On the Friday after his sister's first day at school, Yuu stopped by the library after class. The desire to return home to their old world had become more serious, now that Yukiko was there with him as well. But no matter how much he searched through the books, he couldn't find anything that looked like useful information...

Crowley still hadn't found anything about it either, but it wasn't clear whether the reason for it was because he was actually too busy or he had forgotten about it.

After looking through three different books, he decided to give up and call it quits for the day. He still didn't know what would happen to Yukiko if she returned to Chiba with unstable magic anyway, so he could take all the time in the world to research a way to get back home.

What he could not afford was to leave the preparation for the final exams until the last moment, but after being unable to focus and memorize the theory, he decided to open the thick History book that had caught his attention moments before.

"Oh, good afternoon, prefect. It's been a while, isn't it?"

Yuu hadn't noticed that someone had approached him from behind, he jumped and covered his mouth to avoid ruining the silence of the library.

"Oh, dear. My apologies, I didn't mean to scare you this time." The Diasomnia student said in a low voice before chuckling softly.

"Oh, Lilia," Yuu whispered after calming down. "I didn't hear you coming."

"Sorry, I'm still in the habit of being discreet sometimes," Lilia replied before looking at the books on the table. "Is it a bad time? We haven't had a chance to talk since your sister's entrance ceremony. I came to say hello, but I see that you are studying diligently."

"Ah, don't worry about it. I was just procrastinating," Yuu assured. "It's true, it's been a while. Would you like to sit down?"

Lilia nodded and sat down across from him. He glanced at the book the young human was reading. "I read a bit of this one," he said before chuckling slightly. "I find it curious that you describe focusing on a book as advanced as this one as 'procrastinating', information like this will help you for the second and third school years. Do you enjoy History that much?"

"Yes, ever since I was a kid," Yuu replied sheepishly. "I've always been very good at it and I love learning more about topics like these."

"I see we have something in common," Lilia said before realizing something. "It's rare to see you alone. Where is your friend Grim? He's not in trouble, right?"

"No no. He's helping Yukiko train with her magic in Ramshackle dorm. The ghosts are with them, so it will be fine... Or so I hope."

"He, he. How kind of him. Speaking of your sister, I was about to ask about her. How is she doing?" Lilia asked with interest before looking away with some sympathy. "I heard that Vargas doesn't allow her to use magic in his classes, is that true?"

Yuu sighed. "She's fine, but she still has some... complications. That's why she wants to train so much, to at least control her magic enough to use it in class."

Lilia got an idea of the kind of complications he was referring to. "I have never seen such a condition before, but I would advise her to take it easy. Magic of that caliber will take a long time to master and stress is not good for combating blot production," he said as he inevitably thought of that fateful moment in the toilet.

"She knows that, but it's still hard for her," Yuu sighed. "She feels that she's far behind the other first years and it frustrates her. That's why she wants to get on the road as soon as possible."

After thinking about it for a second, Lilia gave a slight smile. "It's normal for her to get frustrated, she seems like a very determined young woman. I find her courageous desire to improve admirable, but she must not force herself. The same thing happened with Silver and Sebek, they worked hard to become worthy guards for Malleus," Lilia revealed, arousing Yuu's curiosity. "They took a while, but look at them now: strong, healthy, determined guys. And seeing how much support Yuki has, I'm sure she'll make it one day. If I have not yet told her all this and you have the chance, I ask you to tell her on my behalf, and I wish her much encouragement. You too, of course, family also has to make an effort to help them."

Yuu needed to fight back tears from spilling over at that touching piece of advice. "Thank you, of course, I'll tell her," he said with a soft smile. Then, he decided to change the subject a bit to avoid getting too emotional. "By the way, have you known Silver and Sebek for a long time?"

He knew that Lilia was Malleus' guardian and Silver and Sebek were that prince's bodyguards, so they must have known each other, but he hadn't imagined since when and Lilia had just implied that they were closer than he thought.

"Certainly! Just like Malleus, I've known those two since they were very little, I trained them myself by then," Lilia said with a big smile. "I taught Silver and Sebek to fight with a sword, to fight in close combat, to survive in a hostile environment..."

"What!?" Yuu involuntarily exclaimed, echoing. That immediately reminded him that he was in the library and cringed in embarrassment. "Sorry, but that sounds a bit..."

"It's ok, I'm aware of how it sounds," Lilia sighed as if he admitted that he hadn't made the best decisions in the past. "It didn't take long for me to realize that I was being too harsh on them, so I changed my training tactics to letting them play while watching from the shadows. And as you can see, it worked like a charm. You should see Silver, he keeps training every morning with the swing of the sword. What do you think? Aren't I a great teacher?" Then he narrowed his eyes. "Hehehe. If you're interested, I could train you too, what do you say?"

Despite how nice he had always seemed, Yuu had a bad feeling with that sly look and felt a chill. "Thanks for the offer, but I'll think about it..." He said, knowing full well that he was never going to accept it. "By the way, did you say you've read this book before?"

"I had to consult it for a little group work with Trey. You were reading about the Briar Valley, I see," Lilia pointed out as he took a closer look at the text on the open pages.

"Yeah. I was just reading an expanded version of the time when the Briar Fairy's minions searched for a human baby for years, but without any success."

He had felt a horrible itch in his left shoulder when he'd first read that part, but it hadn't happened again now that he'd read it for the second time. Could it be that the sensations only occurred the first time he heard or saw something?

"Oh, that one's a classic," Lilia said as he smiled involuntarily. "Apparently those minions were horrible at finding people. It is said that they were looking for the same person in all the cribs... for 16 years. Can you believe it? They forgot that babies grow each year!" He gave a mischievous smile again and shrugged resolutely. "But who am I to judge them? A 16-year-old would be a baby to me too."

"Haha! I guess that for someone capable of living for centuries, 16 years must be very little in comparison," Yuu said, amused by the idea that a fairy like Lilia would compare him and people his age as babies.

Lilia laughed, but then remembered that he had to lower the volume of his voice in the library. "Hahaha! I would say that, although you can't say that for humans, so... Wait, what exactly do you mean by 'living for centuries'?" He asked, suddenly surprised after processing that comment.

Yuu paled. In his world fairies were supposedly non-existent, talking about them there could be completely different from doing it in Twisted Wonderland, a place where they were known since the beginning of time. It hadn't dawned on him until that very moment that saying something like that about them could be offensive or inappropriate. And he just did it in front of a crown prince's own tutor!

"Ah, I'm very sorry! Did I say something I shouldn't? I didn't mean to, I swear!" He said, alarmed.

