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ಇ. broken melodies | chapter 5

⇢ ⁺ OBLIVION OF THE FULL MOON ˖ The secrets of the NRC start looming before Yuu.

— PREVIEW (read for tags and synopsis) — MASTERLIST (open to read previous chapters) — AO3

⁺ w.c : 9k+

Sweet delicate hibiscus aroma intertwined with notes of honey generously spilled into the black tea Yuu was drinking. Skirts of the school jacket she was wearing floated lazily, just as much as her hair disheveled from before, danced around. At one point she could have noticed how flying books tried to play with her blindingly white strands, but annoyance scalding within her veins made her stare at the refined tea; her reflection going with ripples on the liquid surface.

“Hm.”

She heard a sudden yelp coming from in front of her, but her gaze remained unswerving.

“Hmm.”

“Yuu…”

Elias let out a small laugh of embarrassment and received something resembling a snort from the portal.

“Not you too!” Elias exclaimed. “Come on, Yuu! You said it yourself that you want to see Vil!”

“Elias-san,” she finally glanced at him. “When I said that, I didn’t mean we must head out that instant. It’s literally ten in the evening!”

“Oh please, a little challenge never hurt anyone!”

“It’s not about challenge,” Yuu let out a sigh. “It’s about rules. You’re the dorm leader! What kind of example do you demonstrate to the residents of your dormitory?”

“Fine, mom, I got it. Next time it happens I warn my residents that we’re taking a little undercover trip to NRC. Man, imagine how disappointed they will be!”

“I am sure they will,” Yuu sighed again, taking a sip. “And as I’ve mentioned, I am not your mother, Elias-san.”

“You don’t get it,” he snorted. “They will be disappointed I didn’t take them with us.”

Yuu knitted her brows together at his statement.

“What else did I expect from the dorm which main foundation is curiosity…”

“Precisely!” Elias snapped his fingers, smiling dazzlingly at her. “Anyway! How do you find the tea?”

“It’s wonderful, no doubt, thank you very much,” Yuu nodded in defeat. “It lessens my worries.”

Yuu was nervous, to say at least.

She couldn’t define quite right how she felt at the thought of breaking the rules and basically intruding another school. From what she gathered, NRC students weren’t particularly fond of RSA ones, a hint of rivalry — to what extent? Healthy or not so? — lingered between. Plus, NRC most likely was an all-boys school as well, making it twice as hard for Yuu to proceed.

Ambrose said he will investigate her case on his own, not bringing her up to the public and government structures, and now she just went to the rival-school on her very whim. How foolish she was, letting everyone down! Stupid, absolutely stupid. Venturing forth into the den of potential problems was the last thing Yuu considered doing, and still found herself doing exactly this.

Elias’s energetic presence, although slightly tired as she noticed, was pretty much helping her stead herself and sort the thoughts out. She wasn’t alone, which meant two things: first, she had both moral and physical support on her way, and second, she took the responsibility for his actions, dragging him all the way. Spiky tingling feeling appeared in her stomach, turning it aching out of anxiety.

On the other hand, her initial task was to help. Who? Now that didn’t really matter. She was ready to help everyone in need, even if there was a whole world crying for aid — it was her only duty to provide.

Yuu thought of the Fairy Godmother, begging for strength internally, and closed her eyes for a mere second before opening them and witnessing Elias floating midair, searching for something.

“Elias-san?” She called, but he didn’t turn to her, albeit making a noise to demonstrate that he heard her. “What are you doing?”

“Well,” he dropped, pressing his hand to his chin, thinking. “We can’t just break into the NRC while wearing RSA uniform. I mean, I normally don’t travel there just for funsies. Damn, I think I need to go shopping to drop things into the portal next time.”

“We’re going to disguise ourselves?”

“Yeah, if I find something… Oh, that would do! Try this on!”

Yuu watched as he grabbed a piece of clothes out of the starry walls of the portal, and a simple black jacket appeared, then he threw it to Yuu.

“Leave your RSA jacket here,” Elias said and took off his own, throwing it into the portal abyss, its walls devouring it. “We’ll get changed when we’re coming back. Don’t worry, the portal has its own storage. You’re nice, so it might iron your clothes.”

“Is that so…” Yuu blinked in incomprehension at the amount of information, examining black jacket’s material. “Alright then.”

It most probably won’t do anything big, since they still were wearing RSA significant dark blue trousers and white blouses, but it still was at least something. Elias took off the bright blue brooch indicating his attachment to Pandora Charm, tucking it into his pocket.

Yuu followed his example and took off her white jacket of the RSA uniform, finding herself already missing it, as she grew quite fond of the whole concept of wearing uniform within school walls. She pulled the black jacket over herself, realizing that it probably belonged to Elias, because she basically drowned in its sleeves, its edges brushing over her thighs.

“Oh, right,” Elias took a look at her, standing in front of him and blinking plainly. “I forgot you’re tiny.”

“That is alright,” she shrugged, carefully putting her white jacket over the back of the chair and straightening it just in case. “That still would do as a disguise. It’s black, which makes us not as noticeable in the darkness. That is enough, I believe.”

“Yep!” Elias showed her thumbs up and turned around, not noticing how Yuu tried to recreate his odd gesture. “Now, off we go!”

He was about to take her hand, but jolted the second before actually doing it. He threw a quick uncertain glance at her, hesitating a bit, before she asked him. “Is everything alright, Elias-san?”

“Yeah, just wanted to take your hand when we jump out of the portal, but, uhm… It kinda looks like you don’t really like physical touch.”

Her eyes widened for a brief moment, lips parted at his precise observation. She frowned slightly and shook her head, then barely touched his palm with her cold fingers, thoroughly studying what she was feeling at this moment. Unfamiliar warmth spreading over her skin was strange, but bearable, and she nodded more to herself than to Elias, as if approving her own actions.

“I’m just unfamiliar with the concept, but I think I don’t really mind the idea of getting used to it. Gradually, that is.”

“Got it! Thank you for sharing,” he smiled brightly and took her hand in his, squishing it tightly and throwing a conspiratorial look at her. “Ready?”

“Yes, let’s go.”

And with that they jumped out of the portal.

When they land on, Yuu was very much surprised to find herself entirely intact. She didn’t know what to expect from the infamous NRC everyone mentioned ever so often, and stood up at once.

“Where exactly are we…” She mumbled, examining her surroundings and realizing they fell into bushes. She brushed off the leaves, carefully stepping out of it.

“I don’t know, heh,” Elias giggled as he did the same, turning his head from left to right, studying where they actually landed.

“You don’t know?..” Yuu echoed. “Did we just force an entrance to NRC without knowing where exactly we are?”

“Precisely!” Elias laughed. “I mean, that’s only my second time traveling here through the portal! I can’t control our destination at this point.”

“I fear asking what the first time resulted in,” Yuu replied, dusting the jacket.

“It was broad daylight then, plus it was career guidance day, so everyone was welcomed to visit. I just chose the way I find most comfortable for myself~”

Yuu hummed in response and turned around, scanning the surroundings they happened to appear in.

The difference was drastic, striking Yuu with a feeling of being completely lost. RSA campus, even lit with a moon’s radiance flowing through the night, brought comfort and the feeling of domestic coziness and tranquility.

NRC buildings that loomed before Yuu’s widened eyes were gothic in their style, and, unlike RSA ones, appeared magnificent. RSA, without any doubt, was an exquisite establishment, but NRC was far from being called exquisite — more likely sublime, dignified, resplendent. Almost menacing in a manner of speaking. The darkness of the night covered the place not with comfort, but with a palpable danger crawling in the bushes.

Horrendous beauty, if Yuu had to put it in two words. What’s even more strange, Yuu could almost compare the design and the whole atmosphere spreading in this place with the mansion in her world. The same sharp towers upfolding before her eyes, the same feeling of eternal obscurity covering her body in soiree embrace, and the same amount of giant trees which brought some comfort into the whole picture — what a peculiar place…

Although she wouldn’t have guessed it was a school if she were to travel here without knowing it.

Elias spoke, making her quit her sudden concentration at scanning the surroundings.

“Hmm, Yuu, can you please tie your hair?”

She blinked. “Huh? Is something the matter?..”

“Not really, your hair is just… Really white,” he explained, knitting his brows together. “Like, blindingly white. They almost glow in the moonlight.”

“Ah,” she muttered. “I see. I’m sorry for the inconvenience. Wait a second.”

She found a red ribbon in her pockets and lifted her hair up, tying it in a big bun. Some strands slipped out, falling on her collarbones, and she made a small ‘tsk’ sound, trying to tuck them back.

“It’s okay,” Elias reassured her and approached her small figure, fishing out some hair pins out of his one pocket. “May I?”

“Yes, go ahead.”

His way of making hair was quite clumsy and messy, but she felt the experience of doing it quickly as he tucked the remaining strands of her hair back. He himself possessed rather long and unruly hair, and, given his giddy and energetic nature, apparently experienced hair getting straight into the face when it wasn’t convenient, quite often.

“Okay, cool!” He concluded, taking one step from Yuu and appreciating their work together. “You’re still almost glowing, but we lowered the risk.”

“I suggest we lower it even more by speaking quietly,” she whispered, realizing that Elias’s voice was quite bright and noticeable, now that they appeared in the night. “And, Elias-san… Thank you for helping me.”

“No probs,” he winked at her and nodded. “Now, let’s investigate.”

“Alright… Do you know any noticeable places here?”

“Hm… Nothing in particular,” Elias whispered, waving his hand, so to indicate that Yuu must follow him, so she did. “The thing is, everyone knows Vil, for he is a celebrity, but we’re going to find him as a student, right? I know he’s a dorm leader, but no idea which one exactly.”

“He is a dorm leader too?” Yuu whispered in surprise, walking by Elias’s side. “He must be a very admirable person, as Neige said…”

And just as scary , Yuu thought internally. Him being such a big figure in this school wasn’t really helpful to Yuu in the matter of approaching him in the first place.

She tried to imagine what would happen when she finally meets him. What would she even say? Hello, I’m Neige’s acquaintance, I thought you might be suffering, let me help you? Foolish. Absolutely foolish, she concluded.

Being a natural doer rather than a planner, Yuu decided to gather some information first, which meant that it would be alright if they didn’t encounter Vil today (it would be even the best option, saying frankly), but she at least needed to know which dorm he belonged to.

Crawling in the night, she and Elias made it out of the forest they landed in, and silhouettes of distinguishable buildings loomed before them.

Yuu, being pretty quiet given her tiny figure and the natural way she walked, made almost no sound as they proceeded further, but obviously lacked the experience in being sneaky. That differed her from Elias, who was taller, stronger in his physique, but evidently had something stealthy about him in the way he was moving.

Yuu couldn’t recall if she had experienced this kind of a sneaky mission, but followed Elias, hiding behind the walls occasionally if they heard gusts of wind screaming in the night.

Even despite keeping on going pretty much successfully until now, Yuu noticed how fast her heart pounded in her chest at the thought of being caught. It might be all over once someone discovers them. The trust Ambrose put in her might just crumble, the responsibility for dragging Elias in her venture smashing her down, the weight of the mission the Fairy Godmother entrusted her killing her inside — all of that.

“I don’t recognize this building,” Elias silently said, Yuu almost bumped into him. “This campus is ridiculously big.”

“What do we do then?” Yuu whispered, becoming one with shadows as she moved to the side where a line of trees loomed.

“Proceed further, of course~” Elias said, giving a little nod and pointing out the building farther ahead. “It looks like the main building, if I’m seeing it right. Let’s go.”

They walked around the building that served as a little hiding construction, then approached the gates and found themselves on the foot of the small mountain, where the main building stood.

Lights were off, indicating that no one was probably there, although Yuu shouldn’t just brush the possibility off.

She felt a little bit more loose, sensing that no one was really around, and allowed herself to walk slightly less tensed. Elias, apparently noticing it himself, followed her example, and took his phone out of the pocket of his trousers. Yuu watched him with unconcealed curiosity as he stared at the screen and touched a small white button. She didn’t say anything, continuing her own observation and trying to figure out what was the point of this chain of quick actions.

Feeling her inquiring gaze on himself, Elias chuckled and whispered softly. “I’m taking photos.”

“Yes?” Yuu questioned. “Photos?”

“Girl, don’t you have photography in your world or something?” Elias decided not to pry on the matter further on, since Yuu only let out a little confused noise. “Let me put it this way. I capture this place with my phone, and the next time we travel here, I recognize where we are. Quite the strategy, yeah?”

“Oh,” she muttered. “It certainly sounds witty. You’re very smart, Elias-san.”

“That I am, yes~” Adorable ‘he-he’ escaped his lips as a response, and they kept on moving forward.

Come to think of it, NRC appeared to be just as huge as the RSA campus was. While enjoying the late evening’s cold but not unpleasant breeze, Yuu took a deep breath, calming her thoughts, and threw a quick glance at Elias, who apparently finished taking photos or so that he named the process.

“Elias-san,” Yuu mumbled, guided by her natural penchant for knowledge. “If I’m not burdening you with my curiosity, may I ask you a question?”

“Sure thing,” he nodded shortly. “Ask right away!”

“How exactly does your portal work? You managed to get us straight to the library back in RSA, but here we landed in an unknown spot, not to mention which is quite far from the main building.”

“Ah, that,” he chuckled, glancing over and suggesting taking another route, to which Yuu shortly lowered her head in a little nod. “Well, I can cast a portal leading to the place I’ve already been before. The distance doesn’t really matter, I assume, although I haven’t traveled really far.” He tiredly rubbed his eyes with his hand and suppressed a yawn which already was ready to leave his throat. “For example, no matter how hard I would want to visit, I don’t know, let’s say Coral Sea , I couldn’t. Simply because I haven’t been there before.”

“I see…” Yuu replied, arranging her thoughts. “But you’ve been to NRC before, as you’ve mentioned.”

“Yeah,” he agreed. “The first time was when I was a highschooler. Students from all over the world gather here, visit both RSA and NRC and consider enrolling in one of the establishments.” He explained.

“You thought of joining NRC?”

“Right, you probably don’t know. RSA and NRC are top-tier schools, it’s the dream of every magic-user to get enrolled either in one or another. When the time comes and you graduate from whichever school you attended before, you get an invitation. I got enrolled in RSA, as you can see.”

“What are the requirements of getting enrolled in NRC?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “You saw it yourself when Excalibur was assigning newcomers according to the dorms they fit in. Somethin’ has to do with your personality alignment or so.”

Personality alignment, hm… Yuu wondered what was the real deal behind the process. RSA had its certain atmosphere which distinguished it from others, that was for sure, but Yuu had little time getting to know what exactly it was. Now, if NRC possessed something unique for them as well, then…

“Anyway,” Elias continued as they approached the road with huge tall lanterns alongside it. “The less times I’ve visited one place, the higher the chance of getting bumped into something unexpected when portal-traveling.”

“I see,” Yuu nodded. “Thank you for the explanation.”

“Seeing how curious you are, it’s a pity you’re not a member of Pandora Charm. You’ve got the spirit.”

You smiled in response and tensed instantly as they got extremely close to the point of their destination. Huge, enormously huge building loomed before them as they stood before the entrance.

“No, we’re not getting in through the main entrance,” he said, meeting with Yuu’s confused eyes. “The door’s probably locked and I’m not in the mood for triggering a signalization or something. Let’s find another way.”

“I feel like a criminal…”

“We’re not criminals,” Elias said. “Just adventurers!”

“Alright, let’s hope no one doubts your statement if we get caught…”

“I’ll make sure we don’t.”

They then made their way to the left. Yuu and Elias were bending down to pass under the windows as unnoticed as possible. Elias was peering inside from time to time, making sure that no one saw them, and was nodding to Yuu, in response to which she continued sneaking around.

She was stressing out deeply, her thoughts becoming a mess with worry rolling down her whole body. The closer they were getting, the more anxious she felt. Yuu bumped into Elias’s back and produced suppressed yelp when he pressed his index finger to his lips, and then nodded to the window…

Which appeared to be opened.

“And now let’s pray we’re not getting caught~” Elias giggled and approached the window, examining what was the best way for getting inside. “Okay, I can lift you up, you get inside, then help me doing the same.”

“Oh… Do you think I will manage to help you?” She pried, looking slightly worried, unsure of her own strength and competence.

“I’m hurt in the best way! You don’t think I’m too heavy?” Elias snorted and laughed playfully. “No worries, everything will be okay. Now, get on my shoulders.”

“Wait, Elias-san,” Yuu stopped him, grabbing the sleeve of his jacket. “Let me first handle it.”

“Hm?”

“Little one, I need your help.”

Elias watched as Yuu winced at the sight of bright pinkish sparkles bursting in the air, but relaxed as a pink butterfly appeared.

“Please vent forth for me,” she said, and the butterfly flew through the opened window.

“Oh, the pink one!” Elias noticed, his voice raising slightly in excitement. Yuu waved her hands, signaling him to lower it a bit, and he covered his mouth with his hands. “Sorry, sorry. But say, what do the pink ones do?”

“Pink butterflies are the best talkers,” she explained. “And they also can fly very far away from me. I normally summon them if I need to investigate the terrain.”

“How curious!”

The butterfly found its way back to Yuu, landing on her nose, and Elias watched them as they performed something close to talking, or so it seemed, as Yuu were nodding and humming.

“I see, thank you,” she closed her eyes for a moment. “The path is clear, we may proceed. Although it’s very dark inside, you might need a torch…”

“Torch?” Elias blinked. “Woah, easy, no need to go that far. I’ve got a flashlight ready in my phone if it’s necessary, but we can’t afford being caught, yeah? Plus, you too might need one, no?”

Yuu bit her lip, realizing Elias didn’t know she had an enhanced vision. Seeing in the dark was as simple as breathing for her, but how in the world must she explain to him the whole package of abilities that faes possessed?..

“I b-believe you’re right,” she stuttered.

“No worries, we’ve come this far, we’ll be alright. Okay, now get on.”

Elias turned her back at her, falling on one knee, ready to lift her up. Yuu frowned, being not entirely sure of the whole concept of getting lifted up, but took a light step nevertheless, and squeaked when Elias chuckled and almost set her flying with how much force he put in the action.

“W-woah, sorry!!”

“I-it is alright,” she mumbled, grabbing onto the window handles for her dear life, obviously not expecting that much strength from Elias’s fit, but elegant figure. She wondered where in the world he hid that force, but decided not to pry on the matter right at the moment, as they were engaged in this silly situation.

After crawling on the inner windowsill and quickly eyeing her current surroundings, confirming that everything was clear, she peeked out of the window, meeting with Elias’s questioning eyes.

“Clear?” He only asked.

“Clear,” she nodded, making her position firm and steady, and outstretched her hand. “Here, grab it.”

“Here I go!”

Elias grabbed her hand, his tendons becoming prominent against his pale skin, highlighting the amount of force he had put into his grip, and braced himself with one foot against the wall and pressed the other into the ground, preparing to leap. Yuu winced, not noticing how beads of sweat rolled from her forehead due to exertion, and her cheeks turned red, but she did not let go of Elias’s hand.

Elias made a noise, Yuu’s whole body almost bumping into the wall she was leaning against when Elias tugged her closer to the window as he jumped. She groaned, biting her lip, so the sound died out that instant. Elias finally made it inside, leaping above Yuu’s head, and landed on the ground with a loud thud, then performed a somersault, almost hitting the bookcase that stood nearby.

“W-woah!”

Yuu, feeling dizzy from the full breaking inside experience she didn’t really want to receive in the first place, breathed in and out heavily, trying to regain composure. The butterfly she summoned earlier flying in worry above her head.

“You okay?!”

Elias jumped on his feet, absolutely intact, and flashed to Yuu’s side, grabbing her shoulders and giving them a slight shake.

“Yes… I think,” she nodded. “Do you think someone heard you landing here?”

“I like to believe that they didn’t,” he smiled whimsically. “In any case, I’m glad you’re fine.”

“I am,” she confirmed, jumping from the windowsill, landing on her feet soundlessly, as if she was a cat. “Just not really accustomed to such activities.”

“Sorry,” he apologized. “You’re quite tiny, so…”

“I am not,” she pouted, much to Elias’s amusement.

“As you say, mo-”

“If you’re about to call me mother again, next time you’re doing it all by yourself.”

“Woah-woah, you’re a menacing one! And then you hear them talk of you as if you’re a pure, naive baby.”

“I beg your pardon?..” Yuu tilted her head while Elias was standing up.

“Shit,” Elias cursed. “Sorry, didn’t want to bring that up. Some students say you’re quite… gullible. Innocent.”

Innocent?

Yuu didn’t hear herself snorting at his words.

She felt disgust forming in her chest. How wanted she for it to be true, to be innocent and pure, untouched by the foolishness she possessed. It would be so much simpler if she was a naive young girl, genuinely trying to help everyone in need.

She wasn’t pure at all, and it was burning her to the ashes. She was instructed to help, and while carrying sincere intent to help, initially it was her aim, not her honest desire. Perhaps she was afraid to find that she hasn’t tried enough, that her feelings were clouded with egotistic will to explore this world, abandoning her task.

The thought of failing the Fairy Godmother burst within, making her breathe in sharply, and shake her head. No, no, it wasn’t the right time for her stupid brooding. She already ventured here to find Vil — either to help him or to help Neige. Truly, completely this time.

“Yuu?”

“Nothing,” she forced a smile. “I was just thinking, forgive me for that ungraceful display. Let us proceed. Do you know where we are?”

“It’s the storage room, I think,” he tilted his head to where buckets and mops were. “Let’s get out of here.”

He approached the door, slowly turning its handle to the right and opening it. He peeked out, recognizing the darkness that Yuu spoke of, and slowly went into the hall, waving at Yuu so as she went after him.

So she did, feeling the pressure of being trapped in four walls, and realized that there weren’t many places for hiding. Long, large halls with gothic lanterns and columns welcomed them as they carefully sneaked alongside them.

“I think I know where we are,” Elias whispered weightlessly, when Yuu looked at the clock and widened her eyes, realizing it was already 11 pm. “I hope we’ll find a desk with a student list somewhere or something like that.”

Yuu hummed in approval, following his careful footsteps.

A majestic atmosphere reigned in the corridors, shrouded in the cold of the night. Walking through the ornate halls, Yuu managed to cast quick glances at the portraits of people unknown to her, apparently professors of this institution. The sophisticated architecture of this place was very different from the more inviting and friendly RSA, within the walls of which there was a feeling of homeliness and tranquility. NRC made her feel slightly odd, but Yuu wasn't sure if the school in general made her feel that way, or if the fact of intrusion made Yuu swallow nervously.

Elias was about to turn right when Yuu concentrated her vision and noticed that the door to the left was slightly opened. She parted her lips, ready to warn him, but the sudden rageous howl roamed through the place, and Yuu shifted to her left, trying to become one with the wall, when Elias got it to the right, sneaking behind the corner.

With heart pounding in her chest, Yuu noticed how far from her Elias had retreated, and nervously bit her lip, quickly trying to make her way to him while going unnoticed. He threw a quick glance at her, literally eyeing her to come to him, but she hesitated.

“Don’t you just hate it?!”

A female voice cut through the place, making Yuu jolt and start panicking.

“Shit!” Elias whispered, swiftly rolling over to her and weightlessly murmuring an incantation to open the portal. “Let’s go!!”

Black hole of the portal appeared before him, and with one leg already in it, he reached out to grab Yuu’s hand, but it slipped, and Elias fell to the portal.

All alone .

“Elias-san!!”

“Wh— YUU?! Waaaaait! ”

His last call faded in darkness as the portal closed, Yuu remained sitting on the cold marble floor and frustratingly staring at the spot where the hole just was.

“Did you hear it?” A female voice pried, but no one appeared nearby, much to Yuu’s relief.

“No. You need some sleep, you start speaking nonsense,” male voice followed, apparently letting out a yawn.

“Oh come on, you’re making it unbearable. I just HATE those curtains.”

Wait. Curtains?.. What…

Yuu frowned, regaining composure, and decided to take the risk. She approached the door to the classroom where the voices were heard, and peeked in.

“Wh—” She quickly suppressed the urge to let the confusion slip from her lips.

Were they… paintings?

She focused her vision, recognizing two portraits, one of a young beautiful woman, and another of a man, hung on the wall so they couldn’t see her. Their silhouettes remained firm, the woman’s hands rested on the skirt of her expensive dress, but her lips were parting as she talked!

“It’s so dull,” she commented. “And we’re on the dark side of the wing.”

“So?” The portrait of a man sighed without showing any interest in her monologue.

“So!” She insisted, clearly annoyed. “I’m telling Mozus that these stupid curtains went out of fashion already in Baroque. Ugh.”

“I don’t think he’ll change them…”

“I don’t care what he thinks.”

Yuu quietly returned back to the corridor, slowly closing the door and blinking away all the confusion she had just experienced.

Talking paintings. Talking… paintings, huh.

Well, at least she hadn’t been caught, that was certainly relieving, although not really much due to Elias’s disappearance.

She sighed in defeat, carefully considering her next step. Now what? She doesn’t know the territory as well as Elias’s current location. Maybe the best she can do now is to search for him.

So she decided, sending the pink butterfly further ahead and carefully investigating the place all by herself.

After Yuu walked around more than a dozen seemingly endless corridors and checked at least as many classrooms, she tiredly leaned against the wall, feeling her temples pulsating and her eyelids filling with lead. A whole night without adequate sleep made her feel exhausted, but she quickly blinked away these sensations, following the butterfly as if it was a saving light, and pulled the doorknob.

A noisy, cold wind hit her face and she quickly stepped outside, finding herself on the other side of campus.

Breathing in freely after being trapped in four walls, she decided to simply walk ahead, guided by her intuition. Exploring it is, she thought, already abandoning the thought of finding Vil today.

Up ahead before her eyes loomed a very dilapidated building. What a curious finding, she thought, studying it while making her way towards. After venturing through the exquisite corridors, this place felt almost surreal and very odd, almost magical in a way. Following her natural curiosity, Yuu made her way to the entrance, her fingers brushing over dilapidated fence boards, but had to stop at once, jolting.

Far ahead, before the very entrance to the strange decayed building, was standing a young man.

Yuu's gaze traveled over his tall, stately figure and stopped at... were they horns? How delightful.. Yuu was fascinated by the intricate curls of his horns, descending her stare to his pointed ears, the tips of which playfully peeked out from under the coal-black strands of his hair that fell onto his shoulders. His bangs framed his chiseled cheekbones, slightly covering the thoughtful, even mythical look of the picturesque emeralds of his eyes. The brilliance of his enchanting gaze, like a firefly imprisoned in the iris of his eyes, was reflected under the light of the full moon towering above him.

Yuu exhaled meekly, realizing that she had stopped breathing for a split second, mesmerized by the beauty of this young man.

Finally slipping out of the magnetism coming from this boy, she realized that he had pointed ears, just as well as she had. Gasping at the realization, she studied him closely.

“Another… fae?” She muttered under her breath. “But how—”

The pink butterfly rushed towards the young man, and Yuu gasped, released from the grasp of his ethereal beauty.

“Come back, little one!” She whispered, but to no avail — the butterfly ignored her plea, as if glued to the man. At least that Yuu could understand.

She noticed him turning to where she stood, and lurked back into the shadows, holding a fading hope that he didn’t notice her. Curse faes and their enhanced instincts!!

Still, crawling in the darkness, she stowed the thoughts of the boy gently picking out his finger for the butterfly to land on it deep into her mind, and ignored the rapid beating of her heart.

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

Yuu didn’t know where she found herself again, but at least the fact she was completely lost was pretty much clear. Fatigue shackled her movements, making it hard to proceed, but she did nevertheless, trying to ignore how much sleep she was lacking. Even with her fae inheritance and natural ability to stay awake longer than humans did felt as consciousness was wavering.

Maybe it also became the reason why she didn’t notice a rustle coming from the bushes nearby, and yelped, realizing there was no time to hide, as something just rushed towards her.

It was the time she must face the consequences. It is over. Now, for real.

“Hm?”

Squeaky voice reached her ears… from beneath? Yuu was ready to lift her head, since most people she happened to talk to were much taller than herself, but this time was different. She lowered her head instead, her eyes widening at once.

“Why are you starin’ at me like that?”

Yuu blinked once. Twice.

A cat-looking creature with its ears fur burning with bright, blinding blue light stared at her in response, its paws on its, uh, hips? What kind of anatomy did this creature actually possess, standing on its two legs in a very humanoid way, but being obviously animalistic itself?

Its pitchfork-shaped tail wagged in irritation at Yuu’s silent confusion before it snapped at her for staring once again.

“Ay, human!”

“I’m afraid I am not exactly—”

“Who the hell are you?”

“I am—”

“Nah, wait,” it produced a sound resembling a meow, much to Yuu’s absolutely devastated expression. “Whaddya want ‘ere?”

“I—”

“Oh,” the creature interrupted her again, but apparently being completely oblivious to the fact. “You smell nice. Like somethin’ sweet. Honey?”

Yuu decided to remain silent just to see what would happen next.

“Oi, why are you shut up?”

“Because you—”

“Actually—”

“Argh!!”

Yuu growled, which she didn’t see coming in no lifetime at all, surprised to find herself to give a reaction like that. She lowered herself, bending her knees so as to be at one level with the creature.

“Little magical cat-san,” she started, sensing how hyped up the creature became, and hushed it with her finger. “If you dislike being called that way, please introduce yourself, so I might do the same.”

“How could you not know the Great Grim!”

“Y-yes?” Yuu frowned, losing her grip on the situation.

“Ya know, the Great Grim,” the cat ‘hmph’ed at her for being, apparently, ignorant. “Doesn’t ring a bell?”

“I’m afraid it doesn’t, I’m sorry… Grim-san.”

“Sama!” He corrected her, leaning towards with an angry stare.

“Grim…-sama,” Yuu decided to play along. “My name is Yuu. Nice to meet you.”

“Never heard of you tho,” Grim shrugged.

Of course you didn’t, Yuu thought to herself, but smiled as the creature didn’t look very bothered or confused to see her.

“So, whaddya need? Those little bastards like to think they’re oh so smart and nice to go to their beds at 10, heh. You must be the naughty type. Or do you want somethin’ to eat as well? Late night snacks are the best ones.”

