[LOCATION: School Infirmary]

"I heard that the injured people are all here. Pardon the intrusion!" Grim said.

HEARTSLABYUL STUDENT A: "Who're you guys?"

HEARTSLABYUL STUDENT B: "Oh! They're from Ramshackle Dorm. Remember, they were at the Unbirthday Party?"

"Oh~! Looks like we're plenty famous, with them." Grim smiled.

"Don't let it get to your head, Grim." Chernette booped the cat on his nose. "Boys, do you mind if we ask what exactly happened during your accidents? It's an urgent order."

HEARTSLABYUL STUDENT A: I don't really get what happened either. I was walking while talking with this guy... And before I noticed it, I fell down the stairs.

HEARTSLABYUL STUDENT B: Yeah... It's kinda different from him just tripping or slipping...

HEARTSLABYUL STUDENT A: It's like my body just floated and moved on its own... I can't really explain it well...

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

[LOCATION: Classroom]

The pair's next questioning was a Pomefiore student.

GRIM: "Hey, you got injured the other day, right? Tell us what happened." Grim asked a Pomefiore student.

POMEFIORE STUDENT A: Who in the world are you guys?

POMEFIORE STUDENT B: His feelings are hurt right now because he trained so hard for the Tournament but now he can't even participate!

"I understand, but I was asked by the headmaster himself to investigate this because he suspects foul play since too many students are getting hurt for it to be normal." Chernette said getting their attention. "So, if you could tell us what exactly happened, we'd be grateful."

POMEFIORE STUDENT A: O-of course Prefect. We'll tell you what happened.

POMEFIORE STUDENT B: It happened in the laboratory. The cauldron he was using to prepare some potions suddenly slipped from his hands and it caused an uproar in the classroom!

To top it off, the potion spilled all over that even the desk was so soaked! I was so surprised, goodness...!

POMEFIORE STUDENT A: Are you going to narrate everything!?

"When it happened, did it feel strange, like something took over?" Chernette asked.

Pomefiore Student A: ! Now that you mention it, yes.

"Thank you. Please take care and hope you get better." Chernette nodded.

[LOCATION: Ramshackle Dorm – Foyer]

"Yanno... For some reason, they all just sound like they're clumsy. Maybe we're overthinking the situation, yanno?" Grim wondered. Before Chernette could say anything, there was a knock at the door.

GRIM: "Hm? Who's that?"

It was Ace.

"Heya! Oh, Grim's feeling better?"

"Oh, it's just you. I'm busy right now, so I have no time to play with you." Grim grumbled.

"Busy? You're not done with your homework yet?" Ace asked.

Chernette sighed. "That's not it. You see..."

[LOCATION: Ramshackle Dorm – Lounge]

"Oh... Investigating all those accidents, huh." Ace said shaking his head.

"But while we were asking them questions, all I could think of was that they were being clumsy or they weren't paying attention." Grim said.

But then Deuce ran through the door, all in a panic.

"Ace, there's a problem! Clover-senpai fell down the stairs and was injured...!" Deuce said out of breath.

GRIM & ACE: "Eh!?"

"Even that lanky glasses Trey was hurt!?" Grim shouted in disbelief.

"It's hard to imagine him being careless." Chernette countered.

"True... Trey-senpai doesn't give off that vibe..." Ace said.

"Let's go ask him what happened!" Grim insisted.

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

[LOCATION: Trey's Room]

"Pardon the intrusion." Ace announced as the group came into the room

"Clover-senpai, are you okay?" Deuce asked looking worried.

"Hey, Glasses! We came here to check on you!" Grim stated.

"Oh, it's the A-Deuce combi~ You even brought Grim and Chernette-chan with you~" Cater said.

"Hello~ Wait, what's with the "A-Deuce" thing, Cater-senpai?" Ace asked.

"Eh? You both have "-ce" at the end of your names, so I just combined them~"

"Please call us by our complete names!" Deuce asked.

"More importantly, what exactly happened to Trey-senpai?" Ace interjected.

"Ah, I missed a step on the stairs. I tried to be cautious during the fall, but my right leg ended up getting the worse of it. It's nothing too serious, but I'll have to be in crutches for a while." Trey explained.

"Eh-!? Isn't that kind of bad?" Deuce exclaimed.

"It looks like I won't be able to participate in this year's Magift Tournament." Trey sighed.

"I thought of letting it slide if it was just a small injury, but... Here, have some canned tuna as a get-well present." Grim said holding out some canned tuna. "Get better soon, 'kay, Glasses?"

"Haha, thank you."

"Geez, give me a break. It's already tough without our star player Trey, and now we've gotta re-do the player selection." Cater lamented.

DEUCE & ACE: "Oh!? Player selection!?"

(knocking on door)

"Really, now. What are you all doing gathered in an injured person's room?" The redhead asked.

Ah-!! It's the irritable Riddle!" Grim said.

"Irritable, you say? I won't get mad if you don't break the rules." Riddle raised an eyebrow before turning to Chernette.

"Sorry, but we heard about Trey and came over as quickly as possible." Celeste told her friend, earning a nod.

"Thank you for your concern Chernette." Riddle said with a smile and turned to Trey.  "Trey, how's your condition? Is there something you want to drink or eat?"

"You don't have to be so worried. I told you, I'm feeling okay."

"But... You got injured because of me and..." Riddle said sadly.

"What do you mean?" Ace wondered.

"I had to go to the 3rd years' classroom because I had business with them. But then..." As Riddle recalled what happened.

---Flashback----

[LOCATION: Stairway]

RIDDLE: "I'll be a little late, but go on ahead and practice for the Magical Shift Tournament." Riddle told Trey as he was departing, but then...

RIDDLE: " Wh-whoa-!!"

TREY: "Riddle, watch out!"

