Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Tsunotaro is up to something.

That’s the first thought that crosses your mind when you meet up with Malleus and Sebek, having been invited by the former to spend your day off with the pair, checking out a local used book fair event that’s happening at Foothill Town.

Because of your love of books, you were quick to accept the invitation, especially since you always love spending time with Malleus and Sebek, although it seems that Malleus extended such an invitation for other reasons than just wanting to spend time with you.

To most people, the fae prince probably looks the same as he always does since there’s not really anything that’s particularly out of the ordinary about his current expression.

However, you are a different story, because you know Malleus so well after having spent so much time with him since the start of the school year.

As a result, you can see the little mischievous twinkle in his eye, and there’s just something about him that makes you think he’s in on some kind of secret that you’re not privy to.

If he were anyone else, you’d be wary, considering how most Night Raven College students are, but you know Malleus would never purposely do anything that would cause you any serious trouble, so you immediately know that he’s not up to no good, like what would be the case for a lot of your friends.

For that reason, you don’t try to back out of going to the used book fair and still accompany Malleus and Sebek, along with Grim, who insisted that he come along despite you telling him multiple times that he wouldn’t have any fun visiting a book fair since there wouldn’t be any food there.

Thankfully, just as you had expected, you find out that your decision to trust Malleus was the correct one within minutes after you all start heading for Foothill Town.

Much to your amusement, after you all leave NRC, Malleus gives Sebek the important job of escorting you since that’s what any proper gentleman would do under these circumstances, and of course, Sebek obediently obliges.

Upon seeing how pleased Malleus appears whenever he looks at you and Sebek walking closely together, you quickly realize what he’s secretly plotting. Oh man, I can’t believe it. Tsunotaro is acting as Sebek’s wingman. This has to Lilia-senpai’s doing.

There’s really no other explanation for Malleus’s current behavior since, while Malleus has never done something like this before, he has always been the one who supported Lilia’s usual matchmaking efforts, so you could easily see him agreeing if Lilia asked him to covertly play the role of Sebek’s wingman during today’s outing.

The corners of your lips quirk upwards. Tsunotaro looks like he’s having fun. I guess it’s ‘cause he never got to be a wingman before, and ‘cause from his POV, he’s doing something nice for Sebek, whom he obviously cares a lot about. What an adorable sweetheart.

Obviously, the only thing you can do under these current circumstances is make sure Malleus’s matchmaking efforts go off without a hitch, so he can have good news to report back to Lilia since you know how happy that would make your dear friend.

This is probably exactly why Lilia-senpai asked Tsunotaro to do something like this. You wryly muse. After all, he knows there’s not much I wouldn’t do for Tsunotaro and that I wouldn’t discourage Tsunotaro’s matchmaking efforts like I would when Lilia-senpai plays matchmaker.

What a cunning and incredibly brilliant mastermind Diasomnia’s vice dorm leader is.

Chuckling at that thought, you snuggle closer to Sebek, whose arm you’re currently hugging, so the two of you will look even more like a couple, making your son blush.

When Sebek gives you a chiding look, all the while failing to hide his cute pout, because you’re embarrassing him in front of his beloved liege, you just blow a kiss at him, causing his adorable blush to darken further.

Thankfully, despite his dislike of looking anything less than his absolute best in front of Malleus, Sebek doesn’t make any complaints about your actions, partially because he doesn’t want to disappoint his liege, who asked him to take good care of you during the escorting process, but mostly because he, deep down, actually likes having you so close.

Although he’d be too embarrassed to ever admit it out loud under these current circumstances, you know that Sebek likes having you within arm’s reach, so if any trouble should arise, he can easily pull you to safety and protect you and Malleus simultaneously.

Because you’re someone whom Sebek loves, which makes you someone whom he always wants to keep safe.

Coincidentally, just after you think that, you stumble thanks to Grim, who bumped into your legs whilst he was trying to swat away an annoying bug that has been bothering him for the last several seconds.

Before you can even think to steady yourself by making use of your grip on Sebek’s arm, Sebek swiftly pulls you into his arms, successfully preventing you from falling.

After quickly checking to make sure you’re unharmed, Sebek scowls at Grim. “Be more mindful of your surroundings, you fool! You almost knocked her over!”

His ire only increases when Grim ignores him in favor of going after the pesky bug that’s still circling around his head. “Mrah! Buzz off already!”

Fortunately for Grim, rather than get mad at him like your other son, you focus on thanking Sebek for coming to your rescue, successfully distracting the angry retainer.

“Thank you, Sebek~” You happily return his embrace and nuzzle his chest. “You’re the best~”

In an instant, Sebek’s ire turns into embarrassment. “T-There is no need to thank me. Just be more mindful of your surroundings, you clumsy human…”

As the half-fae cutely blushes, a noticeably pleased Malleus smiles, “Heh, very nicely done, Sebek. I’d expect nothing less from a capable escort such as yourself.”

Sebek’s face lights up, just as it always does whenever his beloved liege praises him. “Thank you, Malleus-sama! I am unworthy of such generous praise!”

A pleasant warmth envelops your chest when you see his broad, delighted smile. Ah~, I just love that smile.

With all your heart.

Upon finally reaching the used book fair event that’s being held at Foothill Town, you take in the sight of a large crowd of people, all of whom are obviously here to check out the large selection of books that are available.

As expected, Sebek is on high alert since anything could happen to his beloved liege when there are so many people around, but in the end, he has nothing to worry about, because, shortly after your group arrives on the scene, everyone in the surrounding area promptly flees once they take notice of Malleus.

“Hm? For some reason, the surrounding crowd suddenly cleared the path.” Sebek blinks, appearing surprised, before smiling, “Now, they will not trouble my liege. What luck!”

Luck had nothing to do with it. You dryly think to yourself, obviously the only one to realize everyone left because of Malleus.

Malleus curiously takes in his surroundings. “So there is a used book fair here? It's quite crowded with people of the island.”

He smiles, “Excellent work finding out about this event, Sebek.”

Sebek beams, “Yes! I noticed the usual bookshop was hosting this event.”

Smiling, you excitedly eye all the different booths around you that are full of all kinds of different books. “I’m glad you did since I would’ve hated to miss out on an event like this, considering how many books are here. I can’t wait to see what kinds of books I’ll find.”

After directing your smile at Malleus, you add, “Thank you again for inviting me, Tsunotaro. I can’t think of a better way to spend my day off.”

“Heh, I am glad to hear that.” Malleus replies, appearing pleased. “I’m sure our time spent here will be extra enjoyable with you here. Isn’t that right, Sebek?”

Amused, you watch as Sebek becomes flustered when his liege asks how he feels about you being here with them. “O-Of course, Young Master!”

Cooing, you reach up to kiss your son's rosy cheek. “I’m happy to be here with you too, Sebek, ‘cause being with you always makes me so happy.”

His blush becomes noticeably darker. “C-Cease such improper behavior whilst in the presence of my liege, human!”

An impish grin rises to your lips. “So it’s okay just as long as Tsunotaro’s not watching?”

“N-No!” Sebek unconvincingly denies, looking like a red neon sign due to how hard he’s now blushing.

While Malleus chuckles, obviously enjoying this turn of events, Grim frowns, “I was hopin’ there'd be some snack stands or somethin’ here since you said we’d be goin’ to a fair, but all I see are books, books, and more books! Where’s the food?!”

You roll your eyes as you pull away from Sebek. “As I’ve told you multiple times already, Grim, this is a BOOK fair, meaning all that’s here are books. Of course, they wouldn’t keep anything involving refreshments around here since they could potentially ruin the books if people aren’t careful.”

“I kept telling you that you wouldn’t be interested in coming here, so you can’t say I didn’t warn you.” You huff, “So you’re not allowed to do any complaining.”

Your eyes narrow threateningly. “If you ruin my day off by constantly complaining about being hungry, there will be serious consequences, understand?”

Because he can tell that you're being completely serious when you make that threat, Grim nervously gulps. “U-Understood…”

Satisfied with his response, you lean down to pet his head. “If you’re a good boy, we’ll grab something to eat in town once I’ve had my fill of looking around, so how long it takes for you to get some food all depends on how well you behave.”

While your partner incoherently grumbles, Sebek smirks, “Heh, the annoyance has finally been silenced. I can only hope this silence will last.”

Upon seeing the scowl that appears on Grim’s face, you give Sebek a chiding look for riling up your partner before looking for a way to distract Grim.

“There sure are a lot of people here.” You point out, “It’s like a good chunk of Sage’s Island’s population came here, hoping to find some good books to buy.”

Sebek nods. “It's been running here periodically for a long time, apparently, so it’s rather popular with the island residents.”

“Sage's Island has a lot of students.” He adds, “The supply and demand for old books are both high.”

Frowning, Sebek turns to look at Malleus. “Although, whether there will be books to sate the erudite Malleus-sama is quite another question.”

“Huh? Yuu-san? Grim-kun? Sebek-kun?”

Upon hearing a familiar voice, you turn to see Epel, who’s now approaching your group along with Vil. “Oh, hey, Epel, Vil-senpai. I wasn’t expecting to run into you two here.”

“You were all hard to miss, because there’s such a large empty space around Malleus.” Vil dryly points out before asking. “Are you shopping as well?”

When you nod, Epel grins, “I really should’ve expected that, considering how much you love reading, Yuu-san. This is obviously your kind of place to visit on a day off.”

The corners of your lips curve upwards. “Absolutely. I could easily spend a whole day here and never get bored.”

“Oh, please don’t tell me we really gotta stay that long.” Grim groans, much to Epel’s amusement.

As you shush your partner, Malleus gives the Pomefiore duo a curious look. “Did you both come to do some shopping as well?”