Yuu flew deeper into her thoughts. Grim happened to be the type to actually talk to her normally, if she could put it that way, which gave her a light beam of hope that he might help. Carefully analyzing Grim’s words — or rather, trying to decipher the slang — she hummed.

If she already encountered this little creature, maybe she could ask for help? What’s worse might happen?

.. Right?

“I’m looking for someone,” she probed cautiously.

“Who exactly?”

“Do you know a person named Vil Schoenheit? He’s a student at this school.”

Grim frowned and Yuu wondered how she could understand its expressions so easily, given the creature wasn’t humanoid at any rate.

“Yeah, I know him,” Grim replied, and Yuu’s eyes sparkled in delight. Finally! “Wanna me get you to him?”

“You could?!” She clapped her hands joyfully.

“For a price, yeah,” Grim nodded, Yuu’s lighten expression dropping its radiance as she realized that nothing could be that easy, but either way nodded for the creature to continue. “Bring me somethin’ to eat.”

“Y-yes?” She questioned.

“Humans these days,” Grim clicked his tongue in irritation. “Food. I wanna eat, ya know?”

“Yes, I understand… Alright then. How about you get me to Vil Schoenheit and I'll give you some?”

“Hmmm…” Grim stared at her, trying to detect if she deceived it, and even if it wasn’t in her plans at all, she decided to switch his attention just to be sure it’ll help.

“What food do you like the most?” She asked, seeing how Grim’s eyes started glowing with interest.

“Tuna,” was his outright answer. “Anything to do with seafood. Fish. Meat. Sandwiches! Oooh, also—”

“Tuna it is,” Yuu concluded before Grim was carried away. “Now, Grim-sa..ma, would you please be so kind to help me find Vil?”

“Follow my lead, henchman.”

“Henchman?..”

But Grim already ignored her incoherent noises and proceeded further. “Ya follow me or not? Vil’s busy dude, come on faster.”

“Yes, sorry. Please, lead on.”

So Grim did, and with that little cat-looking creature she felt much safer to walk on the streets. Maybe it was stupid of her — to let her guard down as she walked alongside, not sensing much fear of getting caught as she did before.

It was probably due to Grim’s odd, but funny entity. Somehow with having a feline creature around, the surroundings didn’t seem as dark as they were before.

Yuu was answering Grim’s silly questions while they were making their way, such as ‘What your favorite food is’ or ‘Why are you so tiny for a human’, which genuinely made her laugh in relief, but soon enough she felt her mind slip away again, not standing the fatigue towering over her and taking her whole body in its lazy embrace.

Tiredness felt different for her as a fae, and while she could stay awake much longer than humans, she was exhausted after a fight, not sleeping properly with Neige around, then the following day was quite an eventful one, and now, when she in the best case scenarios she might have found herself sleeping peacefully, she was exploring the school she had slightest idea about, trying to find a person she has never ever seen.

Her instincts went numb before that exact fatigue, and maybe Grim was thoughtful enough to ignore her silence, or maybe it didn’t really matter, because she could still recognize the creature’s endless monologue about food going on and on pretty lively and frivolously.

She also missed the moment where Grim pointed that it was already midnight, looking over her weary expression. As easily as that, she also failed to notice that they entered the main building again, making their way to an unfamiliar place that she hadn’t encountered before.

A look of fear clouded her face when she finally escaped her tired thoughts and bumped into a person .

Now this time, it was an actual student. A person, who most probably possessed no desire to hear out her silly explanations and excuses.

“You stupid henchman!” Grim yelled at her when she jumped out of the person she stumbled into and massaged her nose. “Look where you goin’!”

“I am deeply sorry!” She almost screamed at the person she smashed herself into, bowing as low as she could.

“Hey, it’s no big deal!”

The voice that she heard in response was masculine, but also pleasant. Yuu didn’t know what she was expecting in the first place, but it was at least nice to be reassured.

She straightened her back, preparing herself to whatever might come next, and opened her eyes.

Before her stood a young boy, visibly shorter than the one she saw near that dilapidated building, but not only did he look as if he possessed more of a youthful touch, his eyes also were more vigorous, so to say.

A pair of big, widened teal eyes stared at her in confusion as she scanned him further, her own gaze stopping at the curious dark blue pattern that matched the color of his short hair. Was it a sign of spades?.. Yuu frowned, not noticing how she leaned slightly forward to examine it closer, but the boy yelped and stepped away, his cheeks and the tips of the ears reddening at once.

“A-a girl?!”

Now that she was fully awake after hearing the exclamation, she stepped away in a jump as well, trying to cover her face with her hands, but realized it was simply useless the second after. Curiosity won, and she turned back to him, throwing a childish peek at the way he was stressing himself out.

“I’m sorry!” She managed to say, the boy stopping at once. “C-can we please talk?..”

That - that!! - was awful. That was over, for sure. At last she was found and caught red-handed. Not only was he a student, given she noticed the sports uniform on his fit body and the emblem of the school, but he also made it clear that it was against the rules for a girl to simply be here. Not to mention that late at night!

“What the freaking hell?!” He groaned.

“Why are you yellin’, you stupid Deuce?” Grim intervened. “Do you see a girl for the first time in your life or what?”

“It’s not that!” He took a deep breath before taking a more proper look at Yuu, who just awkwardly stood there.

“Pardon me…” She probed to make a normal conversation, but her strategy failed again.

“Am I seeing things?” The boy apparently named Deuce threw a glance full of genuine confusion. “No, no, wait… Argh, really, what the hell…”

“The girl begged me for help,” Grim said, now catching Yuu’s attention with his wording. “And I’m providing her with it, while you’re being all that screaming mess.”

“So you’re a girl,” Deuce concluded, massaging his temples but stopping at once. “Wait, asked for help? What do you mean, Grim?”

“She cried and kneeled before the Great Grim, begging for help,” Grim tried impersonating whatever was on its mind, when Yuu looked at him in total disbelief.

“So…” Deuce finally calmed down a bit, his eyes fixated on Yuu. “No way I’m believing Grim in this situation, he always tends to speak nonsensical, don’t mind him.”

So it’s him , Yuu thought, making a mental note to herself.

“But is that true? That you need some help or something.”

“I… yes, that much is true,” she confirmed, exhaustion crawling back into its lair within her body, making her words slightly incoherent.

“Uh,” he pressed a hand to his chin, losing in thoughts. “First, who even are you and why shouldn’t I just throw you out of here?..”

He spoke as if he wasn’t sure himself if he really intended to do as he said, or was he trying to convince himself that it was the only right reaction to give.

Yuu noticed how tense he was, perhaps understandably, yet something felt different about NRC itself and its inhabitants in particular. Grim was a magical creature, not a person (at least he appeared to be that). That tall boy with horns was an embodiment of magic itself, and while Ivy gave off the similar atmosphere about him, that black-haired young man felt extraterrestrial, and distant. Far, galaxies away different.

And now there was Deuce, who despite his gentle-looking eyes still expressed mistrust and wariness towards her.

She tried to regain composure and mumbled. “I… I am looking for someone in this school.”

“Go on.”

“I am looking for…” She took a small pause, but Deuce’s face remained unreadable. “Vil Schoenheit. Do you know him?”

“Schoenheit-senpai?!” He suddenly exclaimed, covering his mouth in surprise and returning his gaze filled with worry to Yuu. “And why would you seek him?”

“He… he might need my help… That is.”

“Are you really sure?..”

But Yuu couldn’t say more as she felt exhaustion devouring her, her eyes losing their brightness and vivid red hue, turning darker and wearier.

“Why did you bring her here, Grim?” Deuce asked.

“I thought I'd kinda dump her on the first dude I find, but it’s you, so I don’t know now.”

“Grim!” He raised his voice with clear annoyance. “Ugh… What do I even do…”

He peered over Yuu, as if trying to gather something from the way she blankly stared at him back, but to no avail.

“What an exemplary student would do…” He mumbled to himself, rest of the sentences going almost unheard. “She’s an intruder, but it’s more likely that she herself needs help… Argh!”

“I am sorry,” she bowed again, but not as deeply as she did for the first time, causing Deuce to look at her questionably. “I am sorry for causing trouble, and it’s absolutely understandable that you’re not pleased to see me here. If… if that is alright by you, please show me the exit, and you will not see me again.”

“Hey, no need to go that far…” His voice softened at her apology.

“Is the exit nearby then?”

“No, I didn’t mean that!!” He quickly corrected himself. “Look, uhm, you see, it’s kinda late, plus I’m going back to the dorm after a workout, so I need to at least change my clothes and things.. But I can take you to my dorm leader, he might help!”

“You can?” Her eyes widened in surprise. “I would be so, so grateful!”

“Y-yeah,” he nodded. “Come on, follow me. And Grim!” He stared down the cat-looking creature. “Don’t fool around with the visitors!”

“Intruders, ya mean.”

“Hold your tongue, would you?”

“He’s actually right,” Yuu said softly. “I am no visitor, breaking into your school so late at night.”

“Uh, yeah, but you kinda…”

“Yes?..”

“Don’t fit the vibe of an intruder, as one wouldn’t likely admit the fact of intrusion in the first place,” Deuce concluded. “Besides, it’s not that late. Though it’s kinda strange that there’s no one around at 8 pm.”

“Stupid Deuce,” Grim chuckled. “It’s midnight already.”

“IT’S WHAT NOW?!”

Yuu jolted at the way he yelled, his eyes flew to the clock on the wall, and it was the moment Yuu finally examined the room with seven different portals.

“Freaking shit!” Deuce cursed, taking off from his place and jumping to the portal at his left. “Dorm leader Rosehearts will finish me off for missing the curfew!!”

Yuu watched Deuce disappearing in the portal before realizing she pursued him, diving into the portal above of which a heart-shaped emblem and the name ‘ Heartslabyul ’ was written, and closed her eyes when the magical ripples absorbed her body and transported it to an unknown place.

Scarcely had she opened her eyes, she was struck by an absolutely stunning construction towering over her. The amount of hearts in the design threw a thought or two into her mind about how utterly familiar it all seemed, but she quickly dismissed everything, focusing on the strong rose scent.

She found Deuce rushing forward straight to the entrance and proceeded after him, running around the fountain and heart-shaped trees on the sides. Were there roses blooming on them?.. Ah, no it wasn’t the right time to think about it!

With the lights off she barely noticed Grim running along with her, whining about how tiresome running itself was and how no one actually gave him food in the end, much to Yuu’s embarrassment and inner anxiety rise. She promised him, yes, but after being mingled into Deuce’s rush, she made a mental note to repay him later, even in spite of the fact he didn’t help to begin with.

Deuce was just about to reach the door and sway it open when the doors almost knocked him down, if only he hadn't dodged them opening.

“Wow, easy, dude!”

A familiar vivid and playful tone rolled on Yuu’s pointed ears, and she lifted her gaze, meeting with none other than Elias himself.

“Elias-san!” She exclaimed, now rushing up ahead to him, forgetting about Deuce and Grim, but stopped abruptly when she saw another person on Elias’s right.

The boy, who was slightly shorter than Elias, swiftly put his eyes on Yuu, examining her figure in return. She didn’t mind as his pry red eyes studied her, focusing on the pattern matching the color of his eyes — red heart was drawn with careful precision. Yuu frowned, when a thought slithered into her mind, forcefully thrusting forth the idea of the spade on Deuce’s face and the heart on that boy’s rather interesting to consider. Images of the past flashed within her head, but she couldn’t fish out one in particular as the moment wasn’t right.

“Yuu!” Elias lifted his blue eyes at her as she approached him and the unfamiliar boy and made her way to her, carefully paying close attention to her appearance. “Are you alright?!”

“I am, do not worry,” she reassured him, side-eying Deuce who approached the boy with red eyes and catching the glimpses of his worried noises about time. “And that is?..”

She pointed at the boy with a nod, to which Elias only chuckled and turned to the subject of their current discussion. “Care to introduce yourself?”

“I was just about to do that when you rushed to that girl without any explanation,” the boy’s cheeky tone was quite fine and even nice to hear, Yuu noticed. “Besides, maybe Deuce could introduce her, hm?”

“You don’t get it!” Deuce shook his head. “Is dorm leader Rosehearts mad?!”

“Sure is, what else did you expect, ha!” The boy laughed menacingly.

“Damn,” Deuce frowned. “I’m doomed. Like, completely.”

“Who isn’t,” the red-eyed boy shrugged. “He’s a complete madman these days.”

“Ace!” Deuce insisted, revealing the boy’s name. “Don’t say that about the dorm leader.”

“Why though? Dude’s losing it.”

“I… hate to admit you’re half right.”

“Not just half,” Ace smirked. “I’m always right. Anyways, you there.” He called Yuu, attracting her attention to him. “Nice to meet ya. Did you cause a heart attack for Deuce when you met him? Because if you did, you totally gained my respect.”

“Heart attack? Respect?..”

Even when Yuu first landed in this world, she didn’t remember feeling that lost.

NRC students were strange and alien. The way they spoke was harsh, tactless, and even despite the straightforward, sharp honesty their words possessed, which Yuu admired, she couldn’t comprehend why they would be so… different. Uncomfortably so.

“Don’t mind Ace’s wording,” Elias said. “He likes acting all cool and that.”

“You know I act cool because I am cool,” Ace shrugged his shoulders, grinning slyly. “In any case, who are you?”

Ace scanned Yuu as she was about to part her lips and introduce herself, but was quickly interrupted by the strict sound of clicking of the heels somewhere within the building walls, and turned to Elias who somehow managed to hear it too. Normally humans couldn’t detect sounds at that distance, but either Elias just guessed it right, or maybe… There was something else Yuu didn’t know about him.

“We must go,” he warned her, grabbing her hand as the steps were starting to sound clearer with each second. “Now.”

“Alright,” she nodded, not minding her hand being grabbed, and turned to Deuce and Grim. “Goodbye, Deuce-san, Grim-sama!”

“You managed to get something who believes you’re that good?!” Ace snorted, bursting into laughter. “Man, that’s hilarious— Wait, wha—?!”

“Down the Rabbit Hole!” Elias said, and the portal appeared before their eyes.

This time he made sure Yuu jumped first, then he followed her example. Before she stepped into the darkness, she threw one last quick glance and noticed a short figure appearing at the entrance, flashes of red hair strands glowing in the night like a hellfire, and a pair of searing gray eyes almost destroyed her with a supercilious gaze.

How strange, Yuu thought, despite the clear, pure concentration of genuine rage devouring the boy’s figure, somehow she felt sadness spreading within. But she quickly brushed it off and watched the portal closing.

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

“Phew!”

Elias landed on the chair that slid right under him and smiled at the teacup joining the little dance, strong aroma of black tea filled the place as the teapot poured the liquid.

“Smells really strong,” Yuu noticed, welcoming the teacup that popped in her hands, and a piece of paper practically loomed before her. “Is that… a menu?”

“Oh, right, this day makes it your fourth time here, right?” Elias took a sip and let out a sigh full of an almost palpable exhaustion. “Starting from today, you’ll be offered tea by your choice. It seems the portal also started learning cooking, so expect some creativity in pastries.”

“How… very interesting. I’d love green tea with ginger and cloves, if that is alright.”

Teapot flew to hear, pouring the drink, and Yuu thanked it, welcoming pleasant warmth.

“Say, that was quite an experience!” Elias exclaimed.

“I’ll be frank, Elias-san,” Yuu sighed. “I experienced genuine anxiety when we first arrived at NRC, then unconcealed fear when you lost me, then I was about to burst when I encountered Grim, I thought it’s over when Deuce found me, and at last my knees went weak when I saw that you were alright.”

“I’m sorry,” he said genuinely. “But… you just can’t deny that it was fun, right?”

“That…” Yuu lowered her tired gaze and gave up, a hint of a smile blooming on her face. “That I can’t argue with. It, indeed, was really fun. Although we didn’t find Vil.”

“I promised to help,” Elias said, returning her uniform jacket she already forgot about. “And I will. We’ll find him, don’t worry.”

She only nodded in response, with Vil suddenly becoming not the very first task in the list of the tasks she needed to sort out. Thoughts tangled in her mind, every new face she saw today flashed behind her eyes, making it hard to focus on one thing at the time.

No, she must have taken some rest to think. Yuu took off the black jacket that was now covered in leaves and dust, and returned it to Elias.

“Thank you for today, Elias-san. Our venture proved to be really informative, to say at least. Although I wonder what the consequences will be, given that two people and a cat-looking creature caught us.”

“Ace’s safe,” Elias reassured her. “He’s my friend and I pretty much trust that little rascal.”

“R-rascal?!..”

“That he is,” he chuckled. “I don’t know who the boy you got acquainted with though.”

“I think his name was Deuce,” she hummed. “And I sensed no danger coming from him, so I would like to believe he is safe as well.”

“It’s settled then!” He clapped his hands. “Say, how about we discuss everything that happened to ourselves while we were apart later? I’m sorry to break it to you, but, uhm..”

“I don’t mind, since I’ve noticed how tired you too were.”

“You wound me,” he giggled gently. “I might have taken it as an insult, ya know! My energetic self doesn’t like being called tired.”

“I apologize,” Yuu lowered her head in a bow, but Elias quickly dismissed it. “

“It’s alright, you silly. As much as I’m being all lively and animated during the day, I also enjoy sleeping tightly at night. And well, it’s past midnight, and I’m not in my comfy bed. Get it?”

“I understand,” Yuu nodded. “I as well won’t say no to a good sleep.”

“Perfect~” Elias said, snapping his fingers, and Yuu saw the portal opening above her. “Ready to try leaving the portal alone?”

“Y-yes?!”

“Sorry, sorry, it will just be best if we arrive separately,” he smiled at her. “Look, if someone from the school staff finds you and me together, they will suspect I kinda made you come with me, which I did in a way, but I don’t want to troubling you. What’s the fun in being lectured by Emery and his ‘You just don’t know how persuasive Elias can be’ speeches.”

“But I’m also responsible—”

“Relax, Yuu,” he threw thumbs up again. “Or I’ll call you mom again.”

“It was a pleasant experience, thank you very much for your company, see you tomorrow.”

“Haha!!” He laughed genuinely. “You’re being so funny when you’re tired!”

“Glad to satisfy your urge for a good laugh, now, if you’ll excuse me…”

“Thank you for choosing Elias airlines. We’re looking forward to flying with you again. Have a good evening!”

“Airlines?.. Either way, yes, Elias-san, goodbye. Sleep well.”

“Bye-beee!~”

And with that Yuu jumped, leaving the portal.

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

After spending almost the whole day with Elias by her side, Yuu felt how lonely it was — to not hear someone giggling and telling jokes every so often, and frowned, but was instantly interrupted as she recognized the place she landed into.

The greenhouse!

An odd joy filled her heart at the sight of a familiar tall figure appearing before her, but she quickly dismissed that delight when she realized she got caught again.

“I-Ivy-san,” she gulped. “I… uh…”

“How was your trip to NRC?”

“W-what?!”

Ivy, unlike anyone who she met today in the evening, carried an aura of serene tranquility, making her own reactions slow down, the uneasiness and hypersensitivity dying out at once, leaving a place for peace.

Flowery aroma radiating from him was very much pleasant and welcoming as she stood up with the help of his hand.

“Don’t be so surprised,” his soft, ephemeral voice rippled in the air with a thin whisper. “I am the one covering Elias’s shenanigans when needed.”

“I see…”

“Oh,” Ivy turned to Yuu, bending over. She peered into the depth of his eyes watching her own, and held her breath, striked by his empyreal beauty. “My apologies. You seem very tired. I am in no position to detain you any further.”

“No need to apologize,” Yuu shook her head lightly. “But I am very grateful for your assistance. Then, if you don’t mind, I’ll take my leave.”

“See you hopefully tomorrow, Yuu-san. Get some rest, it’s painful to see your eyes losing their brightness.”

“Yes?..” She let out a refrained breath, not entirely sure of what he meant.

“... No, nothing,” he smiled at her and averted his gaze at last, stepping into the greenhouse. “I feel like I saw eyes resembling yours somewhere…”

The last sentence died out, pronounced almost in a complete whisper, as if he wasn’t sure himself whether he wanted her to hear it at all, and entered the greenhouse. Yuu saw him taking a flowerpot with Florence in it in his hands, and decided to let it be as it is for now, taking her leave and heading out to the clock tower.

As much as she would love to sort her thoughts out, first she must sleep.

And let the new day bring her the clearance of the mind she needed so much.

#twst #twisted wonderland #twst x reader #rsa #rsa x reader #neige leblanche #vil schoenheit #ace trappola #deuce spade #riddle rosehearts #royal sword academy #nrc #night raven college

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yunarim · 4 months

Text

ಇ. broken melodies | chapter 4

⇢ ⁺ THURSDAY'S CHILD HAS FAR TO GO ˖ Yuu's about to make her first visit to NRC.

— PREVIEW (read for tags and synopsis) — MASTERLIST (open to read previous chapters) — AO3

⁺ w.c : 13k+

Dazzling morning’s light was gliding aside Yuu’s features, and she snapped her eyes open.

It was already morning, and even in spite of not getting quite used to them, Yuu realized that the new day had indeed started. She blinked away all the sleepiness that suddenly washed away her usual consistent and firm liveliness as someone’s steady breathing next to her was heard, while she was staring absently at the plainly white ceiling of the infirmary.

She abruptly turned her head, witnessing a very familiar silhouette, though surrounded by seven other bodies, and gaped, her breath hitched.

Neige was lying on the bed, sheets artificially clean and neat, his face radiating nothing but tranquil peace and calmness as of a deadman. She shivered, her hands started trembling slightly as she managed to get up from the bed, and didn't notice concerned gazes upon her startled figure.

“Yuu?”

She ignored one of the dwarfs' noise, and went straight up to the bed Neige was lying at, and couldn’t resist touching his cheek white as snow.

His serene entity, depraved of former worry and anxiety he was surely trapped in, reminiscent Yuu of the Snow White. He wasn’t surrounded by flowers, nor was he covered with a glassy lid, yet Yuu stared as if the world was about to cease its existence.

“Yuu.”

She hasn’t succeeded in rescuing him, has she?

Yuu chuckled to herself rather hysterically, nervously clenching a piece of cloth in her hand, and sucked air. No, it can’t be…

“Yuu-san!!”

“H-huh?”

She only turned when one of the dwarfs hit her slightly on her leg, finally managing to gather her attention, and frowned at her, sighing in displeasure.

“I don’t know what you are thinking about, but he is fine.”

“He is?!” Yuu regained the brightness of her emotional specter and bent down enough for her eyes to meet the dwarf’s, Dominic. “Oh I’m so glad…”

“You’re an injured party, too. You should rest a bit more,” Dominic put his hands on his hips, pouting at her. “Neige’s fine, but please remain quiet. He’s finally sleeping normally.”

“S-sorry…” She muttered under her breath and took a seat on the edge of her bed. “Were you here all the time? I remember we both fell asleep at night…”

“We came an hour before you woke up!” Hop smiled at her sheepishly.

“Thank you for coming here,” Yuu nodded politely. “But you too should get some sleep, I believe it’s pretty early for anyone to come.”

“It’s nearly six in the morning,” Dominic explained. “No need to worry. Besides, we wanted to thank you.”

“Me? For what?..”

“For rescuing Neige, you fool,” Grum scoffed at her before getting scolded by Dominic.

“Forgive Grum for being rude,” Dominic sighed. “But he’s right. We all are really grateful.”

“I did nothing…” Yuu mumbled, lowering her head.

Indeed, she did nothing, and it was almost humiliating. She could have protected him from being hit! She could have prevented him from crossing the line and going overboard with his emotions, could have helped him in many other ways, or at least just talk his soul out of it, she could have—

“...Zzz… Looks like… Worries too much…”

Yuu turned to the sleepy dwarf with ginger hair, which slightly reminded her of Elias, and blinked, turning to the next dwarf, who was playfully patting Neige’s head.

“Mm?” He looked up at Yuu. “Ah! Thank you!! Oh, but why did you worry in the first place?.. I can’t remember…”

“Toby can be rather forgetful,” Dominic elucidated. “But he’s right. There’s no need to worry anymore, alright?”

Yuu gasped at his statement in bewilderment, but had no other choice than to bite her lips and accept their point of view. “Understood…”

“Nice nice!!” Hop giggled and covered his mouth with his hands as Dominic put his finger to his lips and mumbled quiet ‘shh!’. “Sorry!”

“Doctor Wyn said that Neige will recover in no time,” Dominic reassured her, placing his little hand above her own, to which Yuu shuddered slightly, being rather unfamiliar with touches. “You all did your best, thanks to you, Elias and Che’nya-senpai, Neige is alright. He just needs proper rest.”

Yuu nodded, returning her gaze to Neige’s beautiful face, relieved from worries in the sleep.

“Y-you should sleep… t-too…” Blue-haired dwarf with bangs covering his eyes mumbled, causing Yuu to smile slightly. “W-wha!..”

“Thank you,” she replied, standing up. “But I’m okay. I’ve rested enough. Besides, I… think I miss the clocktower.”

“Right, you spent all night here,” Dominic nodded. “We’ll see you later then!”

Yuu’s smile turned slightly vague and apologetic, but seemed to go unnoticed by the dwarfs.

“Yes, indeed. See you later.”

Yuu bowed to everyone and bid goodbye before closing the door. Only in the hallway did she notice that her uniform was neat and clean, though instead of boots she was wearing light slippers, to which she giggled softly.

Apparently, the academy seemed to be free of students, and once she felt tender sun rays playfully touching her skin through the windows, yet light freshness bordering on chilly coolness, she realized that it was early in the morning. Around five or six am, probably?

Yuu went out of the building, meeting a slight breeze filled with autumn’s coldness, and stretched out her hands to the sides, inhaling deeply, and exhaled slowly, enjoying how pleasant it was — to be able to stop for a while and just… breathe.

The road to the clock tower accompanied her with morning dampness, drops of dew from the small blades of grass under her feet playfully tickled her ankles. Yuu waved her hand, summoned a pink butterfly, and greeted it.

“Morning, little one,” she smiled in relief, noticing that everything was alright. “How are you doing? I was worried that something might have happened to you all yesterday…”

The butterfly whirled around her, then landed on her head.

“I see…” Yuu muttered, nodding. “I’m glad you’re all okay. Come to think of it, do you think that… a red butterfly would come if I summoned it?”

The butterfly remained silent.

“I also think so… But it’s concerning that it didn’t disappear. I can feel the connection formed between us. It hasn’t disappeared completely, I can slightly feel it resonating on the back of my mind.”

Yuu continued mumbling to the pink butterfly until she made her way to the clocktower, and took a deep breath.

“It’s time to bid farewell.”

She stepped in the clock tower, releasing her magic wand and changing soaked slippers into boots, then took a deep breath. Every step on the ladder radiated anxiety and fear, shuddering with the feeling of wretched omen upfolding soon. The butterfly appeared to fly away somewhere (Yuu had no idea where to they always return after being summoned), and she squeezed her shirt in the fist.

Reaching the clockwork, she stared at the reddening sky in its sunrise, and felt her heart growing with smoldering heaviness.

Neige was rescued, he was fine, he started recovering, and with proper care and support he will definitely become happy, just like Snow White did. He will follow her steps, one day will turn into the fairest one of all, and probably won’t even remember Yuu, ever. There was nothing to remember, to be exact — she just happened to appear in a place, in a time, talk to someone, do something, and then is supposed to cease to exist in the minds of those who met her.

A wave of something oppressive, heavy and viscous passed through her, as if a chopping rod, and Yuu winced, hugging herself. Was bidding farewell to princesses just as hard? She couldn’t remember, her memory sinking in a fog of scattered pieces of bonds, acquaintances, events…

I must go now, she thought, ignoring the shiver that fettered her, and shook her head in denial.

“Ha… Let’s do this.”

She threw a quick glance to the papers Prospero studied here, chuckling to the Solar Return chart and Pluto in 8th house, and thought that maybe it wasn’t even interpreted in a right way, and there were no significant changes in the life of the chart’s owner. Brushing off her silly thoughts that maybe her appearance here was about to be the change, yet ha! Hardly it was.

Yuu’s grip tightened on the magic wand asshe closed her eyes.

Heartbeat increased rapidly, her breath inconsistent. Yuu was imagining the mansion she has lived in for who knows how many years, every crack on the brick walls, every flower in her garden. Slowly, memories started enveloping her, bringing back to her usual holistic life. Playful dances with butterflies, chores in the kitchen, starlight gazing and viscous ardent desire to rip the loneliness off her skin and soul.

She almost felt how prominent was the fragrance of flowers, its bewitching aroma surrounding her gently, covering all the worries and casting a strong spell of bringing tranquility, and yet…

Yuu felt her vessels encaustic, burnt with poisonous flames, and gasped, breaking down to the painful yell, and fell on her knees.

Her magic wand left long forgotten on the floor, ferocious zips of magic flashing in the air. “I… What?..”

She no longer paid attention to her heartbeat, ignoring how it was beating with loud thuds in her ears, and stood up once more, biting her lower lip and shaking off her thoughts.

“No, it can’t be,” Yuu muttered to herself, grabbing the wand in spite of it still crepitating. “I must have made a mistake in spell casting, right…”

Closing her eyes, Yuu once more tried imagining the place, yet to no avail — the magic wand abruptly got almost incandescent in magic flames to the point it was painful to hold, and another shock wave pierced Yuu through, causing her to drop the item and scream in a painful wail.

“But why!!” She appealed to the reddening sky leaking through the glassy walls of the clocktower with its gentle rays. “I have already helped Neige! He is fine!”

But everything remained silent.

She inhaled sharply, trying to calm herself down. “Alright. There’s still a way.”

She will play by the rules of this capricious, whimsical world with all the diligence she has got.

Yuu made her magic wand disappear and decided to head out to where it had all started.

It was still very much early in the morning, no students spotted in the halls of the main building. The heels of her boots echoed with every step, and when she reached the doors, the heaviness crumpled on her shoulders, causing breath to hitch uncomfortably.

She opened the doors, now seeing this hall once again, with a whirl of memories having her mind flooded with fragments of images of her landing here. She made her way to Excalibur to make sure he wasn’t paying much attention. It was still a question if he could sleep or just put his ‘mind’ to slumber until being summoned, yet the slight soft glow he was radiating the first day was gone.