"Oh, no, no. Absolutely not. You haven't done anything wrong," Lilia assured as he made reassuring gestures and smiled again. "But I'm curious, the awareness that fairies have a much longer life expectancy than an ordinary human is still not widespread among young people. It's true that I don't hide much in that I'm... well, much older than your average third-year student; and every time I imply it to someone, they have a hard time believing me or they think I'm kidding. I admit I can't fault them too much for the latter, I do enjoy giving others a run for their money from time to time. But you assumed it as if it was obvious. Are you sure you haven't met a fae or any fairies before?"

Yuu calmed down a bit, seeing that he had taken it quite well. "No, but where Yukiko and I come from, spirits and beings considered as fantastic or legendary such as fairies are usually represented in books, legends and media as immortal or capable of living for many centuries... The versions and interpretations tend to vary, so we both know quite a few."

"I see! It's almost hard to believe that there's such advanced information about us elsewhere, even if it's considered a myth," Lilia commented in surprise before making a melodramatic nod. "Oh, dear... I've always been told that I'm not as old as I appear, but I figured this day would come when someone found out I'm an old man with a young and strong body!" Yuu couldn't help but laugh a little. He hadn't fully considered that Lilia might be the same age as his mother or even older, but decided not to say anything about it. "Anyway, was that what made you think I've lived for 'so long'?"

"Well, it indeed helped, but other reasons are your deep voice and your way of speech, similar to that of an elderly person; you even refer to the students as 'young people', despite the way you look," Yuu explained. "Trey and Cater mentioned that you also told them about past times as if you saw them yourself, but you didn't make anything clear, as if you wanted to confuse them."

Lilia was impressed that the young human managed to figure out that part of him was based on information from his original world, and in what he heard from others and during the few meetings before the Magical Shift tournament. "It is true that I do not hide it much, but you are also a good observer. Well then, as a reward for your insight, I'll tell you a secret, from one History lover to another. Watch this," he looked around to make sure no one was near and used his magic to move the pages of the book without touching it, surprising the young boy. "You can find a picture of me in my youth right... here!"

He stopped the pages in a section dedicated to Briar Valley, brought the book closer to him once again, and pointed to the portrait of a hooded person with his face hidden by a mask of demonic face and dark expression... The only thing that pointed out it was an actual person was the long locks of red-streaked black hair that protruded from the hood and the long ponytail falling behind his back.

"This... was you?" Yuu asked, confused. "It's almost hard to believe, no one would recognize you like this."

"Yes, this is me in my days as a general of the royal guard. After I retired, I was appointed as Malleus's guardian," Lilia replied. "My hair was way longer back then, and I've changed the color of my highlights so many times I can't even remember. You can find this very portrait in one of the textbooks, although I don't think anyone at school would recognize me in this way. The artist was one of the best of the time, she painted more works about the country and the royal family."

"Does anyone else know about this?" Yuu questioned. "About this part from your past, I mean."

"Aside from Malleus, only Silver and Sebek. They were born and raised there, after all. And now that you know it too, I ask you in return to keep all this conversation of ours a secret. Will you promise not to tell anyone?"

Yuu felt as if he was being entrusted with a very important piece of information. "Uh... of course. Not that it's my place to tell others anyway, but why exactly? You said that you didn't hide it much yourself."

"Hm... Let's say I have personal reasons, but I also love seeing the confused faces of our friends when they consider whether or not to believe what I tell them. And so I convey an aura of mystery, don't you think that makes me look more intriguing? Hehe!"

Yuu sighed with a smile, that mischievous character reminded him a bit of Yukiko's and Grim's. Although there was something that did not quite fit yet. "If it's not too much to ask, how come you're telling me all this, Lilia? We haven't known each other for a long time, is it okay for you to reveal something so personal to me?"

"Well, we just became friends, right? And you have given me no reason not to believe I shouldn't tell you this. Also, this may help encourage him to trust you more."

"What are you talking about?" Yuu asked, even more confused than before.

Lilia had to suppress a laugh and wondered how someone as observant as the prefect had not yet realized that the famous Malleus Draconia was the young man who wandered around Ramshackle at night. But he couldn't blame him either, he had never seen him around school and Malleus was very secretive with him. Furthermore, just as he had asked Yuu not to tell anything about his past, Malleus had asked Lilia not to reveal anything about him in front of Yuu, wanting to finally start a friendship with someone who didn't fear him or judge him for his title.

"Nothing, I was just thinking out loud," Lilia replied, leaving someone wondering once more. "Changing the subject, I heard that your dorm is in the process of being renovated, right? It's very old, so I'm curious to see how it looks. Will you show me the new interior when it's ready?"

"Of course! I don't know about Grim, but the rest of us would love to have you. Speaking of them, I bet they're still training in the garden, it's safe for Yuki there to practice."

"Well, I hope they're doing fine then. That reminds me, Silver and Sebek should be about to start their club activities. Now that I think about it, I'm sure those two would get along with her if they met."

While they were talking, just as Yuu had guessed, Yukiko was still practicing her magic in the company of Grim and the trio of ghosts in Ramshackle's garden. But it would be an exaggeration to say she was doing well... she had been practicing levitation spells for quite some time and was already panting after breaking her five-second record with a small boulder that Grim could hold with both forepaws.

"Good job! You lifted it for ten seconds this time," the big ghost congratulated her as she, dressed in her sports uniform, held her magical pen with both hands. "At this rate, you'll be able to do it for a whole minute in no time!"

"Do it again! And then we'll switch to fire magic, which I'm an expert at and I can teach you better than anyone, yanno!" Grim exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Little Gri, remember we will only go with levitation spells today," the thin ghost said.

"That's right, we're doing this to see if it helps her not feel so bad while practicing outfit-changing spells," the little ghost reminded. "That way she won't have to run to change here or wait for the boys to come out of the locker room in P.E."

"But just one spell in a day is very boring, yanno! Can't we go straight to the cool 'boom' and 'pew, pew' spells?"

"I understand how you feel, Grim, but I don't want to vomit like yesterday..." Yukiko sighed. "Another day, ok?"

"Shall we take a break?" The big ghost proposed when he noticed her being tired. "We'll continue later."

"No, I'm fine," Yukiko assured as she stretched out her arms to continue the practice they had just begun. "Let's keep going like... Achoo!!"

Still holding the magical pen while sneezing loudly, a sharp piece of ice shot out of the gem and stuck to the nearest tree trunk. Yukiko gasped at what she had just done, Grim jumped back, and the ghosts stared at her, stunned.

"Well, that was the opposite of fire..." The small ghost commented.

"Don't worry, Yuki. That tree's been dead for over 20 years, so no one got hurt, hee hee hee!" The thin ghost said as he approached the thick ice embedded in the wood and his eyes widened at it. "Hey, this one doesn't look bad at all, maybe your forte is water magic! You just have to be careful not to sneeze while aiming."