Vil nods. “Yes. We came looking for old alchemy texts.”

“The books Vil-san has lent me have been really instructive, but they're out of print so I can't get them.” Epel explains, “But we were talking about how this used book fair might have some.”

Sebek raises an eyebrow. “Hoh? I see you're being surprisingly passionate about your studies.”

Epel frowns, “Surprisingly? I do study too, you know?”

With a smirk, Sebek replies, “Really now? From what I recall, you’re the type who procrastinates and gets easily distracted from your studies, like Ace and Deuce, which is why you always appear to be struggling scholastically. The only real studying you do is the kind that’s related to muscle training.”

Grim snickers, “Yeah, yeah! Nya ha ha!”

Quickly, before they can react, you give the laughing monster’s nose a hard flick before reaching up to pull on Sebek’s ear, making them both wince. “That’s enough of that.”

“Sebek, don’t tease Epel. He’s a far better student than you give him credit for.” You frown, “And, Grim, you are the last person who should ever criticize someone about how well they do in school since your grades are the worst out of all my sons.”

“Yeah, yeah!” Epel chimes in, mockingly repeating Grim’s earlier words with a smirk.

Before Sebek or Grim can complain like they obviously want to do, a new, familiar voice pipes up. “Heh, as expected of Yuu. She handles her sons well. Perhaps we should have her put her skills to use later today after she finishes her shopping.”

Immediately, everyone turns to see the approach of Riddle and Trey, both of whom obviously took notice of the large empty space surrounding Malleus and decided to take a moment to speak with your group.

Just as you’re about to question Riddle’s last sentence, Malleus says, “If it isn't Rosehearts and Clover. Are you here for the used book fair as well?”

Trey nods. “Yeah. Riddle invited me to help pick out books that the first years need.”

Sebek eyes the two Heartslabyul students with interest, quickly forgetting about his earlier ire. “Are there books for first years that you would recommend?”

For some reason, upon hearing Sebek’s question, Trey winces, “No, uh…”

Riddle crosses his arms. “They're books on manners.”

He frowns, “Our youngest card soldiers need a good read on how to act with dignity.”

Trey weakly chuckles, “There was kind of a big fight at the dorm yesterday.”

Even though this is your first time hearing about it, you quickly realize who was involved in that fight since there are only two first-year students in that dorm who would cause such a commotion at their dorm.

Appearing apologetic, you bow your head. “I’m very sorry for the trouble my sons have caused you. I promise I’ll have a word with them later, and I’ll try to do better about their poor manners.”

“Now, now, there's no need for you to apologize.” Trey pats your head. “When they’re at our dorm, Ace and Deuce are our responsibility, so you shouldn’t blame yourself for whatever trouble they get into, Yuu.”

“Indeed.” Riddle agrees, “While I would encourage that you have a word with Ace and Deuce, I still intend to be the one who gives them the proper discipline they need, so you don’t need to worry, Yuu.”

After you thank the two upperclassmen for being so understanding, Sebek smirks, “To think, Ace and Deuce are so hopeless that they require a book on etiquette. They’re truly the bottom of the barrel!”

“I think you need one as well.” Vil dryly states.

As Sebek gapes, appearing genuinely shocked, Riddle nods. “Exactly. Sebek, I'll have you participate in the reading group as well.”

Trey awkwardly smiles as he rubs the back of his neck. “Ah... it's going to be a lively time.”

You give him a sympathetic look. Guess I better join that reading group too since my sons are involved and I feel bad for Trey-senpai and Riddle-senpai. Plus, I wouldn’t be opposed to Grim learning some manners, although I won’t get my hopes up.

Honestly, considering how your sons are, you doubt the reading group will be too successful, although you know Deuce, at least, will make a strong effort to work on his manners.

All you can do is sigh. My sons are such a handful.

And that’s something that won’t ever change.

While Sebek tries to deny the need of attending the Heartslabyul-hosted reading group, Riddle, who has opted to ignore him, thoughtfully grabs his chin. “Now, which book should we use?”

“Oya? Are you looking for something?”

Once again, you all get distracted by a familiar voice joining the fray, making you wonder just how many of your friends have decided to come to the book fair today.

When all eyes focus on him, Jade, who apparently came here with Azul, politely smiles as he rests a hand over his chest. “You can leave that to us. We can acquire anything you wish.”

While you huff in amusement upon hearing the fish mafia trying to once again get people to enlist their services, Trey remarks, “Ah, Jade. And Azul, too. So you've come here as well.”

Your amusement grows when Riddle’s expression instantly becomes wary after he sees the two Octavinelle students. “...does that mean…?”

Jade chuckles, “So sorry to disappoint. Floyd is running the Mostro Lounge.”

The tension in Riddle’s frame immediately eases as his face relaxes. “That's good news. Truly fine.”

As you snort, Azul gives everyone his trademark professional smile. “We heard about this event in the lounge and hurried out to take a look. I'm extremely interested in the sale of old books.”

“Considering it's you, I'm sure you're looking for some kind of business book, right?” Sebek asks.

Shaking his head, Azul sighs, “Sebek-san, business books are in style. There's no need to search for outdated ones here.”

Sebek scowls, “Don't act as if you Octavinelle students are always so right!”

After giving your son a look, you raise an eyebrow at the Octavinelle students. “Lemme guess. You guys aren’t looking for anything in particular but instead are hoping to find some valuable books that are getting sold for cheap, either so you can resell them at a higher price or keep them and save money since anywhere else such books would be a lot more expensive.”

Matching sly smiles appear on the Octavinelle students’ faces as Azul cheerfully replies, “As expected of you, Yuu-san, you understand what a potential treasure trove an event like this is. Considering how long this fair has been around, I have no doubt that coming here will be a worthy investment of our time.”

While the majority of your friends either sigh or shake their heads at Azul’s typical antics, you just chuckle, “It’s a good thing there are so many books here, considering what everyone’s looking for covers a broad range.”

It’s at that moment you realize you never asked Malleus if he decided to come here for anything specific. “Oh yeah, I just realized I never asked, but what about you, Tsunotaro? Were you just wanting to browse through everything like me, or are you here for something in particular like everyone else?”

Malleus thoughtfully frowns, “Hmm. Let's see. Considering there’s such a large range of books available, I think I'd like to see something that I normally couldn't read.”

“Normally, Malleus-sama reads profound texts and lofty history books...Moving away from that means a lighter kind of book.” Sebek pauses to consider his options before continuing, “Essays or poems... or perhaps novels?”

“Or maybe manga, I guess?” Epel suggests before pointing toward a booth. “There's a booth over that way that's full of nothing but manga.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea, Epel.” You grin, “That’s definitely something that would be new to Tsunotaro, and considering all the different types of manga there are, I’m sure we could find one that Tsunotaro would like.”

“Manga, hm. I'm certainly not familiar with that, and if Yuu says it’s something worth checking out, it does pique my interest.” Malleus replies, eyeing the manga booth with obvious intrigue.

Sebek grins, “Well done, Epel! Then, Malleus-sama, let's go take a look. That booth is... hm?”

Much to your surprise and amusement, when you all turn to look at the manga booth again, you catch sight of Idia, who makes a startled sound before promptly disappearing from view by venturing further into the booth.

As his brow furrows, Sebek comments, “I thought I saw a pale man standing over there, but... was I imagining things?”

Azul shakes his head with a sigh. “No, I do think I saw Idia-san…”

“That was definitely Idia-senpai.” You confirm with a giggle.

“Leave it alone.” Vil advises, “There's not a single good thing that could come out of talking to that one.”

You give him a chiding look. “Vil-senpai, don’t be mean. Besides, Idia-senpai actually is the perfect person to talk to for manga recommendations, although, if Tsunotaro were to approach him, Idia-senpai would probably just flee, considering how he is.”

“That’s why I’ll go over there on my own and talk to him.” You add, “Grim, be good while I’m gone, or else, no food for you for the foreseeable future.”

While Grim childishly whines and starts making a loud fuss, resulting in him getting lectured by Riddle for his poor manners and being told that he also has to participate in the upcoming reading group that Riddle will be hosting, much to Grim's dismay, you start moving toward the manga booth.

Much to your surprise, during this time, you hear Jamil’s panicked voice calling out for Kalim, making you realize that the latter obviously wandered off while the former wasn’t looking.

Poor Jamil…

Just as you’re about to offer to help Scarabia’s vice dorm leader find his dorm leader, you hear Azul and Jade mention that they saw Kalim talking with other students from the Scarabia dorm, meaning Kalim is likely safe and just having too much fun to pay attention to his phone, which is why poor Jamil can’t find him.

Since you doubt that Kalim is in danger at this current point in time, you continue with your quest to ask for some manga recommendations, figuring you can help Jamil find Kalim as soon as you finish having a quick chat with Idia.

Upon reaching the manga booth, you begin looking around to see if you can find wherever Idia decided to hide. Fortunately, a few minutes later, you find him in a corner, sifting through a mountain of comics. “Ah, there you are, Idia-senpai.”

“Geh!” Idia makes a startled sound before scowling at you. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!”

“I’m sorry.” You apologize, “I really didn’t mean to startle you.”

After you finish apologizing, you curiously ask, “So what are you doing here, Idia-senpai? Does this place actually have manga you like that you don’t already own?”

Idia returns to digging through the mountain of comics that’s before him. “I’m hunting for the first press of my fave classic manga. So far, I haven’t found what I’m looking for, but I’m still hopeful since they got a lot of first press manga here. I just gotta keep looking.”

“While you’re doing that, could you please provide some good manga recommendations for Tsunotaro?” You request, “He’s here to read something he’s never read before, and since manga definitely isn’t something he’s ever tried, we thought we’d see if we could find something here for him.”

