The group was silent under the dorm leader's fierce gaze. It was then that Cater decided to try and lighten the mood. "Oh my, Riddle. You're super crazy cute today~" he said, only to be cut off by the leader's silver eyes.
"Hmph. Cater. If you run your mouth anymore, I'll take it off together with your head." Riddle said annoyed with his excuses.
Cater backed away slightly. "Hey now, gimme a break!"
Grim jumped back as he recognized the man standing before him. "Ffgna! This is the guy who put that weird collar on me during the entrance ceremony!"
Riddle looked over at the monster and Xinyi. "And you're the new students who caused all that fuss about a possible expulsion yesterday." He then glared at Grim intensely. "I must ask that you refrain from calling someone's Unique Magic a 'weird collar'." Grim instantly hides behind Xinyi who is currently shocked.
Riddle sighed and looked away. "For goodness' sake. The headmaster is far too soft. If you forgive rule breakers, the whole system will collapse. All he has to do is lop off the heads of everyone who doesn't follow the rules."
"He may look innocent, but the words coming out of his mouth sure do suggest otherwise…" Ace grumbles under his breath.
Riddle then goes up to Xinyi with his piercing gaze. "The headmaster may have forgiven you, but make no mistake, the next time you choose to break the rules, I will most certainly not."
All the girl could do was nod in fear, feeling slightly interrogated by the dorm leader. Seeing this as his chance, Ace decided to speak up. "... Say, Dorm Leader, there's no way you could, y'know… remove this collar, is there?
Riddle looked away from the trembling supervisor and back to the troublemaker from the night before. "I was prepared to do so had you learned your lesson," Riddle explained while crossing his arms. "But judging from the way you were talking just a moment ago, it doesn't sound like this is the case, at all. Keep it on for a while longer. There's no need to worry. As a first-year, you'll primarily be learning the fundamentals rather than actually using magic. If you can't use your magic, there's no risk of causing a scene like yesterday, either. Doesn't that sound wonderful?"
"Now don't just sit around chatting away. The moment you've finished your lunch, start preparing for your next class. Laws of the Queen of Hearts, number two hundred severity one: 'One should eat lunch and leave their seat within fifteen minutes'. If you break the rules... I'm sure you understand?"
Ace looked away in frustration. "Aaand that's another weird as hell rule to add to the list…"
"The answer is, 'Yes, Dorm Leader'!" Riddle corrected strictly.
With that both Deuce and Ace "Yes, Dorm Leader!" slightly afraid of what might happen if they didn't;
With that Riddle turned to leave only to be stopped by a small voice. "W-wait please!" all eyes turned to Xinyi as she brought out the cooler bag. "I-I have to g-give you something!" all watched as she pulled forth a full tart, decorated with strawberries and cream. "T-the tart that was eaten was strawberry right?" she asked as she handed the tart to the redhead.
All stared at her and the tart, all astonished. "I-"
"Why didn't you give it to him sooner!?" Ace exclaimed, cutting off his dorm leader who gave him a slight glare.
Xinyi had jumped a bit, putting the pastry on the table. "I-I was t-trying to tell you b-back at the d-dorm but the f-fight had d-distracted me," she said before pulling out more pastries. "W-when you t-told me about what h-happened I-I decided t-to try and m-make one as an apology for t-the one eaten." she looked at them, with a guilty smile. "I-I had g-gone out to get the i-ingredients a-and ran into the h-headmaster. I-I told him of the dilemma a-and he agreed to help. W-we made one too many i-it would seem." she proceeds to pull out four more. "H-he said I-I could g-give them out to people who would enjoy it."
All stared at her then at the pastries. "How did you have time to make these?" Tray asked to unwrap one and inspect it. "Let alone how you knew how to make them, these look almost professional."
Xinyi laughed a bit. "I-It was a-actually a pastry I regularly made back at home. I-it was my t-teacher's favorite and I-I would always m-make them on a bad day." she smiled looking back at the memory. "Nothing quite brightens the mood like sweet treats and a soft toon."
"Here here to that." Cater cheered, taking a small slice and eating it.
Riddle takes a look at the tart that was given to him, and then takes it. "Though I accept the tart, I will not take it as an apology from Mr. Troppoliela." He confirms his gaze is still stern.
Ace was about to argue but Xinyi stepped in. "I-I am aware of that, and I-I apologize again for not getting it to you sooner," she said, bowing slightly. "I-I also wish to ask you for a favor, i-if that is alright?" All noise stopped, and no one dared to move not knowing what she would ask.
