"Case closed," Yuu sighed before remembering something with those words and approaching Crowley. "Headmaster, you didn't forget something, right?"

Crowley looked at him doubtfully and tilted his head. "What do you mean?" He asked.

Catching up on the conversation, Grim jumped excitedly to get his attention. "Hey, that's right, headmaster! We discovered the culprit, just as you asked us to! That means you're going to let us play in the tournament like promised, right!?" He asked with a sly smile.

With a similar reaction to when Yuu asked if he had found a way to return home, Crowley was startled and looked away nervously. "What!? Ah, ah, aaaaaaaaaah... It's true that I promised you that..." He stammered as if he had just remembered the deal they had. "We have just announced the start of the tournament, so that is going to be impossible now," He admitted quickly. "Now what could we do about this?"

Grim felt both his heart and his excitement for the long-awaited day shatter like glass. "WHAAAAAAT!? You're evil! YOU SCAMMER!!" He yelled in horror before frowning at him. "I'm gonna set that lying ass of yours on fire! Fgnaaa...!"

Yuu was not happy about losing his place in the tournament either, but waved his arms in alarm and grabbed Grim before he could spit fire at the headmaster himself.

"No, wait, wait! Cease your fire, I'm thinking of an idea to solve this," The headmaster said to stop him. "Hmmm... Oh! I know! How about playing in an exhibition match?" Grim and Yuu looked at him curiously. "It will be like an opening act before the main event. You will surely stand out!"

"Really!?" Grim asked with interest.

"Yes, of course," Crowley nodded, convinced.

"I think it's fine as long as I can show off to the world!" Grim exclaimed, convinced, before reaching for a paw victoriously. "Cool! When they see how great I am on TV, a lotta people will definitely want to scout me!"

Yuu was fine with it too, but he knew there was still something important left and set Grim down carefully. "Don't we need 7 members to make a team?" He asked.

"Oh, you're right," Crowley said thoughtfully. "We still have that, and we don't have a rival team for you to play against either, maybe the school staff will be available..."

"Fffgna!? You forgot about that too!?" Grim asked, stupefied.

Yuu was going to say something about it, but he was cut off after Ace and Deuce had the same idea and exchanged a scheming look.

"We've heard it all," Ace said.

"If you need extra players, we'll take those spots," Deuce added determinedly.

Riddle's eyes widened in surprise. "What are you saying? You are in Heartslabyul's team, right?"

"There are no rules that say you can't join another dorm's team," Ace answered.

"Ha ha! I've never thought about it before, but you're right," Trey laughed happily.

"That sounds interesting! I want to join Yuu's team too~!" Cater said in a singsong voice.

"Cater, remember that you are one of our regular players!" Riddle exclaimed earnestly.

"Phooey," Cater complained, not exactly disappointed.

"I'd be bored if we just cheered on our teammates from the stands, so I'll do anything to get involved," Ace said.

"I... I'm not like him!" Deuce stammered nervously. "I really want to help my good friends!"

"I'm sure you do," Yuu replied with a sigh.

Before anyone could say anything else, the Savanaclaw trio approached. "If you need an opponent, Savanaclaw volunteers," Jack said with a mild smile.

"Ffna? Really?" Grim asked, surprised.

"Or would you prefer to play against the teachers?" Jack asked, making Grim shake his head vigorously.

"Wow, you're actually a nice guy," Ace told him pleasantly.

"Don't... Don't get the wrong idea! I just don't wan't to feel indebted to you!" Jack insisted sheepishly, before turning to Ruggie and Leona. "Are you ok with it?"

Ruggie sighed exhaustedly, but he didn't seem to want to say no. "Ahh~. We're already exhausted, but you want another game? You're a demon, Jack..." He said.

"Ugh, what a bother. Anyway, just come get to at once, you damn herbivores," Leona growled before looking determinedly at them. "Even if it's just an exhibition, it's still a match. Be prepared."

That last sentence made Yuu involuntarily put a hand on his left shoulder as he felt a prick there.