"That's good to hear, but I think we should stop for today," the big ghost insisted, interrupting Yukiko when she was about to protest. "I know we haven't been here for long, Yuki, but remember we must go little by little. We'll do a bit more next time, okay?"

Yukiko frowned and sighed, knowing that there would be no use for her to say anything. Besides, she couldn't deny she felt tired and didn't want to get sick later. She changed the white choker for the black one and took a good look at it.

"Does anyone see anything golden?" She asked as she held it out before her dormmates to see if they noticed any changes. She also crouched down so Grim could see it.

"It's as white and pale as the three of us..." The small ghost denied. "We still have a long way to go before it turns golden."

"Just rest for now, make sure you drink enough," the thin ghost said as he handed a bottle of water to Yukiko, who drank half of its contents in large gulps to quench her thirst and appease the body heat built up with the effort.

She felt better, but training her magic for less time than she had planned discouraged her. "I'm going for a walk," she said as she undid her ponytail and headed for the outer gate.

"Wait, where are you goin'?" The big ghost stopped her.

"I'd go inside, but they're still busy with the ground floor, right?" Yukiko said as she pointed her thumb toward the building and continued on her way. "I'm just gonna walk around for a while, I'll be back soon."

"But what if you get a fever like the other day?"

"Then I'll be back as soon as possible, I won't go far," she assured them before finally leaving.

"Wait, lemme go with ya!" Grim said before being stopped by the thin ghost.

"Let her go, little Gri," he said calmly and looked at his two ghost friends. "Let's give her a moment, I think she needs to be alone to clear her mind..."

He was right. As much as the young girl understood she needed to go little by little, she couldn't help but be saddened by the slow process. She just wanted to use magic like everyone else, but not only did she just receive her magical energy, it was unstable and complicated the learning process in every possible way...

She walked a long way until she reached the main street, where the statues of the Great Seven stood proudly. She had seen them several times before when she arrived and every time she passed by, but she decided to take a closer look at them this time and pay more attention to their details.

So she went one by one until stopping in front of the King of Beasts, the powerful lion who seized the throne with the help of the hyenas in exchange for giving them more freedom. The representative of her official dorm.

It was curious that two of the Great Seven were incapable of using magic, but they were still representatives of a major magic school like Night Raven College. She heard that despite not being magicians, it was said that the animals of the time of the King of Beasts had an intelligence comparable to that of human beings, to the point of having the ability to talk and create their own societies. She figured that would have helped him get a pedestal in that street.

"You're the one Savanaclaw workships, huh? Do you by any chance have any advice for me?" She asked the statue after making sure no one was around and leaning her back against one of the pedestal walls to sit on the floor. "Others say many good things about you, so you could help a 'poor follower', right? Ruggie says you did it back then with the hyenas. Although for some reason, there is something that doesn't add up..."

Who was she kidding? The statue wasn't going to answer her back like the paintings inside the school; she would only get taken for crazy if she was caught talking to herself.

She sighed and buried her head in her knees. She stayed like that for a minute until she felt something come closer and felt a soft fur brush against the bare part of her leg. She jumped at the unexpected contact. "Oh! Grim?" She asked, assuming it was her little friend, but the newcomer was an adorable bunny who jumped away from her at her sudden movement, but kept looking at her with curious dark eyes. "Oh, hello... did I scare you? Sorry."

The animal came closer once again and Yukiko looked at it tenderly. Rabbits had always been one of her favorite animals since she was a kid. From the ages of three and six years old, she used to ask her parents for a dog or a bunny, but that never happened.

"You must be from the forest behind the school. What's a cute little thing like you doin' here? Are you lost?" She asked. "I would pet you, but I don't think you want to."

As if it understood her, the rabbit contradicted her words by approaching her and hopping onto her lap. It looked back at her gently, moved its muzzle and looked at her hands.

"Oh, you're so sweet!" She exclaimed, shuddering at the contact. This was too adorable for her to resist. "Can I really pet you?"

It was the first time she caressed a wild animal, it was not easy to meet one and they would always run away with the first human that approached. She did not stop smiling with the kindness of the creature.

"You came here to cheer me up?" She asked softly as she stroked its back. "If so, you did it. I feel so much better now."

She would have sworn that the animal had closed its eyes as if it were glad his intention was fulfilled.

"My friend Grim is as soft as you, but he doesn't like to be petted for a long time unless it's while you're holding him or you give him cans of tuna in return. You are way nicer than him. Oh, and I may be in Savanaclaw, but you're safe with me. I won't let any mean hunters chase you."

Suddenly, the young girl and the animal raised their heads at the same time as they heard a loud chirping coming from two adorable little birds, one blue and one white, as they swept overhead. The rabbit got off the lap and approached the newcomers.

Yukiko needed to rub her eyes to believe what she was looking at: it was as if the animals were talking to each other, or rather the rabbit seemed to be paying attention to what the birds were saying. Was that even possible!? "My, what's going on here?" She asked aloud, stunned.

As if the birds realized the human's presence, they stared at her for a second before hovering close to her and chirping in the same way.

"Hey! What's wrong? I'm not going to hurt you!" She exclaimed, even though the flying animals weren't exactly being hostile. She began to think that this wasn't the case when the white bird grabbed the left sleeve of her shirt and the blue one, the right one, and pulled with all their strength, which wasn't much, but they were insistent. "What are you doing!? Stop!"

If they weren't small and adorable, she would have run off by now. It would be a problem if they were something like crows or eagles. But it didn't take long for her to realize that the birds were trying to take her somewhere and the rabbit confirmed this after hopping to get her attention, as if it wanted to go too.

"Oh, you wanna take me somewhere? Okay, I'm coming, but you don't have to pull, okay?"

Either she was dreaming or those animals were intelligent enough to understand her without having to speak her language. She found it hard to believe it when she heard that Animal Languages was a core subject in school and they used Lucius to practice with meows, Ruggie was very good at that subject and could speak several animal languages pretty well. (Yukiko had told him that if he said that in her world, they would take him for crazy if they didn't think he was joking and he almost died laughing).

The little birds flew away and Yukiko followed the rabbit down the path that led to the library. The birds disappeared behind a bush and the rabbit made sure the girl was close before following after them.

Yukiko stepped into the bush and immediately came upon someone lying face up on the ground with their head resting on the trunk of a tree. She was at first alarmed, thinking that they might be hurt, but she quickly realized they were just sleeping peacefully.

Just like her, he was dressed in the sports uniform. The green color on his clothes and his curious sword-shaped magical pen indicated that he was a Diasomnia student and the number 2-A22 on the label, that he was a second year. She couldn't deny that she found him quite handsome: he had good facial features, thin eyebrows and lips, and pretty silver hair that reached down to his neck. She deduced he must train frequently because his arms had well-formed muscles.

