the subject's soul."

“Use this special camera to record and report about your school life.” As the headmaster said this, he gave Grim a sidelong glance. Grim was still dancing around and shaking his paws in the air, his tail whipping around noisily.

"... And I'd prefer you report to me quickly when certain students get carried away and misbehave rather than when they’re in good spirits.”

"Got it."

Crowley cleared his throat upon witnessing Yuuya’s firm nod in response.

“But enough of this talk, it’s getting late. It’s time to return to your dorm and get some rest.”

“I will. Thank you for everything!”

Ace yawned loudly as they exited the Headmaster's office after giving him a proper thanks.

“The Headmaster’s right about us needing a few winks. Let’s hurry back to our dorm, Deuce.”

“Yeah, I’m exhausted too. Can’t wait to get into bed…”

Yuuya boldly called out to them as they started to swiftly walk away.

“Uhm. Thanks for everything today, guys.”

Ace and Deuce both turned to face him at once, finally returning his smile.

"We'll be classmates starting tomorrow. See you then.”

"Best of luck, Yuu."

Perhaps that was the first time Ace had ever addressed him by name. Grim prodded Yuuya in the shin as he gazed blankly at their diminishing backs.

“Hey, Yuu. Let’s get back to Ramshackle Dorm!”

The offhanded name of the dorm seemed to have stuck, but that was the last thing on their minds. Grim, unable to contain his glee, grabbed Yuuya’s hands and pulled him to his feet. 

"We better get ourselves to bed early, 'cause we're not gonna be sweepin' floors no more. Tomorrow, at last... at last!"

The magic gem on Grim’s chest glittered as he jumped around.

"My glorious days as a student at Night Raven College are finally gonna begin!"

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