Days passed until it finally arrived Friday and the long-awaited Unbirthday Party.

After finishing classes that day, Ace and Deuce went straight to the Heartslabyul dorm to finish painting the remaining roses red for the party. Yuu and Grim returned to Ramschackle to collect the ghost camera.

Upon reaching Heartslabuyl's Rose Labyrinth, which had been arranged and restored to perfection. There they were greeted by Cater.

"Hi, guys! You're early," he said cheerfully.

"Riddle told me that it would be off with the head from anyone coming late, so it's better to be sure."

"Ha, ha! Never said better." Cater laughed. "Well, just like last time, you should wear appropriate clothes for the party, so let me help you out."

He took out his magical pen and transformed Yuu's school uniform into Heartslabyul's dorm uniform and Grim's striped tie into one with the dorm's colors.

"Nyaha!" Exclaimed the little monster from Yuu's shoulder. "I have the cool Heartslabyul bow again!"

"Thanks, Cater," Yuu said as he looked at the change in clothes.

"It was my pleasure! By the way, are you going to take pictures with that camera?" Cater asked him as he pointed to the ghost camera, hanging from Yuu's neck. "I like that vintage style!"

"The headmaster gave it to me when he put me as the prefect," Yuu said as he held the camera. "He told me to take photos of moments with friends and students in Night Raven College."

"Have you already taken pictures with it? How do the images look? It's a shame they can't be uploaded on Magicam..."

"Yes, we did several with Ace and Deuce in Ramschackle, they look pretty good."

"And the images move!" Grim added.

"Yes, sometimes they move."

"Really? I want to see it already!" Cater exclaimed. "Acey and Deucey should be finished with the roses by now, come with me!"

She led them to the party area, where all the dorm students, Deuce and Ace, were.

"Guys, you came on time!" Deuce greeted them.

On the other hand, Ace sighed in exhaustion. "Uugh. Not only did we have to clean and fix the garden, but we also had to prepare the party."

"Come on, come on," Deuce answered calmly. "The important thing is that the dorm leader is okay. By the way, Diamond, we've finished painting the roses."

"Good job, guys!" Cater exclaimed. "The garden looks super photogenic now."

Moments later, one of the students played a fanfare on a trumpet, just like the last time.

"Make way for our great leader!" He announced. "The Crimson Ruler! The dorm leader, Riddle!"

Riddle and Trey walked into the party area together after the announcement.

"Long live Riddle, dorm leader!" The other students exclaimed. There was a real sense of joy and admiration in their voices, not only because Riddle had recovered, but also because they were going to have a less tyrannical future in the dorm.

"Hm. The roses are red, the tablecloth is white," Riddle commented aloud after glancing over the area. "A perfect Unbirthday Party." He walked over to one of the tables and lifted the lid of a kettle. "I imagine there is a sleeping dormouse inside the teap..." He took a look inside and his surprised expression made it clear there was nothing inside, but he smiled and put the lid back on. "It doesn't actually matter if it's not there."

"You don't have to change so fast," Trey assured him calmly. "Instead of putting the jam on the dormouse's nose, you could put it in a scone. After all, it's better to say 'it would be fine if there was that' rather than 'it's useless without that', don't you think?

Riddle nodded. "Yes, you're right. Oh Grim, Yuu!" He exclaimed while noticing them. "You are here!"

"I wouldn't miss it for anything!" Yuu stated happily. He could tell that Riddle was willing to keep his word to be a different leader.

"Yes! I wouldn't miss all this food for anything either!" Grim exclaimed. "I plan to eat it all!"

"Okay!" Cater exclaimed before pointing to a table. "Let's sit..."

"Wait a moment!" Riddle exclaimed seriously to stop them.

"Eh?" Ace and Cater asked at the same time.

Riddle pointed to some rose bushes on which some of the roses were still white.

"Those white roses..." Riddle said calmly.

Deuce, Ace, and Cater looked at them in horror. Other students who were nearby held their breath.

"What!? We missed some!?" Ace sputtered.

"AH, AH, AH, AH, AH..." Cater stuttered quickly in fear. "Acey, Deucey, you said you painted them all!" He exclaimed.

"And it's our fault!?" Deuce asked, dreading having his magic sealed a second time.