Before she could wonder how anyone could sleep so comfortably in a place like that, another blue bird greeted them, and the three birds perched on the branches of the tree. The rabbit stopped in front of the boy and exchanged simultaneous glances between Yukiko and him.

"What's wrong? Why did you take me here?" She asked in a whisper to avoid waking him. One of the birds landed on his shoulder and made an effort to give a couple of strong jumps on it, but the human didn't even flinch. "Oh, I see! Do you want me to wake him up? Is that it?" She looked at him doubtfully. "Eh... I don't know, maybe we shouldn't bother him." The birds impatiently chirped once again with energy. "OK OK! I'll do it. I don't know how he doesn't wake up with some noisy little guys like you."

She didn't know that boy at all, but she had been warned a couple of times that Leona hated being woken up from his nap, even Yuu had found out in the worst possible way! But those little ones were asking her and seemed to be in a hurry... In the end, she decided to wake him up, and if he complained, well, he should have gone to sleep in his own room!

"Alright, here I go," she sighed before sitting on her knees and gently shaking him by the shoulder. "Excuse me..."

The young stranger frowned, as if he heard her, but wouldn't open his eyes. Yukiko wrinkled her nose in frustration and decided to be a little more insistent: "Hello...!" Nothing happened. "Hey, are you up or what? Wake up!"

She shook him a little more forcefully and the young boy finally murmured before slowly opening his eyes, revealing them to be a beautiful shade of violet. He frowned and looked at the young girl; he must have had his mind filled with exhaustion since he was looking at her as if he doubted whether he was dreaming or not.

"Sorry, I don't mind if you want to keep sleeping here," Yukiko said as she smiled with her small victory. "But these little guys were in a hurry to wake you up, so..."

As if he finally finished processing the situation, the young man opened his eyes suddenly and gasped. He sat down on the ground and put a hand to his head.

"Sorry, I fell asleep again..." He murmured embarrassedly as if that wasn't the first time it had happened that day, and he looked at her. "My apologies if I have caused any inconvenience."

His expression was serious and stoic, but he was calm and seemed relieved to have been woken up. This was precisely the opposite of what Yukiko feared. "Oh, not at all," she assured him with a smile before pointing to the bunny. "I didn't even know you were here until your friends brought me here to wake you up, apparently they needed help."

"Really? You tried to wake me up?" The young boy asked the birds and they chirped with satisfaction. "The first person you saw? I see, you saw me here and you looked for someone to wake me up. This morning I woke up much earlier than usual, I guess that's why it hasn't been so easy this time... I appreciate your help. "Wait! What time is it?" He said hastily as he pulled out his cell phone. "Ah, the club activities have already started... More importantly, thank you very much for waking me up too, I don't know how long I would have been dreaming if you hadn't intervened."

"You're welcome," Yukiko said, glad to finally do something right after that fleeting training session. "I'm surprised you can even sleep there so calmly, I wouldn't be able to."

"It usually happens to me. I tend to fall asleep easily, so I have to be careful," the young man sighed before taking a closer look and recognizing her. "Wait, you must be the new student, right? I've heard a lot about you, especially from fath... I mean, from our vice-dorm leader, Lilia. Your name was Yuki, right? It seems that you two have become friends."

"Yeah. I'm Yukiko Oshiro, but apparently, my name is hard to say around here, so everyone calls me Yuki," she said. "Yes, Lilia is one of the first people I met here at school. But I've never seen you before, what's your name?"

"Oh, that's right, I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Silver from Diasomnia dorm," he said calmly before holding out his open hand. "Nice to meet you in person, Yuki."

Assuming he wanted to shake it, Yukiko gave him hers. However, the young man simply held it gently and placed a kiss on the back.

Yukiko gasped in surprise and blushed a bit. That was something she really did not expect from that serious-looking boy. First Lilia and now him. Would it be customary for Diasomnia students to greet with a chivalrous kiss on the hand? However, the one now known as Silver was disturbed by her reaction and took a step back.

"My apologies! I swear I didn't mean to upset you," he said, quickly. "My father used to say that it's important to greet ladies with a kiss on their hands, but he's old school and enjoys teasing people. I should have assumed he wasn't being serious, I promise I won't do this again."

"Hey, it's ok, you didn't make me feel bad," Yukiko insisted to assure that she didn't mind. "It's true I'm surprised, but I admit it's not bad to be greeted like this from time to time. Just watch out next time in case someone doesn't like it, ok?"

"Really?" Silver questioned, relieved that he hadn't unintentionally offended her. He seemed more relaxed now that the initial tension had dissipated. "That's good to know, I'll take it into account."

"Mind you, joke or not, that advice doesn't sound too bad," Yukiko said brightly as she balanced on her feet. "Your father sounds like a nice guy."

The girl saying that about his father after taking the situation so well made Silver smile slightly. "He is. He occasionally has strange ideas, but he's very wise and has a big heart. He trained me in Briar Valley since I was a child and taught me most of what I know today, like how to fight with a sword. We're not related by blood, but I couldn't ask for a better father."

And in turn, hearing him speak so tenderly of his father made Yukiko inevitably think of hers. No matter how many years had passed, she still missed him...

"Do you fight with a sword? That's so cool!" She said, avoiding getting sentimental, just before realizing she was holding him back with the conversation. "Hey! Aren't you going to be late for the club? Which one are you in? I guess in a sports one since you're wearing the sports uniform."

"In the Equestrian club," Silver replied, preparing to leave. "I know: if you're not busy right now, would you like to come with me? The horses should be active right now, I'd like to show you the activities to thank you for your help."

Surprised by the offer, Yukiko thought about it; she hadn't told Grim or the ghosts exactly how long it would take to get back, so she figured there wouldn't be much of a problem with that. Besides, she hadn't had a chance to see what the school clubs were like yet, so she could start with that one.

"Ok!" She nodded. "My brother showed me the barn only from the outside, so I haven't seen the horses."

"Very well, then come with me," Silver said before setting off with her. "Your brother is the prefect of Ramshackle dorm, right?"

"That's right, do you know him?"

"A bit. We haven't talked much so far, but I could see that he's kind and determined," Silver said, before considering whether he should bring up what had been on his mind recently. He hadn't asked the prefect the week before because he preferred to focus on the counterattack against Savanaclaw and the subject of his unconscious sister was still too delicate to discuss. "He mentioned something about how you two could communicate with each other through dreams, although he couldn't say exactly why. ...Have you discovered anything else about it?"

"Oh, right. That was a super weird thing!" Yukiko exclaimed. She had almost stopped thinking about that matter a while ago. "Nah, we haven't discovered anything new and I know as little as he does, but we think it was a side effect of traveling from one place to another, you know?"