----End Flashback---

"He covered for me when I fell down the stairs and he got injured himself..." Riddle finished.

"I think you'll have been able to break your fall, you know? I covered for you on my own, so don't worry about it." Trey smiled.

"Still..."

ACE: "(whispering) Cher, this is like..."

"I know." She nodded.

"Come on, Riddle-kun~ No need to be so gloomy!" Cater said trying to lighten up the mood. "I feel bad about Trey-kun's injury, but we just have to do his best in his place~"

"Y-yeah, you're right."

"Come on, let's give the injured person a chance to rest. Disperse, disperse~" Cater said having the group leave.

[LOCATION: Heartslabyul Dorm - Lounge]

"So, Cater. There's something you couldn't say in front of Trey, isn't there?" Riddle asked getting to the point.

"As expected. You're quick on the uptake, Riddle-kun~" then he turned to Chernette. "You know something about why Trey-kun got injured, don't you, Chernette-chan?"

"Exactly. You see.." The female student began to explain.

[LOCATION: Heartslabyul Dorm - Lounge]

"I see... The Headmaster asked that from you, huh..." Riddle thought.

"See? I knew that Grimmy won't be visiting without a reason." Cater smiled.

"Actually, I thought that something was amiss, too, so I asked Cater to gather some information."

"And then we found out that the only targeted people are the top players like Riddle-kun or Trey-kun." Cater said seriously, Chernette nodding at that.

"It is true that I hadn't slipped nor had someone pushed me from behind that day. However... I don't know how to explain it, but it felt like my body just moved around on its own." Riddle explained.

"The other guys who got hurt said the same thing, too." Chernette added.

"I think it would be a good idea to narrow our list down to the tournament players." Riddle suggested.

"You mean to say that they're injuring strong players so that they'll have fewer rivals for the Magical Shift Tournament?" Ace wondered.

"It's a competition that will be viewed worldwide. The tournament is connected to a guaranteed way to secure one's future, so it's not unthinkable that people will use any means necessary to win." Riddle explained.

CATER: Hm... Still, it's very strange. It's not like you were pushed by some kind of wind magic, right?"

RIDDLE: I didn't feel any sort of impact at all."

CATER: It seems like there were some who got injured during lessons, too. I wonder what's going on..."

"We'll have to find a way to expose the culprit ourselves." Chernette said gaining a frown.

"I think that we need to take the initiative if we're ever to catch the culprit." Riddle stated.

" What do you have in mind, then?" Grim asked.

"For example, let's try to guess who will be the next victim so we can secretly be their bodyguard. We'll be able to secure the student's safety should an accident occur. At the same time, we'll be able to scope the vicinity for anyone suspicious." Riddle suggested.

"A student likely to be targeted? Like who?" Celeste asked.

"Actually, we already have plenty of ideas as to who can be potential targets among the students~ I'll share the info via group chat, so go check the group album out, 'kay?" Cater said.

"Diamond-senpai... This is some great information..." Deuce smiled in appreciation.

"Of course~♪ Alright, shall we go check up on the potential targets~?" Cater asked.

"In addition, we should narrow down possible suspects meaning whole dorms. The one behind this wouldn't want to risk getting their own dorm mates injured which means less of a chance of winning." Chernette said.

"That's a good point. Riddle was obviously targeted too. Ramshackle isn't participating because of the lack of players." Deuce said.

"A Pomefiore student was targeted too, so we can cross them off." Grim said.

"I highly doubt those of Ignihyde are interested in the tournament in general. In addition, I don't think those of Diasomnia would stoop to something like this. They seem too high profile and they have already won twice in a row from what I heard. They probably would only attack if provoked first. That would leave Scarabia, Octavinelle, and Savanaclaw since Crowley told me no one from those dorms have been struck yet." Chernette concluded.

"So, the culprits could be one of those three dorms? Just have to keep reading the patterns." Ace stated as everyone nodded.

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

[LOCATION: Pomefiore Dorm – Lounge]

Naturally, their first stop was at Pomefiore which was a whole new level of 'fancy' in Chernette's opinion.

"Whoa. This place brings a whole new meaning to 'fancy'." Chernette 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 brown 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."

"Oh... Is he the one sitting over there?" Deuce pointed out.

ACE: Uwah...! They all look like they're sparkling...!" Ace exclaimed.

Chernette could hear them in some conversation, mostly discussing the game and yet their own beauty at the same time. She also noticed the one with the soft lavender hair who seemed to be uncomfortable with what he was doing.

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. But they say looks are deceiving. 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. People say that their strongest point is their coordinated playing. And that anyone who plays against them are always at a loss." Cater pointed out.

Celeste looked at the pair and she couldn't help but feel that their auras screamed mischief, yet they had this charisma that was just as loud.

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

"That's cause their twins. It's common knowledge." Chernette sighed.

"And uh... They're so tall that other students around them look super tiny..." Ace shook.

"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 Chernette.

"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 mischievous 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.

JADE: "We simply cannot let spies go, can we? Can we hear in detail the reasons why you were observing us?" Then he saw Chernette. "Oh! You are the new Ramshackle prefect. I don't think we had the chance to meet. I'm Jade Leech of Octavinelle." Jade said with a smile.

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

But Riddle intervened and took Chernette away from them with an angry look on his face.

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

"I heard they are on good terms now, but I didn't know he's so close to her already~~~" Floyd slyly said.

"They look so zen, but their 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!

The group ran until they were out of the twins' sight.

"Ah, they ran away~ 

"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."

"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.

"Yeah, I think that would take Octavinelle off the list of suspects." Chernette 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 almost 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 Chernette 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." Chernette said making him blush.

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

"Haha! He's definitely wrapped around your finger, Cher-chan." Cater teased.

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

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

stay safe everyone!