[LOCATION: Woods Behind Campus]

"Whoa! There really are a lotta chestnuts here! If we have this much, then it's all-you-can-eat marron tarts for us! Gehehe..." Grim chuckled as he started to walk without taking a certain thing into account. "Let's hurry and—Ouch!! Gah! The chestnut's thorns dug into my pawpads!"

"That's because chestnuts are prickly, so that other animals can't eat them." Becky told the cat.
"Looks like it'll be impossible to pick them up with bare hands. I would also like to have a bucket to place them all in, too." Deuce said looking around for a bucket.
"Maybe we can find those things in the botanical garden?" Ace asked.
"Good idea." Deuce added as they walked over to the garden.

"Whoa! It looks bigger on the inside." Ace remarked.
"We should be able to find the necessary tools here. Should we split up and look?" Deuce asked.

"Sure, Grim, Justine, Kate, and I will check the inner gardens." Laura volunteered.
"I'll go right with Minerva and Becky, then." Ace decided.
"I'll check west with Anisha and Stella ." Deuce finished as they went their own ways.

"Hey, come look at this. It looks like there're tonsa fruits here! They smell so good!" Grim expressed gleefully.

"These are all plants I've never seen before." Kate said as she looked around, but she wasn't looking where she was going.

???: Ow–!

'Wha? Did I step on something?' Kate thought as she looked down

???: Hey. You've got guts stepping on someone's tail without apologizing.
"Are you the guy tending to this place? Wow, you've got quite a scary mug..." Grim asked the new individual.
???: "I went here thinking I can have a peaceful nap, but then my tail gets stepped on. This's the worst." He grumbled, ignoring Grim.

"I'm so sorry!" 'But It's your fault for letting your tail stick out on the path.' She thought.

???: You... you're one of the new girls everyone's talkin about." He said as he leaned in and...(sniffs Kate)

'H-he's... sniffing me?' Kate thought in surprise and confusion.

'Urk... I don't know how to explain, but his glares are sending chills down my spine!' Grim thought as he shivered.

???: You think I'm gonna let you off scot free after you just stepped on the great Leona's tail? 'Leona' smirked as he pulled Kate close to him, his breath ghosting on her ear.

"I can't describe it but even though you have an appearace not suited for a villain, your scent says other wise."

As he snaked an arm around her waist, and Kate's face heated up.

"A mix of earthy grass and sun, and yet there's also something I can't identify. Nothing I've ever come across, omnivore."

"I already said I was sorry!" Kate said.

"I will need more than an apology to tie me over." Leona said using his other hand to caress her neck, licking his lips.

Kate flinched at this and closed her eyes as his face came closer.

.....But nothing happened.

"Heh, but maybe not now. Next time, be on your guard, omnivore." Leona smirked as he stalked off. 

"Gah!! That was nerve-wracking...! What's with that beastly attendant?!" Grim wondered with a look on his face.

"I don't think he tends to this place...He was kinda like a lion, though." 'And he seemed like the lazy, laid-back type that doesn't like being woken up.' Kate thought.

"Hey! We found a basket and some tongs here!" Ace said showing up with Deuce and the other girls.
"Did something happen to you guys?" The Spade boy asked.
" Oh, that's right! Chestnut picking! We won't be able to eat some tarts if we don't bring some back!" Grim said before he started telling them about the 'scary attendant'.

[LOCATION: Woods Behind Campus]

"That dude's definitely not an attendant." Ace pointed out.
"Now that I think about it, he was wearing a yellow vest. Maybe he's from the Mackerel Dorm?' Grim guessed wrongly, making the girls giggle.

"No, it's Savanaclaw, Grim. He also had the animal traits that a lot of the students there. He was a lot like a lion though." Kate said.
"Though it sounded that he was interested in you-wait. Did you say 'lion'?" Deuce asked. Kate nodded at that.

"That was probably Kingscholar. I heard he's the prefect of Savanaclaw, but he doesn't seem to act like it." Deuce said.
"Alright! We picked up a lot so this should be good! Let's go back to Trey-senpai!" Ace said changing the subject, probably because of the collar.
"Nyaha! I can practically taste the tart already~!" Grim laughed.

----Heartslabyul kitchen---------

"Welcome back. I see you've picked a bunch." Trey greeted them as he put an apron on.
"You can make a gigantic tart with these!"
"Though, you'll end up doing more work, but... Do your best." Trey said rolling up his sleeves.
"All of this, huh... I feel like we'll be here for a long time." Deuce sagged his shoulders.
"Preparing beforehand is necessary when making dessert." Trey pointed out.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Let's just get it over with!!" Ace said , really eager to get the collar off.

"I could handle this if you would like," Laura said as she  got to work having the chestnuts floating in the air and having them peel themselves all at once as the boys looked on in amazement. Cater was even recording this with his phone.

"Wow! Making these tarts will take no time at all at this rate!"

"Hehe~! Everything will be a breeze with her!"
"Alright, next up's straining them." Trey said getting ready to put the strainer out.
"There's still more!?" Ace yelled.