"I see," Silver replied, thoughtful, but not satisfied with that answer. "Have you had another one in recent days?"

"Not at all. We haven't had another one since I woke up. Why do you ask?"

"...Nothing, just out of curiosity," he insisted softly before returning to consider another topic that intrigued him. "By the way, I also wanted to ask you if... No, it's not that important.

"Huh? Okay, then"

Silver also wanted to tell him that for some reason he felt like seeing her brother and her somewhere else before, but he didn't know exactly where or when... But in the end, he decided not to do it, if the prefect had told him that he never seen him before, he would surely receive the same response from her.

The sound of neighing and trotting steps were heard as they approached the stable. Students could be seen walking alongside majestic horses or diligently riding on them within a fenced-off part of the land.

"Whoa!" Yukiko exclaimed in admiration. It had been a very long time since she had seen horses up close (let's say that living in a big city near Tokyo and barely visiting any farms or mountains hadn't given her much of an opportunity).

Greater was her surprise when the person who received them on the other side of the fence was Riddle, accompanied by a large dark brown horse. She didn't know that Heartslabyul's dorm leader was in that club. "You're late, Silver," he told him sternly. "This is not like you, so I hope you have a good reason for this delay."

"I'm really sorry, I promise it won't happen again," Silver sighed ruefully. "I fell asleep on the way. It was thanks to her that I didn't arrive even later, I hope it's okay to have brought her here."

"Hello again, Riddle," Yukiko greeted him. "All good here?"

Riddle's expression softened at the sight of her. "Good afternoon, Yuki. Yes, everything is fine," he greeted back. "Don't forget about our meeting this weekend, I'll be there as punctual as possible."

They had finally arranged to meet at Ramshackle so they could discuss those strange encounters after the Overblot incidents. They probably wouldn't find many answers, since Yuu and Riddle had talked a bit about it before without much avail, but at least they may take some weight off their shoulders. Also, it would be a good chance for Yukiko to talk to people who had been through what she was about to and understand her condition a little better.

"Don't worry, we won't forget that. Tomorrow's Sunday, so there won't be any building renovations."

"Very well," Riddle nodded. "Are you here to see our club activities? I've heard that you'd like to join a sports club. If you're interested in horse riding, you can ask me anything about it."

"Thank you, but I'm here just to see. I have no idea how to ride a horse."

"Are you sure? There is no need to have previous experience, you can learn from scratch with us."

"That's right. Seeing as you're good at dealing with animals, I'm sure you'll master it in no time," Silver said, thinking of the encounter with the birds and the rabbit.

"It's that so? Then you could start by getting to know the horses," Riddle intervened with interest and held the bridle of his horse to bring it closer to the fence. "Come closer, you can start here by greeting Vorpal, my usual mount."

Despite the kindness of the offer, Yukiko nervously eyed the huge animal with a piercing gaze on her. "Oh no no no! I don't know what that was about before, Silver, but believe me: aside from cats and dogs, I haven't... talked to many animals. And much less with horses! I think it's better I watch them from afar, you know?"

"You shouldn't be afraid, he won't hurt you," Silver assured as he held her shoulders. "Come on, go and say hello. You should only speak to him softly and not make sudden movements.

"What? No!" Yukiko exclaimed and whined nervously as she was gently pushed towards the animal. She tried to pull away, but it was too late, and deep down she was somewhat curious to interact with him.

Riddle chuckled softly, Yuu had reacted the same way when he was encouraged to hold Heartslabyul's hedgehogs during that Unbirthday Party. You could tell they were siblings!

With each step she took toward the horse, Yukiko clenched her fists and shut her eyes tighter. As she came within inches of Vorpal, Silver lifted her arm and held her hand close to the animal's face.

"See? It's okay," he said to calm her down. "Show him he can trust you, you just need to relax."

Yukiko opened one eye and, after having reached this far, she decided to bring her trembling hand closer to the animal's muzzle. He stared at her for a moment before gently resting his head in her palm. The girl shuddered at the contact, but she did not move away at any time and her fear dissipated.

"Wow... This isn't so bad," she admitted quietly as Silver released her and took a few steps away.

"See? He likes you," Riddle commented. "Your brother and you say you don't interact much with animals, but you're great at it."

"This is my first time being this close to such a big animal," Yukiko agreed before daring to pat Vorpal on the head. "But you're super nice, aren't you? What a good boy you are!"

Accepting the compliment, the animal perked up his ears and neighed softly.

"Well, I should start as soon as possible. I'll go get my horse ready," Silver said before starting, but he was stopped when someone ran up towards the group.

"You're late, Silver!!!" A very tall student Yukiko didn't know yelled out loud. He had a strong, robust appearance, a fierce gaze, and light green hair that was swept back. The green color of his magical pen and the lines of his sports uniform pointed out that he was from Diasomnia, just like Silver.

That loud voice was unbearable, especially for poor Vorpal and the nearest horses, who shuddered slightly.

"Sebek! We told you that you must be careful with loud voices," Riddle scolded him severely with an authoritative voice. "Especially around horses, they have more sensitive hearing than people."

"It's Silver's fault for being so late," Sebek replied, no less annoyed. "Don't tell me you fell asleep again!"

"I'm sorry..." Silver sighed. "I was talking to some birds on the way and I felt sleepy. I promise it won't happen again."

"EXCUSES! At this rate you won't be worthy of protecting the young master, you should be ashamed!"

She didn't know what he was talking about, but Yukiko glared at the stranger. Not only was he being noisy, but he also wouldn't stop saying such nasty things to Silver despite his apologies.

"That's enough, Sebek," Riddle ordered. "He may have arrived late, but he just assured that it won't happen again. Also, you are giving a bad image of the club to our guest."

"Guest?" Sebek repeated, puzzled, just before noticing the girl. "You don't belong to this club, who are you?"

Yukiko composed herself as quickly as she could to avoid looking annoyed with him, maybe he wasn't a bad person, just someone with a bad temper and strict values. She took a closer look at his green eyes, with dilated pupils like a reptile, similar to Lilia's. For a second she assumed that he was a fairy too, but his human-looking ears contradicted that. Either he was half human and half fairy, or he just wasn't human at all.

"Yukiko, but you can just call me Yuki," she introduced herself, although less cheerfully. "I just came to see, Silver is showing me around. And you are...?"

"Sebek Zigvolt. First year in Diasomnia dorm," he introduced himself nonchalantly. "And official bodyguard to our illustrious Lord Malleus, dorm leader of Diasomnia and next ruler of the Briar Valley. Don't forget that."

First year!? With that imposing appearance, Yukiko would have sworn he had to be a third-year student or at least a second year. But it hadn't occurred to her that he might be the same age as her.

