It had been a few days since the girls and Grim became new students and the young prodigies of heroes had already garnered attention from 'suitors'.

Some of the suitors would follow them around even after school was over, but they all had letters from their own different admirers. Most of Kate's were from Savanaclaw, Anisha's were from Octavinelle, Justine's came from Heartslabyul, Stella's gotten Scarabia, Becky had virtual confessions from elusive Ignihyde, Minerva gained the most attention from Pomefiore, and Laura received the most letters from Diasomnia. Grim even openly joked that they were becoming guy-magnets. 

Night had already fallen at the Ramshackle dorm and the group was getting ready for bed when they heard a knock at the door.

"Who could that be at this hour?" Laura said in her dark red and blue night gown and robe as she went to open the door.

It was Ace, their classmate. And he was wearing some kind of red and black collar on him.

"What's with the collar?!?!" Grim asked.

"Geez! I'm never returning to Heartslabyul. I'm gonna be a member of this dorm from here on!" He said.
WHAT~~~!?!?

"Why is that? And why are you wearing that on your neck?" Justine asked, dressed in a black, blue and red nightgown.

"I ate a tart."

This earned him a confused look from the girls.

"That's it?" Becky asked in a gold and red nightgown, eyebrow raised.

"Exactly! Only that! I got hungry, so I went to the dorm's kitchen. The tart was just sittin' right there inside the fridge. And like, three whole ones! That's why..." Ace began to explain.

---Flashback to the Heartslabyl kitchen---

"(sighs) It's only the first day and I'm so tired~ I missed dinner, so I'm very hungry." As Ace went over to the fridge.
Wonder if there's anythin' in the fridge... Oh, found a tart! Looks delish~! There's a lot, so I'm not sure if I can finish it all ♪" He said as he took a tart out and started eating.
"Thanks for the food~ Whoa, what the heck?! It's so good!"
"Of course, it would be delicious. After all, anything that Trey makes is bound to be exquisite." A voice said behind him.

"Nah, man, this is something else! It's better than the ones at the shops... Wha– Prefect?!" Ace said in surprise and fear.
"Quite the boldness you have there for touching something that belongs to me. Queen of Hearts Rule #89: "You shall not eat tarts prepared for the Queen ahead of her." Larceny of the Queen's tarts is a capital crime! OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!" Riddle said with a frown on his face.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

------------End Flashback-----------

" And that's what happened...

The Ramshackle residents were silent for a while...then...

"You've only got yourself to blame." The girls said to his surprise.

"But ain't it overreacting to seal my magic just 'cause I ate his tart?! It's practically the same as tying my hands and my feet! Plus, there were three whole ones! He can't possibly finish all of those! There's a limit to how heartless he can be!" Ace complained.

"Well, binding your magic may have been a little too overboard..." Kate strained out in a green nightgown.

"Right?!" Ace asked.

" Ah! Wait a second... If there were three whole tarts, they might've been prepared for a party, yanno? Like for someone's birthday? Man, I'm such a great detective, huh!" Grim suggested.

"Birthday?" Ace questioned.

"If that's the case, then it's no wonder he's mad. Did you apologize for it though?" Anisha asked in a black and silver nightgown.

" Uh... I came here thinking that you'd agree with me about the Prefect being a little tyrant, ladies..."

"I get that he's kinda a tyrant, but... Eating someone else's food is not good, you know?" Justine said.

"I agree. You're also at fault for eatin' his food." Grim put his two cents in.

"I think you should apologize to him tomorrow, okay? I'm sure he'll forgive you if you apologize." Minerva suggested in a grey, blue and red nightgown.

"Grudges over food are scary." Grim nodded.

"(sighs) I get it. I just have to apologize, right? You suggested it, so you better come with me." Ace pointed out

"Sure." Stella smiled in her red, white and blue nightgown.

"In the meantime, where can I sleep?" Ace said changing the subject
"You're serious about stayin' the night?" Grim said exasperated.

"Can I stay in one of your rooms~ I'm a pretty handy guy so I won't take up much room! Please~?"

"I have a feeling you intend for something else than just to sleep in a girl's room. And even though my bed's large enough, the only time I'll get into bed with a man is the day he get a ring on my finger!" Justine said as she let him take one of the other rooms nearby.