Even Trey was terrified, everyone had witnessed Riddle's fury for breaking a rule, even if it was unintentional. "R-Riddle, this..." He murmured, trying to think of something to save his students' skin.

Worry came to invade Yuu and Grim as well.

"Riddle, please don't be mad about this!" Yuu asked hastily.

But to everyone's surprise and relief, Riddle laughed softly and cheerfully. "I'm kidding," he said quietly. "I'm not going to punish you for one or two roses."

"Really!? Cater asked excitedly. "You are so kind, Riddle!"

Riddle looked at the roses and then the group. "If we work together, we can paint them faster," he said convinced.

"Do you still want them painted!?" Ace asked, dumbfounded and still exhausted from painting the last batch of roses.

On the other hand, Deuce didn't seem to object.

"Come on, it's okay," Trey said to calm Ace. "But... Yeah. You really changed, Riddle."

Grim jumped off Yuu's shoulders. "I can't wait another second!" He said impatiently before raising his paws enthusiastically. "Let's get this painting over with and get the party started!"

Seeing that they all agreed, Riddle took out the magic feather from him and transformed it into his long scepter. "So, is everyone ready?" He asked.

The group nodded and approached the rose bushes.

"Is it okay if I take pictures?" Yuu asked as he showed the camera.

"Well of course!" Cater exclaimed. "Do as many as you want."

"When was the last time you painted the roses, Riddle?" Trey asked him.

"I'm not sure," he said thoughtfully. "I have always left it to the dorm students since I became the leader."

"It's fun to do it once in a while," Cater assured him. "Although we have to guide the first years."

"Are you doubting us?" Ace asked competitively.

"I've been painting roses for several days, so I'm sure I'm better than Riddle at that!" Grim said maliciously.

"He, he, he," Riddle laughed with the same malice. "I'm going to show you my skills."

"Be careful not to set the plants on fire, Grim!" Yuu warned as he pointed the camera at them. The group's laughter and Grim's embarrassed face made for a memorable picture and he took the first photo without delay.

Grim and the five Heartslabuyl students began to paint the roses with magic. Yuu paid attention to keep taking good photographs, which he kept in a pocket in his jacket as they were printed.

"You two are slacking!" Riddle exclaimed firmly as he saw Ace and Deuce's work. "The red color must be more intense without fail!"

"Y-Yes!" Deuce stammered, before focusing on creating a better color with his magic.

"You're still just as strict as ever!" Ace exclaimed, scared. "I thought you calmed down a bit!"

"That's just Riddle's typical personality," Cater explained.

"If you're going to do it, it has to be perfect," Riddle insisted calmly. "For the sake of a good party, I won't hold back. Heh, heh." He laughed. "Pay attention, I'll show you how to do it."

They continued to paint the roses red. After a few minutes, Riddle moved his scepter in the direction of the remaining white roses, turning them a deep red in less than three seconds.

"Very good, those were the last ones"

Yuu kept the last pictures and reviewed the total he took.

"Amazing! He painted them in the blink of an eye!" Ace exclaimed.

"You are impressive, dorm leader..." Deuce said admiringly. "They're all red!"

"Of course! Riddle is very good at the practical use of magic~," said Cater.

"Well done, Riddle," Trey told him.

Riddle transformed his scepter back into the magical pen and put it back in his pocket. "With this, the preparations are done, let the party begin!"

They returned to the area with the tables set.

"Well? Did you bring your apology tart, dorm leader?" Ace asked him.

"O-of course I brought it. Don't worry." Riddle insisted, leading them to one of the tables, where a tartlet with freshly sliced strawberries sat. "Here, I made a strawberry tart."

"I wanna see it!" Grim exclaimed before climbing up a chair and onto the table.

Like the pastry expert he was, Trey examined the appearance of the tart with attention. "Hm, hmm. The shape needs a bit more work, but you've done well the part of covering the strawberries with frosting to make them shine. You did a good job for your first time."

"Ah, there goes Trey, being permissive with him again," Ace sighed as they sat down at the table and picked up the serving spatula from there. "But anyway, let's try this."

Cater took his smartphone out. "Wait, don't cut it yet. I want to take a picture of this rare tart. Ok, now!"