"It was thanks to her that I didn't delay myself anymore, so I offered her to come with me as a thank you," Silver added. "Do you remember that fath... that Lilia told us about her?"

"Right, the unconscious girl..." Sebek recalled before looking her up and down and his eyes widened. "Wait... does that mean you're the new Savanaclaw student?"

He didn't ask like it was a good thing, he seemed upset. Yukiko and the other two boys reacted in bewilderment. "Uh... yes?" She answered. "Is something wrong with that?"

Perhaps it was the initial surprise of seeing someone looking benevolent and adorable in a dorm made up of the opposite image, as many other students did, but she would immediately see that this was not the case when his stupefied look turned into a furious one.

"What are you doing here!? Have you come to spy on us!? If so, I'm telling you that you won't get anything from us!"

Yukiko took a couple of steps back, confused. What the hell was he talking about!? She had just introduced herself! Besides, there were more students from her dorm in that club, what problem could he have with her?

"Sebek! What's gotten into you!?" Riddle exclaimed, as confused as she was by his behavior.

The nearest horses shuddered from the noise, and many students stared at the commotion from afar, wondering what exactly was going on. But they preferred to stay out of it and continue their activities, fearing they would get into trouble with Heartslabyul's dorm leader.

"Are you the cause of Silver being late!?" Sebek continued, ignoring Riddle's question. "You'll be held accountable if this affects the well-being of the young master, human!"

With an accusation as absurd as that, Yukiko lost her patience and took a step towards him. The only thing separating them was the fence, but Silver intervened before she could say anything. "Sebek, that's enough. She didn't hold me back, I just told you she helped me," he said sternly before turning to the girl. "I'm sorry, he's been on the lookout for Savanaclaw students lately since the Magical Shift tournament. You may have already heard of it, but Leona planned an attack on our dorm, being Lord Malleus the main target..."

"Exactly! I won't allow such a crime to be repeated!" Sebek interrupted. "How dare you bring her here, Silver!?"

"She had nothing to do with the attack," Riddle sighed in exasperation, putting a hand to his temple. "Remember that she was unconscious in the infirmary when everything happened and didn't even have an assigned dorm."

"I know that, but Savanaclaw may want to take revenge after being in second place thanks to the efforts of our powerful leader, and I'm not going to risk that they plan something with her so as not to raise suspicions for being new! I wouldn't be surprised if she's here to collect information about us and pass it on to her dorm."

Even Vorpal rolled his eyes at such comments.

"That's ridiculous, why would I do something like that!?" Yukiko replied, now more confused than angry.

With his screams, she could perceive his long sharp fangs, also similar to Lilia's when he smiled, and he now referred to her as a human. Her suspicions that he wasn't quite human were closer to being true.

"Calm down, Sebek," Silver told him. "And apologize to her, that's no way to talk to a lady. What would Lilia and Lord Malleus think if they saw you like this?"

"Don't give me orders, Silver!! Unlike you, I don't risk the young master's safety," Sebek exclaimed before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. "Consider yourself lucky, human, if Lord Lilia holds you in esteem, you may not be a priority to keep an eye on. But I'm warning you: stay away from Lord Malleus! As a Savanaclaw student, I don't trust you! Don't you dare go near him!"

Yukiko opened her mouth to protest about that stupid order, who did he think he was to tell her that? But she came up with something better and smirked. "Fine by me," she replied with total indifference as she shrugged. "I don't even know who you're talking about, so I don't care."

Riddle and Silver looked at her in surprise at that kind of response, but Sebek reacted as if he had heard something scandalous.

"What!? Don't you know who Malleus Draconia is? That's impossible, you must be lying!" He exclaimed.

"I'm not, I really don't know him. I've heard things, but never actually seen him."

"Remember she comes from another place and just started school the day before yesterday, Sebek. And having in mind that Malleus is someone difficult to find, it's not so strange that she hasn't even gotten to see him from afar," Riddle intervened.

"This is OUTRAGEOUS! How can there be someone who has not seen the greatness of our young lord!?" Sebek yelled.

"So... Do you want me to meet him or to get away from him? I can't do both at the same time, you know?" Yukiko asked. "So pick one."

That sarcastic comment caused the horse to make loud neighing noises that sounded very closely to a joyous laugh. It was more than obvious that he was cackling.

"Vorpal!?" Riddle exclaimed, stunned by his unusual reaction.

"See? He gets it," Yukiko said with satisfaction before stroking the animal's neck.

Sebek looked at them in a daze, questioning what he had just seen.

"Tell me, Vorpal: what do you think about this guy?" Yukiko asked. "How many times was he a loud jerk?"

Before Sebek could say anything for that indirect insult, Vorpal snorted softly and began to slowly tap one of his front hooves against the ground repeatedly to count the times. He didn't even bother to stop after five... Now you could tell that Riddle was freaking out.

Yukiko raised her eyebrows and glanced at Sebek sideways. "Seriously? My, I don't even want to imagine how horrible it must be to be with him every day..."

"Enough already!" Sebek yelled, losing patience. "And answering your question: just don't go near him, that's it."

"Fine by me, I don't even know him," Yukiko repeated with a sly smile.

"Don't treat the young master's name with such disdain, human!"

"Sebek, how many times do we have to tell you to stop calling people that? You're giving her a bad impression of the club and delaying her visit," Riddle scolded seriously. "I thought you had already learned to control your attitude with students outside of Diasomnia, but do you want me to chop your head off again?"

"Riddle is right. Also, don't forget that you are half-human yourself," Silver added.

"I told you not to tell me what to do, Silver!!"

At least she was able to check her theory as almost correct upon learning that he was half-human, but Yukiko was already starting to get bored of that troublesome boy. "You know what? I think I should go. We're all wasting time," she said as she tried to leave, but Silver stopped her.

"Wait, you just got here. What about visiting the club?"

"I know, but I think your crocodile friend doesn't even want to see me here."

"Where do you think you're going, I haven't finished with you yet!" Sebek exclaimed before realizing she was referring to him. "Wait, did you just say 'crocodile'?"

"Yes, you remind me a bit of one because of your eyes, hair color, fangs, and for being a brute!" Yukiko replied without any hesitation.

The three boys were taken by surprise, and Vorpal laughed loudly again. "That's so disrespectful!" Sebek exclaimed, getting angry again. "Just because you're under Leona's protection, you don't have the right to talk to me like that! Remember I still don't trust you!"

"You two, stop fighting at once," Riddle ordered, now losing patience with Yukiko too. She was just as kind as Yuu, but much more confrontational and persistent than him. He hadn't yet considered punishing her with his Unique Magic, but he wondered if it would be worth using it on someone who already had her magic constantly sealed with her choker.