The next morning Stella had to get Ace and Grim up early so Ace could apologize to Riddle.

"What the, who the hell's pounding on the door so early in the morning?

Ace opened up the door to see Deuce.

[LOCATION: Ramshackle Dorm – Foyer]

"I knew I'd find you here."
"D-Deuce..."
" I heard about the situation from our dormmates. You ate the Prefect's tart, so now you've got that collar on, haven't you?" He frowned as Ace nodded his head.
" You're an outright idiot." Deuce said bluntly.
"Shut it! I don't wanna hear that from you! So... Is the Prefect still mad at me...?" Ace asked looking nervous.
"Not completely. He's in an irritated mood and about three people who didn't follow the waking up routine suffered the same fate as you." Deuce said.
""Not completely," my ass! He's totally mad!" Ace yelled.

"Looks like you two are lively enough to get going." Kate said as she and the other girls got her stuff. "Let's go to Riddle. The sooner, the better." 

-----------------------------------

[LOCATION: Heartslabyul Dorm]

"Whoa~! This is super fancy! It's completely different from our dorm!" Grim said in amazement

'But not too different from Becky's house.' Kate thought.

"Oh, no. I gotta hurry and paint these roses red."
"Oh, someone's over there." Grim pointed out, gaining attention of the guy.
"Whoa there~ If there are some left unpainted, it's off with my head."

'I feel like I've seen this scenery somewhere...' The girls thought as they see the orangette man painting roses.

"Hm? Did you guys need something?" He asked.
"What're you doin'?" Ace asked him.
"This? As you can see, I'm painting the roses red." The orange-haired man said
"Eh!? Why do such a thing?" Deuce asked in confusion.

"Hm~ Your reactions are so fresh it's kinda cute~!" The orange-haired male said in a teasing voice as he looked at the group. "Hey I know you. You're the super sinful kid who stole the Prefect's tart! I'm so lucky to meet the rumored freshies so early in the morning~♪" He said gleefully.

Then the orangette spots the girls and puts on a charming smile walking up to them.
"And you're the first girls to be admitted here! Hey, can I upload a picture of you guys? I wanna put hashtags so tell me your name." He askes as he took out his phone.

"I'm Deuce Spade."
"Ace."
"I'm Grim and that's Hazel."
"Alright, upload done~♪..." Then he turned to the girls. "Oh, I'm Cater Diamond, a 3rd year. That makes me your senior~ Call me Cater-kun, okay? Cate's fine, too~♡" He said taking Justine's hand and kissing, making her flustered.

"This guy's acting like a kiss up to the girls." Grim muttered.

"Well, are already popular with the boys, so I'm not surprised." Ace whispered.

"Oh, I shouldn't be standing here and talking! The party's the day after tomorrow. It's off with my head if I'm late." Cater said to himself.

Then he turned to the freshmen and looked like he had an idea.

"Hey, hey, freshies~ Can you help me with painting the flowers?" He asked nicely.

" Why're you doing somethin' so strange?" Deuce asked.

"Aside from coloring the roses, I'm really busy because I'm also in charge of coloring the flamingos for the croquet match~" Cater explained.

"Dyeing the flamingos?! That's a pretty weird job." Minerva said incredulously.

"So, the tarts that Ace ate were to be used for the Prefect's birthday party? I see now. So that's why he was so mad..." Deuce theorized.

"What? That's not it." Cater said taking them by surprise, but he explained. "It's no one's birthday. You see, the day after tomorrow is our Dorm's legendary [Unbirthday party]. It's a tea party that the Prefect felt like doing, so he chose a day that doesn't fall on anyone's birthday."

"The hell's that!?" Ace asked incrediously

"In any case, the reasons can wait! You just have to help me paint the roses!  Deuce-chan and Grim-chan can use magic, right? Ace-chan and the ladies can't use magic, so here's a paintbrush~" Cater said as he got them to the bushes.

"Ch-change the colors with magic, you mean...?" Deuce said.

"I haven't done anything like that before, yanno." Grim said nervously.

"I can already handle all of that if you would like." Laura said as she waved her hand over the flowers.

