[LOCATION: Pomefiore Dorm – Lounge]

"Whoa. This place is super-fancy compared to Heartslabyul. No offense." Justine said.

"None taken." Riddle smirked.

CATER: First up, we've got Pomefiore Dorm. After checking my info, I think we should pay the most attention to the 3rd year Rook Hunt. He has Golden bobbed hair and a hat as his trademarks." Cater stated.
Riddle added his input. "Rook-senpai is a very capable player from what I've heard. He also has a hobby of going into the forest to hunt as well."
DEUCE: Oh... Is he the one sitting over there?" Deuce pointed out.
ACE: Uwah...! They all look like they're sparkling...!" Ace exclaimed.

The girls could hear them in some conversation, mostly discussing the game and yet their own beauty at the same time. They never understood the purpose of make-up anyway, mostly because it would get messed up during a fight.

ROOK: Non, non, little Epel. Holding the tea cup without your pinky sticking out is not elegant at all, dear.
EPEL: Ah, yes... I'm so sorry.
VIL: I'm so very concerned about what to do for our tournament make-up.
Aren't you curious about the new foundation from Felicite Cosmetics?
ROOK: Hahaha! Oh, lovely Vil, our Rois de Poisson! Your brilliance is not determined simply by the quality of cosmetics, is it?
VIL: I know that, dear. However, we have to be prepared if we aim to rank higher, don't we?
ROOK: That initiative of yours, I like it! How truly marvelous!

Grim sweatdropped at this "Hm... He totally doesn't look like he'd be strong though. If I were the culprit, I won't target that dude."
"Then let's go check the others out~" Cater said as they left undetected.

[LOCATION: Courtyard]

"Next up's Octavinelle Dorm. The ones to pay attention to are those 2nd years, Jade and Floyd Leech. My info says that their strongest point is their coordinated playing. I've heard that anyone who plays against them are always at a loss." Cater pointed out

The girls looked at the pair and she couldn't help but feel that she saw a dark-yet-still-mischievous version of the Weasley Twins from the 'Harry Potter' series.

"Uwah...! They both have the same face." Grim said surprised.

"That's cause their twins, genius." Kate sighed.
"And uh... They're so tall that the students around them look super tiny..." Ace shook. "Well, except maybe Kate. She's the tallest female on campus."

"They look lanky, but those legs are probably no joke." Grim grimaced.
"Should we keep an eye out for them, then? They look like they could be behind everything." Deuce suggested.
"Hm... If I were the culprit, I'll go after them last. Those two are, well... I especially would not want to get too close to Floyd." Riddle shook his head.

FLOYD: Ah~~~~~~ It's Little Goldfish~~~!
"Uff...!! He saw me!" Riddle said. Right as he hid behind Justine.
"Little Goldfish, what are you doing here? Playing hide-and-seek? That sounds like fun~" Floyd said teasingly.
"F-Floyd, how many times have I told you not to call me by such weird nicknames." Riddle said embarrassed.
"I mean, you're small and red, so obviously you're a goldfish~"

"He seems like a strange guy." Grim muttered, but then Floyd directed his attention to him.

"Ah, it's a talking cat! You look interesting~ Hey, hey, can I hold and squish you~?" Floyd said with a mischivious smile making Grim uncomfortable.
"S-strangle me!? Stop it!"
"Oh, my. What is everyone from Heartslabyul doing gathered here?
Are you perhaps observing the enemy for the coming Magical Shift Tournament?" The other twin, Jade asked.
"Um, we actually have a lot of reasons, so uh..." Cater trailed off nervously.
"We simply cannot let spies go, can we? Can we hear in detail the reasons why you were observing us?" Then he saw the ladies with the group. "Oh! You are the new Ramshackle students. I don't think we had the chance to meet ladies. I'm Jade Leech of Octavinelle." Jade said taking one of Anisha's hands and giving it a kiss.

"And I'm Floyd Leech.~ It's our pleasure~~" Floyd said taking Justine's  hand and giving her a wink.

But Riddle intervened and took the spiderling away from them with a angry look on his face.

"Oh, I think we made Riddle angry." Jade joked.

"I didn't know he's so close to her already~~~" Floyd slyly said.
"This guy looks so zen, but his eyes are not laughing at all..." Ace shook.
"We're so sorry for the intrusion!" Cater said signaling that the group should retreat and run.