"A favor?" Riddle repeated, somewhat expecting her to ask for her friend's forgiveness.
"Y-yes," she said, her eyes darting to the side. "I-I was wondering i-if you could tell me about the rules or laws of the school and dorm. I-I know you are probably very busy b-but-"
Her words astonished everyone, their eyes wide with interest. "You want to learn the rules?" Riddle asked her, his astonishment unable to be hidden.
Xinyi shifted uncomfortably. "I-I am new here and am u-unfamiliar with the rules of this place. T-the headmaster h-had told me h-he would h-help but h-he has a lot to do. I-I wasn't e-expecting to become a dorm leader and a supervisor a-all in one night s-so I want to give it my best shot." Her words both held her insecurity and her resolve.
At first, Riddle stared at her but then a small smile could barely be seen on his face and he couldn't help but admire her willingness. "I will not be able to tell you myself, as you said I am busy. But I will ask Tray to give you a copy of the rule book. It will have everything you need to know." He looked at his second in command who gave a solemn nod.
"Thank you!" She cheers, giving a bright smile, one that he couldn't help returning.
"I'll take care of them, Don't worry," Trey said, calmly smiling seeing that at least one of the new students may get along with the leader.
Riddle returned to his previous attitude and stuck up his nose. "Hmph. You're meant to be the vice dorm leader, so I expect you to get your act together." He then started to walk away mumbling to himself. "Following the Laws of Queen of Hearts, number three hundred thirty nine, 'After a meal one must always drink lemon tea with two sugars.'" He then turned to us one last time. "I must go buy sugar cubes from the school store, so I'll be on my way. Not ensuring the sugar pot is topped up is a huge offense, for goodness' sake…"
It was just briefly but Xinyi felt a cold chill go down her spine. She looked towards Riddle as he walked away, just seeing a hint of black aura coming from him. Something about it was familiar and not in a good way.
Before she could investigate her further, the other students began to talk after the dorm leader left, the air becoming less tense. "Whew! That was a close one." Cater said slyly relaxing in his seat
"That guy is so obnoxious," Grim grumbled from behind Xinyi.
"Hey, that was rude!" Deuce yelled and the supervisor nodded in agreement.
Then the whispers started to circulate.
"Did the dorm leader leave…?
"I broke the Law of the Queen of Hearts, number onehundred eighty six, 'One must never eat a hamburger on Tuesday.' I was terrified of what would happen if he found out I did.
"At least let us eat whatever we want…"
Both Trey and Cater were quiet for a bit as the murmures went around. Both seemed to know more about the situation but were unable to stop the negativity that seemed to surround their dorm head.
"The dorm leader wrestled the seat from the previous dorm leader in his first week here," Trey said, trying to show a different side to Riddle. "He can be a little harsh, but that's just him trying to make the dorm better. He's got good intentions at heart."
Grim glared at them. "Someone with good intentions doesn't randomly collar people!" he yelled.
Both Cater and Trey laughed shyly, not looking at anyone only to be startled by the soft words of the supervisor. "Grim, d-don't forget y-you're the one who m-made a scene during the ceremony."
Grim growled at her. "But that collar just suddenly cuts off your magic. It hurts and it sucks!"
Xinyi shook her head, petting his head to calm the little monster down. She then looked at Cater and Trey. "B-by the way, w-what's this 'Unique Magic'?"
"Hm? You mean Riddle's unique magic?" Cater asked, slightly surprised by her words.
Deuce as well, took an interest in the unfamiliar words. "If it's unique, does that mean that it's magic that only he can use?' he mumbled, trying to deduce what it was.
Trey sped in once more to explain. "Leaving aside the question of if only one person in the world can use it or not… generally, it's a very distinct magic that only that person can use, hence Unique Magic." The green-haired man smiled kindly at them. "You'll probably learn about it in class pretty soon."
"Riddle's Unique Magic lets him seal another person's magic for a fixed amount of time." Cater continues to explain. "It is called…
"Off With Your Head!"
Grim Jumps slightly from the sudden yell, deciding to hide behind Xinyi who chuckles at his actions. "Eek! Just the name is terrifying!"