"He doesn't change either," Ace muttered amused as he began to cut the tart into pieces and serve them on plates. "Come on, let's eat now."

The six guests at the table took the first bite to their mouths under Riddle's expectant gaze. After savoring it, their calm expressions turned quickly into one of disgust...

"This is...!" Trey and Cater muttered at the same time before everyone yelled in unison: "...SALTY!!!!!

"What?!" Riddle exclaimed, horrified.

The first to react after swallowing was Yuu, who took a napkin to cover his mouth and cough.

"What IS this?!" Ace could ask as he resisted the urge to cough. "It's like eating the ocean! What the hell did you put on this?!"

"I followed the rules to the letter while shopping for ingredients and cooking," Riddle insisted, puzzled. "There shouldn't be anything weird..." His eyes widened when he realized the possible mistake and gasped. "Ah! Could it be that it's because... I added the oyster sauce?"

Deuce coughed. "You mean the joke Clover made about Mr. Walrus's oyster sauce to get approval?"

"How can you add oyster sauce to a dessert!?" Yuu asked after pouring some tea into a cup to get rid of the bad taste.

"But Trey told me all good cakes have it, even if it doesn't appear in the recipe," Riddle explained. "As a secret ingredient..."

Ace stuck his tongue out after imagining it, still feeling the salty taste on it. "Of course not! If you thought about it a little, you would realize it's a lie!" He exclaimed in annoyance.

"I see that you too have fallen," Yuu commented. "But I'm not ready for a time where oyster sauce is mixed with strawberries..."

He was already having a hard time knowing what things to question as magic-less boy he was, in a magical world like that...

"Still, this is a lot for a secret ingredient. How much did you add?" Asked Cater.

"N-Nobody would share their secrets, you know?" Riddle reminded, dejected by the result of his mistake. "Since it wasn't in the recipe, I wasn't sure how much to add..."

"So you put a lot to be sure..." Yuu commented.

Riddle looked at Trey, who couldn't help himself anymore.

"Pfft. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! I never thought anyone would take that joke seriously!" He exclaimed to burst out laughing again.

But far from being embarrassed or angry, Riddle smiled and laughed softly and cheerfully. "It's true, I'm such a fool," he said before laughing.

With that, everyone there laughed too.

"It tastes so bad it makes you want to laugh," Deuce said.

"We'll just laugh it off," Ace added before continuing to laugh.

"But now that I think about it, I think it tastes good!" Grim commented, convinced.

"Ah, I agree with you," Cater told him. "It doesn't taste that bad."

That made the three first-year boys blink in confusion.

"Diamond, you have a taste as strange as Grim's!" Deuce exclaimed in dismay.

"No. It's nothing like that, "Cater insisted.

"You like this tart because it's not sweet, right?" Trey guessed.

"What?" Cater asked as if he had just revealed his deepest, darkest secret.

"Cater, you hate sweet things," Trey said quietly, as if he had known for a long time.

"Really?" Yuu asked, surprised. "But that day you went to the kitchen to try the Mont Blanc tarts, right?"

They all fixed their gaze on Cater, who was looking around him, uneasy and taken by surprise.

"Hey, hey... Trey, how do you know that?" He just asked him. "I've never told anyone about my aversion to sweets."

"Whenever we eat cake, you ask me to change the flavor with my Doodle Suit," Trey explained. "You never show it, but I figured you don't like sweets."

"Ah... I've been discovered? Damn... But, Trey," he frowned, "just like with Riddle, that thing about 'I realized but didn't say anything' habit of yours is not good. Stop it."

Trey smirked. "For the next Unbirthday Party I'll make a quiche," he promised him.

"I appreciate it," Cater murmured. "Make it as photogenic as a cake."

At that very moment, someone was heard humming a song and the young purple-haired cat-boy that the first-year boys had met a week ago materialized out of the air. The young boy had taken a piece of another tart baked by Trey. "Trey's sweets are always purrrfect!" He said cheerfully before taking a bite and munching with noise.

"Che'nya!" Riddle exclaimed, puzzled. "What are you doing here!?"

The young boy turned his amber eyes towards his friend and cocked his head. "Hm?" He murmured before swallowing and replying. "I came to celebrate the Unbirthday party," he said as if it were obvious. "Congratulations, Riddle."