“It was nice meeting you…”

Silence was the only answer.

She stood up in the centre of the hall, trembling hands not holding the magic wand properly, Yuu’s whole stance was questionably steady, breath inconsistent and shuddering in worry. Yet, she tried again.

“Argh!!”

She yelled, but pressed further. Air started crackling with green zips flashing around her small figure, her fingers turning blue, then white until she couldn’t feel them anymore.

“I demand!!” Another scream passed her lips. Her eyes snapped open, little nets of blood veiling in the corners due to pressure rising up. “To bring me back home immediately!”

Yet to no avail.

She knew if she yelled louder, someone might have heard, so she continued pushing it forward, ignoring how her whole body started boiling with magic within, causing a few huge sweat drops to fall and get carried away with a storm that formed from magic currents. Yuu couldn’t take it any longer, butterflies trying to resist the amount of magic leaking out of her uncontrollably, and surrounded her. She dropped her wand at once, falling on her knees, pulsations beating in her whole body, heart wincing in anguish.

“Ah.. Ha… Ha-ha…”

Sweat drops rolled down her cheeks, falling on her fists she clenched while staring at the marble floor. It wasn’t Yuu who appeared here on her first day, dressed in ceremonial robes of RSA. It was pathetic, unwise Yuu who was scared to admit she failed.

Little iridescent butterfly landed on her nose, glowing with a tender warmth, healed her slightly, helping her to regain composure.

“I am so foolish,” Yuu tried standing up and swallowing the thoughts that started piling up in her head. “Truly, what a fatuous, ungraceful being!”

If the mirror can’t take her back home, then there is still someone who needs her help. Just how simple the formula is!

Yuu picked her magic wand up, making it disappear in the air, and headed out to the exit. She needed to sort all the thoughts out, make a plan, decide what the next step would be, and, most importantly, figure out who needed help this time. Or was it still Neige? Right, defeating, or rather admitting his other self was valid, didn’t make his worries go away. The depression he drowned in, the pressure and the thoughts hunting him were still crawling under his skin, and being an excellent actor he is, he still preferred to conceal his true feelings and—

“W-woah!!”

Yuu touched the doors’ handle only to realize that it wasn’t her who opened the doors in the first place, and couldn’t orient herself at once, swimming in the depths of her mind with splashing questions, and squealed.

“W-what??”

“Oh?! Yuu!”

“Elias-san?!”

Yuu recognized the familiar gingerhead and was about to ask what was happening, but she was confronted with professor Emery’s annoyed voice reaching from somewhere behind Elias’s back.

“There’s no time!” Elias yelped when realized he basically almost smashed Yuu when he entered the hall, and grabbed her shoulders, causing the girl to shudder. “Sorry, you’re about to have a real quick retreat operation here!”

“W-what do you— Elias-san?!”

“Down the Rabbit Hole!”

And with that he pushed her towards an upfolding hole under their feet, making Yuu disorient slightly until Emery’s voice was distancing and fastly disappearing.

Yuu slightly pushed Elias off, realizing he still had his hands on her shoulders to somehow steady her while they were falling, and blinked away an unfamiliar feeling of being touched by someone. A chair wasn’t long in coming, catching Yuu and causing her to plop in it, now being opposed to Elias, who also appeared to be in the middle of taking a seat.

“Sorry!” He said, smiling at her when a table also came, flying between them. “Didn’t expect you to be there so early!”

“I can say the same thing about you, Elias-san…”

Yuu finally could study his features, now sitting in front of him. Elias, in all his fidgeting glory, actually appeared to be an extremely beautiful person.

His copper-colored hair almost touched his shoulders, and now, in the bizarre lighting that worked according to principles inexplicable to Yuu, she could notice long light, almost blond eyelashes. His hair seemed to have been scorched red by the blinding sun, to which the young man apparently was often exposed. The sun's reflections, caught in his brightest blue eyes, danced joyfully at the bottom. But what stood out most was his wide smile, causing Yuu to involuntarily smile back, taking in the boy's mood. It seemed that he himself was the epitome of everything bright and inspiring that existed in this world.

Two cups flew to the table, remaining in the air hanging just slightly above the table's surface. Elias parted his lips slightly, taking his cup between his fingers covered in small scratches, and glanced at Yuu. The way her fingers elegantly embraced the cup, her firm gaze fixed on the teapot made Elias startle for a moment, but he was instantly brought back to life when he smelled the tea that poured in her cup.

“Huh?!” He exclaimed, leaning slightly closer. “Isn’t it tea with lavender and orange zest?!”

“Your sense of smell is incredible, I must say!” Yuu’s lips turned upward, but then dropped when she saw him frowning. “Is something the matter?”

“Ho-hooo~ Aren’t you a sly girl, Yuu?”

“Excuse me?.. I’m afraid I don’t follow.”

“Oh you do!” He clapped his hands and giggled. “Why didn’t you mention earlier that you’ve already been here!”

Ah.

Was there any point of concealing the truth? She, indeed, had a miraculous chance to experience portal traveling, but what put a serious weight on her heart was the very fact she did it without any warning, sneakily entering Elias’s portal uninvited and unwanted. Her gaze lowered, almost incarnating her reflection in the tea cup.

Elias’s little chuckle made her gulp and confront his blue eyes, and Yuu hesitated to follow the conversation. Yet, an unsettling feeling underneath her skin was quickly soothed by the boy’s swift jump from the chair. Elias tapped her shoulder, giving it a gentle shake right after, so as to wake her up from that concerning self-soul-searching.

But hey, wait a moment. How did he figure out that it wasn’t her first time here?

“Elias-san, how did you know?..”

“Mm, your tea flavor,” he nodded coquettishly, pointing at her teacup. “The portal always serves black tea with lavender and orange zest for the guests arriving for the second time. Next time, you’ll be served hibiscus and honey!”

“O-oh…”

“Hey,” he tilted his head. “You know, it’s very easy to read you when you frown like that. I’m not blaming you!”

“You… really?” Yuu’s eyes lit up slightly at his statement.

“Girl, why would I?” Elias giggled, sipping the tea. “I see you’ve got that adventurous spirit! I mean, I noticed that during the… uh, fight with Neige’s counterpart. Still,” he gave her an uncertain look, emotions on his beautiful face kept on changing with every second. “You seemed kinda way too serious.”

“Yes, so it was a serious matter demanding appropriate reaction.” Yuu concluded, allowing herself to enjoy the tea.

“It indeed was,” Elias nodded. “I mean… You carry that kind of look like you’re about to disintegrate from distress any minute.”

“I’m sorry?”

“The portal seems to be quite curious about your case,” Elias chuckled again. “We’re having a long ride today. Perfect for story telling!”

Even if Yuu thought of herself as a fool for not being able to accomplish her task, she understood what he was hinting at. Elias clearly pointed out how odd her case was, and wanted just as clear answer.

“Mmm…” He ruffled his hair, realizing that he probably came off as demanding, and sneakily glanced at Yuu, trying to analyze her reactions. Nothing beside her usual facial expressions, unable to be read, caught his eye. “You don’t need to answer if you don’t want to. It’s just…”

Now he was the hesitating one, darting his eyes between Yuu and his cup of tea.

“It is quite alright, Elias-san,” her voice came in almost a whisper. “Forgive me for the confusion I caused. I’ll tell you everything I can, but please do bear with the fact I’m in no position to tell you absolutely everything.”

“Sure, you have my word!” He nodded eagerly. “In fact, I can also drop a thing or two about myself in return, if you’d want that.”

“I won’t deny, you’re quite an interesting person yourself…” She said slowly, as if trying to digest the words that flew off her lips. “Alright then. Ask me a question. What do you want to know exactly?”

“Okie! Well, here’s a small detail about myself: I’m good at magic. Not to mention I’m rather creative, hence I can understand what kind of forms magic can take. It’s the first time I see someone casting a spell in the shape of butterflies.”

“Ah, yes…” Yuu blinked twice, feeling panic rising within slightly. She didn’t want to lie, but just as well she hesitated whether she should tell him the secret behind her magic spells. “I cast my magic not in the way you do…”

“I noticed that,” he giggled, leaning forward. “Although, we, RSA students, and almost every well-known magician prefer no magic-shaping as it takes a lot of concentration and extra resources. I mean, why bother and spend more magic required than it’s originally needed?”

“I see…” Yuu hummed, abruptly snapping out of her thoughts as she noticed Elias winking conspiratorially at her, and realized he was quick to read her.

“No normal magician usually says ‘I see’ when speaking about their magic,” he said and jumped in his seat as he noticed Yuu frowning. “Ah, I don’t mean you’re abnormal in a bad way.”

“That is alright,” she shook her head. “My magic is… Not quite like yours, there’s no denying. As I noticed, it doesn’t take much energy and concentration for me to cast spells. Plus, my butterflies have bits of consciousness of their own. They tend to react differently from butterfly to butterfly. I never considered them the form of my spells, but rather… friends.”

She returned her gaze at him, probing if he was confused with her explanations, but Elias only flourished in excitement, leaning forward and slamming his palms against the table as his smile only grew wider.

“You can befriend magic?!” His eyes were almost sparkling in delight. “That’s insane!! Can you summon a butterfly?! O-oh, I mean,” he steadied himself, realizing Yuu was slightly at a loss of words. “If it’s okay.”

“Hmm… Okay. Come, little one.”

A pink butterfly appeared before Elias’s eyes with pinkish sprinkles, causing a ticklish feeling at the tip of the boy’s nose, and he carefully studied it.

“You mentioned they have consciousness,” he mumbled, sticking out his finger, and smiled when the butterfly landed on it. “How do you know that?”

“I can speak with them,” Yuu said. “Although, apparently, others can’t hear their voices.”

“Marvelous…” Elias whispered, his eyes glued to the butterfly. “And there are different colors, right?”

Yuu hesitated, thinking that she was already providing quite a lot of information, but continued after a short pause. “Yes.”

“The butterflies you used… no, summoned that day, were yellow.”

“Golden,” she corrected him. “I summon pink butterflies more often than the others.”

“Because they possess different abilities?” He guessed and hummed after Yuu’s approval nod. “Incredible!! But, Yuu…”

“Yes?”

“Where in the world did you learn this kind of magic?”

Yuu lowered her gaze once again, avoiding Elias’s inquisitive eyes, and took a deep breath. Once she reveals the truth, it may be over. She already risked it enough with school staff, she couldn’t afford failing her mission if she puts trust in the wrong person. Elias seemed nice and genuine, but given her uncountable experience and long life, she knew how devious some people could be, and how easily trust could be lost.

Still, they fought together. Elias was ready to risk his life for her if something went wrong that very moment, and if she knew she would prevent it, it felt… odd. Trust was a foreign concept for her — the only trust she had knowledge about was her Godmother’s kindness and wisdom. She took her when no one else did, she taught her everything, never letting down, never abandoning. Godmother’s presence was always lingering in the air, even if Yuu knew exactly well that she was somewhere far, far away, and it gave her strength and will to go on and never give up, no matter how unbearable the situation might seem. The Fairy Godmother was the only one she could rely on, believe in and follow her lead, she needed no one else, and yet…

The situation she appeared to be trapped in was unprecedented. Who knows how much longer she needs to stay here, so maybe — just maybe! — it was okay to try putting her trust in someone else?

“Not in the world you know,” she finally breathed out her words. “As I do not belong to your world.”

“Your world, you say…” Elias continued after a short moment. “That makes you a transdimensional traveler?”

“You may put it like that,” she nodded. “Putting it plainly, I’m not from your world, so I don’t possess your magic. And I’m sorry, but I believe I can’t reveal anything more than that.”

Elias smiled at her, shaking his head. “It’s alright. I’m very grateful you shared it with me. And I’ll keep your secret, you have my word on that.”

“I can’t thank you enough,” she bowed slightly and raised immediately as Elias asked her not to.

“Your magic proved very helpful in, eh, battle with Neige? If I may put it like that. Especially given no one really knows what the hell really happened.”

“Right, I wanted to ask if you know anything about that… counterpart of his,” Yuu dwelled deeper in her thoughts.

“No,” he said firmly. “I know nothing at all, and it’s concerning. Buuut~”

“Hm?..”

“I know someone who does!”

Elias put his teacup away, grabbing Yuu’s hand much to her surprise and incomprehension, and jumped on the floating armchair, pulling Yuu after him.

“Okay, off we go!”

As only Yuu managed to detect annoyance — could it even be said about unliving being?? — coming from the portal, Elias already held her hand tight enough so she didn't trap her foot when the portal closed.

Unfamiliar warmth on her hand radiating from Elias’s skin made her shutter slightly and draw her hand closer to her heart, releasing from Elias’s hold.

“Whoops, sorry!” He smiled. “Jumping off the closing portal might be quite the experience, even if you know when it’s closing.”

He giggled, hinting at the time Yuu couldn’t predict the time that portal was closing and had to orient herself without any hints, so she only shook her head. Touches felt foreign, alien, yet… not unwelcome.

Yuu studied her surroundings as she noticed a familiar dusted smell, which usually only books could possess, and blinked, realizing they indeed ended up landing in the library.

“We didn’t travel far from the main hall,” she commented, watching Elias jumping on the staircase’s railing and sliding down. “Ah, wait!”

Quick on his feet, Elias gracefully jumped off the staircase, turning to Yuu, who was hurriedly descending along, glancing with hints of childish menace, much to his amusement. “Sorry, couldn’t help myself, heh!”

“Elias-san, this is dangerous! Descend normally next time!”

“‘Kay, mom.”

“Mom? I’m not your mother, Elias-san.”

He poked his tongue out of his mouth, giggling afterwards, and Yuu only sighed at his shenanigans.

A pile of books met them right at the reception desk, and Elias was about to call for Aell when the librarian appeared from behind the pile just in time the second-year opened his mouth to speak.

“Oh, Aell, hellou-hellou~ Being busy since early morning, hm?”

Yuu glanced at her companion with a hint of disbelief, trying to make an apology for his rude behavior, but Aell only shrugged it off.

“You as well. And good morning, Yuu-san.”

She bowed, receiving a little approving hum in return, and greeted him. “I’m deeply sorry for disturbing you so early in the morning.”

“Nonsense,” Aell shook his head, dark chocolate curls of his hair swaying mesmerizingly. “If anyone is disturbing, it’s Elias.”

“Eyy you old man!”

“Elias-san!”

“Don’t worry, Yuu-san,” Aell raised his hand, stopping her from being harsh on her companion. “That little gadabout is always like that. Much to Emery’s chagrin.”

“That is me~ “

“So,” Aell leaned on his elbows, tilting his head, his eyelashes trembling ever so slightly. “What caused you to bring Yuu-san here?”

“She came willingly!”

“From your portal, yes, I assume.”

“In fact, you really brought me here, Elias-san,” she chuckled and turned to Aell. “Still, there’s something we wanted to ask… There’s almost no information regarding one topic we… might have been stumbled upon, and for educational purposes we would like to gather more information, if that is alright by you.”

Elias secretly showed his thumbs up, though Yuu had no idea what the gesture meant, and only tilted her head when Aell spoke.

“You speak very… cautiously,” he noticed, narrowing his eyes in query. “What kind of topic are you about to bring up?”

“We don’t know the exact name, if there’s one, that is… What we know is that a person produces, uh… their other self? Which is quite the opposite of their original side in terms of personality, but not exactly drastically opposite?..”

Yuu tried to draw a solid conclusion while speaking, and realized how messed up she sounded, but Aell seemed to understand her to the fullest, reacting in a way she didn’t expect.

The corners of his lips twitched, pupils trembled for a moment before he quickly dismissed his emotions, remaining unreadable.

“No.” His answer was outright. “No, as I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Oh come on, you certainly do,” Elias probed, meeting with Aell’s strict look.

“I do not. More to add, you won’t even find any books on the matter you speak about. Which, by the way, sounds absolutely absurd. You kids read too many whimsical little novels these days.”

Albeit not wanting to insist, Yuu gulped and tried pressing on a little bit further. “We’re sorry for bringing it up and disturbing you then… But if you don’t mind me asking, maybe there’s magic allowing one to create their replica?”

“I believe I made myself clear, Yuu-san,” Aell stood up, turning his back on them and grabbing a book so harshly that his fingers turned white from the pressure. “Now, is there anything else?”

“Nothing,” Elias replied, nodding to the exit and receiving Yuu’s silent ‘okay’ at his move. “Sorry for asking. We’ll go.”

“Just…” Aell sighed, knitting his brows together and taking a deep breath. “Focus on your current studies instead.”

But we experienced something much exceeding our current studies program, Yuu thought to herself, but nodded nevertheless.

“And,” Aell raised his voice slightly when Yuu and Elias headed out to the exit. “Promise me you will think about yourselves and tell us adults if something’s on your minds.”

Yuu and Elias exchanged confused looks, then turned to Aell and nodded to him in agreement.

“Good. Now, have a good day.”

“See you later,” Elias dropped before opening the door for Yuu and throwing one last heavy glance at Aell, who had already disappeared between bookcases.

“He seemed angry…” Yuu whispered, frowning. “It appears this case with counterparts is much deeper than we originally thought.”

“I’ve never seen Aell reacting like that,” Elias added. “I mean, I thought I knew him well, but this is something new and unexpected. Which means… we need to investigate it on our own!”

“But we promised we—”

“Come on, aren’t you curious? That old man clearly hid something from us,” Elias chuckled. “We will be careful. Plus, it’s not like you’re about to leave this all and forget everything that happened to Neige, right?”

Yuu sighed and massaged her temples. Of course she wouldn’t forget. Yet, she was on her mission, everything happening connected to her task, and Elias happened to be dragged in it. She couldn’t afford letting him get hurt!

“Yes, well… Alright.” She sighed in defeat. “But please, Elias-san, be careful. If you notice anything strange and out of place, tell me immediately, so I can protect you.”

“What an adorable knight in shining armor you are, Yuu!” Elias smiled at her, little freckles on his cheeks shining slightly more prominent in lights scorching through the windows. “You too remember that you can rely on me.”

“Thank you, Elias-san,” she bowed.

“Alright then, I’ll get going, need to check on someone before the lessons start!” He exclaimed, stretching and yawning. “You go back to the clock tower, you’ve got a well-deserved rest for today, after all.”

“I could say the same about you!” She protested, looking at him with reprimanding eyes. “You need to get some rest, Elias-san. I’ll be just fine. I can’t skip lessons just because of little scratches.”

“Girl, I literally wasn’t affected in any way thanks to you,” he bent over to her. “I’m very grateful, but spare me, how could I sit around doing nothing when it's broad daylight?”

“Okay…” She took a deep breath. “But if you feel exhausted, return to your dorm immediately and get some rest.”

“Yeah, mom.”

“I am not your mother, Elias-san.”

But Elias already disappeared, jumping off the staircase railing again, and waved his hand, bidding his goodbyes to her.

Despite being quite exhausted herself, Yuu couldn’t let herself skip lessons. Sun rays were flowing on her skin when she stretched, sitting at her desk in the classroom where students were partially present. Accompanied by their yawns, she opened her copybook, alas letters were floating, becoming an incoherent mess, and Yuu sighed. She was visibly tired and confused by everything that happened this morning.

If the mirror was still blocked, it meant there was someone who needed her help. Was Neige really alright or should she pay more attention to his state? Or was there a completely different person, silently crying for help, while Yuu was sitting here, doing nothing? How foolish it was of her — to think she’d accomplished her training in princess rescuing. The Fairy Godmother possessed great intuition, allowing her to detect those in need in one moment, she always knew what was right and what was wrong. She knew exactly how to help and provide one with her assistance, and when one should have done something by themselves.

Yuu took a deep breath, trying to gather her thoughts and detect what would come next, when she sensed a rather familiar fresh fragrance from her side and turned left to see Luan jumping on his seat.

“Mornin’!” He greeted her, his brightest smile making her reciprocate. “Man, you look…”

Luan frowned, leaning slightly forward to get a closer look at her face.

“I look?..”

“Exhausted,” Luan concluded, his features softening. “Damn, you look like you haven’t slept in ages. No offense tho.”

“It’s alright,” she shook her head. “I just… Have a lot on my mind, but don’t worry.”

“Nah girl, you’re not getting away with that from me, got it?” Yuu blinked at him blankly. “I’m here and you’re not smiling genuinely? That won’t do.”

“Haha,” a small laugh escaped her lips, and she wouldn’t lie, it came off really sincere. “No, really, I’m quite okay. Just a bit tired.”

“Tat tat,” Luan stuck out his index finger and clicked his tongue, lecturing her. “I’m not buying it. You’re a bad liar, Yuu.”

She laughed sheepishly, averting her gaze and hesitating, whether she should have taken that as a compliment or a comment to think about thoroughly later on. She, in fact, couldn’t lie at all, but if it was that easy to notice, well…

“Sorry…”

“Girl, I’m not angry at you, chill,” Luan clapped his hands and fished out of his pocket that peculiar device called phone, waving his hand at Yuu to bend forward. “I know what could brighten your mood. Say, do you like cats?”

“Cats?” Yuu blinked, certainly not expecting that kind of question all of sudden. “Yes, I do find animals adorable. Cats included. Why?”

“Great, no one could resist cat videos! Come ‘ere.”

She stared at the phone, narrowing her eyes and trying to follow Luan’s quick moves, his fingers floating above the surface, letters splashing under his touch. What a marvelous little device!

He gave his phone to Yuu, galaxies flashing in her eyes due to excitement mixed with fear she might break something, but Luan just giggled it off and said it’s okay. Yuu took the phone, grabbing it clumsily, and stared at the screen as Luan pressed a button, and a video started playing.

Little kittens were playing with each other, their fluffy paws hitting the screen, as if trying to reach Yuu, and small squeaky meows made the corners of her lips grow wide in a beautiful genuine smile.

“See! I always keep my promises!” Luan giggled, yet appeared to be very proud of himself.

“They are so cute!!” Yuu exclaimed, her eyes filling with pure joy and delight, seeming much more alive then they were a minute ago. “Waa… Thank you for showing it to me. I will treasure this moment forever.”

“We must get you a phone one day,” Luan said, taking the device from Yuu’s hands when the video ended. “I’d send you a ton of such everyday.”

“I don’t mind, if it wouldn’t distract you from the lessons.”

“Hey, you’re no fun!!”

“That I am,” she smiled. “Thank you once again. I appreciate it.”

“Maybe you should just join the equestrian club if you love animals. They’ve got horse riding there.”

“Hm…”

Yuu found herself lost in thoughts again. Luan has mentioned clubs before, as well as Chenya, encouraging her to join one. Even if it sounded like fun, was it the right moment to try though? Now that she was certain her job here wasn’t done, maybe she could allow herself a little moment of enjoyment and find out what her interests really were?

“Do you know anyone who’s in that club?” Yuu asked, justifying it innerly in a ‘it’s just out of curiosity, nothing more’ manner of speaking.

“Neige,” Luan said instantly. “Oh, also that funny guy called Elias. You might not know him but-”

“I do know,” she said. “Oh, sorry for interrupting!”

“You’re doing great! See, you already know that Chenya dude, Neige and even Elias! Though I don’t think the equestrian club is really your cup of tea.”

“Huh? Why would you think so?”

“I’m not sure, it's just… Uh, vibes aren’t really yours. Anyway, I haven’t told you I also joined a club, have I?”

“Oh! Which exactly?”

“School broadcasting!” He announced proudly, smirking at Yuu and giggling. “Sounds cool, huh? Don’t be shocked if you hear my voice while walking around the school. Oh and I’ll make sure you hear me in every corner of these grounds!”

“I’m looking forward to it!”

As teacher Emery entered the classroom, making it clear that the lesson was about to start, Luan opened his copybook and spoke softer, but still loud enough for only Yuu to hear.

“Let me give you a tour after classes end,” he said. “Then you’ll choose which club you find most fitting for yourself!”

“Splendid idea,” she nodded, returning to her copybook.

And catching Emery’s worrying gaze on her before he started the lesson.

Luan found Yuu brooding in the hallway after lessons ended, and appeared before her, his smile wide as always.

“We’re off on our journey to find you a club fitting your interests!”

“You’re making it sound quite adventurous,” Yuu noticed, taking Luan’s lead and passing through students, apparently not so cautious of her presence as they were just a few days ago. “Again, thank you for helping.”

“That’s my pleasure,” Luan replied. “And to prove my good self being a wonderful tour guide and not make it boring, let me tell you that you can find most of the club rooms in another wing. Aside from those which involve outdoor activities, ofc.”

“Oh, alright. What would be our first stop?”

“It’s a surprise!”

Yuu smiled. Luan was pretty quick on his feet, just like Elias, and following him was quite a process, given she herself preferred no rush as she walked, yet she noticed that Luan slowed down just enough for her to not run and walk in a comfortable space. Perhaps all of her acquaintances she happened to have got accustomed to this kind of attentiveness due to her short height and it was simply more convenient for them to walk slowly, or maybe they were just considerate — she, in the first place, was thankful.

It was four in the afternoon when the classes ended, and colors of the sun iridescent from scorchingly bright and light to warm orange, bringing comfort and coziness. Yuu could never get used to it — walking freely under the sun, watching days pass by, colors changing their palette with each hour. Uncountable years, half of which Yuu simply forgot as they failed to imprint memories into her heart, remaining dim and plain, brought eternal night to her life.

The garden in her mansion glimmered in starlight each day and night, and she could never imagine those flowers in shades beside slightly touched by moonlight, silver and cold. She, of course, witnessed countless sunrises in her lifetime while rescuing princesses, and yet… Has she ever stayed in one world longer than for one day? The touch of the sun on her pale skin was extraneous and inappropriate to the point that it brought more sadness than delight.

And now, with every day filled with the alien warmth of the sun and its colors, she bathed in it, enjoying every moment with every fiber of her soul.

She didn’t notice as they already arrived, Luan stopping right before her.

“A~aalright, here we are! Allow me to introduce you to the art club!”

Luan was just about to open the door, but two distinctively loud voices were heard up ahead.

“LUAAAAAAAAN!”

Yuu winced at how exceptionally loud they were, reaching her very core and shaking it with their sharp yell. Luan, in his turn, wasn’t shaken by them at all, looking rather… Playful?

“Whoopsie-daisy!” He said, turning around and getting almost smashed by two bodies.

Yuu tensed, ready to defend, attack, or maybe everything at once, but Luan’s only burst into soft giggles.

Luan was quickly pulled into some sort of a greeting hug, and when two unfamiliar people let him be, Yuu studied their features.

The first young man turned out to be quite tall and strong. Thick pitch-black hair casually fell onto the tanned skin of his shoulders. Yuu had to lift her head high to peer into his dark, bottomless eyes. His strong, large palm rested on Luan's shoulder. A light shadow of a calm smile stretched across his plump lips. His animalistic features reminded Yuu of a warthog.

The second young man turned out to be much smaller in stature compared to his companion. From under his shirt, carelessly unbuttoned at the throat, a scattering of moles could be seen on the golden skin. The sleeves of his uniform were rolled up, exposing his sinewy arms, which were also not lacking in moles. With a slight wave of his hand, he brushed a strand of tousled ginger hair from his forehead, allowing Yuu to look at his bright chocolate eyes, aimed straight at Luan. His rounded ears and ginger tail reminded Yuu of a meerkat. Both of the students wore yellow brooches attached to their shirts, revealing that they were from Kifurijua dorm.

“Tim, Boo!” Luan greeted them, pulling into a hug. “Wassup?” “We finally found ya,” the black-haired one spoke, his voice deep and strong.

“You’ve got the company,” another one noticed, nodding to Yuu. “Hey there!”

“O-oh, yes, good afternoon,” she startled for a moment, mesmerized by their appealing appearances, and bowed.

“This is the first time someone bows to me,” black-haired student said. “No need to go that far, girl.”

“You meet her next time and get used to it instantly, that’s just how she is!” Luan explained and turned to Yuu. “Yuu, meet my best friends! This is Tim,” Luan pointed at the ginger-haired student. “And here’s Boo,” black-haired boy nodded shortly.

“Pleased to meet you everyone,” she nodded politely. “I am Yuu, Luan’s classmate.”

“Ey, aren’t we friends?” He tilted his head to her but let the matter be as he noticed her confusion and frustration, clearly not comfortable with answering. “Anyway, Yuu, they’re also my clubmates. So, guys, did you need somethin’? I was giving Yuu a tour on our clubs!”

“You’re needed in the club,” Boo said. “Right now.”

“Really? What happened?”

“Leader’s got a sore throat, and the broadcast starts in half an hour.”

“Oh,” Luan turned to Yuu at once, realizing that he couldn’t have skipped the club activities, yet he also gave her a promise. “Uhm, Yuu.”

“I understand,” she shook her head, as if telling them not to worry. “Please proceed without me, it sounds important. I will go further on my own.”

“Ayy, but I promised!”

“That is quite alright, please don’t worry about me,” Yuu smiled, seeing how Tim and Boo relaxed as they realized she understood that Luan was needed. “I appreciate you led me here, I’m sure I’ll manage to go further on.”

“Promise me you’ll ask for help if you get lost or somethin’!”

“I promise,” Yuu nodded shortly. “Good luck in the club! I hope to hear your voice again today when I’m exploring.”

“Oh that’s for sure, wait for me, heh!” Luan waved her goodbye. “See ya later!”

“See you again, Yuu,” Boo said.

“Bye-bye!” Tim followed.

After bidding goodbyes, Yuu watched them distancing until they disappeared in the end of the hall, and Yuu turned to the art club door.

“Okay,” she took a deep breath. “Let’s see… Hello?”

She opened the door, throwing a quick glance and examining the room, but her only companion was silence. Yuu proceeded into the room, dust particles floating around, caught in the sun rays sliding through the windows.

There were easels placed throughout the auditorium, some covered with cloth, some empty, and others with pencil sketches. Dried splatters of paint decorated the floor, brushes were carelessly scattered on the windowsill or in small drawers along with other painting tools. Yuu slowly walked around the classroom.

She never really gave a thought if she enjoyed painting or drawing. She studied art under the Godmother’s thoughtful guidance, because it was what princesses did. Choir, art, dance, embroidery, etiquette — lessons flashed within her mind with a rapid speed, changing one another. She was quite skillful and knowledgeable in all those spheres, but did she really find herself enjoying the process, with the world stopping while she was drawing or singing?..