"Oh, what a relief. I was already preparing to receive another three-hour scolding from Professor Trein," Crowley sighed, relieved to see that there was no problem.

"What...?" Yuu thought.

"Very well, young Yuu," the headmaster called him and smiled. "Your team has already four players, you only need three more!"

"Eh, aren't these enough!? We even have people from other dorms!" Grim nagged and frowned. "And Yuki's still asleep! Why are there only two people in our dorm!?"

The mention of their dorm gave Yuu another good idea. "Grim, have you forgotten we have more people living in our dorm?" He asked as he held up three fingers on his right hand.

Grim tilted his head for a second until he quickly caught who he was referring to. "Oh! You're true! They should count if they live in our dorm, right?" He asked.

"I guess so," Ace answered.

"Then we two ain't the only ones who live in Ramshackle!" Grim exclaimed proudly.

"The ghosts!" Yuu revealed. "They recently mentioned they miss playing in a big match, so maybe they'll be excited to be the tournament."

"What? Do you intend to register the dorm ghosts as members to participate?" Crowley asked, surprised.

"They told us they were pretty good back in the day, so it's great!" Grim said before taking off running on all fours. "I'll go get them! Yahooo! I'm gonna be on TV!"

Jack was the only one who was not so sure about the idea. "My, anyone can participate," he said in astonishment. "A match against ghosts?"

"Why not? Yuu's also a player and he can't use magic," Ace replied, making Yuu smile shyly.

"I realized I'm going to be on TV, I'm so nervous" Deuce murmured.

"Then let us ahead back to the stadium..." Crowley prompted before taking a quick look around the ground. "Oh, but before that. Did someone see a black stone somewhere on the ground?"

"Huh? A black stone?" Ace repeated curiously while he glanced around the floor.

"Did you drop something, headmaster?" Deuce asked.

Few understood what he was talking about, but Yuu's eyes widened and he put both open palms around his mouth. "GRIM! You haven't eaten anything weird off the ground, have you?!" He shouted, startling everyone there, in an attempt to be heard from a distance. "Nah, he's gone... He won't hear me from here."

"Oh, THAT black stone!" Ace understood. "The nasty-looking one..."

"No, we haven't seen him eat anything," Deuce said.

"Don't worry, it's okay if you don't see it," Crowley insisted. "Come on, let's make heast to the coliseum."

Yuu couldn't help but feel worried for a moment as he watched Grim disappear around a corner, but his thoughts were interrupted when Jack placed a friendly hand on his shoulder. "Let's go, Yuu," he urged with a smile.

That was the first time he had heard him call him by his name, and the encouragement he transmitted was what he needed to erase the remaining uncertainties before the game. His eyes brightened up. "You're right. To the tournament!" He exclaimed before leaving with him.

Moments later, after gathering the trio of ghosts, who happily agreed to play, changing into their sports uniforms, be presented to the public as a welcome exhibition and entering the coliseum to be welcomed with thousands of gazes everywhere, the special Ramshackle team and Savanaclaw's team went to the center of the field to give their regards and wish each other a fair match, just as imposed in the traditional regulations. But both teams had much more to say...

"It's time to make you pay for before!" Ace exclaimed, pointing his magical pen vengefully at the Savanaclaw team.

"Very well. Gimme all you got," Jack challenged.

"Wait... Are the cameras already running? Deuce asked, suddenly losing his cool.

"Shi, shi, shi! Do you really think now it's time to worry about cameras?" Ruggie laughed.

The mention of cameras recording them live made Grim even more excited. "Fffnaaaaaa!!! I'm gonna show the world my true power!"

"I'm your opponent. You won't have it easy," Leona warned.

As they returned to their starting positions, Yuu took a deep breath. It was finally the moment, he was under the gaze of thousands of people and who knew how many more from their homes through a screen.

He was aware that he couldn't attack or defend himself with magic, he was unable to score a goal and certainly couldn't grab the puck with his hands. The ghosts and Professor Vargas already warned that it was made of a particular metal that would hurt if grasped with bare hands, since it is supposed to be carried only with magic.