"The Unbirthday Party is a Heartslabyul's tradition," Riddle said calmly. "It has nothing to do with you, you know?"

Che'nya gave a big smile and stepped behind Grim and Yuu. "Neither does these guys, right?" He said as he put an arm behind Yuu's shoulders.

"Oh, you!" Grim exclaimed accusingly as he put his frontal paws on his hips. "You're the guy with the cat jokes from the other day!"

"Hello again," Yuu greeted him after gently pulling away from his arm. "It seemed weird, but your advice from that day helped us a lot. We have to thank you for that."

"Oh, it seems my skills in guiding lost people have come in handy once again," Che'nya replied. "Glad to hearrrr it!"

"What are you talking about? Do you know each other?" Riddle asked, surprised.

"He was the one who advised us to talk to Trey to find out why you were so strict," Yuu explained. "He left us with many doubts, but I see that you are friends," he said as he recalled the memories of Riddle's past.

"And I can tell that something's different, no one seems to be scared around here," Che'nya commented. "Except for you when I showed up!"

"By the way, which dorm are ya in?" Grim asked. "You didn't get to tell us."

"Che'nya isn't even a Night Raven College student to begin with," Trey began to explain. "He is from Night Raven College's eternal rival, Royal Sword Academy."

At that revelation, Ace and Deuce reacted as if a flowerpot had fallen in front of them.

"What!? He goes to another school!?" Deuce asked as he looked at him dumbfounded.

"And on top of that the freaking Royal Sword Academy!?" Ace exclaimed.

"Oh, I didn't know there were more magic schools," Yuu commented. "But what's wrong with that Royal Sword Academy?"

Some nearby students who could hear the conversation were not indifferent upon hearing the name of the school and turned their heads in their direction.

"Hey, did they just say Royal Sword Academy!?" A purple-haired student asked to be sure.

"One of those stuck up assholes is here!?" Another one screamed with a mixture of indignation and fury in his voice.

A red-haired student took out his magical pen. "What did you say!? Where!? Let's kick him out of here!!"

Realizing that he was not welcome anymore and was going to be chased by an angry mob of students, Che'nya straightened. "Oops. Well, I already have my tart, meow, so it's time to go home, meow," he said quickly just before vanishing into thin air as he hastily hummed his little song.

"Ah, he escaped!" A tall student growled when they reached the area the cat-boy disappeared. "Get him!"

The group of students dispersed throughout various places of the party area.

Grim gulped. "Suddenly they've become bloodthirsty," he commented nervously.

The fact that they couldn't talk a bit more with their friend due to the behavior of their students made Riddle sigh wearily and Trey put a hand to his left temple.

"The students at Night Raven College will usually become very hostile towards those at the Royal Sword Academy," Riddle explained incredulously.

"After losing to them for 100 years, you can't blame them..." Trey added sadly.

Cater stepped between them and with both arms wrapped around them behind their shoulders. "Come on, let's stop talking about sad things! We are at a party! Let's have a good time at our Unbirthday Party!"

Agreeing with him, Grim stood up on both of his legs. "Nyaha! I'm going to eat until I explode! Happy Unbirthday!" He exclaimed happily.

"Yes, happy Unbirthday," Yuu commented.

"Oh, now that I think about it," Riddle commented. When is your birthday, Yuu? If we are going to invite you, it can't be on a day when you celebrate your birthday."

"It's May 30," Yuu said. "It was months ago, so there is nothing to worry about that."

"Got it," Riddle agreed. "Oh, I almost forgot, we have to make the toast. Do you want to come with us to the big table?"

"Eh? Are you inviting us to sit down with you, dorm leader?" Deuce asked, almost incredulous.

"Yes, this party is a reorganization requested by Ace after all," Riddle said. "Despite that, do you prefer not to?"

"Of course I want to!" Ace exclaimed. "I'm not going to miss an opportunity like this."

"And I'm not going to turn down the queen's offer," Yuu said cheerfully, receiving a soft laugh from the others except Grim.

"You're saying weird things again..." He snorted.

Yuu put a hand behind his ear.

"What did you say, Grim? You don't want to sit at the big table?" Asked mischievously.

"I've never said that!" Grim insisted before rushing up onto Yuu's shoulders.

Trey was amused by the scene. "You're good at dealing with him."