And all the roses were all changed from white to red to the others amazement.

"Wow Laura! You have magic too?~" Cater asked.

"No, just myself and Minerva." Laura clarified.

"Why can't the roses stay white? They're pretty enough." Ace wondered.

"This is all part of our dorm's tradition. The roses for the Unbirthday Party should be red! And it's been decided that the bat for the croquet match is a 7-colored flamingo, and the balls will be hedgehogs. Oh, but for the flower concert during spring, the roses should be white. This is all important, so remember them~" Cater said as simple as that.

"Nothing but weird rules!" Grim said.

"I agree, it seems that there are too many rules to keep up with." Anisha pointed.

"Well, those are rules decided by the Queen of Hearts, one of the Great Seven, after all. Riddle-kun's a pretty straight-laced Prefect who protects the Queen's rules to a T, got it~? Well, I do admit he goes overboard sometimes..." Cater said as he trailed off.

"Wait, what time is it? Oh man! We only have 20 minutes before class starts! We're gonna be late if we stay here!" Deuce said as the group realized they lost track of time.

"Well, guess you can apologize to Riddle later Acey. By the way. Have you brought some tarts to make up for what you took~?

"Eh? I came straight here, so I got nothing..." Ace admitted.

"Oh, man~ Izzat so? Then, since Rule #53 of the Queen of Hearts states that "You have to replace things that you stole." Till then, I can't let you back in the dorm." Cater expressed with fake sadness.

"Huh?! What the heck?!"

" You have to follow the rules if you're staying in this dorm. I really wish I could help, I do but, If I let it slide, then it's off with my head, too~" Cater explained.

"Guys we have to get to class or we'll be late. We'll deal with this after school's over." Stella said as she dragged the boys away and Laura used her teleportation to get them there in time.

--------------------------------------

" Yeah! It's finally lunch time~~~!!! I see a lotta delicious stuff already~!" Grim said as he looked at the spread of food in the cafeteria.

'It's kinda high-class seeing a buffet here...Then again dad's parties were over the top too.' Becky thought.

" A fluffy omelet! Grilled chicken and a bacon & egg tart!!!!!!!!" Grim said greedily as he looked at all the food. 

"You're too loud! You're pretty energetic even at lunch time, huh!" Ace commented at Grim.

"For someone who's tired during class, you're hopping when it's time to eat." The girls looked at Grim as Justine gathered a plate for her and one for Grim.

As she was about to reach for the treacle tart, another hand bumped into hers.

"Hey! That was gonna be mine you shrimp!" A random Savanaclaw student said. Next to him was a student from Scarabia, and he noticed who the Savanaclaw student yelled at.

"(Whispering) Hush! Do you know who that is?!?"

"Why should I?!"

"(Whispering) You should! That's the new Ramshackle students!"

The Savanaclaw student took the hint once he got a good look at her. Then at Kate. The display of muscles on her arms were enough to make him blush and turn the other way.

"T-tch! I didn't really need anything sweet anyway." As the Savanaclaw walked off with what he had as the Scarabia student quickly gave an apology bow and walked off.

"Heh! All bark and no bite! Serves them right!" Grim commented.

"No. They probably didn't want to test their luck against us." Kate stated.

"In any case, let's just eat some lunch. I missed breakfast and I'm about to pass out, man." Ace said changing the subject.

"I agree! I'm digging in~! Oh! This is so good! The omelet is so fluffy, and the cheese is so melty~!" Grim gleefully said as he ate. "(munching) By the by, I saw you guys' dorm a while ago, but what do the other dorms look like?"

"You've seen the statues of the Great Seven by Main Street, right? This school has seven dorms based off of them." Cater said as he popped out of nowhere, surprising the group.

"Ugh! You're the dude from this morning!" Ace said in surprise

"He's the guy who tricked us into painting the roses red!" Grim accused the 3rd year.

"His name is Cater you know." Justine pointed out.

"Aw~ Thank you for remembering Justine!~ I didn't trick you, you know~? It's not like I wanted to do that either. I only did it 'cause it's the Dorm's rules." Cater defended.

"You looked so happy about it though." Deuce pointed out with a frown.