For a moment, Idia just stares at you incredulously before finally replying, “Definitely wasn’t expecting THAT kind of side quest to pop up while I was here…”

While you snort, Idia pauses to consider your request before sighing, “Oh, fine. I GUESS I can help since I really don’t want Malleus-shi coming after me if I don’t, so just take notes while I start reeling off whatever I can think of.”

Nodding, you quickly pull out your cell phone and open the notes app, so you can type out all of the different manga titles that Idia proceeds to rapidly reel off.

Much to your amusement, rather than just provide manga titles, Idia gives you proper summaries of every manga he lists off, and at times, he lets himself get sidetracked when he starts gushing about his favorite characters.

Naturally, you just let Idia say whatever he wants since you enjoy seeing him get so excited about his interests. Plus, he really is doing you a big favor by providing these recommendations.

After several minutes pass like this, Idia finally realizes that he had let himself get caught up in his excitement and promptly gets flustered. “Alright, that’s all you’ll get outta me, so let me hunt for manga in peace.”

The corners of your lips quirk upwards. “Will do. Thank you for your help, Idia-senpai. You’re the best.”

Red colors his cheeks, but he quickly tries to hide that by turning to face the pile of manga before him. Unfortunately, there’s nothing he can do to hide the fact that the tips of his hair are now bright pink. “W-Whatever.”

Giggling, you take your leave after wishing him good luck with his manga hunt, so you can regroup with Malleus and the others.

Much to your surprise, after you exit the manga booth, you notice that Leona is now with the rest of your friends, making you assume that he crossed paths with the others by chance while you were talking to Idia and that he likely came to the used book fair to relax and find something to read since you could see Leona enjoying an event like this as long as no one bothered him.

What’s even more surprising is the fact that all of your friends are currently looking at Grim, who’s sitting on the ground, holding a book - a book that looks strangely familiar once you start approaching him and the rest of your friends and get a better look at it.

For a moment, you wonder why that book, which has a mirror on its cover, looks so familiar, and then, a previously forgotten memory suddenly resurfaces from the deepest recesses of your mind, causing realization to hit you like a bolt of lightning.

Your eyes grow large. I remember now! That’s the book that we got sucked into that one time! The book that led to us meeting Stitch!

Upon remembering how dangerous that book is and that it’s currently in the worst possible hands, you immediately start sprinting toward Grim, who looks like he’s about to open the book he’s holding. “GRIM! Don’t you dare open that book!”

All of your friends jolt at the sound of your scream, and their surprise only grows when they see your panicked figure running toward Grim.

Immediately, Sebek, Epel, and Jamil try to grab the book since they know something serious is about to happen if you’re looking that panicked.

“Hand that book over right this instant, you foolish direbeast!”

“Grim-kun, stop!”

“Grim!”

Regrettably, everyone’s efforts were in vain.

After scampering away with the book to move himself out of reach, Grim, who obviously doesn’t recognize the book he’s holding, making you think he never regained that particular memory, like you just did, loudly harrumphs, “You’re not the boss of me, Henchman!”

Most likely rebelling to get back at you for previously threatening to prolong his next meal, Grim unrepentantly opens the book before anyone can grab it. “I can do whatever I want!”

A scowl rises to your lips. “You little-!”

Seconds later, a bright light fills the area, just like what happened the last time Grim opened that crazy book.

Grim makes an alarmed sound. “Fnagh!? What's this light!?”

Malleus sighs, “Ah. I told you not to open it…”

“Grim, you great big idiot!” Sebek yells.

Soon after, everyone’s screams fill the air as your surroundings begin to shift, and you feel your body being pulled toward the direction of the book Grim opened.

Just like what happened last time, darkness begins to encroach your vision, signaling that you’re about to lose consciousness. During this time, one thought crosses your mind.

So much for having a relaxing day off…

And then, everything fades to black.

When you finally regain consciousness, it’s to the sound of an unfamiliar voice calling out to you.

“Hello..? Hello, my dear? Lovely lady sleeping in my arms?”

Upon hearing that voice, your groggy mind immediately focuses on the incredibly warm, gentle tone the unknown speaker uses when addressing you, which you’re unaccustomed to hearing thanks to the kind of upbringing you had and the kind of people you currently go to school with.

Seconds after that voice pierces through the haze that’s currently clouding your mind, you finally register the fact that someone is holding you in their arms, keeping you safely and comfortably secure against their chest.

“Can you hear my voice?”

Once again, the unfamiliar voice addresses you, and at the same time, you feel a long, slender gloved finger brush against your cheek with a tenderness that surprises you.

Just who is this person?

And why do they sound so genuinely concerned on your behalf? Why is everything about them so gentle?

“Hey, my dear, please, open your eyes for me…”

Upon hearing that request, you finally pry your heavy eyelids apart, so you can finally get some answers to the questions currently swirling around your groggy mind.

After blinking several times to clear your blurry vision, you take in the sight of a handsome, white-haired boy, who appears to be around your age, judging from his young face.

Just after your eyes open, the mysterious stranger beams, “Thank goodness, you’re awake!”

For a moment, all you can do is stare at that charming, gap-toothed smile, which looks genuine from your perspective. That and the obvious relief in his voice, which doesn’t in any way sound forced, make you think that he really has been worried about you.

After taking a moment to scrutinize the sincerity of that smile, your eyes drift upwards and focus on the boy’s glasses, whose dark, circular lenses are completely hiding his eyes from view.

You have to fight the urge to click your tongue in annoyance upon seeing those glasses since his eyes being hidden will make it difficult for you to properly read his expression, which is why you never liked dealing with the people in Japan’s underworld who wore this type of eyewear specifically because they wanted to make themselves hard to read.

Ironically enough, just after the topic of his eyes occupies your thoughts, the still smiling stranger brings his face dangerously close to yours, making you think he really has no concept of personal space, considering he’s doing something like this and had no qualms about holding you while you were unconscious.

“Oh my, what dazzling eyes you have, my dear. They are just as lovely as you are. I am overjoyed to finally be able to see them at long last.”

Strangely enough, rather than feel an immediate impulse to hit him, like what would normally happen under circumstances like these, you find yourself feeling only amused, perhaps because this boy reminds you a lot of Rook, whose eccentricities you’ve grown quite accustomed to these last several months.

Of course, it also helps that your instincts are telling you that this person isn’t a threat to you, and you’re always inclined to believe them since they’ve never lied to you before.

That’s why, rather than push this stranger away, you decide to take advantage of this perfect opportunity that he just unintentionally provided you.

Faster than he can react, you grab his glasses and move them upwards, allowing you a clear view of his wide, reddish orange eyes, whose pupils have a cool, concentric pattern.

A smirk rises to your lips. “If you’re gonna check out my eyes, then it’s only fair that you let me do the same.”

After moving his glasses to rest on the top of his head, you find yourself pausing after your eyes focus on the diamond-shaped patches of black hair that are now located directly beneath the glasses.

It kinda looks like a face…a very familiar face at that. You note. Although, I can’t remember why it looks so familiar to me…

Since there are more important matters that you need to attend to right now, you quickly shelve those thoughts, with the intention of going back to them later.

Quickly, you refocus your gaze on the face of the stranger, whose arms you woke up in, and firmly take hold of his chin, so you can keep him from moving his face away from yours since this close proximity will make it easier for you to read his expression.

Your earlier smirk returns when the mysterious boy becomes noticeably flustered, making you believe he’s not used to getting a taste of his own medicine. “Now, let’s have a little Q & A, Mr. Up Close And Personal, so I can decide what to do with you.”

Giving the befuddled boy no chance to refuse, you continue, “Alright, the first and most important question is: Why did you decide to pull an unconscious girl into your lap? Sure, I can get wanting to wake me after finding me in such a state, but was that all really necessary?”

Rather than appear apprehensive upon being on the receiving end of your piercing, judgmental stare, the mysterious stranger, who appears genuinely surprised by your question, frowns, “Obviously, I could not allow a lovely lady such as yourself to remain on the cold, hard ground! I wouldn’t be able to call myself a gentleman otherwise!”

Because you can tell that he’s not lying thanks to the obvious sincerity in his eyes and voice, some of the tension in your frame eases as your gaze somewhat softens. “Heh, good answer. While not every girl would accept it, considering the circumstances, I will since I can tell you had good intentions, although I would still advise not trying something like this with any other girls since most girls would understandably hit first and ask questions later.”

Judging from his puzzled expression, this boy truly has no idea why a girl would react in such a manner, giving you the impression that he can be rather oblivious when it comes to the effects his actions have on others.

Rather than try to explain things to him, you move onto your next two questions. “Second and third questions: Who are you, and how did you end up here with me?”

Much to your amusement, rather than appear bothered by your interrogation, the white-haired boy, who’s once again smiling and has seemingly forgotten his earlier embarrassment, cheerfully answers, “My name is Skully J. Graves. It’s a pleasure to meet you!”

“As to how I ended up here with you, I stumbled upon your unconscious form by chance after I woke up in this unfamiliar place, wearing these equally unfamiliar clothes.” He continues, “Unfortunately, I haven’t the faintest idea about how I ended up here.”

His brow furrows as he adopts a pensive expression. “The last thing I can recall is taking a look at the used book fair in Foothill Town. I believe I found a mysterious book and opened it, and after that, my memories come to an abrupt end for some reason.”

You raise an eyebrow. Sounds like he’s in the same predicament as me. I guess he must have found and opened the book before Grim got his paws on it and got sucked into the book first.

Just after that thought crosses your mind, you come to a realization that makes you pause. Wait a minute. I just realized, now that my initial grogginess has worn off, I can remember exactly how I got here. This is completely different from the last time I got sucked into this damn book. Why are my memories fully intact this time?