The best things he could do were running, taking cover behind his teammates' shields, giving them indications, and creating distractions for the opposing team if he found the chance. Another advantage he had was the probability of not being a target for the attacks since he wasn't exactly considered an important to get rid of right away, which made it easier for him to keep his eyes around the field.

"The exhibition match starts in three, two, one..." The interlocutor's voice could be heard before a loud horn resounded to officially start the game. "START!"

The disc was thrown from some faraway point, and both teams went after it.

"This one's mine!" Grim yelled as he climbed onto Yuu's shoulders to launch himself into a jump and catch the disc out of the air with his magic, lighting it with an intense red light representing his team. Take it now! he exclaimed triumphantly.

"Well done!" Yuu congratulated him.

Just as the ghosts had warned them during the first training session, the opposing team went straight after the disc, so Ramshackle's team wasted no time running straight for the goalpost to score their first goal. Grim focused on holding the puck while Ace and Deuce did their best to launch attacks or protect themselves with shields they created with magic.

Ruggie and another Savanaclaw player came over them flying on broomsticks and attacked them from above, hitting Ace and Deuce a couple of times."Guys, take cover!" Yuu exclaimed as he moved closer to the small ghost and his shield. "Protect both yourselves and Grim for now. Save the attacks for later!"

"Got it!" Ace and Deuce exclaimed almost at the same time and did so, thus avoiding the attacks that made them lose their balance and risk being swept away.

They proved to have good endurance that way. It would be only a short joy after two Savanaclaw players ambushed them with a relentless combination of attacks to distract them and let Jack lunge into them with a single attack that swept away all five of them, and easily seize the disc with a yellow light.

"No, my big move!" Grim whimpered before getting up again and running towards him determinedly. "Give it back!"

But Jack didn't get to run very far with the disc either, because the big ghost turned visible suddenly in front of him. "Boo!" He exclaimed, startling and causing him to quickly release his grip on the disc, which returned to red light as the thin ghost took it with his magic. That made the audience sound of surprise before some rounds of applause could be heard around.

"Hey! Is that even allowed!?" Ruggie asked, stunned, as he got down from his broomstick and stood next to Leona.

"That's called strategy!" Ace exclaimed.

"The disc is ours again!" Grim exclaimed. "Myahaha! I was able to make good moves!" He exclaimed, still proud of being the first player to catch it.

"I'll pass it back to you, Grim!" The thin ghost exclaimed. "Looks like they're coming back after us!"

Ruggie put a hand to his hip and his face twisted into a pained expression. "Ouch... You don't hold back against the wounded, huh?" He said wearily.

Noticing him like that, Leona quickly came up with a new plan and motioned for Jack to come closer. "Ruggie, keep playing hurt like that," he murmured with a sly smile. "And you, Jack, run around them for a while and then counter when you have the chance."

"Roger that!" Jack nodded.

The match kept going in a similar way it began, with Ramshackle's team launching attacks to clear the ground, creating shields to avoid the opposing team, and protecting Yuu and Grim.

Ruggie and the other player kept attacking them from the air, but their attacks were less straightforward now, especially from Ruggie, and Jack seemed to be waiting for them to come closer. Yuu realized this strategy and that the pattern from earlier was repeating itself. "Guys, watch out! Jack's going to strike again!"

"Let's split up!" Deuce exclaimed. "Grim, come with me!"

The team split in different ways, causing Jack to miss and hit only the ground. "Damn it!" He growled in frustration.

"Good job!" Yuu and Grim exclaimed at the same time.

"My apologies, dorm leader! I didn't think they..."

"Don't worry, Jack. Now we're aware they're more observant than we thought," Leona calmed him down. "We're not going to let them get away with it, though."

Just as Grim was preparing to score his first goal, Ruggie interfered and grabbed the disc out of the air. "Mine! Shi, shi, shi!" He yelled triumphantly before passing it to Leona.

"You thief! That was my move!" Grim shrieked with tears brimming in his eyes.

"Don't sit there now, go after him!" Ace shouted.