"There, there, Deucey~ The rules don't matter outside the dorms so, Cate here is just your very gentle senior~" Cater said cheerfully.

"P-please stop calling me that, senpai!" Deuce said embarrassed.

"You just love to tease don't you Cater?" Becky asked

"Haha. That's how Cater expresses his affection, you know?" A new voice popped up approaching the group, and the girls turned to see another Heartslabyul student with green hair, glasses and a club mark on his left cheek.

"Wait... Who are you?" Ace asked

"Oops, my bad. My name's Trey, Trey Clover. I'm a Heartslabyul 3rd year alongside Cater." Trey introduced himself and spotted the girls. "And you must be the new students of Ramshackle. I've heard about you from Cater. Sorry for the trouble our dormmates caused you the other day."

"Wha... He's just casually sitting next to me..." Ace said stupefied.

"Come on~ We're in the same school so we should get along~ Give me your number~!" Cater said to the freshmen.

The girls didn't hesitate to exchange numbers with the other boys.

CATER: Ahaha! Sorry, sorry~! So, you guys were asking about the Dorms? Well, we will tell you everything~!

"I wanna know about our Dorm first and foremost. What the heck is that [Rule # something-something of the Queen of Hearts]?" Ace asked, wanting know the deal about the rules.

TREY: I'm sure you're all familiar with the legendary Queen of Hearts, right?

The freshmen nodded their heads at this.

Trey continued; "In order to establish absolute law and order, she made severe rules in order to oppress the eccentric citizens of Wonderland."

"And out of respect for the Queen of Hearts, our Heartslabyul Dorm wear red and black in order to represent the dress she wore. And it's part of our traditions to adhere to the Queen of Hearts' rules." Cater added,

"Really?" Minerva asked, amazed that there are people who would adhere to those rules.

"Adhering to the rules is the present Prefect's whims. The previous one was kinda chill about it~" Cater summarized.

"Compared to the other Prefects, Riddle is just a little bit more serious. That's why he's trying so hard to keep the traditions." Trey explained.

"Ugh... How annoying..." Ace grumbled.

" Hey, what kinda places are the other dorms?" Grim asked as he ate.

"Just like Cater said a while ago, this school has 7 Dorms dedicated to the Great Seven. First, we have our dorm that's grounded on following the Queen of Hearts' Laws with our entire being: Heartslabyul Dorm.

Then, there's...

Savanaclaw that's grounded on the fortitude of the King of Beasts.
After that, we have Octavinelle that was founded on the Sea Witch's benevolence.
And then we have Scarabia that was formed from the careful planning of the Sorcerer of the Desert.
Pomefiore, the house grounded on the magnanimous efforts of the Beautiful Queen.
Then there's Ignihyde whose foundations lie on the perseverance of the King of the Underworld.
Lastly...
We have Diasomnia that was founded on the gracefulness of the Queen of Thorns." Trey explained.

"All of their names are friggin' long! I can't remember all of that!" Grim exclaimed.
"Ahaha! That's completely okay~ You'll remember them even if you don't want to~" Cater laughed.
"When a student is admitted here, the Mirror of Darkness decides what Dorm you'll belong to after looking into your soul. I guess you could say that the dorms really reflect the student's character."

'If that was the case, why are these guys so lax compared to the Queen of Hearts?' Justine wondered.
"That's true with some students here. I totally get it~" Cater said.
"Character...?" Deuce asked
"For example... Look over there."

"Seeing some macho guy with dog ears is kinda a new sight. Is he a werewolf of sorts?" Kate wondered as she made eye contact with the guy, and he looked away with a small blush on his cheeks.

"Judging by appearance, he looks like he's from Savanaclaw." Trey said
"Totes~! They look like a dorm that's got a lot of athletes and guys that're good at scuffles~! They're pretty brawny? Or I guess you could say, they're all pretty buff? Either way, Savanaclaw's colors are yellow and black." Cater said.
"Oh~ Then what about that one with the gray and uh... Light purple on their sleeves?" Becky asked.