Before you can ponder this puzzling matter further, you get distracted by Skully who exclaims, “Oh, yes, I almost forgot! How careless of me!”

His concerned eyes peer into yours. “How are you feeling? Are you hurt anywhere, my dear?”

Upon seeing that he’s genuinely concerned about you, your expression softens. While I still don’t know much about this guy, I can tell he’s not a bad person. A bad person wouldn’t be so kind and gentle toward me, especially not while I’m interrogating them.

While this doesn’t necessarily mean Skully can be trusted, you can at least give him the benefit of the doubt and be open to the idea of eventually trusting him after getting to know him better.

I would still like to get some more info outta him, but it’d probably be better if I space out my questions rather than bombard him with them all at once. You muse. While he’s been pretty accommodating thus far, that might change if I start asking questions that make him uncomfortable, and I’d rather avoid causing any kind of conflict right now when I’ve got other more important things to worry about.

Rather than continue interrogating him, it’d be better to just wait and ask more questions later on once Skully has become more comfortable with you, or even better, if you bide your time, you may glean new information from him that he willingly provides without you even needing to ask since he seems like a talkative kind of guy.

That’s why you finally release your hold on his chin, surprising him, since it’s really for the best that you quit giving him the third-degree, especially when the boy hasn’t even technically done anything wrong yet. “Yes, I’m fine. Thank you for asking, er…”

Realizing you don’t know if Skully is someone you need to be more formal with like your upperclassmen or if he’s the same age as you, you ask, “How old are you? I can’t tell if you’re older than me or not, so I’m not sure how I should address you. I’m sixteen, by the way.”

Appearing noticeably pleased, Skully eagerly replies, “I am also sixteen! How wonderful to make a new friend who is the same age as me!”

“And you may address me however you please!” He adds, “I will be overjoyed regardless because such a lovely lady is calling me by name!”

The corners of your lips quirk upwards at his cute response. “You’re quite the charmer, huh? I like that. It’s rather refreshing, considering how most guys my age act.”

“Alright, considering you have no preference, I’ll just call you Skully and not worry about any formalities, like what I do with my other friends our age.” You add.

Your smile grows. “Since I’ve gotten enough info to satisfy myself for the time being, I’ll put an end to my little interrogation and introduce myself. My name is Yuu. It’s nice to meet you, Skully.”

Skully beams, “What a lovely name! I am truly delighted to make your acquaintance, Yuu-san!”

Catching you by surprise, Skully gently takes hold of your hand and tenderly kisses your knuckles. “I thank you for this wonderful encounter.”

Once you overcome your surprise, your expression becomes amused. He did call himself a gentleman earlier, so I guess I should’ve seen this coming, especially with his formal, old-fashioned way of speaking. He’s just like the gentlemen characters you see on TV.

Luckily for him, you’ve always been fond of those types of characters, so you think the two of you will get along just fine.

Plus, it’s not everyday you meet someone this sweet and gentlemanly thanks to the kind of people you normally hang out with, so you want to make the most of this opportunity to get along with this somewhat odd yet still quite endearing boy.

A grin rises to your lips. Most importantly, when a boy acts this cute, it makes me wanna spend more time with him and look for opportunities to tease him to see if he’ll give me some equally adorable reactions.

That's why you decide to have a little fun by shifting your hand that’s currently still being held, so you can gently grab Skully’s hand, surprising him.

Giving him no chance to react, you bring his hand close to your mouth and tenderly kiss his knuckles, mirroring his previous actions, all the while channeling the princely charm Cater always has you show off for your fans on Magicam. “Likewise, handsome.”

Much to your delight, Skully instantly becomes incredibly flustered because of your actions - to the point his blush covers the majority of his face, making you think this is the first time someone has ever done something like this to him.

Even better, after you release your hold on his hand, Skully, who has apparently been rendered speechless, considering how quiet he now is, uses both of his hands to cup his incredibly flushed cheeks, making him look even more adorable.

Your grin grows at the incredibly endearing sight. Looks like he's the type who gets super flustered when flirted with, like Deuce and Sebek. How adorable. I’m definitely gonna have some fun with this boy. Hehe~

Regrettably, you don’t get to enjoy this moment for very long, because, seconds after you recall how Deuce and Sebek usually react to your playful flirting, you finally realize that something is missing here.

Or rather, some people.

Wide-eyed, you immediately turn to look around and realize that the only people in the surrounding area, which consists of a barren forest that stretches out as far as the eye can see, are you and Skully. “Wait a minute! Where are my friends?!”

I can’t believe I let myself get so distracted that I totally forgot about the others! You internally scream. I’m a horrible mother! Where are my sons?!

As you panickily try to climb out of Skully’s lap so you can start a search for Grim and the others, the white-haired boy catches you off guard when he suddenly rises to his feet and takes you along for the ride.

Once on his feet, Skully gently sets you down, so you can stand on your own. “There you are, Yuu-san. Now, what was that about ‘friends’? Did you not come here alone like myself?”

Rather than answer his question, all you can do is stare at this boy who’s now towering over you like a lanky giant. Holy shit. He’s tall. I had figured he would be a tall boy just from how he was hunched over me earlier, but I was not expecting him to be taller than Sebek. He may even be around the same height as Jack!

Skully curiously tilts his head when you fail to answer his question. “Yuu-san? Are you alright?”

Realizing this is not the time for you to be gaping like an idiot, you give yourself a quick mental shake before replying, “Yeah, sorry. I was just surprised by how tall you are. I have two friends our age who are really tall, but I’m pretty sure you’re taller than one of them, maybe even both of them, which seriously amazes me.”

“Anyway, to answer your question, yes, I should have some friends with me here since they were all with me right before I ended up in this weird place.” You continue, “While it’s possible I’m the only one who ended up in this crazy predicament, I find it unlikely, considering how close some of them were to me when I got enveloped by the weird magic that brought me here.”

Much to your amusement, mere seconds after those words leave your mouth, you hear some incoherent screaming coming from the distance, and you immediately recognize that voice as belonging to Sebek since you'd know that booming voice anywhere.

Thankfully, the screaming you hear isn’t the kind that indicates Sebek is scared or in trouble, so more than likely, he’s just freaking out about his current circumstances and/or your absence.

Your shoulders slump with relief when you hear your son’s voice. “Speaking of my giant friends, that voice belongs to one of them. Thank goodness. At least, now, I know where I need to go.”

“Would you like to go with me, Skully?” You ask, “I’d hate to leave you on your own, and we’ll have a higher chance of getting out of this mess we’re in if we work together.”

Skully beams, “I would be more than happy to accompany you! Thank you for your kind invitation!”

With that settled, you turn to face the direction that Sebek’s screaming came from, but before you can start walking, Skully surprises you when he quickly moves to stand in front of you.

Before you can question his actions, Skully gracefully bows before offering you a hand, smiling all the while. “Please allow me to be your escort.”

Since you see no harm in it and it would be nice to have a hand to hold onto while you’re walking through this somewhat creepy forest, which is like something out of a horror movie, especially since this fictional world you're now trapped inside has a very desaturated color scheme, which makes everything look extra dreary, for some reason, you reach out and take his proffered hand. “Alright, thank you. Do you know your way around this forest, Skully?”

He shakes his head. “No, unfortunately, I am unfamiliar with this forest, like you.”

Grinning, Skully asks, “But don’t you think it’s a wonderful experience to wander hand-in-hand in a mysterious forest?”

His question makes you giggle. What a romantic. Skully just keeps getting more and more entertaining the longer I talk to him.

After you rein in your amusement, you warmly smile, “Holding hands definitely would make this situation better, so I’m fine with walking like this.”

Plus, someone, who’s as touch-starved as you, would never turn down the opportunity to hold hands with someone, just as long as you know that person isn’t dangerous, of course.

You squeeze Skully’s hand. And I can’t turn down a request from someone who seems to be as touch-starved as me, considering his past actions remind me a lot of how I typically act around my friends, not when I know hand-holding will make both of us equally happy.

For a moment, Skully just stares at you in surprise, or at least, you’re assuming he’s surprised since you can no longer see his eyes thanks to his glasses, which he returned to their rightful place after he helped you to your feet earlier.

His reaction further convinces you that your hunch about him being touch-starved is right since he seems very unaccustomed to someone willingly accepting his touch.

Just like how you were before you came to NRC…

Once he overcomes his surprise, Skully’s earlier cheerfulness returns with a vengeance as he happily replies, “Let us be off then! I look forward to meeting all of your companions, whom I’m sure are just as lovely as you!”

Unfortunately, I doubt they’ll be excited to meet you when we find them, and they see you holding my hand. You wryly think to yourself.

And, of course, you were exactly right.

Once you and Skully start moving, you decide to finally take a moment to examine the new wardrobes that you both received thanks to the book you're both trapped inside, which, like last time, wanted the two of you to have the kind of outfits that would make you both blend in with the setting of this particular story, which is obviously quite different from the beach setting of the story you last got sucked into, judging from the noticeable lack of bright colors here and the clothes that you and Skully are wearing.

For some reason, Skully’s outfit consists of a mostly black suit that has several stitch markings all throughout, making it look as if it was a suit that had to be repaired multiple times.

It’s a rather curious design since you’ve never seen stitch markings used for decorative purposes on clothes, except for ones used as Halloween costumes.

Speaking of Halloween, the labels of his coat resemble bat wings, further convincing you that this story must have some kind of Halloween-esque story since you can’t think of any other reason for why the book would give Skully such an outfit, and that, in turn, makes you wonder if the book you’re now in is different from the one Grim found in NRC’s library since it’s hard for you to imagine a book that contains separate stories with beach and Halloween settings.