"We have to protect the goalpost!" The little ghost exclaimed.

As they were about to approach Ramshackle's goal, there was a moment when Leona passed the puck to Jack before Deuce could take it from him, and he passed it to the other Savanaclaw student riding a broomstick. But once again...

"Boo!" The thin ghost and the big ghost screeched right in front of him at the same time.

"GAAH!" The young boy yelled, losing his grip on the disc. The big ghost seized the moment and passed it to Ace.

The exhibition persisted in what could be summed up as a game of tug of war in which both teams fought for possession of the disc. Nothing different happened until the end of the first half when Ace managed to take the disc from an opponent and finally threw the first goal in Savanaclaw's goalpost.

"WE DID IT!" Ramshackle's team exclaimed in unison.

The crowd cheered, and both teams returned to the center of the field. "Take that! Our first goal!" Ace exclaimed triumphantly with a smug grin.

But Savanaclaw team was unfazed by the one-point disadvantage they now had. "Ha. Not bad. But enjoy it as much as you can, we're going to get that point back," Leona said maliciously.

"Let's see if ya think the same way when I score a goal from here!" Grim exclaimed. "I'm gonna show my new super long shoot! I call it... The Great Grim's Hurricane!

"Wasn't that the move we told ya to practice a little more?" The big ghost asked doubtfully.

"Let him try. He must be excited to show it off in the field!" The little ghost insisted.

The disc was thrown again from afar, and Grim scrambled to grab it again. "Here I go!"

He gathered a lot of wind magic and threw the disc into it, but did not realize it was too strong and ended up shooting it in the wrong direction.

"Yuu, watch out!

Yuu could hear Deuce's voice, but was barely able to react when he noticed the disc speeding towards him and felt a sharp pain on his forehead for a fraction of a second... The last things he heard before everything turned black were the audience screaming or making sounds of discomfort, and his friends shouting his name.

Hours later, Yuu slowly opened his eyes again and felt a weight in his stomach. The first thing he could make out was Grim's big pair of blue eyes. He was sitting on top of him. "Ah! You're finally up, Yuu!" He said with a relieved smile.

He sat down in what he could identify as a bed, clutched the blankets that covered him and put a hand to his head as he felt some pain there. He had his forehead covered with a bandage around his head.

He cleared his eyes and recognized the place as the school infirmary, darkened by the night.

Ace and Deuce were also there, the first sitting on the right edge of the bed, and the latter on the left. Jack was also there, standing next to his left side. All of them were giving him a relieved look.

Across the room were Leona and Ruggie, who were sitting just like him on separate beds near Yukiko's, who was still unconscious.

All the students were still wearing their sports uniforms and the roses in the nightstand were as beautiful as the first day thanks to Lilia's magic.

"Hm? What happened?" Yuu asked, disoriented.

"You passed out in the second half of our game when Grim hit you in the head with the disc, remember?" Ace answered.

"I was trying to score with my super long shot," Grim said with an innocent smile.

"Rookies shouldn't try those kinds of moves," Jack commented.

"Anyway, I'm glad you woke up," Deuce sighed. "We were worried about the area you were hit, and you were taking a long time to open up your eyes."

Deep down he was glad to know that his friends cared about him, but Yuu tilted his head in doubt. "How long was I unconscious?" He asked while looking the moonlight reflect off the windows.

"You've been asleep for so long that the closing ceremony is long over! They're taking the avenue apart right now," Ace answered.

Yuu gave an inaudible gasp. "Are you saying I missed the rest of the tournament? Aw..." He said, a bit sad. "Then... which dorm won?"

Something made him think that after such a long week, the final winner would turn out to be Savanaclaw, but the exhausted look on its three members there seemed to say otherwise.

"The winner was Diasomnia," Leona replied wearily, making the others look at him. "They didn't even bother to defend themselves, they just went after us."

"Ah, aah... In the end we were no match against them," Ruggie sighed. "And the rest of the dorms were a mess, so this year's tournament was a sh*t show."

"Leona, Ruggie! I didn't realize you're awake," Jack greeted them.