"He's from Octavinelle. The two sitting on the table beside him with the dark-red and gold colors are from Scarabia." Trey said.
"It's been said that both are dorms full of smart people. When it comes to written tests, nothing can beat those two. Ah, but Scarabia's Prefect's only so-so when it comes to studying~" Cater informed them.
"Alright, I sense a red flag there." Kate said as she sat up straight.
"You adapt pretty quickly, huh~ Going back to the topic, those bright and sparkling ones over there are from Pomefiore. Their colors are purple and red. They also value beauty above all else according to the Beautiful Queen." Trey said pointing out the two members at another table.

"Ahaha, that's right~ Then, there's Ignihyde, and they wear blue and black, but... I don't see them around anywhere." Cater said looking around. "The students from that dorm are all sorta private, so I don't have friends there either. I guess you could call them the complete opposite of Heartslabyul?" Cater trailed off.
"You mean, they're nonsocial or something?" Stella asked.
"Hey, now! Don't be rude. Though, it's true that they all seem pretty behaved and quiet." Cater said.
"They've got a lot of members who have great magical energy and they're pretty techy, too." Trey added.

"Now I know why Becky's got the most admirers from there." Kate joked as Becky punched her arm in jest.
"Then there's... Diasomnia Dorm, correct?" Anisha asked.

"Right. Diasomnia is... Oh, there. The guys who are sitting by the cafeteria's exclusive tables.
Their colors are light-green and black. They're kinda—How do I put it? Super popular? They've got an aura that makes it hard for us commoners to approach them." Cater explained.

"Oh? They've got a kid with them?" Ace asked.
"Grade-skipping is allowed here, so that's possible. But, he's not a child, he's a 3rd year like us. His name is—" Trey started before being interrupted.
"Lilia is my name. Lilia Vanrouge." the 'child' said out of nowhere, taking everyone but Hazel by surprise.

"H-He teleported here!" Grim said shakingly.
"Pray tell, are thou interested in mine dorm members? Fufufu, it is true that I might resemble a sprightly and endearing young boy. However, just like that man in glasses has said, I am a child no longer." Lilia stated.
"Sprightly..." Trey trailed off...
"Prithee, why not approach us instead of simply watching from afar? Are we not comrades from the same school? (Then he turned to see the girls and Laura and smiled.) It's a plesure to finally meet you ladies . We from Diasomnia will welcome you anytime." Lilia said with sincerity.
The other two didn't say anything, but they did nod at the ladies.
"Those two completely look like they don't want to be bothered though..." Ace whispered to himself.
"Fufu. Pardon me from appearing from above while you dined. We will be taking our leave now." He said before he left. His two friends looking at Laura before giving a bow and leaving.

'... I wish they would stop with the bowing.' Laura thought.

" (whispering) Our seat is practically 20 meters away from theirs, but you're telling me he heard us at that distance...?! Scary...!" Deuce whispered to Minerva earning a shrug.
"W-well... That's how it is. Diasomnia's got a lot of very special students. Their dorm has a lot of members that are pretty gifted. Their Prefect, Malleus Draconia, is said to be one of the five greatest sorcerers of our world." Cater said. "Although, our prefect could be tame in comparison."

"Tame?! He puts a collar on someone just for eating his tart? He's the worst, no doubt!" Ace complained.

"Hm~? I'm the worst?"
"Yeah. Only a tyrant will keep up with those kinda rules. Gimme a break."
"Uh Ace, don't look now but... (points behind him)" Anisha said.
"GEH! Prefect?!" Ace cried out.

"Hey there, Riddle! You look super cute today, too~♪" Cater said cheerfully.
"Hmph. Keep talking like that, Cater, and it will be off with your head, too." Riddle said as he looked at them about to reprimand Ace more.

But then his eyes fall on Justine.

In that moment, he felt something like a warmth on his chest.

While Justine gained a confused look, Riddle's angry face loosened into one of confusion and surprise, and for some reason, as he looked at her chocolate-brown eyes, he felt his cheeks heat up a little. And not from his anger.

"Hello Riddle? You still here~?" Cater asked waving a hand in front of the redhead's face snapping him out of it.