"You can't expect less from someone offering help at a daycare," Ace replied.

"Oh, do you work in a daycare?" Trey asked, surprised.

"Not exactly, my sister and I used to help out at the daycare where mom works once or twice a week," Yuu replied as he sat down and hung the ghost camera on the chair. "We're helpful there and we don't have much trouble getting along with babies and young children."

"And that's why you have no problem having so much patience with Grim, he's like a child!"

"Ace, I told you not to say that again!" Grim complained.

"Not only are you kind, adorable and you know how to cook, but do you also know how to babysit?!" Cater asked in amazement. "If you told me you were popular at your old school, I would believe you. You sure have a lot of success with girls!"

"Well, I wasn't exactly popular in class, but it was no secret that I had one or two admirers," Yuu said, trying to be modest.

"Wow! Really!? You have to tell me everything!"

"Wait a minute, Cater," Trey soothed him. "Now we have to make the toast, sit down first."

Riddle was the first to sit in his big crimson chair and Trey poured him tea from a mug. Just like last time, Riddle got up to make the toast and everyone present raised their cups, the only difference being that the festive cheer was much more noticeable.

"Cheers!" They exclaimed in unison.

"Okay, we've already made the toast. Come on tell me, Yuu!" Cater insisted, sitting between Yuu and Riddle. "Tell us your secrets~!"

"Are you so impatient to know about his love affairs? Trey asked with an arched brow.

"I wanna know too!" Grim exclaimed. "He mentioned something about it and wouldn't tell us anything... I also want success with girls! They must see how incredible I am, yanno!"

"I don't mind talking about it," Yuu assured, ignoring Grim's comment. "But it's not that impressive or intriguing, it's not a big deal. For example, you're much more charismatic and outgoing than me, Cater, I imagine you have dated someone several times. Do you currently have a boyfriend or girlfriend?"

That comment took him by surprise. "Well... It's true that I shared Magicam addresses with incredible girls and many people, and that I have had a few dates. But no, I'm not dating anyone right now."

"Neither do I, but so far I've dated two girls and one boy."

"Three relationships!" Riddle exclaimed, surprised. "And being a student? How could you find the time?"

"I asked him something similar..." Deuce commented.

"Well, it's not like I've dated all of them in a row, I had slots of time without dating anyone," Yuu said before drinking from his cup.

"No... It's not that," Riddle muttered. "I mean, how could you balance time with your studies and love life?"

"It's not difficult if you know how to organize yourself well, you can even combine both, like with study dates or walking back home together, for example," Yuu explained.

Grim grabbed a cookie and began to nibble on it. "But it's not that you seem like someone cool or popular. How could you be that successful?" He asked with his mouth full.

"Appearance isn't everything, Grim," Yuu reminded him. "My sister also had a certain popularity in class, so we collected together various qualities about ourselves that people might be interested in."

"Like what?" Trey asked him.

"For example, she is good at karate, I am at cooking. We are both good at dealing with children, we worked together in a cafeteria and we are good making friends. Among all that we are twins with a lot of physical similarity, something that usually attracts attention."

Once again, Yuu heard the female laughter in the distance. Instead of laughing out loud like before, she laughed as if the question had amused her. Fed up with having to listen to her, Yuu barely flinched and sighed.

But then her laughter suddenly stopped to start coughing... That worried him, it was the first time he heard something else in that voice.

"Hey! If you are interested I can introduce you to someone, I know several people who could be your type" Cater proposed. "The same for the others, I will be delighted to do so."

Cater's proposal made him wake up from his thoughts.

"Are you talking about more enchanted paintings?" Ace asked incredulously.

"Of course not!" Cater insisted, feigning outrage. "I know lots of real-life people."

Yuu laughed. "Thanks, but I'm fine."

"But with so many good qualities, why you didn't go on with any of your girlfriends... And boyfriend?" Grim asked.

Yuu sighed. "The first one cheated on me during our long-distance relationship, something she suggested shortly before she moved out of town." Riddle looked at him sympathetically, remembering their conversation from that day. "Until then we had been together for nine months."

"What!? That's awful!" Exclaimed Deuce. "I can't believe you've been through something like that."