"Were you two also wounded?" Yuu asked, putting a hand to his bandaged forehead. He noticed that Ruggie had a band-aid over his nose and Leona had gauze taped to his left cheek.

Leona clicked his tongue in irritation. "I can't believe I'm using an infirmary bed for more than a nap," he grumbled.

"The fact that there's no one from Diasomnia in here really pisses me off," Ruggie muttered with a frown.

Yuu looked around, there was no one else in the infirmary aside from them. The injured players must have left as soon as they felt better.

"I had only heard rumours, but man, Diasomnia's dorm leader turned out to be really good," Ace muttered, stunned, with closed eyes.

"Yes, he was incredible. I wish you had seen it, Yuu," Deuce sighed, remembering how much that third year student impressed him.

"Now I get why they say no one can beat him..." Ace added. "I can't even imagine taking him down."

"Really?" Yuu asked curiously. "Did you see him too, Grim?"

"No, the headmaster didn't let me be there for hittin' you by accident." He looked away. "And I felt bad about hurtin' you, so I hung around here most of the time, waiting for you to wake up. Ace, Deuce and Jack told me a lot 'bout him, yanno? That Malleus guy sounds invincible!"

Yuu gave him a gentle pat on the head in gratitude. "You're a sweetheart when you feel like it..." He murmured with a slight smile.

Jack growled at Ace's defeatist comments. "Hmph. Nobody can win if they give up before even trying," he clenched his fists tightly. "Next year, I'll definitely defeat Diasomnia! Not with cheating tricks, but with my own strength!"

Leona raised an eyebrow at that, and crossed his arms. "Hmph. Even cheating requires of strength, you know?" He asked.

Yuu looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "You learned nothing from all this, have you?" he asked reproachfully. "Don't you regret even one bit all you have done?"

Leona only managed a mocking smile. "Regret? Why should I? I did my best this year, and I'll do whatever it takes to win next time," he replied.

"Shi, shi, shi, shi! That's the Leona I know!" Ruggie laughed, proud to see the fighting spirit return to his dorm leader.

"Damn, I'm already worried about next year..." Jack muttered, feeling uneasy just imagining the next foul game his dorm would pull.

"Next year? Aren't you already repeating third grade, Leona?" Yuu thought to himself, stunned.

"I'll definitely play for real in the tournament next year!" Grim exclaimed confidently.

"We'll work hard to get a spot on next year's team too," Deuce said positively as he looked at Ace.

"You're right, I don't want to look like an idiot next time," Ace agreed.

"Ooh! I finally found you, unca!" A childish voice exclaimed happily, drawing everyone's attention.

They followed its direction and found near the entrance an adorable little boy about five years old. He had a tan complexion, short red hair, big bright brown eyes, and small lion ears and a long tail. He wore a yellow shirt with brown and white patterns, brown pants, sandals, and a pendant adorned with a blue feather.

"Oh, so cute...!" Yuu murmured tenderly as he took a better look at the cheerful little guy. He felt a sudden nostalgia for the kids of his same age running around the daycare centre.

"Hm? Who's this kid?" Grim asked as he watched him run excitedly towards Leona.

"Unca Leona!" The little boy exclaimed with raised arms, dismaying Leona.

"Ah... f*ck. Here comes the annoying kid," Leona whispered wearily as the kid climbed into bed with him.

Everyone looked at the scene stupefied, how was it possible for a small child to approach the scary Leona Kingscholar with such familiarity?

"Unca... Leona?" Jack repeated in amazement.

Leona sighed and patted the boy's head in a lazy greeting as he began to explain the situation. "This little furball is Cheka, my brother's son..." He silently closed his eyes to reveal what one would already guess. "...My nephew."

That's why he looked so familiar to Yuu! He remembered Falena from Leona's past and Cheka was the carbon copy of his father. His reaction was limited to a startled gasp that was completely distinguishable from the unison scream of Grim and the others:

"NE... NEPHEW!?"