Because you don’t want Skully to catch you staring at him since it’s obviously impolite, you don’t look too closely at his attire and instead, after a few seconds of staring, quickly direct your attention to your clothes.

Like Skully, your outfit has a dark and spooky theme going on since the dress you’re now wearing is mostly black and gray. There’s also a golden skull over your chest area, and around your neck, you see a necklace that looks like a spider’s web.

For some reason, there’s a tattered veil that’s attached to the back of the wide brim hat that’s on your head, which further increases the spooky factor of this ensemble.

What really catches your attention, however, is the patchwork design of the leggings you’re now wearing and the inner part of your hat, because it looks strangely familiar.

However, you don’t focus on that for too long since you soon get distracted by the fact that your hair is noticeably longer than it normally is and now goes way past your shoulders, which you hadn’t noticed up until this point due to being distracted by everything else that had happened since you woke up in the world of this strange story.

Woah, this book is crazy. You think to yourself. I can understand changing my outfit, so I fit the story’s theme, but long hair really isn’t that necessary, is it?

Your brow furrows. Just what kind of story is this anyway? And why is it so different from the last one I got sucked into, even though the books from this time and last time looked identical? Is it possible there are multiple, completely different stories in that one book, or are there actually multiple copies of that book and each have their own separate story?

If it’s the latter, then your luck really is the worst since you managed to come into contact with two of those books within such a short timespan.

Damn you, Grim. You scowl. I’ll definitely get back at you for forcing me into this kinda annoying situation AGAIN.

“Are you alright, Yuu-san? You seem rather upset about something.”

It’s the sound of Skully’s concerned voice that draws you away from your thoughts about punishing Grim and reminds you that you’re not alone. “Oh, sorry. I was just remembering that I’m in this strange mess in the first place ‘cause one of my friends stupidly touched something he shouldn’t have.”

Since you’d rather wait until you meet up with your friends to explain the current situation at hand to Skully, who appears understandably puzzled by your words, you decide to distract him by asking, “Anyway, I was wondering, were you allowed to keep whatever you had on hand before you ended up here? I wasn’t so lucky ‘cause this outfit sadly doesn’t come with pockets.”

Aside from wanting to distract Skully, you pose this question, because you’re hoping this will lead to you gleaning some new information from him since you can learn a lot about a person just from looking at what they regularly carry around.

Skully blinks. “Ah, now that you mention it, I don’t believe I ever checked my pockets since I never thought to do so.”

Using his free hand that’s not holding yours, Skully checks his pant’s pockets. “Hmm. I think all that I have on hand are my handkerchief and my student ID, and that sounds about right since I don’t believe I brought anything else along to the used book fair, because I had intended to merely browse the available selection rather than buy anything right away.”

You nod in understanding before remarking, “It’s a surprise to hear you didn’t bring your cell phone with you, but I can understand not wanting to bring it along if you wanted to focus on the books rather than worry about potentially getting disturbed by any texts or calls.”

“Cell…phone…?” Skully parrots, sounding noticeably confused. “What may I ask is that? I’m afraid I am unfamiliar with such a term.”

All you can do is stare at him with wide eyes. “Huh?”

Oi, oi, oi, what the hell does he mean he doesn’t know what a cell phone is?! You incredulously think to yourself. Even Tsunotaro knows what that is!

Just as you once again start wondering what kind of person Skully is, many familiar faces, who obviously came looking for you, suddenly arrive on the scene, with Grim leading the pack, making you wonder if they used his sharp sense of smell to find you.

“Yuu (-san) (-shi)!”

Immediately, you direct your attention to all of your friends who had been at the used book fair before Grim opened that damn book and discover that they’re all wearing dark, spooky outfits like you and Skully, even Grim, whose outfit looks very familiar to you, for some reason.

Completely forgetting about your latest exchange with Skully due to your excitement upon seeing your friends, you perk up. “Guys! I’m so glad you’re all alright!”

Your good mood quickly fades when a wide-eyed Grim points at you and declares, “Yuu looks like a girl! This place is even weirder than I thought!”

Fortunately for Grim, before you can go after him, Epel does so for you by promptly smacking him upside the head.

At the same time, Riddle scowls at the monster. “Does your rudeness have no end?! I’m going to prepare an especially thorough etiquette lesson for you once we get back to school!”

“Noooo!” Grim whines as he tenderly cradles his head.

While the majority of your friends sigh and shake their heads, Leona, who has taken notice of the fact that you’re holding Skully’s hand, raises an unimpressed brow at you. “Oi, Herbivore, haven’t you been told to not go around picking up strays?”

Leona's words prompt the rest of your friends to immediately focus their attention on Skully, and most of them quickly narrow their eyes when they see that he’s holding your hand.

Without hesitation, you move in front of a surprised Skully, as if to shield him, all the while still holding onto his hand. “I won’t allow any of you to bully Skully, so don’t even think about it. He’s a good boy, who’s not in any way a threat to us. My instincts told me so, and I always trust my instincts.”

Upon hearing that, your friends begin to settle down, because they’re all well aware of the fact that your instincts are always accurate.

Jade slyly smiles, “For the two of you to be holding hands, you’ve obviously become quite close during our time apart. Your ability to make friends is nothing short of astounding, Yuu-san.”

Knowing he’s just saying that to rile up your overprotective friends, you give him a look before huffing, “Skully offered to escort me before we started heading in the direction we heard Sebek’s earlier screaming coming from ‘cause unlike SOME people I could name he’s a true gentleman, and I’m quite fond of boys with good manners.”

Much to your amusement, in response to your words, Riddle nods whilst simultaneously giving Grim and Sebek pointed looks, much to their annoyance.

While Skully, who has wisely been quiet since the arrival of your friends, beams upon hearing you praise him, an obviously jealous Sebek loudly harrumphs, “Hmph! You’re being much too careless, human! Even if this human you’ve found is, in fact, not a threat like your instincts have led you to believe, that does not necessarily mean he can be trusted! After all, for all you know, he could be the reason we’re in this mess in the first place!”

You give your son a look as if he’s said something incredibly strange. “Uh, there’s no way he’s at fault for our current predicament. The only one at fault here is that idiot Grim for opening that damn book despite me explicitly telling him not to.”

As you glare at Grim, who promptly tries to hide behind Epel’s legs, Azul raises an eyebrow. “What makes you so sure that your new acquaintance is not in any way involved in our current predicament, Yuu-san?”

For a moment, all you can do is stare, and then, realization slowly dawns on your features. “You guys…don’t know where we are, do you?”

Judging from the surprised expressions all of your friends are now sporting, the answer to your question is obviously “No”, which is surprising since all of them seem to remember the fact that Grim opened a strange book at the book fair, considering they didn't appear confused when you previously mentioned what Grim did, and they're all aware of the last crazy book adventure you went on. Hell, Grim, Azul, and Riddle were actually there for it.

Even if they can't clearly remember what happened prior to coming here, like what was the case for everyone who went on that book adventure with Stitch, you had expected everyone to connect the dots and figure out where they are based on what happened the first time you and your friends got temporarily trapped inside a book, but obviously, that was not the case.

As you're wondering why no one, aside from you, seems to know where you all are, a possible explanation for their confusion suddenly comes to mind, causing your eyes to grow large. “You guys don’t have any memories about that crazy book adventure some of us went on with Stitch, do you? Did you lose them like how we temporarily lost our memories after we got back to the school library following us leaving the book we got sucked into?”

Realization instantly dawns on Riddle’s, Azul’s, and Grim’s faces, which briefly adopt pained looks, like what happened the last time they had regained memories they had lost, and you quickly realize that you bringing up the book adventure with Stitch is helping them recall the memories they had once again temporarily forgotten.

In a blink, a now visibly irate Riddle aims his magic-pen at Grim. “GRIM! How dare you make me go through this nonsense again?! Off With Your Head!”

As a familiar collar appears around Grim’s neck, making him yelp, a scowling Azul starts threateningly looming over your partner. “Grim-san, I sure hope you’re ready to compensate me for these troublesome circumstances you’ve once again forced me to endure.”

“It’s not my fault!” Grim fearfully starts to tremble. “It’s the dumb book’s fault for messin’ with my awesome memories the last time this happened! If I had remembered what it had looked like, I wouldn’t’ve opened it again, I swear!”

When the two dorm leaders’ wrath shows no sign of abating, Grim focuses his tearful gaze on you and pleads, “Yuu, help! Riddle and Azul have gotten really scary!”

“Sorry, I’m pissed at you too since this could’ve all been avoided if you had listened to me and not acted like a total brat, so I’m not saving you this time.” You huff, “You’re on your own, kid.”

“Noooo!” Grim whines as Riddle starts berating him while Azul simultaneously ties him up using his magic.

Since everyone else’s feelings are much like yours, no one tries to save Grim, not even Idia, although Idia does give the monster a pitying look since a cat lover like himself can’t help but feel bad for Grim.

Feeling a tug on your hand, which is still being held by Skully, you turn to look at him and see that he appears understandably confused by this turn of events. “Yuu-san, I’m sorry, but could you please explain our current situation in greater detail? Unlike everyone else here, who appears to understand the situation at hand, I’m afraid I’m still quite confused.”

Nodding, you smile, “Of course, sorry for keeping you in the dark all this time. I had just wanted to wait until we met up with my friends before we started talking about this since we’d have to discuss it anyway once we all started brainstorming about how to get home.”

“For starters, just like you, everyone here went to the book fair at Foothill Town.” You continue, “And the last thing that happened before we ended up in this strange place is Grim opening a magic book.”

You jab a thumb at Grim, who’s still getting punished by Riddle and Azul. “You see, this isn’t the first time something like this has happened to me and those three over there. Back in March, we encountered a book that looked identical to the one we saw at the book fair, and when Grim opened it, the book sucked us into its pages and made us characters in its story.”