"And I want to stop, but he won't let me!" Yukiko replied as she pointed at Sebek. "And for your information, I don't trust Leona very much either because of what he did to my brother, so don't worry about it. Even if he's my dorm leader, I wouldn't think of doing what he tells me."

"Do you really expect me to believe that so easily? There's no guarantee that you won't betray Lord Lilia's precious trust for your dorm leader."

"And why not? There are some Savanaclaw students around here, and as far as I can remember, Jack is part of them, but he was important in saving the tournament. Do you suspect them too?"

"It's true that Jack did something very noble for the school, and I already made sure that everyone here does not even think of repeating a similar misdeed, but not with you yet."

"That's enough, Sebek. If you don't leave her alone and return to your activities, it will be off with your head," Riddle warned him seriously. "We've already told you that what Leona or Savanaclaw did has nothing to do with her."

"Would you like it if someone generalized all of us in Diasomnia because a student did something wrong?" Silver asked, trying to make a point.

"Exactly, haven't you considered that you could be the one causing a bad impression of Diasomnia because of these accusations to a new student, especially a girl?"

That question from Riddle made Sebek freeze. Following that logic, he could be "tarnishing" the name of Malleus with his behaviour.

"It's ok, guys. Thanks to Lilia and you, Silver, I have a very good impression of Diasomnia," Yukiko said nonchalantly. "This crocodile is the exception, but unlike him, I'm not going to generalize your dorm nor that Malleus I don't know."

"How dare you refer to the young master in such a disrespectful way!?" Sebek exclaimed, forgetting about his concern.

And thus they returned to the starting point of that argument... Yukiko lost the patience she had just recovered and sighed in exasperation. "Look, let's make one thing clear because I want to go and you won't stop giving me headaches," she growled. "If that Malleus guy, I mean, your dorm leader is as powerful as you say, what makes you think I could even touch him? I'm strong, but I haven't seen his face yet, and he's one of the most powerful magicians in the world, from what I've heard. It doesn't look like I would be a match for him, don't you think?"

Riddle and Silver also believed that Sebek would finally understand and stop this discussion. And that seemed to be the case when Sebek seemed to be seriously pondering that last argument. "You're right, you're no match for him," he decided. After hearing him yell so much, Yukiko found it strange to hear him speak with a calm tone of voice.

"See? I'm glad we've come to an agree..."

"I've heard you have strong magic, but you can't keep it at bay without that choker you're wearing because of your weak body. On the other hand, the young master is capable of great achievements such as changing the weather for miles around to his will without any slight effort," Sebek interrupted her with a smug smile. "I also heard you can't even ride a broom, right? Pathetic! Even I was able to master it when I was just a child. A mere human who can't perform even the simplest of spells like you shouldn't even dream of reaching the level of Lord Malleus Draconia."

Even Vorpal screeched in horror.

"SEBEK!!" It was Riddle and Silver's turn to yell furiously with those derogatory and inconsiderate insults.

"What? I'm just telling the truth... Huh?"

He expected that the girl would think of responding to him easily again, but he froze when he realized that this time she was staring at him with a look that made it clear she was deeply hurt by his words before running away from there.

"Yuki, wait!"

Sebek was puzzled by Yukiko's reaction and how Silver rushed to follow her. Even Vorpal glared at him. "What...? I didn't expect her to take it like that..." He commented, stunned, just a millisecond before realizing that Riddle's face had turned as red as his hair color.

"And how did you expect her to take it when you have no idea about her situation!?!?" The dorm leader yelled furiously. He had suffered firsthand the same thing Yukiko would go through if she did not control her magic and excessive blot production and was aware of how hard the recovery process would be for her, so he knew full well how horrible those insults were. "You've crossed the line this time, Sebek!!! THAT'S IT! OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!!!!!!"

His voice shouting his Unique Magic echoed and could be heard from the main street, making the students walking by shudder. Meanwhile, Silver managed to catch up with the girl in the middle of the road and stopped her, worried.

"Are you okay?" He asked, even though the obvious answer was she wasn't okay at all.

Yukiko looked up at him and sniffled as she fought back the tears that threatened to fall. She didn't dare to say anything, she felt that she would really burst into tears if she tried to speak.

"I am so sorry about this," Silver began to say. "Sebek is closed-minded and has a bad temper, but he's not a bad person. He says abrasive things on impulse, but I didn't think he would be so rude and inconsiderate. I swear I didn't mean to put you through something like that by taking you there. I apologize for this."

"Why do you keep apologizing for him?" Yukiko responded with a cracked voice as she wiped away her tears. "It's not your fault, he's the *sshole..."

"I understand how you feel, but Sebek is very stubborn when it comes to other people, he first has to reflect to admit that he told you something unacceptable," Silver sighed, ignoring the insulting word. "I promise I won't turn a blind eye to this, I'll let Lilia and Lord Malleus know. I'm sure Riddle will do the same, we'll make Sebek apologize properly."

"Right now, I don't even want to see him!" She retorted, feeling furious. "Nobody else had said something like that about my magic... It's already hard enough having it, you know?"

At least he didn't say anything about her being a girl, that would have been the last straw.

Knowing that he couldn't leave her with that bad taste in her mouth, it didn't take Silver long to find the right words to tell her in that state.

"I may know nothing what it's like to have such a difficult magic, but magicians or not, we've all come to have bumps in the road, like the heroine who saved her country."

Yukiko looked at Silver curiously. "What are you talking about?"

"It's a story I used to hear as a child, it's about a young woman who disguised herself as a man to fight in the war on behalf of her sick father. Despite the prejudices and challenges, she managed to save her entire country from their enemies and today she's still remembered for her deeds," Silver explained calmly. "You remind me a bit of her: living in a 'male' environment and demonstrating her strength to those who doubted her. She's even described having straight dark hair like yours. I'm sure if you do your best, you'll go far like her."

Yukiko knew similar stories from her old home, but this was the first of the kind she had heard in Twisted Wonderland. It didn't take long for her to realize that she told him all this to cheer her up. "I never heard that one."

"My father used to tell me this one, I always admired the heroine's devotion to her own father," he said with a slight smile before turning serious again. "I'll understand if you don't want to join the Equestrian club, I promise I'll make it up to you."

"Don't worry about it, I just want to go back to my dorm..." Yukiko insisted, that inspiring story had already made her feel better.

"Would you like me to accompany you? Or do you need a moment alone?"

Before Yukiko could reply, a shrill voice began to call out to her. "Hey!! Yukiii!!" Grim yelled as he ran on all fours toward them. "I finally find ya, my great sense of smell never fails, yanno?"

"Ah, it's you, Grim," Silver greeted him.