Ruggie swallowed hard. "That means... The next in line is for the throne is..." He muttered while looking at Cheka, who sat on his knees on his uncle's lap and clutched at his shirt.

"Your game was so cool, unca! When you come home, you have to teach me too!" Cheka yelled excitedly.

Leona felt his ears explode. "Ok, ok! I will, but don't yell in my ear," Leona exclaimed awkwardly as he tried to push him away a bit. "Where are your bodyguards? They must be looking for you like crazy," he murmured with a little concern, as if deep down he cared that a child he knew was alone in such a big place like the school.

"I really wanted to see you, so I left them behind. Hee, hee!" Cheka said innocently before wrapping his arms around Leona in a tight hug.

Mentioning the word bodyguards made Yuu recall the curious encounter with the young men who frantically went looking for a five-year-old prince with red hair. He hadn't thought much about it by then, but now it made a little more sense to him. "Are those bodyguards by any chance two young men? One of them tall and stocky with black hair, and the other one red-haired and skinny?" He asked Leona.

Leona's eyes widened. "How do you know that?" He asked, surprised.

"Because I ran into them this morning," Yuu arched an eyebrow and pointed at Cheka. "And I'm telling you this isn't the first time they lost sight of him today."

"They what!?" Leona exclaimed. The next time he finds them, Thimba and Pandu are going to be in trouble. No, not because he cared about Cheka, but because they were so clumsy in their only assigned job of protecting him...! That was what he repeated to himself to avoid immediately getting up to look for them and give them a serious warning.

"Uh, um... So the reason for Leona's pain is..." Jack muttered, bewildered, after thinking about the thing Ruggie muttered.

"...This innocent, little angel," Yuu finished, still moved. He remembered the discussion Leona had with his brother the day of Cheka's presentation, when the kid had to be a baby by then.

"He's really attached to you, yanno...?" Grim commented, stunned, when Cheka still would not let go of him.

Leona frowned in embarrassment. "Shut up... stop looking at me!" Leona exclaimed before managing to separate from Cheka.

Far from wanting to pull away from his uncle, Cheka stood up on the bed and brought his little face closer towards his annoyed expresion with each question he asked. "Hey, hey, unca! When will you come home? Next week? The one after that? Oh, have you read all my letters?"

In an attempt to get away without having to move from there, Leona laid down on his bed. "Yeah, yeah. I've already told you I'll be back during the holidays..." Cheka had an idea and took advantage of his uncle's new position to sit on him with little care. "Ow! Hey, get off my stomach!"

"He's sitting on Leona's stomach so casually..." Jack muttered, dumbfounded.

Ruggie, on the other hand, was unable to hold back a laugh. "Pffff.... Ah ha ha ha ha ha! This is incredible! So this is why you never want to go home, Leona!"

Finally, Cheka noticed the people around him and looked at them curiously. "Are you my unca's friends?" He asked innocently.

Now it was Ace's turn to laugh and flash an evil grin. "Ha ha ha ha! Yes. Yes, we're his friends," he said before looking at Leona with mockery. "Right, unca Leona?"

"Ace, do you want to die!?" Yuu thought fearfully. He was also amused by the situation, but it was clear that Leona still had a patience that should not be exceeded.

But in the end there wasn't much to fear, because even Ruggie needed to cover his mouth to keep from laughing at Ace's new joke. "Unca Leona..." He repeated, inevitably succumbing to a much louder laugh than before. "HA HA HA HA HA....! Ah Ow...! OUCH! It hurts so much when I laugh!" He complained with a pained expression as he put a hand to his side.

"Stop laughing, you bastards!" Leona growled. "I'll remember this...!"

"Hey, watch that language in front of the little one!" Yuu exclaimed, half joking. Since Leona hadn't learned his lesson, he came to the conclusion that a visit from his doting nephew was the best punishment he could receive, and couldn't help but laugh a little.

Ignoring him, Leona managed to sit up on the bed and made Cheka sit next to him.

Suddenly, Cheka's eyes widened in surprise and he began to sniff the air. "Hm? Wait. This smell..." He sniffed again.