Brooding as she were, Yuu found herself abruptly distracted by a certain painting, and gasped, almost crushing the easel behind her.

“W-what in the world…”

An exquisite portrait of Neige appeared before her eyes, and under other circumstances she would just appreciate the beautiful and flawless technique, but this? What in the world was this?

Neige’s counterpart, drawn so astonishingly perfect as if it was alive, was hugging himself, staring at the crumbling skies. The same luxurious robes of the character Neige was playing, the same mask, same burning red eyes with a touch of pure sadness, and the very same rings on his gloved fingers. The very same disheveled hair, halved in black-and-white color scheme.

An absolutely perfect replica.

Yuu stared at the painting for a moment before hesitantly making her way towards it, her fingers brushing over it, but sensing nothing outside of the aquarelle texture. Calm down, she demanded of herself, but mind was tangled in various thoughts.

Alright, she thought, maybe someone saw the pamphlet showing Neige’s character? Yet, he didn’t possess that hair color scheme. If one hasn’t seen that desperate look in the eyes of Neige’s replica, one couldn’t depict it so painfully beautiful. So oversensitively flawless.

Yuu frowned, studying the portrait. No sign, no date, no memo left — nothing. Just perfection of the artist and the agony of the character.

“I need to ask if someone knows where art students are at this moment…”

With that, Yuu threw one lingering glance at the painting and headed out of the room, hoping she might find someone from another club and gather information. From what she knew, Neige himself didn’t attend the art club, and it’s unlikely he would draw himself in that state. She didn’t know what club Chenya attended, but he also most definitely wouldn’t make this art piece. Leaving Luan in the broadcasting club and Elias in the equestrian one, that meant someone else also saw Neige’s counterpart.

All of her thoughts left her mind with a sweet voice somewhere down the hall flowing around, reaching Yuu’s ears.

“Is someone… singing?”

She proceeded further, reaching a classroom and throwing a glance at the board on the left.

“Choir club,” she read.

She knocked twice, but no one answered, apparently being too involved into singing, but she peeked in, noticing a familiar silhouette.

“It’s a tender rain… May this song reach you, no matter how far apart we are.”

Yuu parted her lips, melting into the softness of the voice, and recognized the pink silky hair. That was the boy she saw during PE class the other day! She decided not to interrupt, and somehow felt how her mind settled in peace after hearing some lines, and with a gentle smile on her face she made her way to the other classes.

As much as she enjoyed visiting different clubs, a variety of which left her speechless — natal charts & transits study, really? Really? — apparently no one could help her navigate where art club students might be at the moment. Internally making a note to investigate the matter later on, she decided to focus on the initial plan, which was to define what club would suit her.

After exploring everything within the school walls, she went outside and made her way to the grounds where PE class was held that day, remembering Qian words that she may find him after 4 pm. Throwing a quick glance on the clock tower indicating already six in the evening, she gasped at how much time it took for her to visit every club she could find inside.

Still, she approached teacher Qian’s silhouette, finding him teaching students some broom flight techniques.

“Isn’t that Yuu-san?” Qian performed an elegant, yet strong jump from the broom, landing on the ground gracefully, and smiled. “Good evening! Here to train?”

“Good evening, Qian-sensei,” she bowed, also nodding to the others in a greeting manner. “Not exactly at the moment. I’m just observing club activities as I want to join one.”

“Great idea! We’ve got two here in the yard,” Qian pointed at the broom he was holding and approached a stand to his right. “First is broom flying, second is archery.”

“Archery?” Yuu’s eyes glowed with unconcealed interest.

She tried archery once or twice in her life, with Godmother deciding it was very unlady-like, so she dismissed these activities, focusing on mastering simple magic spell-casting. Still, Yuu wondered if she would succeed or not.

“Take a bow and try on!” Qian encouraged her.

“Thank you.”

She did as he suggested, and the weight of the bow felt so familiar and just right in her hands, that she had to question herself on the matter. Humming to herself, she pulled the bowstring, her muscles tensing, eyes focusing on the target that Qian pointed at, and let the arrow hit the target with an unsurpassed precision.

“Marvelous!” Qian exclaimed, clapping. “Take one more!”

Yuu tried once again, the result remaining as flawless as it was the first time.

“Have you ever practiced archery before, Yuu-san?”

“Once or twice,” she admitted, smiling sheepishly at the praise she received from the teacher and other students.

“You should definitely consider joining the club then. We’d be honored to have such an incredible archer.”

“Thank you so much, Qian-sensei,” Yuu bowed. “I’ll think about it thoroughly. Now, if you excuse me, I’ll get going.”

“Yes, goodbye, see you next Thursday!”

Yuu was smiling as she walked away from the sports grounds, exposing her face to the fresh evening’s breeze.

A thought of visiting infirmary and checking Neige on crossed her mind. A whole day passed, and she wondered if he woke up, how was he feeling, if everything was alright. Her heart twisted painfully in her chest at the quick reminder of the battle of sorts that upfolded yesterday, but she made it wither in her mind just as quickly.

“Little one,” she summoned a pink butterfly, greeting it. “Let’s go visit Neige, shall we?”

The butterfly danced around in approval and followed Yuu.

The path she took happened to be unrecognizable. Yuu took a look around, thinking. Apparently she went in the wrong direction, which led her to an unfamiliar place, the infirmary building remaining unseen from this point. The only building that was caught in her sight was a rounded construction with transparent glassy walls, sweet aroma lingering nearby and luring the butterfly closer.

“Oh, little one, wait a moment!”

She followed her butterfly and stopped before the entrance.

“Is that a… greenhouse? Never knew there was one.”

The butterfly already flew inside, enchanted by the sweet fragrance, and Yuu sighed in defeat, knocking twice on the door and receiving no reply.

Opening the door, she felt a bizarre sensation piercing her through, serving as a precaution. Don’t go any further, it screamed, reaching her mind, stop right here.

Strange, Yuu thought. At the first glance, the greenhouse appeared quite common, with nothing out of ordinary. She took a deep breath, ready to deal with everything that she might face right now. She carefully studied the vines crawling on the floor. Average green leaves gradually changed their color to dark blue on the edges, and Yuu brooded at the sight of it. What a peculiar plant it was, but what name did it possess?

“My sweet one, please come,” she whispered just in case, and a virid butterfly appeared.

Unlike the pink butterflies, which were accustomed to travel to far distances, virid butterflies were nature’s true incarnations, possessing its gifts in magic.

“Can you please put some farina on them?”

The butterfly flew above the vines, white sparkles surrounding the plant, and the dark blue edges subdued, turning into bright yellow, resembling sun.

“Thank you, sweet.”

Vines cleared the path for Yuu, who managed to relax for literally one second.

If they were what she was thinking, then she could be trapped the second she stepped on them. Vines of that kind were more of a nettle, burning the skin with their grasp, and depraved one from moving forward. But were surprisingly fond of farina.

She proceeded, now facing a wall of giant buds glowing in bright purple. Huh, how curious… Yuu hummed, summoning her magic wand this time, and accepted the challenge, her lips curving into a small smile. Nature was her very best friend, the one she grew up with, her gentle companion, the one who helped her develop her instincts. Hearing nature singing every day after watering flowers in the garden, playing in the heavy rain, sleeping in the snow — she knew how nature behaves like no one ever could imagine.

“Aren’t you from the Caryophyllaceae family, dear ones? Quite huge for a baby's-breath though,” Yuu waved her magic wand and parted her lips to whisper an incantation. “Á lohtar!”

Buds stopped glowing for a mere moment before sprouting into huge beautiful flowers and pulsating with passionate pink. Sudden coquettish feeling radiated from them, and Yuu genuinely giggled at such a cute reaction, proceeding further, the virid butterfly following her lead.

Suddenly the whole world lost its light, warm sun touches through the walls stopped at once, and freezing waves surrounded Yuu, her hair disheveling from sudden strong winds, and she slowly opened her eyes she closed once it started.

“Fungi?..”

Myriads of small fungi were the only light source, pale blue waves coming from them.

“You can’t trick me out of all people,” Yuu chuckled, letting her muscles relax.

It was a mere illusion. Fungi of that kind were infamous for their incredible ability to create surroundings that appeared the most unexpected for the one who encountered them. Yuu was bathing in the sun all this time, so it was no wonder fungi produced a whole ice storm for her specifically.

“Now, dear one, let’s calm it down,” she nodded to the virid butterfly, and it performed a pirouette, following Yuu’s magic wand wave, and lights returned to the greenhouse, temperature returning to normal. “Wonderful!”

Yuu dismissed her magic wand when she finally saw the one that — or rather who — was behind all those little schemes.

A plant with dark green leaves, red buds and purple-pinkish flowers with their centers glowing in bright blue. An elegant, luxurious and very dangerous flower spread its branches in front of her, twitching as if in an approving dance.

“No way…” Yuu mumbled to herself, falling on her knees before the flower and gasping in surprise, eyes sparkling with pure joy.

“What, blinded by my beauty? No wonder, heh.”

Playful voice reached her ears, unusually low-pitched for a flower of that kind, Yuu thought, but admired it nevertheless.

“Hey human,” the flower twitched, its branches raising in the air in an intimidating way. “Ah, shit, you’re no human it seems.”

Yuu stared at the flower. Cursing flower! The day suddenly turned absolutely wondrous.

“I can’t believe it,” Yuu mumbled, leaning forward, her eyes shimmering with an unprecedented bright red hue. “I haven’t seen Auleum nocturnus in ages!”

“Now wait a moment, you cheeky fae!” The flower reached for her with its branches, leaves tickling her nose. “You know what I am?”

“Auleum nocturnus, in other words nocturnal tapestry,” she started her explanation, letting the flower touch her skin, not minding the way it spoke. “Dangerous, yet insanely beautiful creatures. How could I not know?”

“You must be ancient old to know,” it noticed, causing Yuu to pout.

“I’m not that old,” she justified.

“Yeah, as if. But girl, you certainly know a thing or two about my kind, huh!”

“Beautiful times as they were, I had little experience with talking to your kin. My Godmo-… Ahem, let us say, I couldn’t bring them to my home, as there were many diurnal creatures your kind don’t really like sharing one place with.”

“Diurnal bastards never know their place, heh,” the flower chuckled, as Yuu thought, and nodded nevertheless. “Still, it’s always fun to fool around with ‘em.”

“As much as I admire diurnal flowers and their beauty, I couldn’t agree more. Seeing you all bittering and chattering was quite amusing for me as well.”

“You’re quite an imp yourself, huh?” The flower snorted.

“I’m no imp at all!” Yuu protested, feeling rather annoyed.

“Yeah yeah, sure. But man, finally someone who knows the thing or two! You might want to talk to Ivy then.”

“Ivy?” Yuu asked, tilting her head. “Who is that?”

“That would be me.”

“Ah!!”

Yuu was so entertained by her little conversation with Auleum nocturnus that she failed all her perception skills at once, not noticing a huge figure appearing from behind.

She fell and released a surprised gasp, but managed to calm herself down when the boy outstretched his hand and helped her stand up.

“Apologies… Are you okay?”

Yuu parted her lips to reply, but found herself at a loss of words, so the only shocked breath escaped her throat.

The boy before her appeared to be insanely tall, so she had to raise her head so that her neck almost ached in response to the action.

Her gaze immediately locked onto his, and she didn’t know how to handle this situation. His right eye portrayed the setting sun breaking through the forest thickets — a brown eye, like caramel interspersed with herbal splashes, as if it represented the personification of nature.

The left one absorbed the rainy sky, covered with clouds. The deep blue seemed to Yuu like the concentration of a storm on a cool summer day.

Blonde curls flowed over his pale skin, falling lightly over his eyes and curling behind his ears. Plump lips, as if filled to the brim with life, were slightly parted. He carried a fragrance of something floral, to no one's surprise, yet very refined, sophisticated — a brief touch of orchids, gently held by juniper and a hint of vetiver.

But the most outstanding detail was his tired, ephemeral gaze, hidden behind gold-plated glasses. The frame was difficult to trace in a complex design, most of which were... flowers.

Various flowers were inserted into the slits of the glasses' arms. Small decorations filled with water hung from the edges of the eyepieces. And, what is most remarkable, on one of the glasses’ arms there was a small flower of Auleum nocturnus itself.

Come to think of it, wasn't he the one she saw with Elias in the library and also just right before they jumped into the portal?

“I… yes, I’m quite alright, I’m sorry,” Yuu finally managed to mumble, mesmerized by the boy’s ethereal pristine beauty.

“Don’t worry,” his voice, shining in its divine radiance, was absolutely enchanting. “I am Ivy Splendide, third-year student, dorm leader of Florevel. Pleasure to meet you.”

Yuu bowed deeply, surprisingly receiving a slight bow in return, which was extremely unusual, given modern humans’ customs, and smiled. “The pleasure is all mine. I am Yuu, a first-year student of Sidhery.”

“Quite the pronouns choice.”

“You don’t seem really surprised.”

“Hm,” he pressed two fingers to his chin. “Let’s say I am quite familiar with the way you speak. Anyway, it’s quite the time we finally meet.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“I’ve heard of the only female student here, moreover, Sidhery dorm… You’re quite the topic for gossip, Yuu-san.”

“Oh no…” She frowned. “I hope there’s nothing bad…” “Don’t worry,” his reassuring half-smile made Yuu calm down. “In any case, this is pretty surprising to see that Florence has acknowledged you. My best friend can be rather… meticulous.”

“When was the last damn time you saw someone pronouncing the name of my kind in such an upbeat and flawless way, huh? The girl’s certainly interesting.”

“Ah, so your name’s Florence!” Yuu instantly switched her attention to the flower. “Nice to meet you!”

“Yeah yeah,” Florence chuckled. “Congrats on passing my tests. What a performance you did!”

“I, oh…”

“Be proud of yourself,” Ivy said. “The only person who managed to pass his ridiculous tests was Elias, but Elias is… Wait, do you even know him? It’s hard not to, though.”

“Ah, yes, we’re acquainted. I can imagine, given his very optimistic nature.”

“Very true, indeed. And with Elias being Elias, that makes you the only one knowledgeable person on this whole campus. I must say I’m curious, where did you even get to know about Florence’s kind…”

“The girl’s ancient as aeons,” Florence said, disappearing in sprinkles of blue from the flower bed he was sitting in, and the flower on Ivy’s glasses twitched. “No wonder.”

“I must admit,” Ivy nodded. “You do feel… familiar somehow.”

Yuu couldn’t help but nod as well. She too felt something within this boy, something beside his ethereal radiance he was carrying, but more… familiar, close.

“Florence-san, I’m not ancient!” Yuu protested, smiling apologetically. “I’m sorry. Although, I, too, feel that we have something in common.”

“Passion for gardening, I assume,” Ivy chucked. “Are you here because you’re curious about our club?”

“Oh, you have a club? I thought you were just gardening here all for yourself, for maybe out of habit.”

“Thank you. I planted everything here all by myself.”

“You did?!”

“Yes, there was nothing before I just… thought I needed to do some gardening,” Ivy explained.

“This is incredible, Ivy-san!” Yuu stared at the amount of beautiful and healthy flowers.

“Glad to hear praise from my fellow gardener.”

“Ha-ha,” Yuu smiled, not denying the truth. “I like it there. The place feels very tranquil.”

“Come join us then. Florence makes it impossible to join for everyone else with his ridiculous tests.”

“Ow come on, can’t a man have the time of his life? Besides, what would those dudes do if they can’t recognize my good self?”

“Yeah, yeah, sure…”

“I will think about it,” Yuu replied. “But your club seems most fitting for me by far. Plus, I’m very pleased that we met.”

“The same goes for me. If anything, you can find me here. Or just find Elias, that little devil always knows where I am.”

“Alright! I’m sorry for leaving early, but I must go now. See you around, Ivy-san, Florence-san.”

“See ya, girl! Bring somethin’ to eat next time, okay?”

“Come now, Florence, behave yourself.”

“Oh come on man!”

“See you later, Yuu-san.”

Yuu bidded goodbyes and went outside peacefully this time, her butterflies dismissed themselves already. What a meeting it was!

With her heart finally slightly at ease, she made her way to the infirmary, holding a hope of finding Neige there, but right after she entered the room he was resting in just this morning, she found only Chenya and Elias, surprisingly.

“Good evening, everyone,” she greeted them. “And where’s Neige?”

“Good nyavening~ Seems like all of us got the very same idea, mm?” Chenya replied, his body reminiscent of a fluid as always as he jumped off the windowsill gracefully. “Apparently he’s not here.” “Obviously,” Elias nodded, turning to Yuu and waving at her. “Hello again!”

“Say, but how about we visit Neige’s dorm, given we’ve gathered here already with one purpose, hm?” Chenya suggested, his tail waving playfully.

“Great idea!” Elias concluded. “Portal room is nearby, let’s go.”

Yuu felt her eyelids turning lead with tiredness, but Neige was far more important than anything. As the company walked through the main building, Yuu silently observed Chenya and Elias exchanging lines regarding rather mundane activities, and was suddenly snapped out of her thoughts as Elias spoke of the tasks remaining for tomorrow with Chenya.

“Forgive me for interrupting,” she intervened when Elias opened the door to the portal room and looked at Yuu. “Chenya-san, you and Elias belong to the same dormitory, correct?”

“Indeed,” Chenya nodded, his hands behind his head. “I'm the vice dorm leader of Pandora Charm, after all.”

“You are?” Yuu raised her head, meeting with Chenya’s cheeky smile. “You both are so admirable.”

“Just say we’re funny,” Elias chuckled, leading Yuu forward. “That's what they always say about our dorm. We’re rather animated guys out here.”

“Which is absolutely wonderful.”

“Hehe,” Elias giggled at her statement.

The familiar book floating above the majestic pedestal, that the headmaster had shown Yuu on the very first day of her stay here, appeared again before her eyes. Elias approached it, his fingers carefully moving over the worn pages, the text on them began to quietly glow red.

“Ready to experience another kind of portal traveling, Yuu?” Elias asked her, receiving a small nod. “Great! Now, take us to the Edelwiese.”

A huge mirror appeared in the center of the room, just like it did when Ambrose took Yuu to the Sidhery dormitory. But, unlike that time, the mirror was framed with apple tree flowers. How very interesting, Yuu thought, smelling the fresh natural aroma lingering in the air. Birds chirping hummed their sweet song, and beautiful red fog rippled on the mirror’s surface, so very welcoming and charming.

“You first,” Chenya suggested, waving at Yuu so that she took a step closer to the mirror.

One day I’ll manage to summon the mirror back to my own home, she thought when her body slipped through the mirror, and she allowed the current to carry her to the destination point.

She slowly opened her eyes right when Chenya and Elias jumped at her left, and gasped in surprise.

Yuu frowned as she studied her surroundings. Many wooden houses, connected by openwork bridges, towered over a small quiet pond, where swans swam slowly while sparrows flew playfully above them, singing their simple songs. In the courtyard near each of the two-story houses there were flower beds with bright, rich flowers. The sun lazily stroked the forest edges behind the houses, disappearing at last and giving way to the evening darkness familiar to Yuu. Still, even the night landscape of this place seemed different from everything else — the darkness of the colors was soft and gentle, rather soothing and even warm.

“Everyone reacts the same way you do when they first visit Edelwiese,” Elias chirped, stepping forwards but noticing that Yuu remained still. “Hey, everything ok?”

“As, yes, sorry, I just never noticed these buildings while exploring school. Where are we exactly? I can’t see anything familiar.”

“Right, you don’t know!” Chenya noticed. “Dormitories are pocket dimensions, hence you can’t normally see them until you willfully travel into them. Yours is an exception, nya.”

“Pocket dimensions?” She tilted her head, following her curiosity.

“How do you think they managed to build seven freaking dorms on such a small island, mm?” Elias snorted, smiling at her.

“This school is full of wonders…”

“It is! Now, let’s go visit Neige.”

“Where does he live though?” Yuu asked, catching Elias and Chenya’s pace, her head constantly turning to the sides to appreciate the beauty of this place.

“See the house in the center? Normally Edelwiese students have their own rooms located in these houses, but maybe you know that Neige’s case is quite special, so…”

“He lives with dwarfs in that house,” Chenya continued. “He has a separate room though.”

“Is that so…”

They ascended the staircase leading to the house in the center, and suddenly a hard wall slam was heard, pulsating, and confused everyone at the spot. They exchanged frustrated looks and Elias knocked on the door, but to no avail.

“How peculiar,” Chenya said. “Let’s just come inside!”

“But, Chenya-san, wait!—”

Aaaand he was already inside.

Inside the house greeted them with warmth and comfort. Soft ottomans in large quantities were randomly scattered here and there. The bookcases were filled with a variety of books, and cleaning supplies were placed everywhere: brooms, buckets, and dusting rags hung on the dryer. Various kinds of plants in pots warmly greeted visitors with their freshness and were pleasing to the eye.

What was really out of place was the sound of someone screaming, music smashing the whole house down with its insanely heavy beats. Yuu noticed Dominic wincing as he was cleaning the dinner table, other dwarfs frowning with visible discomfort while engaged in their own activities.

“Dominic-san!” Yuu yelled through the music, but he apparently couldn’t hear her. “Dominic-saaan!!”

“Wait!” Elias yelled in unison, pointing at the earplugs tacked in his little ears.

Chenya had another strategy: he swiftly jumped over Dominic, landing on the chair before the dwarf's eyes and causing him to blink.

“Ah!” Dominic exclaimed. “Chenya-senpai!” He turned back after Chenya pointed at the others with a short nod. “Yuu-san, Elias-senpai! Good evening.”

“Hi Dominic,” Elias greeted him, exchanging a high-five, much to Yuu questioning glare as she didn’t recognize the gesture. “Care to explain what the hell is happening?”

“Better to see yourselves… We just got used to it when it happens… Well, at least we’re trying. Neige’s upstairs, as I assume you would want to visit him.”

“Thank you!!” Yuu replied, and the group went to the second floor of the small house with its tranquility wavering at the music.

They were quick to find Neige’s room since apparently both Elias and Chenya had already been there. The door was shut, the cute little sign written in cursive saying “Neige LeBlanche’s room” was shaking to the music, as the loud shouting was heard.

“THIS SPECIAL NIGHT OF MY FIFTEEN, I’LL NEVER FORGET!!!!!”

“F-fifteen?” Yuu blinked, recognizing Neige’s voice and meeting just as confused stares of her companions. “I.. I thought he was seventeen?”

“He is,” Elias confirmed, grabbing the door handle and turning it to the right, making the door swing open.

“I… wow.”

Chenya’s surprised breath died out as everyone saw in what kind of state Neige appeared before their eyes.

“ALL THE CRYBABIES, GET OUT OF HERE!!!”

His jet black hair was disheveled from how often he jerked his head. His cute sweater was carelessly thrown somewhere on the bed, but due to the intensification of the frantic music beats, it apparently slipped to the floor. Neige was dressed in dark blue uniform trousers, the sleeves of his blouse rolled up to his elbows, his collar undone enough to reveal his tense, pale collarbones.

He was moving quickly throughout the room, his movements erratic and harsh.

“Uhm, Neige-san—”

“IT’LL NEVER COME BACK AGAIN AND IT’S SO SHORT PERIOD!!”

“Dude completely lost it,” Elias laughed, hugging himself and wiping out tears accumulating in the corners of his eyes.

“I ETCH IN MY HEART THIS SPECIAL NIGHT OF MY FIF— Oh shit.”

The music stopped at once, with Yuu finally taking a relaxed breath as this all ended, pain releasing her from its strong grasp. Neige covered his face with his palms, his ears reddening to the point one could fry eggs on them with how hot they turned due to the embarrassment.

“Uhm… uh… Well…” He mumbled,his gaze slipping through the fingers and studying others’ reactions. “I, ehm… You see…”

“Dude, I never knew you enjoy heavy metal!” Elias was the first to speak. “This is absolutely real.”

“Stop, please, arghh…” Neige mumbled, his knees betraying him as he fell on the floor. “I thought I hid it well enough…”

“With music smashing every corner of this house to the ground?” Chenya chuckled, placing his hand on Neige’s shoulder. “Relax, we’re not judging you or somethin’, yeah?”

“I must say I’m surprised,” Elias added, gently taking Neige’s hand and moving it to the side. “But don’t worry really, it’s just funny we found it out this way.”

“Haaa, I suppose so,” Neige finally relaxed, replying with a small smile. “Forgive me for a ridiculous display. And Yuu-san,” he stood up, approaching her and bowing slightly in an apologetic manner. “I’m sorry, it seems you don’t like loud music very much.”

“It is fine,” she shook her head. “I’m just not really accustomed, but I must say this is quite an unexpected choice… I’m not judging you, of course.”

“Thank you, everyone. Please, take a seat. I’ll make some tea.”

Neige was quick to return with a wooden tray, four teacups on it. Everyone sat on the floor in the center of the room, thanking Neige for the tea, and glanced at each other for a second.

“Well,” Neige broke the little silence that hung between them. “I suppose I owe an explanation…”

“You don’t owe us anything,” Yuu shook her head, taking a teacup in her hands. “We just wanted to check if you’re alright.”

“Yeah, we all met in the infirmary and you weren’t even there,” Elias said, taking a sip. “You should take a proper rest though.”

“Right they are,” Chenya nodded, taking a teacup with the tip of his tail.

“Ah yes, I believe I must,” Neige let out a soft sigh. “Doctor Wyn said it’s alright and that I can return to the dorms. Although he didn’t mention letting my rage out while listening to heavy metal, of course…”

“Still, it’s nice to see you all alive and kickin’,” Elias hummed.

“Are you feeling better now?” Yuu leaned forward, her gaze fixated on his deep eyes that seemed certainly richer and brighter than they were yesterday. “You slept so peacefully today when I woke up, I almost thought— No, nothing…”

Neige replied with a silent glance that only Yuu could understand, and smiled at her genuinely.

“Don’t worry, Yuu-san, everyone. I’m certainly better. Plus, we arranged meetings with Prospero-sensei, so I’ll be fine. How are you all feeling? Are you alright? Sorry I couldn’t visit you all…”

“Come on, we’re not the ones attacked by Vil’s crazy fans,” Elias said.

“Vi-kun is not one to blame,” Neige replied with a hint of protectiveness in his voice.

Yuu watched their conversation going silently for a moment. Should she just straight up ask them about Vil to find more information on Neige’s case and finally make some progress?

“Are you two friends, Neige-san?” Yuu probed cautiously.

“Oh,” he let out a little disappointed laugh. “I wish we were. I don’t think he’ll ever see me as one. So! Don’t think badly of Vil. He’s an incredible person who I admire the most.”

“Never knew he was your role model of sorts,” Elias added.

“Well, Vil is certainly admirable, no doubt,” Chenya agreed. “His fans though…”

“You know…” Neige almost whispered. “This is how all of the fans are. Not just his. Mine are like that too at times. And both me and Vil feel responsible for their actions. What happened to me happens to Vil as well. No one is immune to this kind of attention. This is the very first thing you come to realize when you step into the entertainment sphere.”

Yuu gulped, lowering her gaze. She saw that maturity in him, not the one that comes with age, but with experience. And she admired him for that.

“It’s as if you’re turning us into Vil stans,” Chenya joked and Elias snorted.

“Ha-ha! But please do stan him, Vi-kun is very hardworking, wonderful person and—”

“Easy, easy,” Elias giggled at how hyped up Neige turned.

“Right, sorry. Can’t help myself when it comes to Vil. Maybe one day we could become friends…”

The rest of the conversation changed its direction to the more relaxed one. They discussed the battle, the recovering, then switched to more mundane things and casual conversations engaging their school life.

Night fell as they finished nearly six cups of tea in a row, and all agreed it would be best for them to get going. Curfew already came into its rights, with Elias as Pandora Charm’s dorm leader and Chenya as his vice being absent, much to Yuu’s silly indignation.

After bidding goodbyes to Neige and receiving thanks from dwarfs for ceasing this awful music flow, the company returned to the portal room in the main building.

Yet, Yuu’s head was still full of thoughts of Vil that Neige mentioned.

If all of the popular people underwent such a cruel attitude for their hard work, maybe… Just maybe, could that Vil be the one suffering and in need of Yuu’s help? She winced at the idea of another broken young boy struggling and being in pain, and snapped out of her thoughts as Chenya and Elias were about to bid goodbyes to her.

“Is something the matter, Yuu?” Elias asked her, noticing how prominent the frown on her face was.

“I, um..” She started carefully, still not sure if she should pursue this opportunity. Moreover it was late at night already… “I’m just curious what that Vil looks like. I trust Neige’s judgment, of course, just wondering what kind of person he really is. That is all.”

“Oh!”

A familiar cheeky and playful smirk on his face made Yuu tense, already sensing that something was about to happen just at the moment. And with Chenya giggling and nodding to Elias, then disappearing into the portal made her glare at her companion cautiously.

“Wait, wait, Elias-san, you—”

“You ask, I provide!” He stated, grabbing her hand and ignoring her annoyed yelps. “You want to see Vil Schoenheit with your own eyes? No problems at all.”

“Elias-san, no, wait, I!!—”

“Down the Rabbit Hole!”

And with that Yuu held onto Elias for her life, falling straight into his portal, her distancing “Waaaait!!” dying out as they fell.

★﹒﹒NOTES

✧˖ Á lohtar! — Sprout!

✧˖ Auleum nocturnus (lat.) — Nocturnal tapestry/Nocturnal curtain.

✧˖ The song pink-haired boy sings is 'それでも世界は美しい — Tender Rain'

✧˖ The song Neige sings is 'BABYMETAL — Headbangeeeeerrrrr!!!!!!!'

#twst #twisted wonderland #twst x reader #rsa #rsa x reader #chenya #artemiy artemiyevich pinker #twst neige #neige leblanche #twst x yuu #royal sword academy #vil schoenheit

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yunarim · 4 months

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— LITTLE CAPRICIOUS CHRISTMAS | CHENYA X READER

˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗ summary : rsa and nrc are having conjoint christmas party within nrc walls. your crush, chenya, is also here to help you with decorations. everything's going smoothly until you both find a mistletoe — now this is where the chaos unfolds.