Cater smirked at his reaction but turned to Xinyi who seemed to be confused about why it was so bad. "Xinyi, you don't have this problem as you can't use magic but having your magic sealed as a mage really hurts as much as losing your own head," he explained, then turned to the other three. "And that's why you should try and avoid breaking Riddle's rules inside the dorm."
"On the other hand, he isn't scary at all if you just follow them," Trey said, trying to save face for his friend.
Ace huffed and glared at Cater. "So what you're saying is I have to go buy a tart or Cater will kick me out again," he said glaring at the green-eyed man.
"That's right. As decided by Laws of the Queen of Hearts, number fifty three," Cater said with a cheeky smile before adding. "I should also let you know that Riddle really looks forward to having the first slice of a tart, so he probably won't forgive you unless it's whole."
The redhead stands up in his seat. "Weren't you just talking about getting along, like, two seconds ago? Just turn a blind eye!" Ace exclaimed.
"That is that this is this." Cater smiled back.
"But aren't whole tarts pretty expensive?" Deuce commented, making Ace even more depressed.
"Ugh. It's not like my pockets are overflowing with Madol here, you know?"
"Then why don't you make them like Xinyi did? All those tarts you saw in the fridge were made by Trey, and Xinyi would probably be a good asset. Especially if she can make them this good!" Cater then took another bite smiling at the taste.
"B-baking is cheaper than buying." The supervisor joined in with a happy smile but Ace's attention was elsewhere.
"You made that tart, Trey? Holy crap! If you told me they were bought from a patisserie, I'd have believed you." He exclaimed, causing Trey to laugh a bit.
"Thank you. It's true that I have all the seasonings and utensils that you would need, but…" he then looked at Xinyi and back at Ace. "... asking for my help won't be cheap. And Xinyi is not allowed to make it on their own this time."
"Huh?! You're making me pay for it?!" Ace accused, about to rant about how unfair that was, only to be stopped by Trey's laughter.
"Pfft, don't lose your head now. I'm not gonna go around squeezing money out of the new kids. At the same time, it is unfair for a singular person to make it without payment of some form." All eyes went to Xinyi who rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. "If we're going to make the tart Riddle wants to eat next, we need a lot of chestnuts. Could you gather them for me?"
Upon hearing the words chestnuts Xinyi instantly perked up, knowing of a recipe for it. It made her smile thinking of the taste but her thoughts were interrupted by Ace."Ugh, either way, it's a pain. Well, how many do you need?"
Xiny was about to answer but Trey beat her to it. "To make enough for the Unbirthday Party, we'll need about… two, three hundred, I think.
"That many!?" the others yelled in surprise while Trey and Xinyi sighed.
"After that, you need to roast, peel, and puree them, right?" Xinyi said slightly more confidently, though her voice was still soft. "T-the rest can be done by me and Trey."
Grim and Deuce didn't look convinced. "Can I go home?" The monster groans from the supervisor's side.
"Me too." Deuce added.
Ace glared at them while Xinyi chuckled a bit. "Traitors!" He yelled.
Cater decided to join in, hoping to convince the others to stay. "Come on, now! Remember what Xinyi said, 'Nothing quite brightens the mood like sweet treats and a soft toon'. Also, nothing tastes more delicious than food that you make together with your friends." He claimed with a bright smile. "You get to make some fun memories! Never know, it might even be your debut as a food blogger."
Bright smiles go around the table as some chuckle at his comment. Trey then looked at Xinyi, with a soft extrusion. "Don't tell the dorm leader, but Mont Blanc tastes the best when it's freshly baked. Only the one who bakes the tart gets a piece of that."
Grim's ears twitched when he heard this and began jumping around. "Oooh ooh ooh! Let's get a move on! We're gonna pick chestnut after chestnut after chestnut!
Xinyi smiles at her small companion and shakes her head. She then looks to Trey again. "Where do we get the chestnuts?" She asked, still not familiar with the campus yet.
"There should be plenty of Chestnut trees in the forest behind the school's botanical garden," Trey mentioned before the three troublemakers got up.
"Then we meet after class in front of the botanical garden," Ace says as he rushes off, Grim behind him.
"Go! Go! Chestnut picking~!" The monster chanted, while his supervisor stayed behind to talk with the other students as well as clean up after them.
"I wish I hadn't cried so much!" said Alice, as she swam about, trying to find her way out. "I shall be punished for it now, I suppose, by being drowned in my own tears! That will be a queer thing, to be sure! However, everything is queer to-day."
Lewis Carroll Alice's Adventures in Wonderland