"What's wrong now? I don't smell anything strange," Leona questioned.

Cheka looked again at everyone around him, as if he was taking a better look at them. "Is there a girl around here?" He asked, curious.

They all looked at him in surprise and directed their gaze to the bed where the only girl there lay. Yuu had almost forgotten that beastfolk like Leona, Ruggie and Jack had better senses than an average human did.

Cheka quickly stood up. "Mom and dad said there are only boys in this school! Can I see her? Where is she?" He asked excitedly.

"Hey, wait," Leona said in an attempt to stop Cheka from getting off the bed.

Cheka closed his eyes and took a deep breath to better track the source of the smell. All the boys looked at him closely, curious to see what he was going to do.

"Here? Hey, I found her!" He exclaimed before climbing onto the bed. "Whoops, she's asleep. So we have to speak in a low voice."

"Come on, stop bothering and get back here!" Leona snapped before he finally decided to stand up slowly so as not to hurt herself in the wounded areas.

Ruggie sat on the edge of the bed and drew the curtains that separated him from the girl's bed to get a better view of the scene.

"What a pretty girl! She looks like the princess from the book mom read me," Cheka commented as he looked at her, and another exciting idea crossed his mind. "Is she your girlfriend, unca? Are you going to marry her?"

Yuu chuckled softly at the little prince's adorable question, but Ace and Ruggie both laughed out loud; the first put a hand to his head and the second, again to his stomach to try to mitigate the pain.

"If Leona's gonna marry her, he asks! HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Ruggie repeated while hitting the mattress in fast pace with his palm.

Deuce and Jack looked at them stunned, not knowing what to say, and then they looked at Yuu, who was just enjoying the scene.

"No way! I won't let such an inconsiderate brute get close to Yuki, yanno!" Grim exclaimed.

"Look who's talking..." Jack muttered.

Cheka's question was unexpected enough for Leona to feel his cheeks burn. "What nonsense are you sayin' now!? Of course not! I don't even know her name. And you two, stop laughing if you want to see the light of another day!"

Cheka put a forefinger to his lips. "Shh! Don't be loud, unca," he whispered insistently, making Ace and Ruggie stop quickly. "Or else you'll wake up the girl."

"I wish," Yuu sighed, thinking of the encounters he had with Yukiko in dreams and the conversation he had with Lilia the previous afternoon.

"She's been in bed there for several days, hasn't she?" Ruggie asked calmly. Yuu and the Heartslabyul duo nodded.

Leona was about to grab Cheka in his arms, but stopped upon recognizing the girl's features. He looked at her for a few seconds and turned to Yuu. "It's her, right?" Understanding what he meant, Yuu silently nodded. "I heard she almost fell too," he murmured, being careful not to mention in front of his little nephew that he himself had fallen into Overblot just a few hours before speaking to him.

Now that he went through something so dangerous like that, he was aware how serious the matter was. He could not understand how was he able to wake up a few minutes after coming back to his senses, but that girl who did not even transform into some berserk version fell unconscious for several days. Much less how she and the prefect were able to communicate with him and see his past during his unconsciousness.

The young boys turned their attention from Cheka to Leona when they saw him approaching Yuu's bed, worrying him. "Don't be so afraid, I'm not gonna eat you," he told him apathetically. "I just want to let you know we must talk about what happened there later," he pointed at Yukiko with his thumb.

"Hm? What are ya talkin' about?" Grim asked, as puzzled as the others.

"About a matter between the two of us that has something to do with her," Leona simply said.

The others had little idea about what was he talking about, but decided to leave it at that, aware that they were not going to receive a clear answer. Cheka was too focused on Yukiko to show any interest in the enigmatic conversation. "I just can't wait to talk to you," he said. "I never thought my unca would have girls as friends, like me. If you married him, you could be my new auntie! And look! You're more sleepy than him, you don't wake up with anything! Hehe!"

Just at that moment, while he was thinking about what to tell her next, a long tired moan was softly heard in the room.

"Yuu... Could you take care of this one for me? ...I'm tired..."

[Published on 27/9/2022]