"Cooking isn't that easy you know. Besides, I only cut down some work with the chestnuts for you. The rest can be done by hand."  Laura reminded them.

"Haha. Well said. Even if you used your magic Strange, I'm sure that your hard work will all be worth it." Trey smiled.
"I'm getting hungry just by the smell, yanno~" The cat sighed.
"The marron base uses butter and sugar. And then, I also added some oyster sauce as a secret ingredient." Trey said catching the group by surprise.
ACE/DEUCE: Oyster sauce?!
"Exactly. The savory flavor of the chestnuts gives the cream a rich flavor. And then, to make it better, I use this "Walrus-brand young oyster sauce." There's no famous pâtissière who doesn't use this for their tarts, you know?" He said, but the girls had a feeling that this was a bluff.
"Really...? It's a pretty salty sauce, isn't it?" The Spade boy asked making a face.
"You know how they put chocolate in curry, too? It kinda makes sense..." Ace shrugged.
"(laughs) I was just joking! There's no way I'd put oyster sauce in a dessert, you know?" The green hair laughed.

"What the heck!? Are you making fun of us!?" Ace yelled.
"Haha! It's obviously impossible if you think about it a little~" Trey teased the two freshman. "The moral lesson here is that you shouldn't believe anything you're told. Learn to doubt a bit, okay~?" Trey said teasingly.

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

"Next is the fresh cream—Ah!" Trey said in surprise.
"What's wrong?" Ace asked.
"I got carried away with the chestnuts you picked that I went overboard with making the marron base. We're a little short on fresh cream." The 3rd year frowned.
" I'll go buy some. Do they sell it in the school store?" Deuce volunteered
"That shop sells pretty much anything, so I'm sure it should be there. Can I also ask you to buy some other stuff while you're at it? Two packs of milk, two cartons of eggs, silicon cups, and five canned fruits..." Trey listed.
"I don't think I can carry all of that alone... ladies, can one or two of you come with me?"

"Sure. I've haven't had a chance to visit the school store yet." Minerva said taking off her apron along with Justine.

"I'm going, too! I don't wanna mix more dough!" Grim followed after them.

[LOCATION: Mr. S's Mystery Shop]

"Pardon us! Whoa, what an amazing shop... Crystal skulls, magical texts, and... wh-what sort of animal is this...?" Deuce asked as he looked around the store.

The two girls were amazed by some of this stuff, it was unique from all the other stores they knew.
"Wah~ Can we really find some fresh cream here?" Grim wondered as well.
SHOP CLERK (SAM): "Hey! Little lost lambs, what can I help you with?" He said surprising the group. The girls guessed that he was Mr. Sam.
"Welcome to Mr. S's Mystery Shop. What is it that you wish for today? A charm against cheating? An ancient king's mirror? Or maybe, some cursed tarot cards?" He asked.
"Wha–!? You startled me!" Grim said.

"Um... hello sir. We would like to buy the things written on this note." Justine gave him the list.

"Of course ladies! What do we have here~? Fresh cream and eggs... Oh, my! What a pretty sweet line-up~
OK! I shall bring them out now." Sam said as he gathered the ingredients.

---------

"Here, thank you for the wait. It is rather heavy, so are you sure you can carry them all?
If you act now, I can throw in a special bag to carry all of those things for 30% off of its original price~!" Sam offered.
"What did you say? Hey, that sounds interesting~!"The cat said interested.
But that made Deuce panic, grabbing the girls and Grim. "W-we'll have to decline! Let's go, Grim!"
"But why?! I wanna play more~!"
"OK, OK! Then, I shall be waiting for your return, lost little lambs! Bye~! And thank you for stopping by!

[LOCATION: Main Street]

"That was a very amazing shop, in a way..." Deuce trailed off.
"Boo, you're so stingy, Deuce." The magic cat teased the boy.
"Who are you calling stingy?!" He said before recollecting himself. "(clears throat)Ladies, the bag with the canned fruits is heavy, isn't it? I'll hold it for you. I'm experienced with carrying heavy loads."

" You're used to shopping, aren't you?" Justine asked her fellow freshman as Grim took a place on her shoulder.

"Yeah, Mother always takes me with her during timed sales. She buys a lot, so I end up helping her with the bags. I'm the only man in the family, so I'm used to helping a lot with hard labor. Ah, I'm sorry... I keep talking about myself." Deuce trailed off.

"It's nice that you would be willing to help your mother out." Minerva said with a smile, but it dropped when she saw Deuce's expression.

"No... That's not true at all. I... Mother was..." Deuce trailed off when someone bumped into him
"Ouch!"
"Ah, the eggs!!" Grim freaked out.
"Damn it! All the eggs in the carton broke! The plastic bag's now reeking with eggs...!" Deuce said as he looked over the bag.

STUDENT A: That hurt! Where the hell're ya lookin' at—Wha—
STUDENT A: You're the guys who ruined my carbonara's soft-boiled egg during lunch today!
STUDENT B: Damn, it's you guys again. Ya better give us a break~

" ............Aren't you the ones at fault for bumping into me? Even during lunch. The egg wasn't really that badly harmed, but you made a huge scene out of it. Our own carton of eggs is totally ruined, though." Deuce countered.
"He's totally right!" Grim agreed.
STUDENT A: The hell? You sayin' it's my fault, then?