But the twins followed after them!

DEUCE: Uwah, they're chasing after us!
FLOYD: Hey, wait up~
RIDDLE: As if we'd wait just because you said so! Everybody, retreat!

"I'm on it!" Laura said using her magic to open up a portal to make their getaway.

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

FLOYD: Ah, they ran away~"
JADE: Fufufu, what a fun game of tag that was.Oh, my. Floyd, it is about time we returned to help out with the Lounge. Let us play with them more next time."
FLOYD: Okay~"

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

[LOCATION: Main Street]

Grim had let out a breath once they were gone. "That was scary... What's up with those guys?"
"Don't ask me. Those two have always been so difficult to grasp that I can't really understand them." Riddle said exasperated.
"Those two seem like they'll target you for revenge if you hurt them." Cater added.
"I probably won't go after them, then..." Ace said.
"Alright, the sun's setting so the next one's our last observation for real. It's Savanaclaw's Jack Howl. He's a 1st year. He's pretty athletic and there's a rumor that he got a flurry of invitations from various athletic clubs already." Cater commented.
"He might be back in the dorm around this time, huh." The bluenette said.
"Oh, it's already 5 PM. According to Rule #346 of the Queen of Hearts, "One must not stay and play croquet in the gardens past 5 PM."" Riddle said as he looked at his watch.
"I'll return to the dorm for now. If I take my eyes off them, there will surely be people breaking the rules."
"I thought you'd gone soft, but you're still the same as always, yanno?" Grim said before Kate tapped him on the head.
"!!! I-I think I'm being a little bit lenient on the rules lately, though..." Riddle pouted.

"Well either way, we'll let you know what we find later Riddle." Justine said as she kissed his forehead making him blush.

"A-alright." Riddle quickly said as he quickly left.

"Haha! He's definitely wrapped around your finger, Justine-chan. But, you didn't tell us you two are together already~" Cater feigned fake sadness.

"Well, I do like him after all. Either way, there's one last dorm for us to check." Justine said.

"Okay, let's head to Savanaclaw's Dorm." Ace said getting the point.

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

"Whoa... So this is Savanaclaw's Dorm?" Minerva looked at a place that looked like a rugged wilderness.
"Their dorm looks like it's made from really scraggy rocks! Hey, what do you think those bones are from?" Grim asked.
"The atmosphere's completely different from ours." Ace said looking at the place.
"Ain't it~? It feels completely rough, doesn't it? I guess it's got a wild image in general~" Cater laughed.
"So... Jack, was it? What kinda guy is he?" Becky asked.
"He's tanned and got silver hair. It seems like wolf ears and a tufty tail are his trademarks." Cater said.
"A tufty tail...? Ah, maybe that guy? The one jogging by himself over there." Grim pointed to a guy with those characteristics.

"Bingo! Good eye, Grimmy! Right on the mark. That's him, alright~"
"First the tall twins, and now we've got another dude who's so macho!?" Ace wondered.
"That's the reason why he's being scouted by so many sports clubs." Cater informed the group.
"Someone with his build will probably do well with any martial arts." Deuce said, and the girls quietly thought his build would make him a good recruit for S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Let's go and talk to him, then. He should at least know what's going on." Becky suggested.

GRIM: "Hey, you. Spiky-head!
JACK: "Hah?
GRIM: "You might get targeted by some bad guys, so we're here to protect ya! That makes you happy, doesn't it?
JACK: "Who the hell are you? Don't get in the way.

ACE: "Ah-ah~"
CATER: "There's definitely a big problem with your communication skills, Grimmy!"
GRIM: "(muffled voice)
CATER: "Sorry about that~ Can you listen to what we have to say for a bit?"
JACK: "Who the hell are you guys? You're saying you're going to protect me?"
DEUCE: "Actually, there's been a lot of accidents at school involving the Magical Shift players."
ACE: "And we're searching for the bad guy behind it."
JACK: "And what's that got to do with me?"
"To put it simply, we're looking at potential targets in hopes of finding the culprit. And we were informed you could be in danger as well." Hazel clarified.
CATER: "How 'bout it? Will you cooperate with us for a bit~?"
JACK: ".........I refuse. I can do something about it on my own. I don't need your protection.