"Don't worry, I got over it. Later a friend of my aunt introduced me to her daughter, another girl my age. At first, we were interested in each other, but after two weeks we decided to stay as friends because we didn't connect."

"You ended up on good terms, that sounds good," Trey commented.

"Then the third came, he steeled himself to confess his feelings to me and asked me to go out with him. I didn't know him very well, but he was adorable and seemed nice, so I accepted. I ended up liking him a lot." He frowned as if he hesitated to continue talking about it.

"What happened? Did he hurt you too?" Ace asked, noticing his concern. "You don't have to tell us if you don't feel comfortable."

"It's ok, it was nothing serious. We dated for almost a month, but I realized he wasn't actually ready to go out with someone, he was very shy and insecure. At first I tried to help him, but it didn't work and I ended up feeling like he seemed obligated to be with me, even though he was the one who asked me out. So after talking about it we decided to end it."

"How can someone invite anyone to go out and then not feel prepared?" Ace asked incredulously and tactlessly.

"Ace!!" Deuce snapped.

"Easy, guys. I was fine after that," Yuu insisted. "But come on, let's drop the drama for a bunch of exes and get on with the party. These cookies won't eat themselves."

The two first-year Heartslabyul youths exchanged glances and continued calmly.

Trey checked the time on his cell phone and walked over to Riddle. "The reception time is about to end, should we start with the croquet match?" He asked him.

Riddle took a quick look around. "It seems that some aren't finished with their tea, let's wait a few more minutes," he said. Trey nodded in response.

"Have you ever seen a croquet match?" Cater asked the first graders.

They all denied it.

"What's croquet?" Grim asked.

"Since this will be the first match for you, pay attention to the rules of the game," Riddle told them. "Especially you two, Heartslabyul students, you will play soon."

"Yes, dorm leader!" Exclaimed Deuce.

A few minutes later, everyone present made their way to the playing field, which was not far from the main dormitory building.

"Why are there so many flamingos around here?" Grim asked when he saw a group of students guarding different colored flamingos.

"Wow! How is it possible there are so many colors for a flamingo besides pink?" Yuu asked, surprised.

"The Queen of Hearts had flamingos of various colors for her croquet matches," Cater explained, Yuu remembered reading something like that in the library book. "Each player used a different color, so we use magic to change theirs, just like with the roses."

"Oh, I read something like that about her! Does that mean you also use hedgehogs as balls for the game?"

"Yes, exactly," Riddle replied. "Speaking of which, I think that group over there is bringing the cages with the hedgehogs inside."

He approached them to check that everything was in order. Big metal cages were being left on the ground.

"Oh, I've seen them before in the large cage in the dorm," Deuce mentioned.

"Me too, but it's the first time I've seen them so close," Ace added.

"I read that flamingos were used as mallets to hit the hedgehogs, don't they hurt each other like that?" Yuu asked once more, concerned.

"No, they don't hurt each other. Flamingos have thin heads, and hedgehogs' spikes don't prick unless they feel in danger," Trey explained. "Don't worry, both are always in good condition."

"I want to see the hedgehogs!" Grim exclaimed before rushing over to them.

"Don't touch or scare them!" Yuu warned him.

"And you, Yuu? Do you want to know them too?" Cater asked. "You're new for them, I'm sure they will love to see you. They may even let you hold them."

Surprised by the offer, Yuu looked away. "No thanks, I'm fine," he insisted.

Ace grabbed him by the shoulders from behind. "What's the matter? Are you afraid of touching little hedgehogs?" He asked him mischievously. "Don't you hold Grim constantly?"

"It's not that!" Yuu insisted. "It's just... I've never seen hedgehogs so up close before, nothing more. And I'm fine, I really am!"

"There's always a first time for everything! Let's go see them," Ace decided as he gently pushed him toward the cages.

"What? No!" Yuu exclaimed before whining nervously.

Knowing it was useless to resist, he was led towards Riddle. Grim was watching the hedgehogs inside the cages.

"Dorm leader~!" Ace called him cheerfully. "Yuu would like to meet hedgehogs! Is it possible before the match?"

Riddle turned to them with a pink hedgehog in his hands. "Really? We still have time, so yes, it is possible." He put his face close to the little hedgehog and said something with soft clicks of his tongue. The animal nodded in response. "This little guy is going to let you hold him."