Skully loudly gasps, “Oh my! So you are saying that is what has happened to us? We are inside the mysterious book we all happened to stumble upon?”

When you nod, he tilts his head. “And, if I’m understanding correctly, your lovely companions over there temporarily forgot that surreal adventure they went on with you back in March?”

“We all did.” Trey pipes up. “For some reason, I completely forgot about everything I heard about that book adventure, and it wasn’t until Yuu brought it up that I suddenly recalled those memories.”

Jamil thoughtfully grabs his chin. “Perhaps that was the book’s attempt of making it so we wouldn’t immediately realize where we were? Although, I fail to see why that would matter since that shouldn’t interfere with us completing the story like what Yuu’s group did the last time they had to escape the book.”

“I’m more curious about how Yuu-shi kept her memories.” Idia comments, “Is it just ‘cause of her shounen manga protag powers, or what?”

“It’s possible that the book’s memory erasure magic simply no longer has an effect on Yuu.” Malleus replies, “There have been times in the past when certain magic has affected her differently as compared to others, yes?”

“That is true.” Vil agrees, “Perhaps the memory erasure magic can work on her once, but that’s all.”

Sebek beams, “As expected of my liege, no mystery is too great for his superior intellect to unravel!”

While several of your friends roll their eyes or shake their heads at your son’s words, you thoughtfully hum, “So the memory erasure magic just doesn’t work on me anymore. That does explain why I can remember everything so clearly. How lucky for me.”

“It is most fortunate.” Jade agrees before commenting, “Another question about our current situation that I would like to pose is why the setting of this story is so different from the one Yuu-san and the others were first trapped inside.”

“Oh yeah, the first story Yuu-san and the others got sucked into involved them being stranded on a deserted island, but this setting is some weird, creepy forest.” Epel remarks, “There’s nothing even remotely similar between the two stories.”

Leona sighs as he tiredly rubs his forehead. “Which makes me think there are multiple books that look identical but have completely different stories, although that begs the question of how these books that are capable of sucking people into their pages came to be in the first place.”

There’s a long pause as everyone just looks at each other, obviously unable to come up with any reasonable theories due to the lack of information you all have at your disposal.

Deciding there’s no point in worrying about this matter since you all obviously won’t be able to find the answers to your questions anytime soon, you say, “Alright, let’s just save this matter for after we get out of this damn book since we have too little info to work with right now.”

After everyone nods in agreement, you continue, “Now, let’s take care of introductions, so everyone knows each other’s names. We need to get that outta the way before we do anything else.”

Figuring you should start with Skully, you gesture toward him as you reel off his full name since, up until this point, you’ve only said his first name. “This is Skully J. Graves. He fell victim to the book before Grim foolishly opened it.”

Skully cheerfully waves using his free hand that’s not still holding onto yours. “It’s a pleasure to meet all of you wonderful people!”

At the same time, Sebek’s brow furrows as he mutters to himself. “Skully J. Graves…That name sounds familiar. Where have I heard that name before…?”

Meanwhile, Idia cringes, “Ugh. An extrovert. Like we need another one of those in this awful party roster.”

Giving him a look, you point at Idia, making him flinch. “That guy over there who’s got a pretty face and hair but a bad personality is Idia Shroud-senpai.”

While the rest of your friends titter, Idia looks as if he can’t decide if he should be embarrassed or offended. “Oi!”

You smirk at him before moving to point your finger at Vil. “And this guy, who will always be the most beautiful person in the room, is Vil Schoenheit-senpai.”

“Heh.” Vil smirks, “A satisfactory introduction.”

Your hand then moves to gesture at Jade and Trey. “The really handsome guys with mismatched eyes and glasses are Jade Leech-senpai and Trey Clover-senpai respectively.”

Appearing slightly embarrassed, Trey awkwardly rubs the back of his neck. “You really didn’t need to add ‘really handsome’ in there.”

Jade chuckles, “Fufu. Yuu-san is always so generous with her praise. I’m most appreciative.”

Continuing with the introductions, you inform, “The gorgeous guy with the eyepatch is Leona Kingscholar-senpai, and the guy with long, beautiful hair that makes him the envy of girls everywhere is Jamil Viper-senpai.”

While Leona smirks, Jamil gets flustered as he complains, “Can’t you just do the introductions normally?”

You giggle, “Where’s the fun in that?”

Once you rein in your amusement, you gesture toward an amused Malleus and say, “This handsome fellow, who’s got cool horns and a lovely smile to boot, is Malleus Draconia-senpai. I call him Tsunotaro, though, ‘cause we’re such good buddies.”

Just as it looks like Sebek intends to complain about your introduction for his beloved liege, which you’re sure doesn’t meet his incredibly high standards, Malleus chuckles, “Indeed, we are. Thank you for the charming introduction, Child of Man.”

Around that time, Riddle and Azul rejoin the group, having finally finished disciplining Grim, who’s now sprawled out on the ground, making lots of pitiful sounds.

This prompts you to point at the two dorm leaders. “The dapper redhead with impeccable manners is Riddle Rosehearts-senpai, and the one with a beautiful face and glasses is Azul Ashengrotto-senpai.”

While Riddle proudly puffs up his chest, Azul gets flustered, obviously not having been paying attention to all the other introductions you’ve given thus far.

As Jade starts teasing Azul for his own amusement, you comment, “And last but certainly not least are my three sons, who are all first-year students like me, so they're the closest in age to you and me.”

“Er, well, we actually don’t know how old Grim is, but let’s not sweat the details.” You add as an afterthought.

“I’m not your son, you delusional human!” Sebek interjects, scowling all the while.

“Now, Sebek, it’s rude to interrupt.” Malleus gently chides, “Allow Yuu to finish her introductions.”

In an instant, Sebek settles down, although you can tell he really doesn’t want to. “Y-Yes sir.”

Chuckling at that exchange, you look over at Skully and see his understandably puzzled expression, which prompts you to explain, “They’re not my biological sons. I adopted them along with four other boys ‘cause they’re cute, and they need someone to look after them. They’re the type who’ll get into trouble if you leave them unattended for too long.”

As the upperclassmen all titter, all of your sons, including Grim who has pushed himself into a seated position, simultaneously exclaim,

“Don’t call me cute!”

“I do NOT need you to look after me, you insolent human!”

“You got that backwards, Henchman! I’m the one who’s always lookin’ after ya! And I ain’t cute!”

Choosing to ignore them, you point at Grim. “That’s Grim. Don’t let his cute face fool you. He’s a glutton for food and trouble.”

While several people snort and Grim loudly gasps in outrage, you gesture toward Epel and Sebek. “And this is Epel Felmier and Sebek Zigvolt. They’re two of my more well-behaved sons, although I still always try not to leave them to their own devices for too long.”

“Hey! The upperclassmen got way better introductions than we did!” Epel complains.

“Perhaps that should tell you something.” Vil quips, without missing a beat, making Epel pout and some of the other upperclassmen laugh.

“You have a lot of nerve, human!” Sebek angrily marches over toward where you’re standing. “I won’t take you making a fool of me in front of Malleus-sama lying down!”

His scowl deepens. “And will you stop holding that other human’s hand already?! You’re obviously no longer in need of an escort!”

An impish grin rises to your lips. “Aw, Sebek, are you jealous?”

Instantly, his face becomes incredibly flustered. “O-Of course not!”

"You do seem rather jealous from my perspective.” Malleus calmly points out, much to Sebek’s dismay.

Jamil smirks, “What a coincidence. I was just about to say the same thing.”

“Heh, so was I.” Riddle chimes in, wearing a similar expression.

Poor Sebek, now he looks as if he could combust at any given moment because almost everyone is wearing the same kind of teasing expression, and because of Malleus, he can’t deny being jealous since that would mean saying that his beloved liege is wrong.

Taking pity on your flustered son, you give Skully a quick look that silently asks if he won’t mind you suddenly releasing his hand since you’re sure he’s been taking comfort from it all this time during this surreal and somewhat stressful situation you've all ended up in, and after seeing him give you a nod and smile, you let go of his hand.

You then quickly put yourself in between Sebek and everyone’s teasing looks. “Alright, that’s enough teasing Sebek. It’s fine when I do it, but if you all jump on the bandwagon, then it becomes less fun.”

Fortunately, everyone heeds your orders since they all know that you don’t take messing with your sons lightly

Once you see that no one intends to tease Sebek further, you turn to face him. “I’m sorry, Sebek. During the remaining time we’re stuck in this book, I’ll try to only tease you when we don’t have an audience, so the others won’t get involved.”

He scowls, “Just don’t do it period!”

With a wink, you grin, “No can do. That’s my special privilege, and I won’t ever give it up.”

No matter what.

Once you’ve saved Sebek from further teasing, you turn to look at Skully and say, “For the record, I love all my sons very much, and I think they’re all wonderful guys, whom I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world. I was just teasing them earlier with their intros ‘cause I like to mess with them.”

While Sebek and Epel become a mixture of embarrassed and pleased, Grim puffs up his chest after rising to his feet. “Heh, that’s much better! The Great Grim deserves nothing but praise!”

Riddle harrumphs, “Hmph. You are the only one who feels that way, especially after recent events.”

Meanwhile, Skully broadly smiles, “Yes, yes, I can tell even without you saying as much that you harbor a great deal of affection for your sons, Yuu-san. They’re obviously people who are just as wonderful as you! I’m so grateful for this serendipitous meeting!”

Just after he says that, Skully catches everyone off guard when he proceeds to kiss the hands of all your sons, or in the case of Grim, one of his paws. “It’s so nice to meet you, Grim-san, Epel-san, Sebek-san.”