"No offense, but there could be a chance it would happen to you, and you may not be as lucky as some of the other victims." Stella pointed out with a steely glare, having seen her dad deal with stubborn people before. Jack could tell that was a glare that a leader, an alpha would give. This new prefect he heard about was more than meets the eye since he heard these ladies developed a kinship with the Heartslabyul dorm.

".... I see....But, I believe I don't need it. Plus...I probably... won't even be targeted. See you." He said before jogging off.

CATER: Ah, he left...
GRIM: He seems blunt and gives me bad vibes, yanno?
ACE: Anyone'll get annoyed with how you talk to them.
GRIM: Ugh! Humans are so nitpicky about so many things!

SAVANACLAW STUDENT A: "Hey, what're you guys doing over there?
SAVANACLAW STUDENT B: "Ah, they're from Heartslabyul, man.
SAVANACLAW STUDENT C: "Hehehe! They're followers of that Red Spoiled Brat.
SAVANACLAW STUDENT A: "Don't think you'll get home in one piece after stepping in our territory.
"This pattern is..." Deuce thought back to the twins.
"Ah, we're going back! Sorry for disturbing you~!" Ace said quickly.

SAVANACLAW STUDENT B: Aw, come on. Play with us a bit!

Savanaclaw Student A: Hey wait. That's the new female students with them!

Savanaclaw Student B: Ya mean the ones from Ramshackle?! I hear their strong! Especially the green-haired girl!
SAVANACLAW STUDENT C: Hehehe! Finally, someone worthwhile to fight! Hey, doll, let us see if ya live up to your rep!

Kate never liked being called 'doll' or anything like that. It made her feel like an object for a man, and she wasn't! She was ready to give them a good beating when...

"Stop it." a deeper voice said.

It was the same man Kate and Grim met in the garden!

SAVANACLAW STUDENT A: Prefect Leona!
SAVANACLAW STUDENT B: These guys were trespassing on our turf. And they brought the new girls here too!
SAVANACLAW STUDENT C: Let's make them pay for it, hehehe!
Leona looked over the group and noticed Kate. He smirked as he walked over to the tall girl in the group.
"Ah, now that I look at you closely. You're the Omnivore that stepped on my tail in the greenhouse the other day." Leona said as he was face to face with Kate, and she didn't even step down from his gaze. He was getting intrigued at her backbone.
SAVANACLAW STUDENT A: What?! She stepped on your tail, Prefect?!
SAVANACLAW STUDENT B: Unforgivable!

"I already apologized, and I recalled you also made me uncomfortable since you invaded my personal space that time." Kate pointed out.

SAVANACLAW STUDENT A: We don't need yer sorry here!
RUGGIE: Ah, I see. I thought I'd seen you before... So that was you guys, huh.

SAVANACLAW STUDENT B: Leona-san, Ruggie-san, let's knock 'em out!

"Stop yapping, you idiots. We'll be disqualified from playing in the tournament if you get in a fight. Do you want that to happen? Sides, Ramshackle are acting as refs, and giving them harm will give us trouble." Leona pointed out.
SAVANACLAW STUDENT C: Are you saying we should let such tasty prey go, sir?!
"No one said anything like that. Let's treat them to some Magical Shift then." Leona smirked.
SAVANACLAW STUDENT A: With Magift?
"Using magic all we want during a practice match isn't against the rules. Plus, it will give us a warmup for the tournament." Leona stated.
"Shishishishishi~ You're such a bully, Leona-san~ These wimps won't last one game, y'know?" Ruggie smirked.

GRIM: "We won't back down after hearing that, yanno!"
("sighs) It looks like we can't go back if we refuse." Deuce grimaced.
"Alright, let's settle this, then. Cater-senpai, don't forget to watch us, got it~" Ace asked, full of confidence.
"Eh, for real~ You leave me no choice~" Cater said before turning to the girls. "Watch from somewhere safe, ladies. Tell us if the other team's about to do something strange~"

[LOCATION: Savanaclaw Dorm – Magift Stadium]

Though the Heartslabyul boys did their best, the Savanaclaw boys left them in the dust.