Yuu gulped. "Eh... Thanks, but... I've never held hedgehogs before."

"Are you worried that you are going to prick yourself with their spikes?" Riddle asked, tilting his head to one side. "Don't worry, as long as they don't feel threatened, it won't happen. It may sound weird because I'm wearing gloves now, but I can assure you it's true."

The young prefect calmed down a bit.

"I understand, but I'm worried about hurting them... I've never held such small animals before."

Riddle sat slowly on the ground. "Come, sit down and hold your hands. That way you won't be afraid of dropping him." He gave a mischievous smile as a joke. "Unless you want to decline the dorm leader's offer."

"I know! Leave me the ghost camera to capture your first encounter with hedgehogs," Cater offered. "That way I hold it for you meanwhile."

Seeing he had no other choice, Yuu sighed, left him the camera, sat up and spread his hands on his lap with a little hesitation. Cater took the first photo.

"Careful... That's right, very well," Riddle murmured as he gently placed the hedgehog on his palms.

"Hello..." Yuu greeted him a whisper.

Feeling his little paws, he couldn't help but smile. Ace and Deuce crouched down next to him. Grim approached curiously and Cater took another photo of him.

"This isn't so bad," Yuu commented as he secured the little animal in his hands. "You are really cute, did you know?" He said affectionately.

"See? He likes you," Riddle said.

In affirmation of his words, the little pink hedgehog sniffed the sleeves of Yuu's jacket before climbing his arm and climbing on his head. "Hey, that tickles!" He laughed.

"Look, even hedgehogs trust you," Deuce laughed.

"Hey, hey! Come back here!"

A student who had opened one of the cages to hold a hedgehog exclaimed that when two blue, two green, and one pink hedgehogs ran to surround Yuu as if a pack of puppies wanted to play with him.

The young boy lowered the hedgehog from his head carefully and looked confused at the others. "Eh? What's the matter?"

Suddenly the hedgehogs climbed onto his lap. Seeing that one was trying to get on top of him, Yuu carefully lay down on the ground. The hedgehogs examined him curiously with their paws and snouts, giving him more tickles.

"Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha! Stop!" He exclaimed, laughing non-stop.

Cater took advantage of the moment to take another photo.

"Hey! That's my human and my henchman!" Grim exclaimed in annoyance. "You find yours!"

"Oh, my... I can't remember the last time hedgehogs were like that with someone," Trey commented.

"I don't think I've ever seen them like this..." Cater said in a whisper.

"Ok, ok. I think that's enough guys," Riddle said as he held up one of the blue hedgehogs. "Excuse me, they tend to be very calm." He said to Yuu, "I'm surprised that they behave like this and get so interested in you. Let the rest help pick them up, the croquet tournament is about to begin," he pointed out to the rest of the group.

Yuu laughed again as he still felt the tickling on his body. "It's okay, I was surprised too," he said as he got up and held a green hedgehog to return it to the cage.

"I hope they weren't smelling you to eat you!" Grim said jokingly.

"Don't say stupid things!" Ace snapped as he held up a pink hedgehog. "How can a hedgehog eat people!?"

"But that way they approached you... You haven't interacted with hedgehogs before?" Deuce asked him.

"I had only seen them in pet shops. It's my first time interacting with them," Yuu replied as Cater handed the camera back to him. "This is the best day of my life," he muttered quickly in a low voice.

"Whatever it was, they've already calmed down," Trey said as they introduced the hedgehogs into the cage.

Some of the hedgehogs were still showing interest in Yuu and stared at him for another minute.

"Do you want to see the flamingos before the match?" Ace asked with a wicked smile.

Yuu's eyes widened at the thought of its consequences, a possible ambush with flamingos wasn't going to be the same as the one with cute, little hedgehogs. "Of course not!" He exclaimed before grabbing Grim in his arms and hurrying away. "I'm so looking forward to the match! I wonder who will win?"

Ace laughed as he watched him walk away, but stopped short when Riddle, accompanied by Deuce, approached him.

"This is your first time playing croquet," he reminded them, "so pay attention so you know how it's done."

"Yes, dorm leader," they both said at the same time.

The party went on without a hitch. and Yuu barely remembered the female voice and her cough.

[Published on 14/12/2021]