"Yeah, the one and only! You were takin' a long time to come back, Yuki, so I came lookin' for you before the ghosts got too worried... Wait a minute, you're crying!?" Grim exclaimed, noticing her reddened eyes. "What happened!? Did this guy do somethin' to you!? I won't forgive you, Silver!!"

"No, no!" Yukiko exclaimed before Grim could think of throwing fire at him due to a misunderstanding. "I'll tell you everything, but he did nothing to me. Well, I think I should go. I can't say the same for Sebek, but it's been nice meeting you, Silver."

"Same here," Silver said calmly. "I'm sorry it didn't end so well, but I'll see you around. Take care."

After saying goodbye, Grim escorted Yukiko back to Ramshackle and kept insisting she tell him what happened until she promised she would do so when they got into the building. When they did, the construction workers had already left for the day and Yuu was back from the library.

They sat on the sofa in the living room, and she filled all the residents in on the gist from her encounter with Silver to Sebek's behavior. When she finished, the three ghosts were already fuming.

"How dare someone say something like that to you!?" The thin ghost shouted furiously. "I won't forgive him!!"

"We're gonna give him the fright of his life! We'll make him turn pale as paper!!" The small ghost assured.

"Guys, stop! We'll talk about that later!" Yuu stopped them before they planned something crazy and sighed. "I knew Sebek was... unfriendly, but I never thought he'd say something like that. Are you alright, Yuki?"

"I'm better now, but I don't want to see him again," she answered, still hurt by what had happened.

"Don't forget to take the buzzer with you the next time, so you'll pay him back for all the pain he caused you with that noisy voice," the big ghost thought up.

"Oh, good idea!" The thin ghost agreed.

"Guys, that's just to defend herself" Yuu reminded them with a raised eyebrow.

"And she would be defending herself! From bad boys who attack her with their stupid words!"

"Yuki doesn't need that hellish thing, she just needs to punch him or throw him to the ground like with that idiot from Savanaclaw!" Grim exclaimed with a frown as he raised a paw.

"Grim, we've talked about this," Yuu said as he lowered it. "And Riddle was there, I'd put my head on the line to bet he already took care of it."

He managed to liven up the atmosphere a little with that simple joke he just came up with and with the satisfaction of knowing that the offender would not escape the "chains of law". In fact, the doorbell rang through the dorm about a few moments later. Yuu offered to open it and returned seconds later to say that it was Riddle and Sebek, who wanted to speak to Yukiko. The ghosts insisted that they would go on her behalf to throw him out, but Yukiko insisted and headed for the entrance followed by Grim, who laughed out loud when he saw Riddle's collar tightened around Sebek's neck, kneeling before the entrance as Riddle stood with arms crossed. He was still furious at Sebek for what happened.

The dorm leader was short and came to the point: Sebek had come to apologize and he confirmed it himself. He said that he didn't weigh the hurt from his words despite having a slight idea of her magical condition. However, he said that he would not apologize for protecting his young master and that this was one of his top priorities, especially after what happened with the tournament... That made Riddle angry again, but he stopped, bearing in mind that he would already report it to Lilia and Malleus anyway.

"That's the worst apology I've ever heard..." Grim muttered as he crossed his arms in disbelief. "What are you gonna do, Yuki?"

It wasn't clear if the punishment would be reduced if she accepted his apology, but the decision was hers.

"You know what? That collar really suits you. You should wear it a while longer!!" She yelled angrily before going back inside.

"Yuki!?" Grim exclaimed before going after her. He was somewhat stupefied because deep down he believed that Yukiko would accept the apology as Yuu did with Ace and Riddle, but that hadn't been the case at all.

"I'll talk to her," Yuu sighed. "But I don't think she's going to accept the apology anytime soon, so..."

Sebek didn't say anything, he didn't seem to care much if she forgave him or not.

"I understand, I guess I can't blame her for getting so upset," Riddle sighed. "I'll take care of everything from here, so don't worry. You should check she's okay."

"Thanks, I'm counting on you," Yuu said and started to go back inside, but not before glaring at Sebek. "And you," he pointed at him coldly. "Talk to my sister like that again and I'll report you to the headmaster. And trust me, you won't like it. You already have enough of her hating your guts."

He closed the door in his face when an apparently surprised Sebek was about to ask something about that last statement and took a hand to his head, exhausted. Yuu partly felt sorry for Lilia, who only hit on one of the boys he thought they would get along with her...

He took a can of tuna from the kitchen for Grim and asked him to give them a moment to talk alone. He found her twin in her bedroom, lying face down on the bed. "Are you ok?" He asked her while sitting on the edge. "Don't mind what Sebek said, he had no idea what he was saying."

"I don't care," Yukiko mumbled as she raised her face from the pillow. "But I feel way better after telling him all that, now he'll know what it's like to have something blocking your magic around your neck."

"It's not his first time anyway, Riddle once told me he used his Unique Magic on him shortly after the start of the school year for fighting with another Savanaclaw student," Yuu commented. "He's not a bad guy, but it takes him a long time to learn to be nicer to people who are unfamiliar with him, or that's what Lilia told me."

"I can tell... But whatever it is his problem, he's the worst."

"But at least you've met Silver. He's nice, isn't he?" Yuu asked to remind her of the good part of the day. "Speaking of Diasomnia: Lilia says hi. I ran into him in the library and he's doing fine."

"Really? That's great!" Yukiko said, perking up enough to sit next to him. "And yes, Silver's great. We've talked a lot. And I'm not gonna lie: he's very handsome. He's too serious to be my type, but I'm sure he would be very popular at our old school."

"Right? But I'm not here to talk about boys, well, not like that," Yuu said, managing to make her laugh.

"And did you know that Silver knows how to fight with a sword? Apparently, his father taught him since he was little. That really surprised me."

Yuu frowned, puzzled. There was something in that information that wasn't adding up. "Are you sure? Lilia told me it was him who trained Silver and Sebek in the Briar Valley since they were little, including sword fighting."

"No? Silver told me it was his adoptive father who raised him in the Briar Valley and they began with the sword there. He also said something about how he taught him to greet girls with a kiss in the hand, but he also likes to prank people a lot... Huh?"

"..."

Before Yukiko could finish that sentence, the twins froze and stared at each other in bewilderment, realizing that both profiles matched perfectly. Lilia and Silver's father...

"...Wait a minute," both said at the same time while pointing at each other.

[Published on 24/8/2023].

To Be Continued...

Author's note: Lilia mentioning having long hair in his youth was a scene I had been planning for a long time, since the headcanon of him having long hair in the past was very popular, but then Chapter/ Book 7 came out and (spoiler) it was revealed as canon. Now I feel like this reveal for our protagonist turned out even better than planned originally. ^^