— characters : chenya x gn!reader, ace, deuce, grim

⌞tags⌝ : gn reader, pure fluff, everyone being a little silly

— w.c. : 2.8k

.ᐟ this is my christmas gift for a dear friend! hope you enjoy this silly thing i wrote literally at 5 am LMAO (local joke to add: a)

Your first Christmas within NRC walls appeared to be surely promising, leaving you in small splashes of genuine excitement. Knowing your friends’ reactions, you were ready for silly commentary on your sweet anticipation of the upcoming holiday (Ace’s capricious eye-rolling at you smiling widely after Crowley’s announcement that the Christmas this year is about to be huge — made you dismiss your friend’s oh-so-annoyed smile).

Still, you couldn’t even imagine that Crowley would suggest what he mentioned to be ‘joining forces with RSA’. You always found those little annoyed ‘ugh’s from NRC students when RSA was mentioned rather funny, not really caring about that entertaining confrontation between two schools. You genuinely enjoyed RSA students’ company, although not exactly noticing yourself that one particular person has been especially interesting to you.

Now that was very funny to your friends, your gentle oblivion and bunch of ‘What do you mean I’ve been staring at Riddle’s childhood friend with the name no one can pronounce?’. Not to mention you could pronounce his full name absolutely fluently.

Crowley said that the Christmas itself will be held in NRC, although RSA is coming to help with decorating. Not only that, Neige and Vil will perform on stage, which instantly caught Azul’s attention, inspiring Octavinelle students to start making preparations already — you could literally see numbers flashing behind Azul’s eyes.

RSA will be arriving today beforehand, but it was already quite lively around NRC with students making preparations already. You weren’t the exception, and now, following Ace and Deuce, you were carrying a huge box of Christmas decorations.

“It’s so nice to see someone being so excited for Christmas,” Deuce said, carrying two boxes in his hands, which appeared quite impressive to you, who barely managed to carry one, with decorations almost falling out. “I mean, refreshing even.”

“Are you referring to me?” You asked, the box popping in your unstable hold “I always loved Christmas back in my world. Imagine my reaction when I realized that it’s a thing here, too!”

“Refreshing, huh?” Ace replied, box with lights in his hands.

“Yuu’s reaction is certainly nicer,” you couldn’t see Deuce’s cheeky smile, but you knew it was there, spreading in his face.

“Ha! I just don’t get it — why spend Christmas with RSA? Have you seen their decorations? Who’d want teddy bears under their Christmas tree?”

“Teddy bears are cute,” you giggle, amused by Ace’s annoyance towards RSA, knowing he doesn’t really mean all the things he’s saying.

“Now say you’d want mistletoe to kiss under and we’ll call it a day.”

“H-huh?”

You startled, stumbling on your feet, and were ready to pretty much kiss the floor at this point, ruining the box with decorations you were carrying, but it never happened.

You feel a firm grip on your shoulders, preventing you from a not so graceful fall, and glance towards what - or rather who - helped you, catching familiar glimpses of pink and purple.

“Why hello, nya!~”

The smile on your face was quick to appear.

“Chenya-san!” You exclaimed, bowing slightly as you regained your position, ignoring little sighs from your friends. “Hello! When did you arrive?”

“Just nyaw,” he carefully took the box from your hands, and you could finally see what was happening around. “Where do we put this?”

“Ah, you shouldn’t have to!—“ Chenya only hummed at your reaction with amusement, so you allowed him to continue carrying your box. “Music club room.”

“Got it.”

You watched Chenya’s ears twitching every time you glanced at him, finding it adorable. Adorable to an extent you almost forgot that Ace and Deuce were also present, until Ace spoke.

“Alright, see ya later.”

“Oh?” You turned around and spotted Ace and Deuce stopping before another class. “Ah, yes. See you guys!”

You heard them discussing if you’ll manage to concentrate on decorating at all, but you preferred ignoring their little assumptions, and were quickly to return all of your attention to Chenya.

You opened the door to the music room, surprisingly not finding Kalim, Cater or Lilia there, and pointed where your new companion could place the box.

“Chenya-san, were you on your way to checking out Riddle and Trey? I must have startled you.”

“While I really was, they could wait~” He smiled, sending an unknown emotion to your heart. “Besides, it seems you need my help more than them, hm?~”

“Don’t worry, I can manage!” You smiled in response, but Chenya only started pulling decorations out of the box.

“I’ll help, nya. That’s why we arrived here in the first place, after all.” He took a garland and turned to you, jumping on the windowsill like it wasn’t a big deal. “So, chief, what would be the instructions? Where should I put it, nya?”

You giggled, certainly appreciating his help, and took a look at the room, pointing at the place where he can put the garland.

You took a Christmas tree decoration, placed it on the lower branch of the tree in the room, and the rest of the decorating process was pretty much relaxing, remaining in comfortable silence.

Occasionally you couldn’t help but throw your glance at Chenya. His figure almost floated when he jumped in the windowsills, reaching out for the ceiling to put something there. If you were a little bit more aware of your own gaze, you’d certainly notice how fixed yet gentle your eyes are on him. The only thought of you looking at him that much appeared funny — was it all Christmas that put you in that giddy silly state?

Another decoration, and you found that you almost finished. Chenya’s really handy, you thought, watching him pulling out the last one decoration and gasping at once.

A mistletoe.

“Now where should we put it?~” Chenya asked, turning to you and finding you becoming an incoherent cute mess. “Are you alright?”

“Totally,” internally you curse Ace for his stupid little remark about mistletoe. “How about right above the door?”

“If we are to imply that little tradition with kissing under a mistletoe…” Your stomach performed a sudden flip at his words, but you’re quite stunned to find it not unwelcome. “Sounds like fun! Maybe above the window though, nya?”

“I’m afraid not everyone has a habit of jumping off the window as a way of leaving the room like you do, Chenya-san.”

“I must say I don’t need doors or windows to enter at all~”

“Heh,” you smiled at him, sending a competition arising. “Above the piano then? Or better yet — the drums?”

“How about… sofa ~”

“Don’t feel like it, you demonstratively jumped on the sofa, as if testing if it’s the right place to put the mistletoe above.

“Inside the wardrobe,” you snorted at his suggestion.

“In the hall,” you continued throwing suggestions, opening the door and pointing out at the ceiling in the hall. “So that many people could see.”

You in turn couldn’t see him materializing behind you, the strands of his hair dangling from his head and brushing against your skin ticklishly as you lifted your head up to meet his gaze.

You couldn’t think of anything else beside how beautiful he was. Lively, whimsical, yet absolutely adorable and sweet — your mind raced, not being able to contain your excitement and causing blood to flow up to your cheeks, reddening them slightly.

Chenya either was too polite to not comment on that, or didn’t notice at all — though you questioned the second option. No way he didn’t.

“Most visitors will circle around the main stage,” Chenya started explaining, Christmas lights wrapped around his shoulders and lit with a touch of magic made him look exceptionally cute. “Not here in the halls, I think~ Now, the main entrance sounds like a fine idea to me!”

“Sounds like all of the NRC students would avoid approaching the main entrance then,” you chuckled and followed him into the hall, sneakily grabbing the mistletoe from his hands.

The little surprise on his face made you gulp, flush reaching your cheeks once more. Was it necessary to be so damn cute?

“Hmm~ Looks like we’ve set a competition of sorts, nya?” Chenya approached you, smiling, and took the mistletoe from you, chuckling at your surprised gasp. “The one who finds the best place to put the mistletoe — wins. How does it sound?”

“How do we decide what’s the best place when we already failed?” You tilted your head.

“Don’t know~” Chenya giggled. “However you find it fitting to yourself! If I like the place, then you win. If you like the place, I win.”

“That’s so nonsensical,” you admitted but didn’t dismiss the idea. It wasn’t even serious from the very beginning.

“We’re all a little nonsensical here,” his tail wiggled.

“What does the winner get?”

“We’ll settle that after winning.”

“Hey, that’s unfair! This isn’t how you motivate the staff!”

He bent over you, brushing capricious strands of your hair, and you parted your lips, not knowing what to expect further.

It’s your heart which was unfair. Your reactions and feelings — all of them, absolutely deprived of sense before Chenya and his silly tricks. Not like you minded them, though…

But you were quite playful yourself, so to say.

You tapped his nose, causing him to wince slightly, reminiscent of the real cat, and nodded.

“Good,” you concluded. “I accept. Although it’s only one mistletoe, so~..”

“So good luck on trying to get it back from me, nya!”

And with that he disappeared from your sight, dissolving midair with his magic, to which you only blinked and laughed.

“Ha!” You exclaimed. “Don’t think you can get away with that!”

And that is how your race began.

You walked into the next room, finding Ace and Deuce. Having studied your character enough, they already had a presentiment that at the moment another chaos with your participation was unfolding in front of them.

You appreciated their attempts to arrange the audience, but you had other matters that needed immediate attention.

Your next stop was the Heartslabyull, where Riddle managed to slightly reprimand you for being careless, but when he heard you mention Chenya in your little adventure, he simply sighed and said that the last time he saw him was in the cafeteria.

Riddle, reliable as always, appeared to be right when you spotted familiar sprinkles of purple and pink.

You tried to be as sneaky as possible, hissing at everyone who tried to talk to you at the moment, giving everyone conspiratorial glances and receiving noddings in return. Maybe you were more NRC than the NRC students themselves after all.

For what he’s so tall, you thought internally, but still succeeded in grabbing mistletoe Chenya was holding.

“Hehe!!” You were so excited that you almost tripped again if it wasn’t Chenya who caught you by the elbow, drawing you closer to prevent your second fall.

Ugh, you thought, averting your gaze and knowing that your cheeks were burning. Even his hold is gentle and—

And what, you cease the chain of thoughts. And what if not loving.

Yet, the competition still was on the table, so you thanked him sheepishly and was quick to rub away, heading straight to the yard where you rushed towards the tree where the Stargazing event was held.

You leaned against the tree, catching your breath and wondering how gentle Chenya’s touch was. Every rare time you get to see him, he is always very tender with you. Is it really normal to think about this? Still, it is in the spirit of the RSA to be caring and friendly by nature. But still... what if it’s something making only you special and—

“Gotcha~”

Chenya appeared in the air, dangling from the tree above you, his whole body upside-down, his pretty face right before you, and the mistletoe slipped from your hands to his again.

“Hey!-“

“See nya!”

He disappeared, and you couldn’t help but giggle again. It’s always fun and joyful — being around him.

Your next stop was the main stage, where you noticed Neige and Vil discussing something. What a nice place to hang the mistletoe would it be, but you didn’t have it at the moment, so you walked away, wondering where Chenya was hiding again.

Curious, you thought. It wasn’t about finding the best spot for the mistletoe anymore — it was the game of hide and seek, with a side quest of calming your racing heart down.

And this is how you made it to the portal room after what felt like hours of unstoppable searching. Come to think of it, the school was pretty much fully decorated at this rate, sparkles of green and red suiting the whole dark and gothic atmosphere of the school surprisingly well. It was truly refreshing, even the portal room, usually dull and rather gloomy to you, appeared to be quite a sight.

You stood in the middle, students walking around, jumping to the portals to their dorms, hands busy with decoration boxes, and no time to stop someone and ask if they saw Chenya at all.

You wondered where your next destination must be, when an idea struck you. Right, why not hang the mistletoe here?! Guests will be wandering through the portals as they always did during previous events held in NRC. This is where the perfect spot for the mistletoe is!

Right when you made your decision and realized the only component left was the names mistletoe, you was about to turn around and jump into the first portal you’d see and call it a day, but—

“Chenya-san? What— Huh?”

You felt his arms around you, pressing you closer to his chest tenderly. Emotions were flowing within you, combining altogether and causing you to snap your eyes open, not really registering what was happening.

His mischievous expression turned more adoring and loving, making you question if you were awake at all. People were still walking, some of them stopped to gossip about you two, or maybe that what was happening — you couldn’t make sure at once, the whole world around you disappearing, and only Chenya’s cute smile reflected in your widened eyes.

“Guess we’ve been tricked.”

You blinked at him in incomprehension, but all the thoughts vanished when Chenya pressed his lips to yours.

You gasped, your body felt foreign, as if you turned into a ghost, watching the scene from behind and not recognizing yourself. It felt unreal — the softness of Chenya’s lips, the way his eyes closed and eyelashes flattered, confirming he was slightly nervous just as you were.

When you returned to Earth — or whatever this universe even might have been — and parted your lips, staring at Chenya absent-mindlessly.

“Wha— You— Huh? What?”

“As I’ve said, we’ve been tricked and—“

You weren’t sure. Was it real at all? Did you hit your head and return to your world? Was it just another dream of yours?

No, no, you must have made sure. So you leaned forward to him, now it was you catching his lips and a surprised breath at once.

The kiss you left was short and unsure, and when you met Chenya’s confused look, you prevented him from saying anything, pecking his lips again. And again. And—

“Woah,” Chenya smiled through your silly kisses. “Eager, are we?”

“Just in disbelief. Alright, confirm it for me: is it all real? I’m not sleeping, right?”

“You are not sleeping indeed,” he nodded, releasing you from his hold but still having his hands at your shoulders. “And look who’s tricked us after all.”

You followed his stare and found Grim chewing the mistletoe while looking at both of you with an unconcealed amusement.

“What?” Grim asked, apparently not really enjoying the taste of the plant.

“Indeed. What?” You ask your partner, chuckling at how silly the whole situation appeared to be.

“You two fools couldn’t figure out your stupid feelings without the help of the Great Grim!”

“Sure…” Chenya found your smug expression rather delightful, giggling at the conversation unfolding. “But hey, technically I win. I was just about to place the mistletoe here. And we’ll, it is placed here. Technically in Grim’s stomach, but still here, right?”

“Hmmm~ I don’t mind your win, but…”

Chenya pointed out the box behind Grim, filled with mistletoes only, much to your surprise.

“How about we start a new competition?”

“I’m all ears then.”

“The one who hangs as many mistletoes as they can, gets just as many kisses.”

“You know we both win at this rate, right?”

“This is the point, nya! Now, shall we start?”

“With pleasure!”

“Before you guys continue that, myah, a tradition or somethin’, go get me a real meal. Man, I’m so tired…”

“You did nothing though.”

“I’m a wingman of the day.”

Chenya chuckled, placing a small soft kiss on your cheek. “That I can’t argue with.”

#twst #twisted wonderland #twst x reader #rsa x reader #rsa #chenya x reader #chenya #artemiy artemiyevich pinker

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yunarim · 4 months

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— HELLOU EVERYONE !!! also spoiling you the gist if you don't want to read everything down below the gif: requests are open for 3 days!!

GUESS WHO'S ALIVE LMAOOOO i'm back!! i'm alive and kicking, how are you doing guys??? i missed you all so much!! it's been a hard time for me during this semester: a lot of uni tasks, 5 exams (i passed them all and got excellent marks btw!), jobs, personal matters and things... BUT I'M BACK AND I'M DROPPING A FIC TOMORROW!!! also!! works in progress include (will drop them all before the new year!): ⛄️ two new chapters of broken melodies! (hopefully even three if i have enough time hehe)

⛄️ at least one chapter of everlasting shine series! ANNNNNNND

🦋 REQUESTS!!

requests are open for 3 days! i'm not promising to write everything you'll drop into my inbox, but i'll try! 3 days only so that i have time to write before new year ~

well then, see you in my inbox AND see you tomorrow!

#「 ⁺♡︎ 」 — yona murmurs #twst #twisted wonderland #twst x reader

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yunarim · 6 months

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today was the last day of my teaching practice in uni and i'm feeling so energized rn aaaa 😭 it was incredibly enjoyable though that also means that i'm back to study (which equals to me not writing at all UHM......)

and to be completely honest, i've been getting a feeling that i find it hard to write recently, as if writing became some sort of an obligation 🫠 i came to the conclusion that i just reflected a lot on characters and now i want to portray them slightly different than i did before, hence the confusion i was getting

don't worry though! it's just i want to concentrate more on really lengthy fics more, but i hope to drop a short one really soon 🫶💙

thank you for all your patience everyone, it means a lot to me!! 🤲

#「 ⁺♡︎ 」 — yona murmurs

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yunarim · 6 months

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А мы имидж сменили? ಡ⁠ ͜⁠ ⁠ʖ⁠ ⁠ಡ

ихихихи ессс я в своей октавинелль фазе✌️ 😎

#「 ⁺♡︎ 」 — yona murmurs

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yunarim · 6 months

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Yeah I'm like, working 24/7 all days of the week 🙄 AND YOU STILL DON'T TAKE A BREAK

- Reveluv anon

pls have some mercy—

im actually working rn—

#「 ⁺♡︎ 」 — yona murmurs

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yunarim · 6 months

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YOU. YES YOU. WHY AREN'T YOU TAKING A BREAK? GO REST 😡

- Reveluv anon

A round of applause for Reveluv anon for their dedicated hard work which consists of diligently trying to make me get some sleep and take a break 😱

let’s pretend it’s not me who gets overworked everyday nevertheless BUT—

#「 ⁺♡︎ 」 — yona murmurs

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yunarim · 7 months

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Hello! I was wondering, what's your native language? I got kinda confused (you have like, three natives, right?) You're such a polyglot, that's so awesome!!

Also, it would be so nice if you post something off-topic, too! No pressure, I just think you're such an interesting person?? (I hope I don't come off as weird omg) The way you write is so interesting!

Take breaks, stay healthy, you're doing amazing!!!

hiii hellouuu!!

i kinda didn't see it coming but alright :DD (also dw dw you're totally ok i don't mind at all or something!)

my very first native is russian (since i was born in russia), though due to russia consisting of many republics (such as bashkir republic), my second native is bashkir language (you most probably never ever heard of it, given russians themselves outside of the republic don't really know this language simply exists hahaha.... ha). and with my father being ukrainian, the language is also my native one

as for off-topic posts, mmm... please everyone, let me know if you're genuinely interested in such things, because i usually keep my everyday life pretty secluded (you might be surprised with how much i can share if we're chatting in private, i'm actually rather talkative!!).

and also thank you sm!!! this week was insanely hectic, but i almost finished a huge headcanon fic (with all the main cast btw!!), i hope i'll manage to post it soon, sorry for not posting for a long time waaa 😭😭

#「 ⁺♡︎ 」 — yona murmurs

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yunarim · 7 months

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Excuse me for being probably rude but HOW MANY JOBS DO YOU HAVE LIKE WHAT

AHJJAJHA 😭😭 it's not that bad i swear—

i work as a korean language teacher, japanese language teacher, and also as a creative content creation manager))

#「 ⁺♡︎ 」 — yona murmurs #i also have 2 part-times #ahaha..... ha

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yunarim · 7 months

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i find THE amount of rollo content saved in my drafts and so little time to finish SOOO impermissible it huRTS— prolly having 3 jobs isn't really fun ugh

#「 ⁺♡︎ 」 — yona murmurs #i hope i'll post at least one rollo fic this week #maybe this is fair #given i failed to get rollo on his banner #this is what he gets in return #NO FICS FROM ME—

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yunarim · 7 months

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wow my rollo looks amazing

#「 ⁺♡︎ 」 — yona murmurs #i spent all the 100 pulls i had ahahha.....#all my luck went on neuvillette i guess

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yunarim · 7 months

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did i just wake up to the most inspiring info EVERR???

as a HUGE sanrio enjoyer since 2005 the news about their new project made me SO HAPPY 😭💔

#「 ⁺♡︎ 」 — yona murmurs #the time for me to replay hello kitty roller rescue has come.#i’m emo okay #this is fine hahaha 😭😭😭😭#also a warm welcome to silver’s VA joining the project #cielomort joins the chat with kazuha and silver i see

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yunarim · 7 months

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how's it going with neuvillette pulls everyone? 👀🌊

#「 ⁺♡︎ 」 — yona murmurs #neuvillette

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yunarim · 7 months

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ಇ. broken melodies | chapter 3

⇢ ⁺ GENEALOGY OF RED, WHITE AND BLACK ˖ Neige reveals his true self.

— PREVIEW (read for tags and synopsis) — MASTERLIST (open to read previous chapters) — AO3

⁺ w.c : 19.5k+ this chapter contains major usage of obscene language ! also not proofread and might be edited later with an addition of some major details !

A light reflecting through the windows slid across Yuu’s converging features and prevented her from falling asleep, even taking into account the fact she wasn’t sleepy in the first place, but in all honesty, the slight blue glow was helpful and served as a desk lamp.

She let out a small sigh followed by an almost transparent cloud of steam. Hm, is it getting colder these nights? She shrugged the feeling off, massaging her shoulders, and continued writing, a tight grip on the fountain pen. Yuu wasn’t sure what time it was, but judging by the way the air felt and how the temperature dropped, it might be right in the middle of the night.

Neat notes done in a cursive small handwriting were flowing before her sight, indicating nothing by now, and Yuu sighed again, closing her eyes.

“Why,” she whispered to herself. “Did I last meet Snow White so unacceptably long ago?..”

A pink butterfly appeared without Yuu asking it to do that, but she didn’t seem to mind, waving her hand so the butterfly landed on her little finger.

“Little one…” Yuu opened her leaded eyelids and lowered her gaze to the notes. “I can’t remember anything but the bright red apple filled with poison.”

Yuu thought of herself as an imprudent, unheeding person when a scene of Neige making a parallel between red apple and the color of her eyes replayed in her mind. She should have at least made an assumption back then, it was some sort of a loophole, and yet…She was so dumbfounded by the sudden correlation that there was no way of thinking about anything else but his creative mind.

“Snow White lived with seven dwarfs, like Neige does,” Yuu frowned. “And also… She was also poisoned… And that happened because she took a bite of a red apple. But what else? I’m missing something.”

The butterfly flew slowly, demonstrating its confused emotions, to which Yuu nodded. The only one who could remember something else was none other than she herself. And she already spent half of a night trying to fish out at least one more detail.

Yuu, of course, remembered her visits to Snow White’s realm, but her dimension was the very first one she ever entered after being officially appointed as Fairy Godmother’s apprentice. She couldn’t be trusted with major tasks, given she hadn’t even reached fae average children's age—was she 17 or 18 then?—so there was no way she would play a huge role in rescuing Snow White. The only things she did were to help with cleaning or cooking, sometimes Fairy Godmother could give her permission to protect dwarfs, but other than that…

Was she really helpful? Snow White told her countless times she considered Yuu her dearest friend and put her on one line with the dwarfs, but was she ever genuine in that intention, or was she demonstrating deliberate politeness?

Yuu shook her head. She has no right to doubt princesses’ decisions and judgements. And if she really was Snow White’s friend, then she also must help Neige and figure out how exactly he is connected with the princess.

Yuu and Neige weren’t classmates, making it difficult for her to attend lessons diligently and look after Neige at the same time, preventing all potential threats. It was also unknown if she could ask for help from one of his classmates. Asking dwarfs could be useful, but Yuu wasn’t completely sure, maybe they already were playing the roles with which they’re conjoined. Was this all happening according to the original story she once encountered? It couldn’t be trusted, considering Neige isn’t Snow White herself.

The only option remaining was to try accompanying him everywhere. She, indeed, can’t enter his lessons, but there must be teachers, right? If they’re not the ones plotting something, then it should be the safest path to take.

“Alright…” She exhaled. “Let’s try it this way then.”

She scribbled something on the paper and the pink butterfly followed her way of thinking, flying around gracefully, to which Yuu smiled, feeling slightly better that her idea was supported soundlessly.

“You most probably expected you’ll be introduced to magic studies only during your second year, right?” Emery glanced to the seat where Yuu was, noticing how her movements slowed down and how her eyes looked more glassy and empty than before, and then shifted his gaze to Luan, holding something in his hand under the desk and cheerfully grinning. “Let me assure you, no magic can be performed without thinking beforehand. Even if you first encountered spell casting ability in your childhood, you might have not realized your brain made some extraordinary calculations.”

Luan yawned, his eyes automatically glueling to Yuu’s downcast appearance.

“Oi,” he whispered, poking her arm and managing to attract her attention. “Take this.”

Yuu tilted her head rather slowly, when Luan took her hand and made it rest laid open the inside of palm up, and put something resembling small jelly candy in her hand.

“Hm?..” She wondered what he gave to her, examining the jelly with lidded eyes.

“It’s a gummy bear, you dummy,” he smiled. “You look so down, cheer up or somethin’!”

“Oh,” Yuu realized his intentions and reciprocated the smile, putting the jelly in her mouth and meeting teacher Emery’s condemning eyes, immediately perceiving that she stopped listening to him.

“... In any case,” Emery continued after a short pause. “Magic spells require incantations in cases they’re complicated, but if we’re speaking about elemental types, good old physics will help.”

“...Thank you,” Yuu whispered to Luan and earned a soft giggle in return.

“Combining two or more elemental types together does wonders. We’re not going to discuss the specifics of every combination during your first year, but will dwell on more on the basics. Well then…”

Yuu frowned, thinking how far she could go. Truthfully speaking, she did enjoy the happiness of being able to study magic so freely, sometimes her curiosity overlapping Fairy Godmother’s reprimands for even trying to learn something that could have been considered harmful and ‘useless to such a young fae as her’, but still—was there the end, a not so imaginary edge of all those magic aspects she could internalize? In fact, it was, and the answer to the question was time.

She still doubted if it was alright for her to devour new information with such eagerness. Yuu couldn’t lie, but she had one defense point in case Fairy Godmother asked her why Yuu crossed the boundary she drew, and that was to help Neige and to fulfill her duty.

Yuu sighed. She needed to figure out how to cover her butterflies with the way everyone performed magic here. Would her desire to learn eagerly and quickly things that are taught during second and third years be encouraged or raise suspicions instead? Yuu didn’t know, letting another soft sigh escape her throat and causing Luan to tilt his head, questioning her sudden disarray.

“Right,” Emery said, turning to the class and stopping writing as the bell rang, notifying students of the end of the lesson. “Don’t forget that for the next lesson you need to go to the classroom next to the one we’re currently in! You’ll meet another teacher, who is far stricter than me.”

Yuu gulped, while Luan casually giggled, meeting Emery’s scolding expression. She suddenly startled, realizing she has no time to sit here doing nothing, and after Emery gave hometasks to do, Yuu rushed to the cafeteria to try finding Neige.

According to her plan, she would follow him everywhere she could during the day and activities happening on campus territory, except for the lessons. Thus, she hurried over, carrying a hope of meeting Neige.

The way her heels cluttered was heard in the whole hall, causing other students to stop and observe Yuu’s small figure almost levitating, due to how fast she ran, and look at her in confusion. Her usual firm and calm composure fell miserably, creating a peculiar sight to witness.

Yuu also mentally apologized to Luan for breaking the promise of eating together during the lunch and quickly opened cafeteria doors, nearly smashing down Lavont, who was about to serve the tea.

“I am extremely sorry!!” Yuu said, performing a 90 degree bow.

“Be careful next time,” Lavont replied, wondering what was with a sudden change of acting Yuu usually demonstrated with her exceeding politeness.

She scanned the place for Neige, concentrating her vision as much as possible, but failed to find him on the first floor.

“Ugh, well then…”

She enhanced her hearing while making her way to the second floor and—finally!!—hearing a soft yet constrained giggle, resembling a nightingale’s song, and recognized its owner instantly.

This time making her way rather carefully and not touching other students even the slightest, she stood up on toes, trying to peek out of the crowd of tall students and fish out Neige from them. And indeed, she succeeded in the way she didn’t want to.

The bright scarlet blaze in the light of the lamps grabbed all of her attention, as if depriving her of the ground under her feet, and knocked out her sense of control over the situation, forcing Yuu to scream in fear and start acting impulsively.

An apple. A blindingly dazzling red color shone in Neige’s delicate fingers.

The blood pounded in her ears with booming beats, and she, now ignoring all the boundaries of decency, briskly slipped through the crowd, approaching Neige’s table.

He noticed her hurried coming, smiling to her out of the habit, almost robotically well-trained, and caught the glimpses of genuine worry on her face only the second after, but decided to not follow, continuing smiling, and nodded to her.

“Good morning, Yuu. Is something the matter— Huh?”

“DON’T!!”

She shouted, grabbing the apple he was holding, and almost crumpled it down, losing control of the perfectly balanced way of maintaining the power she possessed, and caused Neige and his, apparently, classmates to stare at her in shock.

“Y-yes?..”

She ignored them, observing an apple she was holding, and before she could scan it for the poison traces, someone randomly grabbed it, and Yuu turned in horror, recognizing Luan cheerfully grinning next to her.

“Woah, is this for me?!” He laughed, sneakily jumping and taking a seat next to Neige, raising his hand in a greeting gesture, and took a bite.

Yuu looked like the end of the world just upfolded before her very eyes, her knees going weak and eyelids leaded. Her fingers twitched, as she was ready to summon the magic wand and cast a spell—she didn’t even know which one exactly, just something that would help to save a dying person from poisoning—but Luan, on the other hand, didn’t look even slightly weakened and, well, dying.

He was quite the opposite of the person who would be suffering and dying, enjoying the freshness of the fruit and chewing it with the brightest expression Yuu ever saw humans demonstrating, Luan’s tail wagging joyfully.

“I thought there was something strange!” He suddenly said, pointing at her with his tale, causing Yuu to question his action, staring at him blankly. “You hurried to the cafeteria so fast, even tho you said we promised to eat together from now on! I thought like damn, you’re so unfair.”

She continued staring at him with an absolutely blank, absent expression, mind full of void and emptiness, at the same time blinking and slowly parting her lips.

“But look at you, saving such a fresh apple for me! Thanks, Yuu!~”

“B-but…”

Neige was smiling graciously at them, instantly forgetting what was the deal in the first place, and was enjoying the scene looming before him.

“Oi wait,” Luan said, licking the tips of his fingers as he finished eating, and looked at Neige. “Was it yours?..”

Neige closed his eyes for a mere second before raising his gaze and returning it to Yuu, then smiled at her conspiratorially, tilting his head and blinking away all the confusion from before, radiating glimmering shine instead.

“No, please don’t worry.”

Yuu wondered what he could have meant by his reaction but decided not to question, periodically glancing at Luan and subconsciously checking if he was okay, and, to her surprise, he couldn’t have been any better—his health was in the state it always was, perfectly normal and okay.