GRIM: (panting)
ACE: (panting) No way... We couldn't even score a point...
DEUCE: What an impenetrable formation...
CATER: (sighs) Leona-kun's always been a formidable player. We can't win against him with these members...

LEONA: "Hey, what's wrong? Already giving up?"
RUGGIE: "Shishishishi! What happened to your attitude from a while ago?"
"Hey, herbivores. Stand up. Let's play one more game."

"Hey! If you would like to have someone to challenge, it'll be me." Kate interjected gaining the attention, but she didn't care. She was getting tired of the lion's attitude. If there was one thing she couldn't stand, it was bullies who think they're all that.

Savanaclaw student A: Oh? Do you know how to play?

"I've been training my friends for a while and I quickly learned the steps."

"Normally, I wouldn't challenge a woman concerning the circumstances, but you just said something interesting." Leona rumbled with a smirk. "How bout you against me and Ruggie then... Dollface?"

"Accepted."

"Give it to them, Kate!" Justine cheered along with the other girls.

At the end of the short game, to Savanaclaw's surprise, Kate was the winner. She kept using her brand of muscle to overpower her two opponents. The disk was also thrown so hard it went though part of a building on the grounds. Another shocker for the Savanaclaw students was when Kate did a mighty clap against the lion and hyena and it actually blew them away.

"H-how was she able to beat us? I didn't know she was so strong!" Ruggie panted. And he wasn't wrong. He felt like she heavted him over her shoulder a couple of times like he was a bag of flour.

"Just because I have no magic, doesn't mean that I'm powerless. And I know how to use it." Kate pointed out, flexing her bare arm, showing her muscle.

Leona was about to say something when...

"What are you all doing?" It was Jack Howl.
"Hah? We were just playing around with people who trespassed on our turf." Leona said after regaining his breath and deciding on something as he had seen Kate maneuvering around him and Ruggie single-handedly.
"What's so fun about bullying helpless people?" Jack asked with a frown.

"What~? Look at you playing the cool hero of justice, Jack-kun~ Shishishishi!" Ruggie laughed.
"I was just saying that I can't stand looking at this any longer." Jack said simply.
"... Hah, listen to yourself." Leona spoke.

SAVANACLAW STUDENT A: Hey, Jack! Stop being snarky, ya 1st year brat!
"Look who's talking. Is this something an upperclassman would do?" Jack countered.
SAVANACLAW STUDENT C: What'd you say!? Ya wanna end up like them, huh!?
"Hah, you sure have guts, you 1st year brat." Leona had snarked, making the girls frown. 

Then Leona looked at Kate again and noticed the glare that meant business, and he had to hide the faintest smirk behind his frown.
"Forget it. I'm bored already. There's no meaning with fighting against you." Leona then walked over to Hazel. "However, Banner. You're more than welcome to visit anytime you want." Leona rumbled, making his underclassmen look at him in confusion. "Let's go, Ruggie." He said as he left.
"Yessir~"
SAVANACLAW STUDENT B: We won't letcha off easily the next time you come here.

"Well, at least Kate got the better of those two." Cater laughed a little.

"Jack, was it? Thanks for the help." Deuce said
"No need. I didn't really come here to help you." Jack said, but the girls could see right through the wolf, he was a tsundere, now that they thought about it.
"Ah, I'm so dirty. Let's go back to the dorm now." Ace remarked.
"I'm getting hungry, too." Grim complained.
"Alright, Jack-kun, we're going back now, but be careful not to get hurt, okay?" Cater advised.
"I said I don't need your concern. Hurry up and go." The wolf gruffed.

"Alright we will. Stay safe, ok Jack? And good luck in the tournament!" Minerva said as they left.
JACK: .............

Back in his room, Leona layed on his bed. And his mind drifted off to a certain green-haired woman. She was as fierce as the women in the Afterglow Savanna, probably even more.

She was like an actual lioness. It would be interesting to have her as a partner, and he knew that a number of students on campus did things like ask her out on dates, fight with her to see her strength, and he felt like he only saw the tip of the iceberg.

He frowned. Even if he would win, there may not be a chance she'd be interested.

But, this time, he more determined than ever.

Night Raven College better be prepared.

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

Here's another part for all of you. and Kate's gotten Leona's attention now!

Plz comment and stay safe!