"H-hmph! Y-you don't need to worry about my well-being! Trey. As stated by the Queen of Hearts' Rule #339, "After-meal lemon tea should have nothing more or less than 2 sugar cubes in it."
In order to protect that rule, I shall need to buy more sugar cubes at the school store. I'll be taking my leave now." Riddle said as he rushed out of the cafeteria.

Once he was out of the room, he rushed to the bathroom to see what was wrong with him. His face was red as Justine's face stuck in his mind.

"What is happening to me? She's just a female face and I just met her!"

----------------------------------------------------

"Man, that was scary...~, but I think you saved us Justine~" Cater pointed out.
"His face turned red when he made eye contact with ya." Grim added.
"Do you think he's getting sick?" Deuce asked.

"No. I think it's cause I think he likes her." Becky teased, making Justine red. "S-shut up!"

"Now that I think about it. Most of her admirers are from Heartslabyul, so it shouldn't be a surprise." Minerva pointed out. 

"That's right, I heard that you all had different admirers ladies. Justine's is Heartslabyul, and Kate's got the most attention from Savanaclaw. What about the rest of you?" Trey asked.

"Ignihyde." Becky

"Octavinelle." Anisha

"Pomefiore." Minerva

"Scarabia." Stella

"Diasomina, if you can believe it." Laura earning surprise from the boys.

CATER/TREY: .............

"He managed to become the head one week after getting into the school. He's a little bit sharp-tongued, but he's only got the dorm's best intentions in mind, so he's not really a bad guy." Trey defended.
"People who think like that don't just put collars on others." Anisha pointed out.
CATER/TREY: Ahaha...

"Speaking of, what exactly is a "Unique Magic"?" Grim asked.

"Hm? You mean Riddle's unique magic?" Cater asked.
"Unique... Meaning, it's only exclusive to the Prefect?" Deuce asked.
"Putting aside all the other magic in the world, magic that can only be used by one person is called "unique magic". I think you'll learn about it in detail if you pay attention in class." Trey explained.
"Riddle's unique magic is being able to seal off another person's magic for a given time. It's called..." Cater explained.

RIDDLE: "Off with your head!"

"(shrieks) Even the name's scary!" Grim said in fright.
"Since magicians having their magic sealed off is similar to having your head chopped off~
That's why, as long as you're in this dorm, it's better not to go against Riddle." Cater advised.

"Conversely, as long as you follow the rules, he can be pretty gentle." Trey finished.
"Oh yeah, am I gonna be chased out again if I don't come back with a tart...?" Ace whined.
" Pretty much~ That's what Rule #53 says, after all~ Oh, and since Riddle was looking forward to getting the first slice of that whole cake, he probably won't forgive you if you don't bring the same thing~" Cater said.
"You said you want to get along, but you won't let me off that easily?!" Ace yelled.

"Still, isn't a whole tart a little bit expensive?" Deuce asked.

"Why not make one? It makes it cheaper." Justine advised.

"Thant's a good idea, since those tarts were made by Trey~" Cater said.

"You made all that Trey-senpai?! Amazing! It's better than what they sell here!"
"Haha, thanks. I think I have most of the tools and ingredients here... But I won't simply offer you my services." Trey joked.
"Eh?! You're gonna ask us to pay you!?" Ace yelled.
"Haha, there's no way I can extort money from a junior, you know?" Trey pointed out.
"The next tart that Riddle wants to eat requires a lot of chestnuts. Would you mind gathering some for me?"
"It's troublesome either way...! So, how much do you need?" Ace asked.
"It's going to be used for the Unbirthday Party, so about two to three hundred will do." Trey admitted.
DEUCE/GRIM: That much!?

"We could help out. Justine, Anisha, I know our way around a kitchen and we never had a complaint of any meals. And Deuce, Grim you two are helping as well." Stella said sternly.

"Thanks ladies! You're lifesavers." Ace smiled.

"So, where can we get some chestnuts?" Minerva asked.

"There are a lot of chestnut trees right by the forest behind the school's botanical garden. You can't miss them." Trey said.
"Alright! Then, let's gather in front of the greenhouse after school." Ace said as the others agreed.
GRIM: Go, go~! We're goin' chestnut picking~!

---------------------------------------------------------

First part of the ladies adventures, and Justine makes contact with Riddle.

Plz comment and stay safe!