Was she… exaggerating? Or did she hurry for nothing, and he wasn’t connected with Snow White at any rate possible? Yuu felt her muscles going tense, and at the moment all the sounds in the cafeteria—people talking and discussing her oddness, Neige having a light ordinary conversation with typically sunny and bright Luan, trays cluttering, humans consuming food—turned to an irritating tinkling sputter.

Think, Yuu demanded to herself voicelessly, and frowned. Was there a breach in her way of thinking and analysis? But it couldn’t be, even considering all the loopholes and things she couldn’t register yet, Neige still resembled Snow White so much it was absurd to brush aside all the similarities and call it a day. His appearance and the way animals acted almost enchanted around him, and, most importantly, dwarfs — Yuu was sure enough to make assumptions she came up with.

“Oi,” Luan suddenly dragged her out of the marsh of her thoughts and hypotheses. “You ok?”

“Ah,” she shrugged. “I’m sorry. Yes, I am.”

“Alright,” Luan smiled at her, a scent of apple freshness lingered around him. “Relax, Yuu. You looked so tense a second ago. You worry about the teacher Emery mentioned?”

“Oh, right, the teacher…”

The urge to say it wasn’t what kept her so alarmed arose within, but she barely managed to remain silent. She, indeed, couldn’t lie, and she was miserably bad in deceiving in other ways, like other faes could, according to Fairy Godmother’s words.

Yuu returned a smile to Luan, knowing that even though she couldn’t lie, she knew the best when it was the time to keep her mouth shut.

After having a lunch with Luan and Neige, Yuu bowed to the last one, promising to see him soon, to which Neige curved his lips in a soft reassuring smile, impressing Yuu with how easily he could put under a shell what was hidden underneath his own heart, creating a persona of absolutely unbothered individual.

She then made her way back to the classroom with Luan, chuckling softly at him for almost forgetting that he went the wrong way and caught teacher Emery’s sigh.

“Geez, I forgot the classroom’s changed,” Luan yawned, following Yuu and entering another one auditorium, which looked pretty similar to the previous. “I forgot what we’re going to study rn.”

Yuu blinked at his wording—what does ‘rn’ mean in the first place?—and made her way to the seat.

“An introduction to the cultural foundations of Twisted Wonderland,” she answered, causing Luan to stare at her with a look she couldn’t yet decipher.

“I wonder what’s that even about,” he sighed in return. “Sounds so boring.”

Yuu, on the other hand, would love to dwell further, but with her mind being preoccupied with Neige and his rescue she couldn’t concentrate to the max. Something crawled under her skin, an unpleasant feeling of shame and blame conjoining altogether, caused her to bite her lip.

Fairy Godmother would be so disappointed in her actions. Yuu could easily imagine the scoldings she would receive, head lowering more and more under the pressure of being reprimanded for such an ungraceful way of following her responsibilities. Fairy Godmother’s work was flawless to the bone—her way of speaking and an excellent, essential and indispensable ability to put one’s mind at ease, not mentioning her vast knowledge and ingenuity, impeccable mindset.

Moreover, she never was harsh and rude. Her indignation was absolutely justified, and Yuu understood that she was not scolded — she was given instructions clearly and straight to the point, not hiding any empty flattery behind. Still, Yuu was ashamed and embarrassed due to her firstly being not so helpful in Snow White’s realm, then letting Sprites turn into Imps and cause an unimaginable damage to princesses. Even rescuing them after that and returning everything to how it was, she punished herself by taking extra work, by renovating the whole garden and studying (only materials she was allowed to use, naturally).

And now, after so many years passing, has she changed after all? She was panicking for nothing, making misjudgments here and there, and not even making any progress in magic. She was different here, a foreign, alien variable and—

“Yuu,” Luan whispered, noticing how far her thoughts traveled, making Yuu fall silent to the point it was concerning. “The teacher’s came.”

“O-oh.”

She blinked away her thoughts, standing up with everyone, and finally taking a look at the teacher who just came, carrying a strong, luxurious, though not overly concentrated aroma of an expensive perfume around him.

Yuu instantly pointed out his graceful stance and even posture. He seemed to have descended from the pages of a romantic saga of royal intrigues and grandiose balls. His hair fell in elegant waves over his right shoulder in a loose ponytail tied with a purple satin bow. A dark purple cardigan with fur inserts was thrown over a luxuriously expensive-looking blouse tucked into high dark trousers, and despite the obvious expensiveness of the image, it did not exude an aura of pomposity and eccentricity.

His chiseled, sharp-featured face wore a thin, unobtrusive layer of make-up, and if it weren't for Yuu's sensitive vision, she wouldn't have noticed the faint lines of wrinkles at the corners of his lips, which betrayed him as a man of advanced age or approaching it. A pair of obsidian eyes peered out from under long lush lashes. Wavy strands of hair, close to gray but still retaining the old wheaten hue of his youth, neatly framed his cheeks. A tired sigh escaped his cherry-colored lips, and he turned to the blackboard on his heels, picking up the chalk with a slight movement and writing his name on the blackboard, then turned back to the class.

“Good afternoon, dear students,” he bowed slightly. “My name is Amédée Bonsagacité. I will be your teacher of art and ancient history. Very pleased to meet you.”

Yuu found herself spellbound with the purity and depth of his soft voice, flowing with a graceful stream of soulfulness, and suddenly caught someone's light line thrown from the back rows.

“It’s that Amédée?? My grandmother’s his absolute fan!!”

“Yeah same, my grandfather treasures his autograph till today.”

Luan turned to them, completely ignoring Amédée’s lingering stare.

“What’s that about him?” He asked sneakily.

“He was a famous opera singer.”

Yuu nodded to herself, realizing his voice sounded well-trained and naturally pleasant to hear.

“Dear students, we haven’t got all day,” he snapped his fingers, taking a pointer, and tapped on the blackboard, where Yuu noticed that the topic of today’s lesson appeared, written in chalk. “Since it’s our very first meeting, and the lesson itself is carrying more introductory purposes, you may think it’s easy to skip. But it doesn’t mean I allowed that in the first place. Now, let me get straight to the point.”

Despite how soft and weightless his voice was, teacher Amédée was indeed strict and quite outrite. In any case, Yuu followed his words, making notes and nodding eagerly, much to Luan’s bright giggles.

“You’re surely familiar with admirable figures in our history, am I being correct? The Venerable Seven, whose principles and personality traits are of great importance here in the RSA, as well as the Great Seven, whose life path is considered highly respected in the NRC.”

Yuu knitted her brows together, making sure she wrote it right. How very interesting, why Seven figures? Moreover, what was NRC? Apparently, another school, if teacher Amédée has compared RSA to another unknown to Yuu facility.

“We must dwell on the respectable figures our academy follows,” he said, drawing with chalk a table of seven columns on the blackboard. “As for the Great Seven, we’ll start studying their traits after taking a test regarding the Venerable Seven.”

A few annoyed ‘tsk’ were heard among the class after one word ‘test’ escaped the teacher’s lips.

“First, I believe the dorm leaders of each dorm based on a particular figure already introduced you to the basics. But knowing only one representative is not enough. Not to mention… You, miss.”

Yuu, who was writing after him, raised her gaze and met his, unreadable and showing an emotion Yuu couldn’t understand, but no hate was shown.

“How very peculiar you have been sorted to Sidhery,” he chuckled. “Due to lack of any information regarding your dormitory, it will be fairly hard to explain, but I’ll try my best. We usually just don’t mention Sidhery when teaching this course.”

“Thank you and I’m sorry for causing trouble,” Yuu stood up and bowed, making Amédée widen his eyes in surprise and wave his hand, suggesting Yuu take her seat.

“No need. Now, let’s continue. First, Pandora Charm dormitory, how many of you do we have here in the class?” Amédée glanced over the auditorium, nodding to a bunch of students raising their hands. “Quite a lot, I see. Well then, as many of you know, Pandora Charm is founded on Inquisitive Daydreamer’s curiosity.”

Yuu took a note of it, humming to herself with a slight nod. If students were sorted to the dorms, was it done according to the personality traits of the Venerable Seven, and did it mean Pandora Charm’s students possessed extra curiosity? Yuu was eager to know.

“We’ll dwell on the Venerable Seven’s figures further as we briefly discuss the basics. Now, to the Kifurijua dormitory. I see many of you are beastmen, correct?” Luan cheerfully waved his tail, making Yuu smile softly at his playfulness. “I see. Your dormitory’s founded on King of the Pride Lands’ Fearlessness.”

“Yep, I’ve been told that a lot before enrolling,” Luan nodded to himself, grinning proudly.

“Are you happy being in this dorm?” Yuu whispered to him.

“Very much! Would be fun if you were here,” his ears twitched. “Not sure tho if you’d be sorted here, it kinda doesn’t fit your vibe.”

“I see… I think,” Yuu tried to comprehend with his peculiar wordings and decided to politely agree.

“Speaking about non-human races,” Amédée took a look over the class. “Merheronelle dormitory’s student contingent mainly consists of merfolk. I see the tendency is as firm as ever.”

Some of the students nodded cheerfully, and Yuu silently gasped. So the boy she saw during the PE class belonged to merfolk as she thought, but the fact they were quite common here in this world was new to her.

“Great then, your dormitory’s founded on Princess of the Atlantica Kingdom’s Vivacity.”

Yuu took a note, feeling a sudden urge to draw seashells and little sea waves doodles on the margins in her notebook.

“Not much to my surprise, the number of Huriirada dormitory’s students is quite low. Though as long as I remember, it was always like that.”

Before Yuu could wonder about his age and how long does he teach here in RSA, some students already whispered the same question she beared in her mind, gossiping and making assumptions, some of them Yuu found extremely ridiculous—how could such a beautiful young-looking individual work here for 50 years, after all?

“Anyhow, Huriirada dormitory is based on The Rebellious Princess’ Strong Will.”

What a memorable title, Yuu thought. Previous dorms’ respectable figures created an impression of kind, gentle people—creatures?—while Huriirada’s one possessed such an unexpected name, carrying an image of someone seditious.

“The next one dorm is quite popular, I presume, contradictory to Huriirada,” Amédée concluded. “Edelwiese dormitory is founded on The Fairest Princess’ Gentleness.”

The pen Yuu held in her fingers suddenly dropped with a slight thud on the desk before almost falling on the floor, which Luan prevented with his tail, grabbing it midair and passing to her. She thanked him absolutely absentmindedly, drowning in her thoughts.

The Fairest Princess. Was it a coincidence? No, it was absurd to deny it by now. She glanced at the color of the chalk the teacher used to depict dormitories’ colors, and the bright red was erasing any doubts and hesitance. Yuu added ‘Dorm leader — Neige’ to the dorm’s name written in pencil, and sighed, knitting her brows together.

So Neige was connected to Snow White, after all. But still she couldn’t be any sure, considering no names were pronounced. Yuu knew her title, but as far as she remembered, people were referring to the princesses by their names preferably. However, could it be that those figures on which dorms are based weren’t the princesses and princes she knew? Yet still—

“Miss Yuu,” Amédée looked at her with a strict gaze, piercing through her and bringing Yuu’s mind back. “Is something the matter?”

“No, I am really sorry for the disturbance…”

“Hm,” the teacher said, relaxing just a little at her polite apology. “Alright, let’s continue. As for Dýnamieisos dormitory’s students, your dorm’s founded on the Prince of the Gods’ Valor.”

Yuu’s mind was still too preoccupied with the potential connection between Snow White, Neige and his dormitory to the point she was writing down the notes without giving any thought.

“And last, but not least… Florevel dormitory is founded on Briar Rose’s Gracefulness.”

Yuu took a deep breath before trying to combine all the gathered information together and put it on the right shelves of her mind. Neige, Snow White, other dormitory figures… Oh, and the other school—was it NRC?—have got their own representatives, Yuu should have included them in her research and brainstorming, too. But how could she—

“And, as I’ve promised,” Amédée said, breaking a little silence lingered for a moment. “About Sidhery…”

Yuu raised her head, looking straight into his eyes.

“I believe the headmaster already explained to you that there’s no information regarding this dormitory. Moreover, the building itself isn’t being used for dormitory purposes, with a clock tower operating an only option remaining,” Yuu nodded to his words, confirming it. “Not to mention Sidhery building belongs to the type of non-pocket dimension one.”

Yuu wondered what ‘pocket dimension’ did mean and glanced at Luan, who only parted his lips slightly in surprise, then quickly erased the emotion and changed it into his signature cheeky grin, and wagged his tail.

“Although… During my academic years, when I was a student here myself, there were tittle-tattles emanating around saying that Sidhery was the very reason why RSA became so popular and earned its status as one of the best schools for young magicians,” Amédée said, going deeper into his thoughts. “Ah, I must also say that there were no dorms at first. Moreover, RSA was a co-ed school average to its max when it was established.”

“Co-ed?!” Someone gasped from the class.

“Maybe that’s why Yuu-chan managed to enroll?”

Yuu-chan?..

Yuu felt her cheeks growing redder, despite an obvious teasing way of saying, and lowered her gaze, feeling strange. Was it so simple for humans to call someone in an endearing manner?

“But I’m afraid that is all I have to say,” Amédée turned to Yuu. “There might be some additional information in the library, though I am not sure if it’ll be much. Sidhery dormitory is a mystery shrouded in darkness, you may say.”

“Thank you so much, professor,” Yuu stood up and bowed to Amédée, causing him to curve his lips in a weightless smile and nod to her.

“Don’t mention it. Now, let us continue…”

Despite carrying a huge interest towards the dorm she was appointed to, Yuu’s very first task was to help Neige. Writing the notes down rather absentmindedly, she was focusing on her further plan regarding Neige, and decided to check him after the lessons.

Apparently, after school ends, Neige is no longer to be seen.

Yuu made sure of that when she came to his class as fast as she could and stumbled upon his classmates who witnessed the embarrassing scene in the cafeteria earlier in the morning, and told her that he already left. They also mentioned he always leaves early, sometimes even when everyone in their classes, studying, but he’s got permission from the headmaster.

Having no idea where he went, Yuu felt uneasy, worrying probably for too much. Neige was a public figure, very much engaged with the media sphere. In spite of having no idea how it felt to be popular, Yuu still could understand that he was fairly used to all of the attention aimed at him, so she decided to do her own research. Remembering how Fairy Godmother told her to always remain calm and collected, Yuu took a deep breath and opened the doors to the library.

She was rather strong and composed when it came to battles or sudden situations, but as a substitute she turned into a ball of worries when the intuition was telling her that something would happen soon.

“Good evening, sir Aell… Huh?”

Yuu went to the counter where Aell could be found, but she witnessed only an empty place and dust particles flowing around the turned on lamp.

“Miss Yuu?”

She heard a voice coming from above, and raised her head, noticing Aell, standing on a stepladder and holding several books.

“You’re quick to spot me,” he noticed. “Wait a moment, I shall come down.”

Yuu waited for him to get off the stepladder, and took some of the books he was carrying without asking.

“You don’t have to, miss Yuu,” he said as Yuu noticed a sweat drop rolling down his sharp cheekbone.

“It is alright,” she declined. “Where should I put it?”

“Row seven, you’ll see empty shelves there.”

Yuu nodded and followed the direction he mentioned, then returned to the counter when she finished.

“I presume you go here quite often, given how fast you orient yourself in here,” Aell said, snapping his fingers and magically cleaning off the dust on the counter.

“You can say so,” she nodded. “I enjoy reading.”

“That’s nice to hear,” he replied. “So, how can I help you today?”

“Professor Amédée mentioned I can find books about RSA dormitories here…”

“Oh, it’s rare for someone to dwell on it,” Aell noticed, nodding to himself. “Very well, you can find some in rows 19 and 20 on the second floor to your left.”

“Thank you so much!”

“Don’t mention it. Enjoy your time.”

Yuu went straight to the spot she grew familiar with, noticing she started occupying it quite often, to which she chuckled, placing books she took.

Pretty colors of an upfolding evening radiated through the window near her, and after some time of reading and making notes she realized that it always was either Neige or that copper-haired boy, or even Che’nya wandering around here or studying. Or sleeping, in the case of Neige and another boy Yuu saw only once.

Even if Aell and Amédée both confirmed she can find some additional information in the library, nothing out of sorts was found. Amédée was fairly consistent in the way he explained things, hence Yuu could not really grasp something new from books. Although, symbolic features emphasizing Snow White’s aesthetics helped Yuu to make sure she was right in her judgment. Apparently, Edelwiese dormitory used a bright red apple as an unofficial yet incredibly recognizable symbol among students of RSA, distinguishing their dorm among others not only by its color choice.

Then there were researches made for fun only, but appeared to be great material for Yuu. According to the school survey held several years ago, Edelwiese students attracted animals, were very kind to others, and were always compared to the students of NRC’s Pomefiore…

“Pomefiore, huh?..” Yuu tilted her head, writing the name down in her notebook, and decided to put it aside for some time.

After analyzing all the information she gathered before Aell went upstairs to tell her that the library was closing, she gasped, noticing how warm colors turned into dark cold ones, indicating that the night was close.

She bid goodbye to Aell and summoned a butterfly on her way back to the dormitory.

“Good evening, little one,” she smiled, letting the butterfly land on her nose to tickle it with its wings. “Ha-ha, feeling playful today?”

Something tangled in her stomach at the very thought of falling asleep tonight. A malicious, viscous feeling covered her in its dark shades, but she shook her head when the butterfly danced around, as if asking what happened.

“Sorry for worrying you,” Yuu sighed. “I just… Do you think Fairy Godmother would be satisfied with my way of thinking if she was here? I think… I’m missing something.”

An image of the red apple Neige was holding suddenly appeared before her, making Yuu drown deep in worry.

“Though now I am certain I must help. I must finish my job and finally come back home, right?”

The butterfly made a graceful pirouette, approving Yuu’s words, and she smiled once again, though not very determined and sure if she really wanted to come back.

One day when the queen asked her mirror:

Mirror, mirror, on the wall,

Who in this land is fairest of all?

It answered:

You, my queen, are fair; it is true.

But Snow-White is a thousand times fairer than you.

Yuu shivered. It was excruciatingly cold, her bare legs were turning violet out of the blizzard she felt with her very skin. Fair, dispassionate woman’s gaze was piercing and sharp, to which Yuu jolted, not seeing her own reflection in the mirror.

The queen took fright and turned yellow and green with envy. From that hour on whenever she looked at Snow-White her heart turned over inside her body, so great was her hatred for the girl. The envy and pride grew ever greater, like a weed in her heart, until she had no peace day and night.

Then she summoned a huntsman and said to him, "Take Snow-White out into the woods. I never want to see her again. Kill her, and as proof that she is dead bring her lungs and her liver back to me."

Yuu felt her heart clenching in her chest, a heartrending feeling gripped her heart, entwining it with tenacious thorny vines, and Yuu collapsed to her knees. Pierced by memories, she felt the events of past years rush through her vessels, causing her blood to freeze in her veins.

The huntsman obeyed and took Snow-White into the woods. He took out his hunting knife and was about to stab it into her innocent heart when she began to cry, saying, "Oh, dear huntsman, let me live. I will run into the wild woods and never come back."

Because she was so beautiful the huntsman took pity on her, and he said, "Run away, you poor child."

Yuu remembered that scene. She was helping dwarfs at the moment, when Fairy Godmother told her to not go anywhere without her asking, and the woeful look on her face indicated nothing good.

She stared at the young beautiful girl who called Yuu her dearest friend, and wanted to help her get up, to envelop her in a warm comforting embrace, to tell her that everything will be alright, and even knowing it’ll really become fine — Yuu wasn’t fine at all.

"Child," said the old woman, "how you look! Come, let me lace you up properly."

The unsuspecting Snow-White stood before her and let her do up the new lace, but the old woman pulled so quickly and so hard that Snow-White could not breathe.

"You used to be the most beautiful one," said the old woman, and hurried away.

Yuu opened her eyes at once, desperately eagering for air to breathe in. She touched her neck, then embraced her own shoulders and stared at one spot before her, trembling miserably, and swallowed nervously.

“The red apple was just an omen,” Yuu said to herself, feeling how blood pounded in her head. “I must… I must protect Neige no matter what.”

The rest of the night went without any glimpse of sleep. Yuu put the memories she saw in her notebook, trying to make a timeline of events, presuming two more impingements will take place soon.

In the morning she hurried straight to Neige’s classroom, not carrying any memory of how she changed the clothes. Nor did she possess any idea about how disheveled her hair looked, and how her face was swollen.

“Hm… Oi, Yuu!!”

She caught the voice owner rather quickly, turning around and seeing Luan waving at her. She stopped reluctantly, knowing that everything was probably fine, but she was too deep in her worries and concerns to let go of them so easily.

“G-good morning, Luan.”

“Huh?” He approached her, noticing how out of character she seemed. “You ok?”

A fae can’t lie, and Yuu really couldn’t. She gave him a small soft smile to lessen suspicions arising around her, and waited for Luan to speak.

“I guess it’s a yes?” He looked at her, approaching a little more and looking straight into her eyes. “Damn, never noticed they were so huge before.”

“Yes?..” She asked him in confusion.

“Yours eyes,” he explained. “They’re huge. I think they were brighter tho.”

“You’re very attentive to details, Luan,” she complimented him, seeing his tail wagging slightly. “Didn’t think I could see you so early in the morning, though.”

“Ugh,” he grimaced. “I just had to get up early today… Nevermind. Well, there's not much time left before the classes start. C’mon, don’t wanna hear you nagging at me for being late.”

He grabbed her hand, leading her to the classroom, much to Yuu’s concern. He was right, and it really was the only logical and rational thing to do, but the anxiety enveloping her made her heart twitch in worry.

Yuu tried to regain her composure. Luan’s presence caused a rather calming effect on her, making heart settle and mind put at peace at least slightly. During the lesson she diligently tried focusing on Emery’s words, even if still flowing somewhere in her thoughts about Neige.

She nervously grabbed a strand of her hair, twisting it around her finger, and decided to braid her hair, realizing how disheveled and uncombed it was.

I’m such a failure, Yuu thought silently, being exceedingly ashamed of her unkempt appearance, knowing exactly well that Fairy Godmother would be unsatisfied with her approach to herself.

After the class ended, Yuu stood up at once, attracting Luan’s attention to her, and turned to him, meeting with his concerned gaze.

“You ok buddy?” He asked, confusing her again with that ‘buddy’ nickname, to which Yuu smiled gently.

“Yes, I’m fine, thank you for asking. I just… need to be somewhere right at the moment, please excuse me. I’ll join you for lunch.”

“No probs,” Luan’s bright smile managed to reassure Yuu that he was fine with her strange behavior.

Despite him possessing a youthful, almost reckless appearance, he was no fool, giving her the space and time she needed, to which she was really grateful and hoped for the day she could repay him for his kindness.

Yuu rushed to Neige’s classroom, nimbly passing through students due to her tiny figure, and enhanced her hearing ability, concentrating on flowing around sounds and current of different voices combining all together. For a second stopping before the bulletin board, to which the curriculum was attached with a magical sticker, Yuu found the auditorium where Neige should be now, and hurried away in that direction.

Despite Neige’s voice being distinguishably sweet from others, she couldn’t grasp at least a glimpse of it, indicating he was silent right at the moment. When Yuu found his class, she jumped on the spot, fishing out Neige’s beret in the crowd of tall students, smiling to herself and rushing to him.

He was leaning against the wall on the opposite side of the class, not noticing Yuu at all at first. Corners of his soft, bright red lips were curved upward, yet didn’t radiate a feeling of comfort and genuine warmth he usually seemed to possess, reminding Yuu more of a feigned consolation.

She approached him slowly, glimpses of voices reaching her ears, to which she turned her head to the classroom, where the origin of strange statements was found.

“He’s pissing me off.”

“Such a brat.”

“Have you heard rumors?”

“Which exactly? There's a lot floating around him.”

“That he’s probably sells his bod—”

“Good morning, Yuu.”

She turned, recognizing familiar sweetness, and noticed Neige waving at her.

“It is quite unusual seeing you here. I thought first years don’t have practical magic lessons to be near these auditoriums…” He gave her a smile and then gasped suddenly. “Ah, forgive me if I sound as if I don’t want to see you! It is quite the opposite, I’m very happy I was able to see you early in the morning.”

“You are?..” Yuu asked in bewilderment. Why would he though?

“Of course,” his answer seemed lifeless, yet still genuine enough to believe he was saying the truth.

“Thank you. I’m glad to see you too…”

“I’m flattered, but… Is everything alright, Yuu? You look a bit confused, if I dare to say. Can I help you?”

How funny is that I am the one who should be helping you, Yuu thought and realized she couldn’t really express why she rushed here. It was unwise to tell Neige about her dreams, her relation to princesses and such — she simply was no one to him.

“I am fine, please don’t worry. I am just… observing the school.”

Which actually was a truth of sorts, and even if it may appear suspicious, she couldn’t come up with something more witty at the moment. And Neige, being either considerate of her or having no eagerness to interrogate her regarding this matter, only smiled, staring at her.

She looked at him with an uncovered concern splashing in her eyes, and felt something strange growing in her body.

Neige’s eyes were aimed right at her own, huge and filled with confusion. A weightless feeling blossomed in every cell of her body, filling it with unprecedented lightness. Warmth surrounded her heart, exuding gentle thrill, yet calmness prevailed. A mixture of different, but surely positive emotions combined into a holistic picture of serenity.

“H-huh?..”

“Yuu?”

She looked at Neige with more clearance in her gaze, blinking away all the confusion, and subconsciously drew a hand to where her heart was, not realizing what happened.

“Ah,” she gasped when Neige approached her just ever so slightly, gazing straight at her, and noticed a shadow of something heavy and mournful in his eyes. “Neige?”

“Yes?”

He quickly regained composure, smiling at her in the way he always did, much to Yuu’s concern. Just what in the world happened?

“Are you perhaps feeling unwell?” She asked him, noticing how his delicate thin fingers trembled when he raised his hand to fix a strand of her hair.

“Hm…” His eyes averted, and he blinked, spotting out the dwarfs, who came closer to him. “Probably. I’ll go visit a nurse. Thank you for expressing your genuine concern, yet also I’m deeply sorry for making you worry. See you later, Yuu.”

Absentmindedly greeting the dwarfs and bidding goodbye to the company, she watched Neige’s figure distancing from where she was, still not quite thinking straight, but a sudden malicious laugh reached her ears.

“HAHAH, it was SOOO pathetic. He really has no idea how to woo a girl.”

Yuu turned to Neige’s classmate, a peaceful and delightful feeling in her chest slowly disappearing, leaving a place for annoyance.

“They say they’ll include more romance scenes in the movie,” someone said. “It’ll be so painful to watch.”

“For real, he’s so lame. Smiling here ‘n there won’t help. Can’t believe he’s starring in an R-rated movie.”

“Now now, don’t be so harsh,” someone added. “He’s just a child. He plays just fine in stuff for kids commercials!”

“Yeah, pathetic shit.”

“And you are?”

No one noticed when Yuu entered an unfamiliar auditorium, materializing before other students’ very eyes, making them stare at her in confusion.

“Oho, isn’t it a lovely Yuu-chan?”

“Lovely?” She asked, a vague smile blossoming on her face, making it completely unreadable.

“You must be dead tired after seeing that pathetic piece of shit.”

Yuu knew she had no authority in this school, being a small girl surrounded by tall and lean men wasn’t helpful at all, too, but she was pissed off enough to act harshly.

“Yuu-chan, if you’re hanging out with him because of his fame, forget it. With your looks you might as well seduce that Schoenheit guy. By the way, I know the guy who knows the guy who…”

“Ha…” She sighed, pressing her palm to her forehead and closing her eyes.

“Come on, you’re scaring her,” another student said, standing up and getting closer to Yuu, placing his hand on her shoulder. “He’s right tho. Unless you prefer young innocent-looking boys over someone more manly?”

“You.”

She looked at the hand resting on top of her shoulder, and then shifted her gaze straight into the guy’s eyes, her heart possessing no warmth anymore.

“I’m rather tired. Tired of hearing you spreading all this nonsense.”

“Huh?”

“Hanging out because of Neige’s fame?” She smiled slightly. “Seducing someone I don’t even know? You’re making me laugh! All of you… I despise people like you.”

“What did you just say?”

“Oh please, cute little girl playing protective? What are you, Neige’s mommy?”

The air turned cold and difficult to breathe when Yuu’s smile widened.

“Dude,” someone whispered to the student who was arrogantly smiling at Yuu. “Don’t jinx it, she’s a fuckin’ fae!..”

But neither Yuu nor the student really cared.

“What can you possibly do?” The student came closer to her. “Tell the headmaster about us? Go on, it’s you, not us being in a predicament.”

“That is the only cover you could come up with? The headmaster? Dear little child,” she remained even, her back straight and the gaze certain and strict. “Next time you see Neige, thank him for not telling the headmaster about your behavior. Thanks to him, your dirty souls are being safe and not expelled. Have you ever thought about it?”

“Sweetie, we just genuinely don’t care whether he tells the headmaster about us or not.”

“Great then,” Yuu clapped her hands, and a little electricity spark flashed in front of everyone, making them flinch slightly. “Then if you don’t mind Neige, you won’t mind me as well, am I being correct? Wait a moment, I’ll go inform the headmaster about this issue real quick.”

“You little shit,” the student grabbed her hand, but Yuu glanced at him with malice spreading in her eyes. “Drop your act. Yeah, you’re a greater actor than him, we got it. Now stop pissing us off ‘till we get serious.”

“So you’re not being serious right now? How disappointing. I thought your act could serve as a comedy for me to keep myself entertained for some time, but now knowing that such people like you even dared to say something about Neige… A~ah, truly unfortunate.”

“Neige’s sure got some crazy bitches among his fans.”

Yuu was feeling strange. Unknown rage was filling her to the bone, making it difficult to remain calm and collected. It never happened before, not even once, she was strictly prohibited from performing acts like that. Fairy Godmother taught her that all the problems could be resolved with little verbal tricks and light magic if needed.

But what was that malicious, dark and dirty sensation vibrating in her vessels?

She once more felt how her body trembled for a moment, and with a gentle feeling all the emotions disappeared, being replaced with happiness and joy that was quite out of blue.

“Ah, dear little children,” she murmured. “It seems the lesson starts soon. I have no time to continue playing kindergarten here.”