Epel makes a disgusted sound as he backpedals away from Skully. “Eugh!”

Sebek scowls, “Bastard! Do not kiss my hand without permission!”

Grim releases a scandalized gasp. “You! Layin' one on my fine coat of fur!”

Much to your immense amusement, a smiling Skully, who's completely unfazed by your sons' reactions, quickly turns to look at all of your upperclassmen, who all visibly stiffen and start inching backwards, all the while wearing comical, wary expressions.

Without hesitation, you latch onto Skully in order to hold him back, all the while trying and failing to suppress your urge to laugh. “Skully! I know you’re just trying to be polite, but for guys like these, you shouldn’t kiss them without permission, especially when they hardly know you!”

When Skully looks down at you, who’s now hugging his waist whilst shaking thanks to your laughter, you continue, “I don’t know if this is a cultural thing or if this is just how you prefer to greet people, but you gotta be respectful of other people’s personal space. That’s what a proper gentleman would do under these circumstances.”

Upon hearing that, a now thoughtful Skully stops trying to approach your upperclassmen. “Hmm. I do wish to always be a proper gentleman, although it pains me to not be able to fully express my delight over meeting such lovely people.”

“If you’re ever overcome with the urge to kiss someone, I’ll volunteer my hand since, unlike these guys, I don’t mind, especially since it’s obvious you have only pure intentions.” You chuckle, “So, while I’d like for you to refrain from kissing the others, you can still treat me as you’ve been doing.”

Before a delighted Skully can respond, Sebek, who looks displeased like the majority of your friends, interjects, “As he’s been doing?! You bastard! You’ve been kissing her too?!”

“But of course.” Skully cheerfully answers, not looking the least bit fazed by Sebek’s anger. “What kind of gentleman would I be if I didn’t offer a kiss to a lady as lovely as Yuu-san?”

“Grrr!” Sebek growls, “Your impudence knows no end, I see! Malleus-sama, please give me the order to dispose of this miscreant!”

Much to everyone’s surprise, rather than respond to his retainer’s request, Malleus frowns, “Oh dear, this isn’t good. Lilia will not be pleased when he finds out Sebek has a new love rival, and for said love rival to appear while I was in charge of supervising Sebek's date will no doubt reflect quite poorly on me, even though I had been doing so well up until Grim opened that book.”

“Aha!” You quickly release your hold on Skully, so you can point at Malleus, grinning all the while. “I knew Lilia-senpai had asked you to be Sebek’s wingman! Today’s whole outing really was meant to be a date for me and Sebek!”

Sebek’s expression instantly turns mortified. “WHAT?!”

At the same time, all of your other friends, sans Malleus, simultaneously shout, “What?!”

Completely unfazed by the others' reactions, Malleus smiles at you. “Heh, you’re as observant as always, Child of Man. Truly, nothing gets past you when your sons are concerned.”

Simultaneously, Leona, Vil, and Trey, the upperclassmen who always express their disapproval over Lilia’s typical matchmaking antics, either glare or give Malleus exasperated looks. “Malleus.”

“First, Malleus-shi is looking for manga and now, he’s acting as a wingman.” Iida mutters, “This day really just keeps getting weirder and weirder. It’s like I entered the Twilight Zone…”

Jade chuckles, “My, my, to think, THE Malleus Draconia would be willing to act as someone else’s wingman; it just proves how much he wishes to support Yuu-san and Sebek-kun. How utterly heartwarming.”

“Being supportive is all well and good, but I cannot approve of such sly actions!” Riddle frowns, “Yuu and Sebek were forced on a date and weren’t even made aware of the circumstances! Such deceitfulness is unbecoming of a dorm leader!”

“Well, Sebek-san wasn’t aware at least since Yuu-san figured out what was going on.” Azul pipes up, giving Sebek a sympathetic look.

Sebek, who still looks incredibly embarrassed, twitches. “Ugh.”

“Hang in there, Sebek-kun.” Epel says as he sympathetically pats his back.

Meanwhile, Malleus tilts his head. “Yes, I did not explicitly say that our outing to the used book fair was meant to be a date for them, but it’s not as if I made Yuu and Sebek do something they disliked. They both were quite excited about visiting the book fair, and I was also eager to look around with them. I never once lied to them.”

“And I had no intention to do anything extreme, like Lilia would’ve done if he were in my shoes.” He continues, “I merely intended to watch over them and encourage any opportunities for them to grow closer. All I wished for was their happiness.”

In an instant, Sebek’s expression shifts from being mortified to touched as tears fill his eyes. “Oh, Malleus-sama! Your magnanimity truly knows no bounds! I am unworthy!”

“And just like that, after hearing something nice from Malleus, he recovers.” Grim shakes his head. “Typical Sebek.”

While you giggle, Skully claps his hands. “Oh, how utterly heartwarming! I can clearly see how much Malleus-san loves Yuu-san and Sebek-san! Love truly is such a beautiful thing!”

Leona’s nose scrunches as he makes a disgusted face. “As if the lizard’s motives are really that pure. He’s obviously got a hidden agenda for getting involved like this. Probably has something to gain from Sebek ending up with Yuu.”

As you and several of your friends raise an eyebrow, Sebek scowls, “How dare you make such an audacious accusation! I-”

“Hm. Well, I suppose it would be a lie if I claimed there was nothing for me to gain from Sebek and Yuu becoming a couple.” Malleus comments, cutting his retainer off.

In complete sync, everyone, sans Leona, exclaims, “Huh?!”

The corners of Malleus’s lips curve upwards. “After all, if Sebek and Yuu were to wed, that would lead to her coming to live in Briar Valley, yes? Then, I would be able to see her everyday. I get excited just thinking about such a delightful outcome. Heh.”

Your heart melts upon hearing his incredibly adorable reason for wanting you and Sebek to become a couple. “Aww! Tsunotaro!”

At the same time, the majority of your upperclassmen, who now appear annoyed, shout, “So you’re really just thinking about yourself!”

While Malleus deals with all the complaints that the other upperclassmen start throwing at him, you playfully nudge a visibly flustered Sebek and teasingly grin, “Guess marriage is something we may need to consider in the future if it’ll make Tsunotaro that happy, huh, Sebek?”

Sebek covers his furiously blushing face with his hands before weakly retorting, “Not another word.”

All you can do is giggle. There’s truly never a dull moment with the Diasomnia boys.

And you wouldn’t have it any other way.

Chapter Text

After you finish teasing Sebek, you decide to get everyone back on track by loudly clapping your hands to earn everyone else’s attention. “Alright, let’s get back to the current situation at hand. You guys can discuss my and Sebek’s potential future romance at another time.”

While Sebek makes a choked sound and Epel snorts, you continue, “Before we start discussing what our next plan of action should be, I thought we could do one last little test to further confirm our suspicions that we really are inside the book that Grim opened. Plus, this test will also help us know the general area that we’re supposed to stay inside.”

As the majority of the guys eye you curiously, you focus your gaze on Malleus and ask, “Tsunotaro, does anything feel odd about the magic of this place? To be more specific, is there anywhere that feels as if magic can’t be used?”

Realization instantly dawns on Azul’s and Riddle’s faces as the latter exclaims, “Oh, yes, that’s right! In the last story we were trapped in, the deserted island we had ended up stranded on had a magical barrier of sorts around it that prevented the use of magic once anyone got a certain distance away from the island.”

Azul nods. “If something along those lines is here, then there’d be no doubt that we are indeed trapped inside the book that Grim-san foolishly opened.”

While Grim pouts, Malleus rubs his chin. “Ah, now that you mention it, Lilia did mention something along those lines when he told us all about his time in that mysterious book.”

“Let me see what I can find.” He adds before he closes his eyes, so he can focus all of his attention on his surroundings.

A few seconds later, Malleus opens his eyes and adopts an intrigued expression. “Hm, I do detect an odd sensation, which very well could be what you all encountered during that first time you all were trapped inside a book. I will confirm it, so wait here for a moment.”

Giving no one a chance to respond, Malleus proceeds to fly off, so he can investigate the odd sensation he detected.

Naturally, Sebek isn’t too thrilled about this turn of events. “Ah, Malleus-sama! If anything were to happen to you...!”

Before Sebek can try to run after his beloved liege, you latch onto him along with Jamil who says, “You intend to go after Malleus-senpai without a broom? You'd only drag him down. Just wait here.”

Thankfully, Sebek settles down upon hearing that since he knows Jamil is right, although he’s obviously still not happy about Malleus going off on his own. That’s why you quickly assure him that Malleus will be fine since the chances of this book having anything inside its pages that's powerful enough to hurt Malleus are slim to none.

Meanwhile, an amazed Skully remarks, “In but a moment he flew out of sight...Malleus-san must be an amazing mage.”

You raise an incredulous eyebrow. Skully doesn’t know who Tsunotaro is? I know he didn’t really react when I introduced Tsunotaro earlier, but I just figured Skully’s the type who doesn’t make a big deal about meeting famous people since he didn’t react to Vil-senpai’s name either.

Skully also didn’t react to Leona-senpai’s and Idia-senpai’s last names, even though they’re pretty well-known in Twisted Wonderland. You muse. Does he just not keep up with that kinda thing?

But is it even possible for someone in Twisted Wonderland to not know about the Malleus Draconia, one of the most powerful mages in the world?

It’s at that moment you remember something else strange you learned about Skully, right before you reunited with your friends. Not only does he not know who Tsunotaro is, he also doesn’t know what a cell phone is. Just where did Skully come from? A village that’s even more remote than Harveston? Is that even possible?

Just as you open your mouth so you can try to get some information about Skully’s origins, Malleus returns, obviously having finished his investigation. “I'm back.”

Sebek beams, “Welcome back, Young Master! I am glad to see you safe.”