"Yes, please pay us back for the eggs. And also, please apologize to the chickens." Deuce said with a frown.
STUDENT B: Hah~? Makin' a ruckus over eggs, are we?

"Maybe not to you but we were gonna use them for tarts meant for Prefect Riddle. I hope you know what that means if he knew what exactly happened here?" Justine said getting the boys' attention, and the two other students tensed up.

"L-ladies!"

"W-we didn't see you there!"

"Maybe, maybe not. But we would appreciate that you boys would get more for us. PLEASE." Minerva said with a stern look and to the surprise of the boys, thunder seemed to exude from her body.

"Yes Ma'am!" The two students scurried off and quickly got the new ingredients and apologized one last time before leaving with a run.

"Yeah, you two better run!" Grim snarked.

Minerva rolled her eyes, but then she looked over at Deuce and noticed he had a frustrated look before shouting. "Ah!!"
"What happened to you!?" Grim asked in shock.

"I-I almost did it again... I promised myself that I'd be a model student for sure this time, and yet...!" Deuce said, looking like he was going to break down.
"Eh?"

"What do you mean Deuce?" Justine asked.
"I wanted to be different from who I was back in middle school... I always skipped classes, and I got into fights every day. I didn't show respect to teachers and I hung out with a bad ilk of seniors. Even my hairstyle was pretty wild back then, too. I fought with anyone who I could fight with...I even used magic even on guys who couldn't use magic. I was an over-all bad person then." Deuce explained.
"It totally doesn't look too obvious now, though. If not, you sure could've fooled me."

"I could understand that from a few moments ago..." Justine trailed off before letting Deuce continue.

"But one night while I was hiding myself from view... I saw my mother cry and talk to my grandmother about it. She was asking her where she went wrong with raising me, and about whether she was a bad parent for how I turned out. But that's not it at all. She's not to blame! Everything's my fault! That's why, when the black carriage from the prestigious Night Raven College came to pick me up, I made sure that I will never take that smile away from my mother again. I made up my mind to become a model student that my mother can be proud of. And yet... Damn it...!" He gripped his hair.

"....But, yanno... Is enduring all of that part of being a model student?" Grim asked.

DEUCE: Eh...?

"Grim's right. You actually are trying to make your mother be proud of you already. When one wants to change for the better, that's when they began to change." Minerva reassured him.

DEUCE: You guys...

"It's not good to bottle up all that stress." Justine added.

" I see... Hehe, the chicks will probably feel at ease now, too, huh?" Deuce smiled.

"Um. I hate to burst your bubble but.....Those eggs aren't fertilized, so they won't hatch into chicks in the first place." Justine dropped onto her classmate.

" Wh-what?!?!?! You've gotta be kidding me!!!!!!" Deuce yelled in dismay.

The girls giggled at his expression, wondering what caused him to think like that.

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

After the tarts were finally finished, Ace and Deuce decided to stay over at Ramshackle again, mainly because of the collar issue. Trey and Cater thanked the girls and Grim for letting the two stay over.

"Just don't take advantage of the ladies you two~" Cater teased.

Ace/Deuce: HEY!!!

-

[LOCATION: Heartslabyul Dorm – Lounge]

When Trey and Cater got to the lounge, they were ambushed by three other students with upset looks on their faces.

" Trey-senpai, Cater-senpai! I'm so glad you're finally back...!" One of them said.

" Did something happen?" Trey asked.

" According to Rule #256 by the Queen of Hearts, "One should not drink lemonade with honey when it's past 8 in the evening." " One student replied.

" Some students disobeyed the rule and the Dorm Head put collars on all of them..." Another of the dorm members sighed.

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

" I don't want to live this kind of life anymore! He keeps enforcing unreasonable rules... I want to transfer to another dorm...! Like Ramshackle! At least Prefect Stella  doesn't give stupid rules!" Another dorm member cried as the others agreed.

"It's going to be okay. I'll go talk with the Prefect. You guys go back to your room." Trey informed his underclassmen

"Then, I'll go make some tea to help calm our queen down." Cater said as he was heading for the kitchen.

"Sorry about this, Cater. Oh yeah, can you make some herb tea instead of red tea? If I remember correctly, Rule #153 states that herb tea is the only one allowed at night..." Trey reminded his fellow senior

"You got it." Cater replied.

Trey went over to Riddle with the herb tea and found him in front of the mirror looking all red from a blush of sorts. He didn't know that Trey was there until he looked up.

"Sorry. Thought you would like some herb tea to calm down." Trey said handing the red-head the cup.

Riddle was silent for a few seconds as he took the cup. Then he spoke.

"Trey. The day after the Unbirthday party, I would like to request an audience with Parker of Ramshackle." Taking Trey by surprise.

"Why is that?"

"...It's something I feel you don't need to know, but I need to ask her something." Riddle said, making it clear he wouldn't say anymore.

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

Here's another part!

Plz comment and stay safe!