“Kinder— YOU!!—”

“Shh,” Yuu smiled, pressing her finger to the guy's cheek, feeling absolutely disgusted. “I’m genuinely warning you that you’re getting expelled if you don’t apologize to Neige. Well then, farewell. Hope we’ll never meet again.”

She went out of the auditorium, turning around at the exit for a moment, and casually dropped another smile.

“Ah, one more thing. Neige is the most kind, hard-working and genuine person that I’ve ever known in my whole life. It is quite disappointing to see that you’re not following none of your Venerable Seven’s behest.”

After that she ran away, clenching the shirt in her hand, breathing heavily and trying to realize what came into her, causing to say such cruel, unpleasant and absolutely not graceful things.

It was as if another person shifted into her, changing her personality at once.

And what was that sudden feeling of happiness and joy filling her already twice this morning?

The classes ended, and Yuu realized it would be unwise to try finding Neige in the classroom, given how unpleasant the meeting with his classmates went.

The day was bright and flourishing in all its glory, bestowing a gentle serenity with hot yet soft sun rays. Yuu closed her eyes for a mere moment, letting herself stop to appreciate the cordial tender feeling spreading in her chest.

“Haah…”

With a snap of fingers she summoned a pink butterfly that greeted her in a playful dance around her head.

“I’m so immature,” Yuu mumbled to herself. “Mother… will be disappointed.”

The butterfly landed on her closed eyelid, fluttering its wing, to which Yuu chuckled.

“Thank you for your reassurance, little one. I—”

“Whatchnya doin’?”

“Ah!”

Yuu gasped, opening her eyes abruptly, and saw Che’nya’s face levitating in the air.

“Che’nya-san!”

“That’s mya,” The boy materialized with all his body, casually crossing his legs midair, and landed successfully, jumping on his foot and looking like he weighed nothing at all, demonstrating his graceful and flexible moves. “How’s your day?”

“Uhm, I am… a bit confused, so to say,” Yuu forced a smile, watching the butterfly fly around Che’nya, who seemed to be enjoying the moment and chuckling softly.

“Little confusion won’t hurt one,” Che’nya replied vaguely. “On the contrary, wouldn’t our lives be fairly borin’ without any confusion put in them?”

“Yes?.. I believe you’re right…” Yuu tilted her head, questioning what exactly was that he meant by that, but shrugged it off, clapping her hands. “Ah, right! Have you seen Neige?”

“I may have,” Che’nya jumped on the spot, his body disappearing in the air, and only his upside-down head turned to Yuu, much to her growing bewilderment. “Or I may have not.”

“It seems I’m free to allegorize your words as I please?”

“Nya-uh,” he smiled at her, his face looking silly yet cute being turned upside-down. “I know a road which can take you to someone who definitely knows where Neige is~”

“You do?!” Yuu’s face glowed in joy.

“Nyap,” Che’nya nodded… Or so it seemed? “The one who also helps Neige. You might find him somewhere or nowhere in that direction~”

“Somewhere or… I’m afraid I don’t follow?”

“You do~ Follow my directions. I’m the best at giving them.”

Che’nya’s arm appeared in the air, his index finger pointing on the road which led to the clocktower, and glanced back at the cat-looking boy, but he’s probably long gone by now.

“And remember,” his voice was heard. “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road can take you there.”

And with that Che’nya’s voice died out, leaving Yuu all alone with her grown confusion.

“Well…” She sighed, letting the butterfly, that also seemed flummoxed at Che’nya’s behavior, rest on her shoulder. “Let’s try following the direction he pointed.”

The one who also helps Neige, huh.

Yuu swam deeper in her thoughts, trying to recollect the memories and rearrange the succession of events. Today’s not so pleasant meeting with Neige’s classmates almost overshadowed previous encounters of other people Yuu thought were at least neutral.

By the way, why would the road correlate with the clocktower? Was someone who could help her find Neige in the building right at the moment? Other than her, she could meet Prospero there.

Ah, wait! Did Che’nya mean Emery who was following— Wait.

Yuu felt another presence nearby. Hiding behind the tree, she listened closely, hearing two people talking.

“Another shenanigans of yours…”

The peaceful, melodious voice bewitched Yuu. The words formed rather not into speech, but into a series of musical notes, charming with their tenderness.

“C’mon, no one will know!”

Another voice, the one that Yuu was able to recognize almost instantly due to the youthful, joyful sound vibrating in the air.

That was him. The copper-haired boy she met on her first day here, and also the one who seemed to be genuinely worried about Neige.

Yuu peeked out from behind the tree, spotting two students standing with their backs to her, so she wasn’t able to see their faces. The boy she saw appeared to be smaller in height than his friend. Come to think of it, his blonde-haired friend was so tall and magnificent that Yuu gasped, parting her lips, realizing she has never seen people of such height. An extraterrestrial aura flew around him, radiating light and calming feeling.

He was the one sleeping in the library!

“Emery knows though, doesn’t he?” Taller boy replied, to which his friend jolted on the spot.

“N-nah, what are you saying!~”

“You said that he followed you when you tried to flee miserably.”

“Ugh.”

“And that he lectured you for three hours straight.”

“Ouch.”

“And that you are also prohibited from entering the clocktower for a time being.”

“Argh, enough!! Besides, we’re not entering the building itself, okay?! Let’s hurry up! It’s not like you’re not going anyway, right?”

“Right,” the blond-haired boy answered. “It’s always you who gets scolded anyway.”

“That’s what friends are for. To always remind you that you’re saving their asses and they’re watching you getting scolded for lulz.”

“It’s me saving your restless ass though.”

“Ah shut up~”

“Cast your magic already.”

“Alright, two premium tickets coming right up!”

Yuu came out from behind the tree before the boy started whispering, and listened closely, focusing on the words he was pronouncing in an enchanting way.

“No matter which way I’m going, it gets curiouser and curiouser. Down the Rabbit Hole!”

The familiar hole appeared before two boys, and they, exchanging another joke or two, both jumped down there.

Yuu, immediately running towards the hole, watched it closing with a rapid speed, and realized that it was now or never — there was no time to try guessing what could happen down there, she’ll definitely figure it out once she jumps. So she did, stepping into an unknown space, and letting the wind current take her somewhere.

She opened her eyes, which had been closed before the jump, and a blindingly bright light shone in front of her. A space that looked more like the Milky Way with glittering stars of cold colors unfolded in front of her. A scattering of sparkling stars decorated the walls of this “hole,” but Yuu’s gaze was riveted by something else.

Objects of various purposes danced freely in the air, as if they lived their own lives. A chair with gold-plated armrests flew past Yuu and moved behind her, forcing her to take a seat. She levitated in the air, sitting on a luxurious velvet chair!!

“W-what is happening?!”

Ignoring her question, the table with a patterned tablecloth joined the company, appearing in front of Yuu. The treats did not take long to arrive — a plate with buoyantly dancing cookies was jumping over the table. A teapot rushed past, drawing strange patterns with flowing tea in the air, and as soon as a cup with a fancy handle joined the feast, the teapot splashed hot tea into the cup.

“T-thank you?..” Yuu mumbled, when the cup drew closer to her, suggesting to grab it.

The aroma of melted chocolate and tea with bergamot filled the space. The tartness of the drink seemed quite interesting to Yuu, but the next sweets that arrived at the table overwhelmed the persistent smell of infused tea leaves, giving way to the aroma of cinnamon and powdered sugar.

“Thank you for the cordial welcome… whoever you are?”

The kitchen utensils danced approvingly around her, and only Yuu had time to finish her tea, when space turned everything upside down (if what was happening could even be interpreted in this way, given all its absurdity). Yuu screamed in surprise, mentally thanking herself for braiding her hair earlier in the morning, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to see anything.

She spotted a bright light at the end of the hole, and turned around to witness no utensils dancing here and there. She was left all alone, heading towards the light and worrying about the closing exit.

“No no no, wait for me!!” She cried, trying to make a move similar to one when people swim in the water, but to no avail.

She managed to get closer to the exit in the last second, before the space basically spat her out of itself.

She landed successfully, rising from her knees, and turned around to take a look.

And realized she had no idea where she was.

An unfamiliar infrastructure appeared before Yuu. The coldness of the stone walls around her made her feel slightly uncomfortable, and she hurried to get out of her current situation. Proceeding to the side where the passage stood out, she found herself in the middle of a narrow street where people were scurrying about.

She looked around in fascination, marveling at the local infrastructure and how different it was from RSA. Small houses with small courtyards, the stonework of this alley, fancy street lamps…

She was brought out of her thoughts by familiar voices heard somewhere very far away, and Yuu turned to the source of the sound. She found those same two students at the end of the alley, hurried after them, but at the turn she discovered that there was already no trace of them.

Meanwhile, she herself found herself on a wider and busier street, which completely confused her.

“W-woah…”

The number of people walking here and there scared her out. She never considered herself a person who could easily interact with people, and now, being left completely all alone in the—apparently—town of unfamiliar faces has helped her worries to grow.

“Uhm…”

She decided to start walking where there weren’t so many people, glancing at the store windows, at people taking a stroll, at a stray cat jumping on the rooftop, at the way gilded foliage indicated summer lost its rights, giving way to autumn, and the leaves slowly falling down.

Get yourself together, Yuu commanded herself.

First, the copper-haired boy probably took her here (even if he didn’t know it himself), hence Neige could be possibly found somewhere near this place. Second, was this ‘hole’ he created something that Emery explained as a unique magic? And was it not the hole, but the portal? Alright, then if anything, Yuu could possibly find a spot where no one would see her, and just fly into the sky to see where RSA is located.

And now, how could she possibly fish out Neige out of ALL those people?

Yuu possessed greater abilities than humans did. Enhanced hearing, vision, smelling and other perception options, she could have tried remembering Neige’s voice, or smell, or his appearance to detect his location. However, Fairy Godmother never told her how far she could go with her abilities, explaining only the simplest ways of their work. Due to that reason, Yuu is most likely to fail.

She decided to give it a go even still, leaning on the tree in the park she went to look less suspicious, and looked around, concentrating her vision on certain spots, but all in vain. Trying to hear Neige’s voice also didn’t work, giving her a slight migraine instead.

“Should I just observe as far as I can now…”

With the confusion on her heart, Yuu slowly started walking around, deciding to at least observe the place she arrived at, so she wouldn’t get lost in the town in case there will be another chance to visit it.

She was walking around the city in a casual manner, fascinated by absolutely everything around her. The flow of people amazed her with how harmoniously it moved, as if it were one integral organism. People were going in all directions: some were in a hurry somewhere, quickly avoiding obstacles, pressing a box to their ear, which Yuu could now identify as a mobile phone; someone, on the contrary, was walking very leisurely, just like her, enjoying the moment.

Small buildings were replaced by some much larger in height. Such buildings reflected light with their glass walls, forcing Yuu to stop in front of them, looking at her reflection in bewilderment.

The variety on the store windows was amazing in its assortment, and Yuu smiled sadly, examining a winter scarf with the predominant red yarn in it and running her fingers over the embroidered birds. For the second time during her stay here in this world made her heart sink with regret for not earning money or at least trying to find a job. First of all, she wanted to repay Ambrose for being so kind to her and providing accommodation. And the second time was right now.

“It would look so nice on him…”

“What a thoughtful girlfriend you are!”

Yuu raised her head, looking at the shopkeeper with incomprehension in her eyes.

“Girlfriend?”

“You’re choosing a gift for your boyfriend, no?”

“Oh, no, nothing of sorts! I just thought this would look good on someone I know.”

“Your friend then?”

“My friend…”

Was Neige really her friend?

None of their encounters resembled something that friends would do or discuss, and every meeting ended with Yuu blaming herself for being not so helpful, while Neige only tried to distance her off himself with a reassuring smile.

They weren’t friends, she was sure of it, and they most probably would not be ones ever. After she finds a way to finally release him from his worries, she’ll get back home, with all the students forgetting her very existence in a short period of time.

Yet, something tangled in her stomach at this thought, and she decided to shrug it off before she got too emotional and unstable of thinking straight.

“Oh, maybe I’m overstepping, but did you sew these clothes yourself?”

“My clothes?” Yuu echoed and gasped right when she realized.

She was still wearing her RSA uniform, while not even trying to cover the fact that she was a female.

Yuu laughed rather awkwardly, realizing she needs to rush over somewhere to cast a set of casual clothes to walk here without any worries, and waited for the shopkeeper to start making assumptions so to Yuu could confirm any guess and not to lie.

“No, it wasn’t me…”

“Aah, then have you perhaps taken it from your brother? My daughter likes to wear an RSA uniform, too. What’s so pretty about it, though? NRC’s dark colors are more stylish to me. Ah, forgive my nagging.”

“This is alright!” Yuu smiled. “I like light colors more… Come to think of it, you’re right. It’s about time I return them to their owner, ha-ha…”

“Okay, see you then!”

“Have a nice day!”

Yuu casually walked out of the shop and, before rushing to the corner where no one was found, took a look at girls outfits, choosing a combination of elements of the garments they were wearing, so as to be not so different from other people. Summoning her magic wand, she decided to go with a simple choice due to the lack of time.

“I hope this will do…”

A wave of sparkles surrounded her, and with a little flash her clothes changed into a black long straight dress and a gray top, the boots with satin ribbons she used to wear as a part of her RSA uniform being replaced with patent leather lace-up boots.

She went out to the streets, noticing that the day was cooling from the midday heat, and grew colder, giving way to pinkish evening colors.

Yuu reached a large building right in the centre of the city, raising her head up and regretting she couldn’t fly over the top right at the moment to see the name of the, apparently, company that was located here.

She wasn’t really familiar with modern concepts and settings, transmigrating to the worlds of medieval times. Being completely oblivious to the way strange-looking carriages were rushing on the streets, Yuu felt her head turning dizzy, and decided to take a moment to rest in the park and continue her observation.

Right when she sat, a sweet scent lingered in the air, making her shudder and focus on its origin.

“Neige!” She exclaimed to herself, concentrating her ears and feeling them twitch slightly.

She heard his voice somewhere far away, and not wasting any more time, rushed over there. Almost reaching his location, the sweet and gentle fragrance growing easier to feel, Yuu suddenly stopped, her heart piercing with a strange uncomfortable sensation.

A malicious aura was spreading nearby, and right when she noticed Neige in the distance with a dark hat and a mask on him, she was hit by someone. Yuu turned and saw a little figure of a girl watching Neige.

“Excuse me!..” Yuu exclaimed, but the girl couldn’t care less, her eyes strongly fixated on Neige’s silhouette.

That was her. The girl radiated that spiteful, ill-disposed manner around her, and Yuu decided to follow. The girl was basically running towards Neige, her eyes glowing with an obsessive, possessive light in them, scaring Yuu and making her realize that she needed to act fast.

A sudden appearance of a modern-looking carriage right before Yuu’s very eyes was an unplanned and rather disappointing event, the girl being long gone by now.

“Little one,” Yuu said, standing near the road where a column of many carriages was, and summoned a pink butterfly. “Go after Neige.”

Right now she needed to act as a young normal woman possessing no magic powers. There was no way she could do something reckless such as to fly towards Neige or the girl. People were crowding around a pillar with three windows, one of them glowing with red light. They weren’t surprised at how the carriages were moving, and decided to join them. Right when she got closer, the light changed from red to yellow, then green, and people started crossing the road with Yuu following their example.

Fantastic system, she thought to herself, deciding to investigate it more when—or rather if—she’ll have the time to do so.

Finally escaping the obstacle, she followed the butterfly’s direction, and almost stumbled upon Neige talking to the girl.

The last one being fairly noisy and annoying, so to say. Neige, who looked even more tired and exhausted than he did in the morning, much to Yuu’s concern, lowered the mask, so his lips could be seen, and forced an apologetic smile to the girl.

Yuu was approaching them with a rapid speed, trying to control her moves, so she won’t come off as an extraordinary creature with inhuman powers, and concentrated on their conversation, catching more and more glimpses of it.

“I’m sorry I’m not—”

“But I love you!!”

“As I’ve mentioned, I—”

“I’ll kill myself if you!—”

“Please calm down—”

Kill herself?! Yuu’s blood froze in her vessels, as she rushed without any thinking, but then a bright flash of something metallic cold flew before Neige.

Yuu accumulated magic in her legs, ready to just jump into them, but then another flash of light sparkled before Neige, covering the space with fire spurts of flame.

What just happened?..

“And what the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Yuu recognized the voice, despite it losing its cheerful notes. The copper-haired boy’s eyes glew with an intense, almost malevolent blue fire of rage.

Stationery knife the girl was about to use fell on the ground, ashes melting in the air.

“You okay?” The boy asked Neige, who appeared to be in oppressive stupor.

“Ah, yes, thank you…” Neige finally replied, clenching the shirt in his hand, and swallowed.

The girl fell on her knees, and Neige, enveloped in pure guilt, outstretched his hand to the girl, so she could stand up, but the boy quickly brushed it off.

“Dude, I understand, Edelwiese is founded on kindness and things, but you could have been, like… Killed. Or… I don’t know!!”

“He’s right,” a now familiar Yuu blonde boy also appeared, still standing with his back turned to Yuu. “We should report to the police.”

“Thank you for your concern,” Neige smiled at the boys. “But everything is okay.”

“Okay?! OKAY?!” The blue-eyed boy cried, grabbing Neige’s hands and looking at him with a genuine worry in his eyes, while the blonde one monitored the girl who was still sitting on the ground.

“Yes,” Neige nodded, distancing himself from the boy and loosening the grip on his hands. “Everything’s alright, there’s nothing to worry about…”

He then whispered something with his lips only, and the boy who appeared to be extremely tense now became absolutely relaxed and slightly perplexed with his own feelings.

“I…” Yuu whispered to the butterfly that returned to her. “Sense magic.”

“Alright…” The boy replied. “I believe you if you say so. But we should still report to the police!”

“We will,” Neige reassured, taking out a phone out of his pocket. “I’ll let my manager know about it. I also won’t tell anyone that you used magic in the town.”

“But—”

“Young lady,” Neige turned to the girl who was still looking at him adoringly, joyful due to him paying her attention she wanted. “Please promise me you… won’t ever… do something like that. Ever. This is my last warning.”

“If you desire so!!”

Neige blinked, forcing a smile so artificial it hurt. The police finally arrived, taking the girl with them and, after asking Neige some questions, let him be with the two students.

Yuu decided to follow them and make sure they’ll get home safe and sound.

“Dude, it’s not even funny. How are you so nice to her after THAT happened?!”

“I agree,” the blonde one said, shaking his head. “This is absolutely abnormal.”

“She was trying to KILL you, hello?!”

“Or herself,” the blonde added. “Both possibilities are NOT okay.”

“What he said,” the copper-haired boy sighed. “Neige, really, you need a guard or somethin’..”

“It’s not like I can afford—” Neige’s voice suddenly rose up, but then he cleared his throat and shook his head. “There’s no need. I can handle it.”

After twenty minutes of small arguing about Neige’s safety, the conversation changed into a more casual flow.

“By the way, what were you doing here in the first place? I always thought you’re getting a ride to the company.”

“It’s just… It was an unplanned meeting, so I was basically dragged out of the lesson today. We were discussing an upcoming project. Apparently… Now I have much more lines to play than expected.”

“Even more?! Hello, your eyebags will soon reach the point of that energy drink addict.”

“Oi,” the blonde answered with a clear annoyance in his voice.

“Ha-ha,” Neige laughed gently. “I’m already considered a coffee addict though.”

“You two are complete fools… I can’t believe it.”

“I’m very sorry to disappoint you…” Neige mumbled.

“Oh please,” the blue-eyed boy sighed. “Don’t apologize. And disappoint? What again? Why would you disappoint me out of all people?”

“You’re right…” Neige nodded. “I’m sorry.”

“Dude…”

Yuu followed them, noticing that the rest of the conversation was held by the two students, while Neige remained silent until they made it to the RSA entrance, much to Yuu’s surprise.

After they bid goodbye to each other, Neige went to the main building, while the two boys followed an opposite direction, heading to somewhere unbeknown to Yuu. She waited for a moment until their silhouettes were gone, and headed to the clocktower.

The pink butterfly that followed her till the end started flying in a strange way, its activity raising to the max, with the butterfly's wings fluttering very fast.

“Is something the matter, little one?”

In spite of asking, she already knew that something was exceedingly wrong. The butterfly landed on her head, as if trying to grab her hair, then went to her clavicles, arching her waist, then flying off to the clocktower’s highest spot, finally making a comeback to Yuu after that.

“Little one, I’m afraid I don’t understand…”

The butterfly went to her ear, its wings tickling Yuu’s skin. She nodded to its movements, furrowing her brows and sighing heavily.

“I know he’s in danger!” Yuu cried, feeling totally exhausted and drenched out. “I know I must help!”

This is my duty, after all, she thought, falling on her knees before the entrance to the clocktower, expressing no desire to enter.

“Fine,” she said, when the butterfly started acting slightly annoyingly, but Yuu didn’t want to blame it for the worries it possessed. Her own mental state reminded of a vase, starting to crumble with little cracks.

“Give me some time. I’ll gather the information I have and try to arrange everything. We will rescue him.”

The butterfly seemed to calm down a little, and Yuu, still sitting on the grass, summoned her magic wand and changed the clothes back to the school uniform.

“Á lelya,” the dilapidated notebook appeared in a wave of sparkles, landing right in her hands.

Her fingers flipped the pages at a fast speed, and when Yuu found what she needed the most right now, she nodded to herself, opening a new page and writing down her thoughts.

Her thoughts and magic combinations, which she hoped she wouldn’t have an opportunity to use. She never tried those incantations she came up with just now, and was very afraid of it going the wrong way to the point of no return.

An hour has passed since Yuu started practicing magic spells on her own. The deep evening had fallen on the streets, warm pinkish and orange colors changing into cold dark ones, and Yuu was ready to head back to the building, feeling absolutely exhausted.

“Let’s go, little one,” Yuu said, making the notebook disappear in the air, and grabbed her magic wand. “I hope I’ll settle everything tomorrow and—”

“Yuu.”

Yuu recognized Che’nya’s voice, but couldn’t really manage to find his mischievous figure. Looking around, she noticed him slowly appearing in the woods, and came closer to him, at the same time realizing she was still holding her magic wand.

Withdrawing it now would only raise Che’nya’s suspicions, so she carefully tucked it in her sleeve and greeted him.

“Good evening, Che’nya-san.”

“Good evenyan~” How strange. Yuu thought he sounded quite concerned a little ago.

“May I help you?”

“Not me,” Che’nya smiled at her, but something mysterious and unreadable slid down his iris.

“Ah!” Yuu gasped. “Did perhaps something happen to Neige?!”

“Hmm,” Che’nya’s brows slightly twitched, an unfamiliar look appeared on his face. “Not at the moment.”

“I, uhm,” Yuu hesitated. She was fairly obvious with all those questions about Neige’s location and the cafeteria event. But if something could happen, she would like to prevent it as fast as possible. “I actually followed your advice and went after that boy you’ve mentioned. Even if I couldn’t help Neige in the town, he looked very… How should I put it…”

“Like the world is about to end, nya?”

“Oh,” Yuu cleared her throat. “In a way, yes…”

“Right, right, he’s a very hard-working boy, nya. Maybe too much…”

“Che’nya-san,” Yuu’s voice sounded strict and concerned. “I know it might be too much to ask, but you also came not just for a small talk like that, am I being correct?”

“Uh-nya,” he nodded.

“Do you by any chance know where Neige is right now?”

“Drama club building,” Che’nya answered immediately, showing a slight glimpse of relief that Yuu caught his way of thinking.

“Show me the way.”

Che’nya, without further ado, went straight into the woods, and Yuu had nothing to do but follow him.

Their path passed in absolute oppressive silence, due to the fact that everyone understood that something wrong could happen in the coming minutes. The butterfly next to Yuu was spinning in a frantic dance, as if reflecting a gloomy omen.

A small dome-shaped building appeared in front of them, resembling an indoor amphitheater.

“Normally the building is open at this hour for Neige only,” Che’nya commented.

“What are we going to do then?..”

Neige smirked, making his body disappear, and reappeared on the opposite side of the wall, right in the building.

“Che’nya-san, is it okay for us to—”

“Don’t worry, nya. We’ve got other things to do.”

He was right. Yuu should have prioritize Neige’s safety first, so she nodded to Che’nya when he opened the window and gave his hand to Yuu to help her get inside.

The building seemed smaller inside than outside. Several rooms along the long corridor served as utility rooms and small auditoriums with technical equipment, the purpose of which Yuu could not determine at the moment.

When they reached the last door, Che’nya pressed a finger to his lips, followed by Yuu’s nod and confirmation to remain silent. Neige’s voice was heard ever so slightly.

He opened the door, and Yuu immediately bent down, glancing at Che’nya who followed her example and nodded to the side, silently whispering ‘this way’ with his lips only.

Indeed, the building turned out to be an amphitheater. An unsettling moonlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, illuminating the main stage at the very bottom. Yuu and Che’nya found themselves in the upper rows, hiding behind the raised seats, and walked closer to the middle.

Yuu's heart was pounding wildly in his chest. Everything that was happening seemed like some kind of feverish dream, a fictional delirium, moreover, absolutely unsightly and wrong. But all her regrets and fears disappeared once she heard Neige’s loud voice.

“Me? Oh I’m… Not scared of death.”

Neige was probably following the script, and Yuu peeped out to make sure she understood it right.

He held a paper sheet with a text on it, a strong trembling ran through his tender, weakened hands. Yuu knitted her brows together, when Che’nya tagged her on the sleeve, reminding that they still needed some time to observe.

“Argh!” Neige groaned. “That’s not it. Ahem… Me?! Oh I am!.. No, should I put more pressure? More sneer?”

He was pacing back and forth on the stage, loud thuds of his heels echoing in the building.

“Me… Hahaha! I’m not scared of death,” Neige exclaimed after a long pause. “Urgh, no… This is all wrong.”

Yuu wasn’t sure how much more they should wait, and was about to peep out once more, but a sudden vibrating in the air caused her muscles to tense. Che’nya couldn’t resist his interest any longer, too, and looked where Yuu was staring at, noticing a giant hole opening in the floor.

“That is!..” Yuu whispered, feeling Che’nya nodding beside her.

“But why?..”

A familiar figure of the copper-haired boy appeared in the auditorium, and right when he was about to open his mouth to say something, he noticed Neige on the stage, looking mournful and gloomy.

“I am… I am not… scared of death.”

The blue-eyed boy gasped, drawing his hand to his mouth to cover it.

“How exactly must I say that, given the character IS scared of death!?”

Neige tore the paper in his hands, collapsing on the stage, and right when Yuu and others were ready to act on their instincts, Neige laughed hysterically, standing up, tears running down his sunken cheeks.

“Haaa… I should have given this role to Vi-kun instead.”

Yuu felt a cold wave run through her body. Her heart felt like it was encased in icy, rusty chains, and she hugged herself tightly, trying to prevent herself from trembling. Che’nya turned to look at her, but Yuu only stared in fear in response. Neige went backstage.

“Yuu?! Calm down, hey, look, Neige’s back—”

Yuu shook her head, afraid of looking at the stage.

“It would be highly unwise of you.”

The voice, usually gentle and smooth, giving peace and tranquility, sounded sharp and blatantly insolent. Yuu sharply raised her head and felt something inside her break with a crash.

Neige stood on the stage, dressed in luxurious robes. A satin white blouse with wide sleeves and a wavy collar was neatly tucked into black leather trousers that hugged his thin legs. The knee-high boots were entwined with apple flowers. Behind him flowed a long cloak with gilded patterns, attached to the blouse with aiguillettes with bright scarlet stones, reflecting the moonlight so brightly that the blood-red hue hurt the eyes, light radiating through a porcelain mask on his face. On his slender, gloved fingers, were many massive rings.

However, the strangest detail was his hair. Half was the usual jet black, and the other was painted lifeless white.

“Neige?..” The copper-haired boy whispered.

“No…” Yuu mumbled, biting her lip. “It’s not him…”

“What do you mean?” Che’nya asked concerningly.

“Look at his eyes.”

Che’nya did as she told, and gasped when he saw strange swirls in his eyes glowing bright crimson, pupils dissolving in the depth of its scarlet hue.

Time seemed to slow down, allowing everyone to clearly hear the creaking of floorboards and nervous chuckles.

“Huh?”

Neige’s voice was heard, and he turned around to witness someone looking exactly like him, but also different. Intimidating… creature stood in front of real Neige, smiling with his lips, but his eyes carried a horrendous consternation in them.

“Who are you?!” Neige screamed, summoning his magic pen immediately.

“Now now,” the other Neige laughed, taking a step closer. “Do you really want to fight with me? With yourself?”

“... The fuck is happening,” the blue-eyed boy said, raising up.

“With myself?.. What do you…”

The scarlet-Neige burst into laughter, grabbing a piece of the paper the original Neige tore, and snapped his fingers. Ashes accumulated in the air, making it hard to breathe, and the paper was restored.

“My script…” Neige mumbled, furrowing his brows. “What are you going to—”

“ME?...”

Yuu bit her lip to the point a few drops of blood were shed.

“Hahaha… I… To think that you would assume!! That I…” The counterpart bent down to Neige, grabbing his chin and staring at his eyes, smiling.

Until his body suddenly shuddered, and a loud cry was heard.

“Would be scared of death?!”

Neige gulped, falling down on his knees.

“... or this is how you should act.”

Everyone went silent when the scarlet-Neige took a chair and sat down gracefully, his whole figure radiating royal, expensive and elegant attitude.

Unlike Neige, who was trembling, his huge eyes with dark eyebags staring in disbelief.

“I can help you,” the counterpart whispered enchantingly. “I’m not here to hurt you.”

“W-what do you mean?..”

“You got used to the main roles,” the counterpart cupped Neige’s face, his thin fingers with protruding sharp nails slid down Neige’s cheeks, wiping away his tears. “Playing sweet, naive heroes. Always gifting everyone with those smiles of yours. I know you’re deadly tired of wearing them.”

“But I!”

“You thought you could reach Vil Schoenheit’s level,” the other Neige said, as if sentencing his origin to death. “You know yourself you’re not capable of playing villains.”

“I… that is…”

“Admit it yourself.”

“I… agree…”

Yuu stood up at once, releasing her magic wand and wanting to cast a spell, but she was abruptly interrupted.

“Great then!” The counterpart laughed hysterically, grabbing Neige’s hand and leading him into a waltz. “Let the rehearsal continue!”

“As if I’m allowing it!!”

Yuu ran through the rows, startling Neige and his replica on stage, the blue-eyed boy turning his head to the sound of Yuu’s heels echoing in the amphitheater, and Che’nya quickly reappearing near the stage to prevent Yuu from performing something reckless.

“Yuu?” Neige’s eyes followed her precipitous moves. “And everyone… Were you watching me all this time?”

Admitting such a nefarious act was fairly painful to Yuu, and she lowered her gaze, ashamed of her actions. Least she wanted him to feel as if he’s being offered unwanted help by someone he barely knew.

She averted her eyes, glancing at Neige’s replica, studying his nature. Blood was running down in his vessels, indicating he was a living being—she wasn’t sure of his humanic entity though—which meant that he needed to be observed more for further actions.

“I presume some audience won’t hurt,” the counterpart concluded, performing hover corte while waltzing, and let Neige turn to the ‘public’.

“What are they doing…” The copper-haired boy mumbled, trying to analyze their actions.

“I don’t knyaw as for Neige, but that one is preparing for somethin’.” Che’nya said, the usual mischievous sparkles in his eyes disappearing as he went to Yuu, covering her with his body. “This is dangerous.”

“With all my respect to you, Che’nya-san,” Yuu tapped on his shoulder, making him turn to her and look at the vermilion of her eyes with pupils trembling in a rising anxiety underneath. “I know! This is precisely why I’m going to fix this unfortunate state.”

“Girlie, I don’t believe this is the right time for your sophisticated speech patterns!” The blue-eyed boy blurted out, withdrawing his magic pen and fixing a stance, ready to fight.

“Wait!! Don’t fight him yet!”

“Huh?”

“This is the happiness you dream of?”

The replica made Neige enterwine in outside swivel, exposing him to everyone.

Yuu didn’t know what to do. Blood was boiling in her vessels, fright accumulating within her heart.

The counterpart wasn’t attacking them, much to Yuu’s surprise, but she was feeling with her whole body how a cold wind of worry chained Neige up, making him lose his calm. The replica was basically draining him out, hurting not physically, but verbally.

“What are you in the first place?” Che’nya asked, his magic pen appearing in the air.

“I am Neige,” he answered with a grin on his face. “And Neige is me.”

“I’m tired of this shit,” the blue-eyed boy spitted.

“As I’ve mentioned, don’t fight him yet—”

“And what? Are we going to simply watch Neige getting hurt mentally? He’s my friend, I can’t just let it be like that!”

“Friend?..” Neige’s eyes glowed in a soft light hue.

“That’s right, you dummy, and I’m rescuing your ass right now, please bear with it!” He pointed the tip of his magic pen at the replica, ignoring his suspicious grin and Yuu’s scream.

The boy accumulated burning flames, and Yuu started panicking rather obviously.

Fairy Godmother, what do I do?! She questioned herself, knowing she was lacking the knowledge of performing battles. She didn’t need it in the first place, her main occupation was intelligence work of mind and brains, not attacking spells or whatsoever!!

Che’nya jumped in front of her, his moves resembling those of a cat, and grabbed the boy’s hand, but it was too late—a fire spell flew out of the tip of his magic pen, heading straight to the counterpart.

“STOP!!”

Yuu was ready to throw herself at the spell to prevent the scarlet-Neige from burning to ashes, but Neige himself interfered, casting a water shot, which led to flames die out and burst in a steam cloud.

“Don’t fight,” Neige said, realizing how weak his body turned, hands shuddering and head spinning. “Ugh… I hate to see people being so unhappy…”

“Dude, are you out of your mind?!” The boy threw out his pen, getting closer to Neige and grabbing his shoulders. “I could have burnt you!.. I!..”

“This is why,” Neige forced a smile. “I told you to not fight.”

“But that thing…”

“He’s not causing any harm, is he?”

Everyone remained silent, when Neige felt the boy’s grip on his shoulder loose, and raised up, turning to his replica.

“You too… Please calm down. I don’t want my friends to get hurt.”

“Friends?” The replica chuckled. “You know yourself you have no friends at all.”

Neige hissed at a pain blossoming in his chest due to the words he said so easily.

The words which appeared to be the bitter truth.

“You bastard! Neige is our friend!” The boy threw himself straight to the counterpart, grabbing his collar.

“Do you know his pain?”

“Huh?”

“Do you know his struggles? What he truly feels? What lies on the depths of his heart when he—”

“Enough!”

Neige gathered his last powers, drawing his magic pen right to where his heart was, and lowered his gaze.

“I hate seeing you all screaming, shouting, assuming things about me!!” He blurted out, shutting his eyes closed. “Why would all of you know when I’m the one who doesn’t know a thing about myself!!”

“NEIGE!”

Yuu has had enough. The blood in her head was pounding with a force she wished to begone. Neige’s tears dropping on the wooden floor of the stage were startling, she couldn’t think straight, not knowing what to do.

The counterpart wasn’t fighting at all, watching all this exciting drama unfolding before him, yet something concerning flashed in his eyes whenever Neige was talking on the wedge of bursting into cries and screams.

So he did care about his… origin vessel?

But why would he tantalize him verbally, throwing right at the edge of his mental stability, and then drag him out of it just ever so slightly?

“A-ah…” Neige looked up at everyone, staring at the pure fear and confusion on their faces, and a shadow of insanity covered his eyes. “I-I’m scaring you out… No… Please don’t be upset with me.”

“We won’t!!” The boy screamed. “Why would you even think like that?!”

“STOP SCREAMING!!”

Everything turned into a mess.

“Right…” Neige smiled. “If you’re unhappy, then I shall just bestow happiness for you.”

“You— What?”

“Don’t you dare!”

Neige laughed and parted his lips.

“Your sorrow is a crime, pay for it in the form I call salvation. With a smile and a song.”

The world has gone blank white. Yuu’s heart was bursting with strange sensations she had never experienced before, and when she finally dared to open her eyes, an indescribable picture upfolded before her.

The blue-eyed boy was giggling and crying out of joy, or so it seemed, and Che’nya was grinning cheerfully, while Neige’s counterpart stood with his mouth shut, but the mask on his face crumbled, revealing a soft gaze of his still swirled and pupils depraved eyes.

“W-what is that feeling?!”

“Neige, you…” Che’nya mumbled.

“What happened?!”

“Ah,” Neige sighed. “Now you are all happy. I’m so glad no one is suffering… No one is upset…”

“Che’nya-san…” Yuu whispered, touching her chest and feeling unwell. “What is that?”

“His unique magic,” Che’nya explained. “Though I’m not entirely sure of how exactly it works.”

“What have you done? What for? Did you want to exhaust yourself to death? Do you want to die out of fear and misery they all have been carrying?!”

They all have been carrying?..

Yuu stood up, closing her eyes for a moment. Wait.

“Neige…” Yuu mumbled, getting slightly closer to Neige and his counterpart. “Don’t tell me you deprived us of our negative emotions and took them to yourself.”

A forced artificial smile served as his answer before he collapsed on the floor.

“You…”

“Are you disappointed too, Yuu?” He asked her, chuckling. “I knew it. It’s not enough to make you happy, I don’t know you enough… But my acting was flawless, yet you always looked at me with such a strong remorse in your eyes. I’m not good enough, I—”

“Ah really, in the name of Snow White, shut up!”

Yuu felt her emotions mixing altogether, happiness and woe submerging into one holistic entity, and couldn’t stand this drama any longer.

The slap that landed on Neige’s cheek rang like a tinkling whip throughout the entire amphitheater, forcing everyone into a frantic silence.

“Did you just…”

“Happy this, happy that!” Yuu exclaimed, rage burning in her eyes. “Can you please be a little more honest with yourself?!”

“You little…” His counterpart rose up, clapping his hands, and threads of fishing lines appeared behind Yuu's back.

“Yuu!!”

“Want me to be happy?” Yuu chuckled. “Great, then become happy yourself first! I don’t need your feigned trickery!”

The threads twitched behind her back, stretching and becoming noticeably sharper, glinting with a metallic sheen in the moonlight, and rushed straight to Yuu’s back.

“Yuu!” Che’nya shouted, throwing himself straight to her, but she outstretched her hand, signaling him to stop that instant. “You idiot, if you think first years magic is strong enough to stop him, then you’re—”

“I don’t know a thing about your magic. Á ettula, wilwarin.”

It was as if a storm had reigned in the amphitheater. A golden whirlwind swallowed Yuu, emitting a dazzlingly bright, somewhat painful light for the eyes. The voices were drowned in the flutter of the wings, and a moment later the whirlwind dissipated, revealing an unharmed Yuu.

“What the hell…” The blue-eyed boy muttered.

“I don’t know either,” Che’nya added. “But it’s indeed not our magic at all.”

“What did you…”

“How peculiar,” Yuu said, the tip of her magic wand glowing in gold, butterflies glueling to her body. “Why all this one-man theatre when you had no intention of harming me in the first place?”

“What do you mean?!” Che’nya ran toward her, but she looked at him strictly, condescending with her look.

“That.”

Yuu pointed to the stage decorations being cut in half, floating around with the butterflies’ help, preventing the stage from destroying completely.

“I wasn’t his target,” she concluded. “Neither of us were. He did it to scare us.”

“... Hahaha,” the counterpart laughed. “You little woman. How very interesting.”

“I don’t care if you won’t hurt us anymore. Doesn’t matter if you care about Neige or not, when you’re clearly not letting him go for some reason. And for that you’ll perish.”

“Perish?! Yuu, are you out of your mind?!”

“I might be with all that mess I’ve had enough witnessing for quite a time by now.”

“... She’s right,” the blue-eyed boy agreed, standing up and getting closer to her. “Let’s beat the shit out of this bastard!”

“You guys…” Che’nya sighed. “Alright, but I’m not covering your asses in case we’re doomed when the headmaster knows about this~”

“We’ll discuss it later,” Yuu said. “Please be careful. I don’t your spells, and you don’t mine. I’ll cover you in case you can’t dodge the attack.”

“Hmmm, is that so? Great then, amuse me.”

“Forest strike!” Che’nya shouted, a tangle of thorny vines formed at the tip of his magic pen, and he then shot it at the replica.

The copper-haired boy nodded, accumulating flames and sending it straight to the tangle.

“Flame blast!” He exclaimed, and after the flames were released, he added a wind to accelerate the spell. “Wind shot!”

Yuu watched their work, and threw a quick glance at the scarlet-Neige, gasping at once. He was dragging Neige out of the spell range, and spread out his arms towards the spell, smiling maliciously.

“WAIT, CANCEL IT!!”

“WE CAN’T?!”

Yuu shuddered, using her inhuman speed, and materialized before the spell, golden butterflies breaking in bright sparkling fragments.

“YUU?!”

“HAHAHA!”

She fell straight on the counterpart, jumping on her foot and witnessing blood on his chest and her shoulders.

“Yuu?!” Che’nya shouted. “Why did you?!..”

“Are you freaking nuts?!” The boy blurted. “And what’s with those butterflies anyway?!”

“He wasn’t even protecting himself!!” Yuu screamed, twirling the magic wand between her fingers. “He’s only protecting Neige!”

“I don’t care about you all, pathetic humans,” he laughed. “You, on the other hand, are not even slightly concerned about your so-called friend.”

“What do you mean by that?!”

“S-stop… fighting…” Neige, who regained consciousness, coughed into his fist.

“Neige!” Yuu exclaimed, raising her wand, but the counterpart casted a spell she never knew about before.

Myriads of puppets materialized in the air, and Neige, gasping, outstretched his hand to protect everyone, but the counterpart enveloped him in a tight embrace.

“I am thou,” he whispered, but Yuu managed to hear him. “Thou art I. I won’t allow anyone to hurt you.”

“By hurting us you’re hurting Neige himself!”

After saying that, Yuu dodged some of the puppets' attacks and waved her magic wand, summoning swarms of ice blue butterflies surrounding her, and four walls of ice appeared, countering the attack and making puppets break.

“Ugh!..”

“Don’t. You even dare.” Yuu reappeared right before Neige and his counterpart, grabbing the last one’s collar and gazing straight in his eyes. “To ruin my rescue of Neige.”

“Rescuing?..”

“You said you’re Neige, and Neige is you.” Ice blue butterflies disappeared, leaving a blizzard after them. “Then how in the world didn’t you manage to reach consensus?”

“She’s right, you little shit,” The blue-eyed boy went to them, welcoming Neige in his comforting embrace, to which the exhausted boy only released a sigh. “We don’t want to harm Neige, you don’t want to harm Neige. We consider us his friends, you consider yourself his friend. Now what the hell is happening now?”

“Do we really need to fight in the first place?” Che’nya added. “From what I see, emotions are what actually messed all this up.”

“I am…” The replica took a deep breath before speaking. “His other side. The side he desired the most, but what was actually sleeping underneath.”

“What…” Neige furrowed his brows. “But it can’t be… I’m Edelwiese’s dorm leader, following The Fairest Princess’ Gentleness. No way you are being a part of me.”

“Think about the times where you were pissed off to the point you wouldn’t even remember the gentleness you’re so fond of. That crazy girl was following you for what, a year or two by now? You really think I wouldn’t form from those wicked feelings in your heart?”

“I…”

“Oh, and the times people always compare you to Vil Schoenheit.”

“But Vi-kun—”

“He’s amazing, cool, dignified, and blah-blah-blah, do you really think you can conceal all those from me?”

“Neige,” Yuu interfered. “You… should accept that all of those things he’s saying are a part of you. All of those—this replica, your feelings, your hidden thoughts and sorrows—are all you.”

“She’s right,” the counterpart nodded. “I took a physical form only because you went to the very edge.”

Yuu felt how her magic flow tingled, but decided to remain silent at the moment.

“So you are really him,” the blue-eyed boy smiled.

“No,” Neige giggled softly. “He is really me.”

“Indeed,” the scarlet-Neige nodded. “Don’t forget about it ever again.”

A cluster of bright stars began to surround his silhouette, emitting a gentle, calm light. And right before Neige outstretched his hand to bid a farewell, Yuu’s scream cut through the idyll.

A whirlwind of pink butterflies glued to the replica’s body, consuming it, as if devouring a supper, and the next second Yuu widened her eyes, all trembling in Che’nya’s embrace.

“M-my butterflies,” she shuddered. “T-they are… T-they are scarlet!!”

The counterpart smiled at Neige, finally finding peace, and both Neige and Yuu fell unconscious, the screams of the boy and Che’nya distancing further and further with every second.

“I expect nothing else than perfect the next time. You have disappointed me.”

Yuu opened her eyes slowly, witnessing a boy with golden eyes sitting under a tree in the woods and crying.

“I’m scared.”

Yuu approached the boy, recognizing young Neige in him, and tried touching his shoulder, but her hand went through him.

“I don’t want to do anything.”

“I don’t want to act anymore.”

“Will people acknowledge me if I smile?”

“Or should I win an award?”

“But there are so many…”

“I don’t want to—...”

“I’m scared of death.”

“Why is there an aching hole in my chest? Why do I feel so lonely? I wanted nothing but everyone's happiness… Now why… Why do all the people demand impossible things from me?”

“And with everyone neglecting me… Did I not make them happy enough?”

“Tell me, please.”

“At least someone.”

“Is there a way to make

Everyone

Happy?”

Yuu closed her eyes, feeling how the brightness hurt, and slowly opened them to see Neige standing near the entrance to an auditorium, and almost rushed over to him, but then his classmates' words were heard.

“He’s pathetic.”

“Yeah, good for nothing.”

“Honestly, how are there so many girls stanning him?”

“For real, Vil’s more sexy and mature, he knows how fuckable he is.”

“Can’t believe there are people who like innocent naive guys lmao.”

“Right, did you hear that he got the exam answer sheets because he paid for them?!”

“NO WAY…”

“Actually I thought about it long ago, I know the guy who saw him bribing Aell.”

“THAT’S CRAZY”

“I know right??”

“He’s a total shit.”

Yuu approached Neige who apparently couldn’t see her, and a tear ran down his cheek.

“They’re unhappy,” he whispered to himself before pronouncing an incantation.

“Wait, I suddenly feel so light…”

“Me too… Damn I feel like I can do anything right now!!”

“Good morning, everyone.”

Neige entered the classroom, people quick to pull on smiles on their faces and greet him cheerfully.

“Good morning, buddy! How’s the movie? I heard you won another award!”

“Ha-ha, yes, but…”

“Dude you’re AMAZING!! Be proud of yourself!”

“T-thank you…”

His reply was a bitter smile.

…But I never wanted to win it in the first place.

I want to cry.

I want to run away.

I don’t want anything.

The world’s crumbling.

Then why am I… Myself not being happy at all?

“Ah, my little Sprites!!”

Neige slowly opened his eyes, finding himself on a… flower bed?

Many beautiful flowers he has never seen surrounded him, a bright and melodic voice was heard nearby.

He stood up, noticing a lady in a beautiful dress and a dark cape.

Anthracite dark starry sky upfolded above his head, and Neige gasped at the extraterrestrial beauty of the place.

“Yuu?!”

He shouted her name, and the girl turned to where he was, but appeared to be completely confused.

“I think I heard someone,” she said, funny creatures following her. “Mother is back?! Mother!..”

Mother?..

Neige wondered what Yuu’s mother would look like, but the girl frowned.

“Fairy Godmother?..”

Fairy… Godmother?

Neige noticed Yuu wasn’t a human in the first place, but he surely knew nothing about her in general, other than the fact that her eyes were insanely enchanting, and the shade of red glowed beautifully.

“Well… It appears it’s not the right time!” She smiled to herself, grabbing her magic wand and casting a whirl of sapphire butterflies.

“Now, little ones, please help me water the flowers. Hm-hm-hmmm~ What a nice evening it is! Or is it morning? I do wonder…”

Nothing was happening after that.

Yuu was watering the flowers, then gracefully dancing around, singing a little in her tender voice, or just staring at the night sky, which never really changed, even the way stars were glowing remained absolutely static.

“I wonder… I really do wonder when you will come back, Mother.”

Neige parted his lips to pronounce an incantation and let her be free out of her worries at least for a moment, but she suddenly outstretched her hand, a pink butterfly landing on it, and Yuu smiled so bright that Neige went aghast.

“And until then I promise to become a better version of myself. No… I’ll become perfect, Fairy Godmother.

I’ll be waiting for you.”

And then the world went dark.

The distant sound of familiar voices, the hasty clicking of heels and the blatant smell of alcohol forced Yuu to wince and slowly close her eyes.

“Ugh…”

“YOU’RE AWAKE!!”

Yuu blinked a few times before she saw Che’nya’s face bending over her, a familiar playful grin blossoming on it.

“Huh?..”

“You idiot,” the copper-haired boy’s voice was heard on her left. “No, you’re insane. Absolutely crazy.”

“Excuse me?..”

“Now now, don’t push it,” Che’nya giggled softly.

“What happened? Where’s Neige?”

“In my arms.”

“Uh?”

Yuu turned her head, finding Neige cradled in the boy’s arms, though seeing something dark on his chest, while being held by Che’nya herself.

“U-uhm!!” She exclaimed. “I can walk!—”

“Hmm… Nyah,” he smiled. “Enjoy the moment. By the way, we’ve arrived.”

The boy knocked thrice before hearing an almost weightless ‘Come in’, and opened the door, letting Che’nya with Yuu in his hands enter first.

“Who even thought it would be a good idea to injure themselves at this hour— Oh.”

Yuu stood up slightly and gasped when she saw a man who appeared to be a nurse.

His frosty white hair was neatly tied up, and despite the short length, Yuu noticed how several strands of blue were woven into a braid that went behind his ear.

He calmly observed the company with his deep blue eyes, reminiscent of two ice floes, and the gaze from under his snow-white long eyelashes turned into a frosty, piercing, condemning and dissatisfied one.

“What happened? Those are not common injuries.” He put on a medical gown over his turquoise shirt and stood up from his chair.

“You are…” The nurse looked at Yuu, nodding to himself. “Yuu-san, right?”

“Y-yes,” she answered awkwardly, her throat aching as if after crying for some time. Why would it though?

“Put her down here,” he commanded to Che’nya. “Oh, and you. Be extra careful with LeBlanche, his injuries look much worse.”

Yuu’s mind was covered with haze and incomprehension, so his words reached her ears with a slight delay.

“Injuries?!” She rose up on her elbows after Che’nya gently put her down. “But I made sure he—”

“Silence in the infirmary.”

“Yes sir.”

“Name’s Wyn,” the nurse replied before turning to Neige first. “Tell me what happened.”

Wyn started examining Neige’s body with torn pieces of his school jacket on it, putting it off and making Yuu turn away from the sight, even if the boy still was clothed enough to not reveal anything.

The boys hesitated, making a summary of the events rather reluctantly, anticipating Wyn to scold them or even punish them for their reckless behavior—no one suggested calling for a teacher, after all. But to their surprise he was just nodding to all the things they said, and after completing the examination, he pulled the chair he was sitting on to Yuu’s side.

“Turn away, you two,” he demanded of Che’nya and the other boy. “Pull your shirt up to chest level.”

Yuu bit her lip in embarrassment, but followed his instructions. Wyn’s touches wasn’t uncomfortable, if Yuu could trust her own body, given she hadn’t an experience like this before.

“How are you feeling?” Wyn asked Yuu, starting to palpate her stomach after she lowered her shirt. The cold of his fingers sent shivers down her spine. “They say you’ve fainted.”

“I am alright,” Yuu said. “How’s Neige?”

“How should I put it…” He lowered his voice. “I haven’t seen it happening since…”

“Huh?”

“Nevermind, we’ll have a talk about this tomorrow,” he shook his head. “You said he was never injured in the first place, but…You see, his chest is burnt slightly. Could have been worse if Yuu-san didn’t throw herself under the attack.”

“Does it mean,” Che’nya assumed. “That he was connected with his counterpart in a physical way, too?”

“Correct,” Wyn nodded. “Any harm caused to the replica is transferred to LeBlanche himself, though only after the counterpart is gone.”

“S-so,” Yuu exhaled sharply. “When we threw a fire spell right into the replica…”

“Yes, Neige fainted because of the pain being delivered abruptly and at once. I’m not sure about mental damage, given he was mentally unstable before,” Wyn sighed. “I wonder if he visited Prospero at least once…”

“Will he be okay?” Yuu asked.

“Physically, yes, he’s under my watch now, after all. As for his mental state, it will be a long long process of making him at least more stable. But he will get better.”

“I’m so glad…”

“Listen, Yuu-san,” Wyn turned to her, placing pills in her hands and providing her with a cup of warm water. “Drink it. You will recover in no time, but as for Neige, I need to take some ingredients from storage in the alchemy room. I’ll go get the pills I need and come back shortly, understood?”

“Yes sir,” she nodded.

“You two,” he said to the copper-haired boy and Che’nya. “Stay here until I come back.”

“Okay, nya.”

Wyn went out of the infirmary, leaving the company.

Yuu looked down, not knowing what to say. Her job was done, Neige was saved, and despite a ton of unresolved issues, she did feel some relief, and yet something pricked her heart.

“Uhm, so…” The blue-eyed boy cleared his throat and looked straight at Yuu.

She was finally able to get a closer look at him after only seeing him in the distance. A scattering of cinnamon freckles adorned his cheeks and his smooth, straight nose. Plump lips were bitten from worry and covered with cracks. His huge blue eyes looked into hers without any embarrassment, as if trying to absorb every detail of her face, and burned with undisguised interest.

“R-right!” She encouraged him to continue. “I’m really sorry I don’t know your name…”

“It’s Elias!” He announced cheerfully. “Second year student.”

“I’m Yuu,” she smiled at him. “Very pleased to meet you.”

“What a rhyme,” he giggled. “Thank you for rescuing Neige, Yuu!”

“You helped me a lot… Che’nya-san, too!”

“You’re my dear underclassmen, nya~ I did only what I should have.”

“Right,” Yuu said. “Che’nya-san showed me the way, but Elias, what were you doing there?”

“Ah, ahaha, well…” He smiled sheepishly. “I was busy rescuing myself from Emery~”

“H-how come?..”

“Y’know, I don’t like sitting around doing nothing,” he chirped. “I’m pretty restless, hence constant exploring. I thought that I’ve never really transported to the amphitheater before, so the thought randomly popped up in my mind, and I decided to give it a go. And you know what happened after.”

Yuu and the guys talked for a total of half an hour until Vin arrived and began preparing medicine for Neige. After all the treatment procedures were completed, he sent Che’nya and Elias to their dormitories, giving them official leave for the next day.

Yuu was asked to stay at the first aid station until the morning.

For a couple of hours she stared at the ceiling, listening to Neige’s steady breathing on the next bed, and tried to reconstruct the chain of events.

She was almost tuned in to the higher train of thought, but sudden rustles forced her to turn her head to the left, noticing how Neige sleepily rubbed his eyes.

“Good morning,” she greeted him.

“Uh?.. Uhm… Yuu?”

“Yes, this is me. Hello, Neige.”

“Yes, hello… Where are we?”

“In the infirmary,” Yuu tucked the blanket closer to her face. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired.” He concluded, chuckling. “Deadly tired. But also better than before.”

“Neige, I… I am very sorry I haven’t noticed anything before. I could have prevented all this…”

“Ha-ha,” he laughed and coughed out ashes, much to his surprise, but shrugged it off, despite Yuu’s concerned noise. “We’re quite alike.”

“Yes?..”

“Just as I’ve mentioned it before… You’re very kind, Yuu.”

“No, I was just doing my—”

“Yuu… thank you.”

Yuu went silent, waiting for Neige to continue.

“I don’t really like to talk about myself, but…”

“You don’t have to. It is okay.”

“No,I really want to do it now,” he smiled. “I should let people know how I feel at least once. I want to be egoistic at least for one minute.”

“Alright then,” Yuu turned to him slowly, feeling her damaged shoulder aching, which she ignored. “I’ll gladly listen.”

“I’m very grateful… Well… I’m not really fond of expressing my emotions in real life due to acting. I must maintain the theatrical character, the role of someone who’s never bothered, never angry. I must be perfect.”

Perfect.

Yuu was familiar with his words, knowing exactly how it felt when you wanted to be perfect, but was experiencing reversed emotions in your heart.

“But it all started way before I became an actor. In my childhood, people always craved for more. I was quite… convenient as a child.”

“You’re saying that as if you weren’t a human being…”

He only smiled coldly at her statement.

“First it all started with little tasks in the village I grew up in. I was quite handy, always helping here and there. But then small tasks slowly grew into bigger ones, and in the end I was afraid of disappointing people with my immaturity. I thought, what if I don’t accomplish the task right in time? But I had ten other tasks like that. It was accumulating somewhere in my heart, but I still thought that maybe… It was my destiny — to make people happy with my achievements.”

“But Neige,” Yuu interrupted. “Why did you decide that they were happy with your deeds?”

“You know how my unique magic works by now, right? I can transfer joyful feelings in return for their sorrows. It awakened back then, when I realized that when people smile at me, they’re happy with me. And if they’re happy with me, then I’m valid. If they don’t smile, then I’m disappointing them.”

“I understand your point, but… How is that your fault? Moreover, you do realize people can’t always smile and be happy every second of their lives, right?”

Yuu found herself at awe about her own words. How funny it must be—for her to say that.

She never knew the feeling of realizing the purpose of her own life. Other than saving princesses—and now Neige, too—she had no other aim.

“Yuu…” Neige whispered after a short pause. “Do you think I can be a little more egoistic from now on?”

She looked at him straight into his eyes, a gentle smile forming on her face.

“Ah, what am I saying!!” He gasped suddenly. “I must follow The Fairest Princess’ Gentleness and—”

“Of course you can,” she interrupted. “You’re a human. And well, I’m not the one who can decide that anyway, right?”

“Ha-ha, I guess that is true… Thank you.”

“I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Mhm… Also, your magic is so cool!!” He tried leaning on his elbows and rising up a little, but the pain pierced him through, making him fall on the bed and Yuu gasp in fear. “I’m ok! But really, how did you do that?”

“That?..”

“Those butterflies were amazing! I’ve never seen anything like it! I mean, magic is all about visualization, but this is the first time I’m seeing someone operating their thoughts in such a creative way.”

“I think…” Yuu exhaled. “Since you’ve been honest to me, I must reciprocate. It’s because my magic isn’t like yours. In fact, I don’t know a thing about it.”

Neige remained silent for a moment before chuckling softly.

“Could you please summon a butterfly for me?”

“Oh, sure. Á ettula, wilwarin.”

A pink butterfly formed from sparkling light, and flew straight to Neige, fluttering its wings on his nose.

“It’s beautiful,” he said. “Does it have a name?”

“Name?.. Not really…” Yuu replied, staring at the butterfly dancing around. “There are many of them. It was hundreds last time I checked, maybe there are thousands or so. To be honest… I don’t even know why I am summoning butterflies.”

“Summoning,” he echoed. “Not creating.”

“They are living beings. They’re my friends.”

“Friends…” Neige repeated with a slight sadness in his voice before gazing at Yuu. “Yuu. Please answer me.”

“Hm?”

“Are we… friends?”

Friends was a strange concept to Yuu, who heard this word not once, yet it felt so incredibly far away from where her mind could reach.

Snow White also called Yuu her friend, but there was something natural, genuine and warm in the way that Neige asked.

“Yes, we’re friends.”

“Then I’m glad.”

His eyes gradually closed, and soon a soft sniffling sound was heard, signaling that he had fallen back into a restful sleep.

Friends…

Yuu watched the dawn penetrate through the windows with its caring, enveloping rays, healing wounds both physical and mental.

She rescued the ‘Princess’, made a friend…

And now it was time for her to turn back home.

★﹒﹒NOTES

✧˖ The Venerable Seven — an allusion to the Great Seven.

✧˖ Á ettula, wilwarin — 'Come forth, butterfly' in quenya language.

#twst #twisted wonderland #twst x reader #rsa #rsa x reader #chenya #artemiy artemiyevich pinker #twst neige #neige leblanche #twst x yuu #royal sword academy

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