After you echo Sebek’s words, Malleus reveals, “I confirmed our surroundings; the forest spreads as far as I could go on all sides, and the sensation was as I thought. There's a border after which magic breaks.”

“Just as Lilia had described to me, if you go a certain distance from here, the space cuts off, and if you go there, you suddenly cannot use magic.” Malleus adds.

“Guess that confirms it then.” Epel comments, “We’re definitely stuck inside the book Grim-kun opened, like what happened to Yuu-san and the others last time.”

Leona tauntingly smirks, “Looks like the lizard was able to make himself useful to us. Glad he could at least contribute something of note, considering his ‘impressive magic’ can’t do anything to actually get us out of this annoying situation.”

While Malleus frowns, Sebek scowls, “This man, he keeps saying rude things to Malleus-sama and doesn't seem apologetic in the slightest!”

Your son pulls out his magic-pen. “Malleus-sama! Please allow me to punish this insolent fool!”

“Calm down, Sebek! Put away your magical pen!” You latch onto him to keep him from attacking Leona. “And, Leona-senpai, please don’t purposely do stuff that'll piss off my son. I know you like messing with Tsunotaro, but this isn’t the time or place for that.”

While Leona just shrugs, not looking the least bit repentant, Skully curiously parrots, “‘Magical pen’?”

Immediately, your attention focuses on Skully. He doesn’t know what magical pens are either? I thought that everyone on Sage’s Island would be familiar with them, even those who don’t attend NRC…

Meanwhile, Trey asks, “Are you not familiar with them, Skully? They're tools that make using magic easier.”

“Speaking of magic…” Epel eyes Skully curiously. “Is Skully-kun a mage like us?”

“He’s got the smell of a mage, so I’d say so.” Leona comments, “He’s about the same level as Epel, which makes sense, considering they’re the same age.”

Skully smiles, appearing impressed. “You can even figure that out? What a wise one you are.”

“It is as you say. I am a petty mage.” He adds, “I currently attend school as such.”

His attention returns to Sebek’s magic-pen. “And these writing implements have magic stones attached. If I recall correctly, the colors of the magic stones on Riddle-san’s and Azul-san’s magical pens were different from Sebek-san’s and each other’s. Is there a reason for that?”

“At our school, there are multiple dorms, and each dorm has a signature color associated with it.” Jade helpfully informs, “As a result, everyone from the same dorm has matching magical pens.”

“Oooh! How fascinating!” Skully grins, “So it's not about the quality of the stones, but that you are all able to do the same base level of magic. What fantastic concern for equality.”

“Is your school different?” Riddle curiously asks.

For some reason, Skully’s earlier good mood immediately vanishes in response to Riddle’s question. “It certainly is…”

“I do apologize, but could we abstain from any further conversation about school?” Skully requests, “I do not like that place. Everyone there is an empty-headed fool. There's no value in speaking of it.”

He frowns deeply. “Not a single one of them can understand my agony…”

The corners of your lips dip downward. Poor Skully, he looks really lonely…

Unable to help yourself since seeing him in such a state reminds you of all the years you spent alone, you quickly approach Skully and take hold of one of his hands, which you gently squeeze. “We won’t make you talk about anything you don’t wanna talk about, Skully.”

His posture instantly relaxes as his frown morphs into a grateful smile. “Thank you very much.”

After you return his smile, you, as you're releasing your hold on Skully's hand, catch sight of Leona and Jamil whispering amongst themselves, all the while subtly eyeing Skully. No doubt they must be wondering who exactly Skully is since he doesn’t know what a magical pen is, nor does he know who Malleus is.

Skully says he attends a magic school, but the only magic schools on Sage’s Island are NRC and RSA. You think to yourself. Considering no one here recognizes Skully, it’s unlikely that he’s from NRC, but it’s hard for me to imagine that he’s from RSA since those students should know all about their rivals, including NRC’s magic-pens.

I still can’t get over him not knowing what a cell phone is. You scratch your head. After all, pretty much every kid our age on Sage’s Island has one.

It’s at that moment, as you’re recalling that past conversation you had with Skully, you remember something important that he mentioned having on his person right before you found out that he doesn’t know what a cell phone is. Oh, that’s right! I almost forgot!

Realizing this is a perfect way to learn more about Skully without having to make him talk about his school, you ask, “Hey, Skully, I have no intention to make you talk about your school, but would you mind letting me see your school ID that you mentioned having earlier? I’m curious to see how different it is from the one our school uses, considering how different our schools seem to be.”

Which technically isn’t a lie since Skully’s school obviously is quite different from yours, so you can’t help but wonder in what all other ways it differs from NRC.

When you mention Skully’s school ID, you immediately earn Leona’s and Jamil’s undivided attention since they obviously realize this is a perfect way to gain more information about the mysterious boy.

For a moment, Skully just stares, appearing surprised, before smiling, “Of course. I could never refuse a request from a lady as lovely as yourself.”

While you perk up, Skully digs his hand into his pant’s pocket, so he can pull out his student ID. At the same time, Leona and Jamil subtly inch closer to you, no doubt so they can also get a good look at Skully’s school ID.

Filled to the brim with curiosity, you watch as Skully pulls out his student ID, which is hidden from view due to the way he grabbed it and the fact that his hands are so large. As a result, you don’t get to actually see what it looks like until he finally places it in your outstretched palm.

Much to your surprise, the first thing you notice is that Skully’s student ID isn’t made of some form of plastic, like what is typically used for student IDs, such as the one you were given after you began attending NRC.

Instead, it’s made out of some form of paper that looks rather new, confirming that Skully really is a first-year student since he obviously hasn’t had this ID for more than a year.

Your surprise only grows when you see the words “Night Raven College” as well as the school’s trademark stamp, the kind of which Crowley once told you only belongs to him and can’t ever be replicated, meaning this can’t be a fake ID.

Before you can even begin wondering how in the world this can be possible since no one here recognizes Skully and NRC, as far as you know, doesn’t make student IDs like this, your gaze focuses on the date that’s printed in the corner of the card, which indicates when Skully enrolled as a student.

Which is why your eyes are now as wide as saucers and why you soon find yourself gaping in disbelief. “No…way…”

The reason for your dumbfounded reaction is because the date isn’t the same as the one that’s on your own student ID despite you and Skully being the same age. The two dates are completely different.

By hundreds of years…

“This…can’t be real…can it?” Jamil incredulously whispers, having brought his head close to yours so he could get a close look at the student ID you’re holding.

Leona, who did the same thing as Jamil, just stares at the ID, appearing just as dumbfounded as you and Jamil. “It’s real alright. I once read a book about NRC’s history, and it happened to include a picture of what student IDs looked like back then. This is the spitting image of what I saw, and there’s no way he could’ve replicated it since only NRC’s Headmage can use the official stamp that’s on this ID.”

“Holy shit. This crazy book is capable of time travel.” You murmur, still unable to stop yourself from gaping. “What the actual hell?! Why is such a powerful book completely unsupervised?!”

“That’s what I wanna know.” Leona and Jamil simultaneously reply, with matching dry tones.

As the three of you are whispering amongst yourselves, Skully, who looks just as puzzled as everyone else, asks, “Is everything alright, Yuu-san? You, Leona-san, and Jamil-san look most astonished by my student ID.”

Rather than immediately respond to Skully’s question, you turn to Jamil and ask, “Do you have your student ID on you? I’ve got nothing ‘cause my outfit didn’t come with pockets.”

Realizing where you’re going with this, Jamil quickly nods and pulls out his student ID, which he then hands over to you.

After thanking him, you return your attention to Skully. “Skully, I’ve got some very shocking news for you. You’re likely gonna have a very hard time believing me, but I can assure you that Jamil-senpai’s student ID is just as legitimate as yours.”

You then proceed to hold up both student IDs that are currently in your possession. “Look at Jamil-senpai’s ID as compared to yours. When you see the dates, you’ll understand why we were so shocked when we saw your ID.”

Curious, Skully focuses his attention on Jamil’s student ID. At the same time, due to their own curiosity, all of your friends, who are in the dark like Skully, quickly draw closer, so they can also compare the two IDs.

Within seconds, the eyes of everyone, who's now looking at the two IDs, grow large with disbelief.

“What the-?!” Grim gapes, “What’s the deal with Skully’s ID?! That’s one helluva misprint!”

“It’s not a misprint.” Skully quietly replies, his voice sounding just as stunned as everyone else feels. “That truly is the date I began attending Night Raven College.”

“Which means…all of you lovely people are from…the future…?” He asks, sounding understandably dumbfounded.

“OMG! This really is like a real-life isekai!” Idia exclaims, “I can’t believe it!”

“Idia-san, this is not the time for that.” Azul gives him an exasperated look before returning his attention to the school IDs you’re still holding. “Even though I find it incredibly hard to believe, there’s no denying the evidence right before our eyes, so it would seem this book is a lot more powerful than we initially thought.”

“To think, it would even be capable of bringing people from completely different times together.” Riddle frowns, “Now, I’m filled with even more regret that we didn’t find the book that appeared in our school’s library. Such a dangerous book should not be left unsupervised!”

“I would have to agree.” Malleus nods. “A book that has the power to not only do that but also keep me confined inside its pages is a most dangerous one indeed.”

“But how did something like this even happen?” Epel’s brow furrows. “I don’t get it.”

“It’s hard to say for sure since there’s really no logical explanation for something like this.” Leona answers, “All I can assume is that the two separate instances when the furball and badger opened the book somehow became connected, allowing us to be here at the same time.”

As your friends all begin talking amongst themselves about this surreal turn of events, you return Jamil’s student ID to him before drawing closer to Skully, who has gone silent, so you can return his ID and also check on him since you dropped quite the bombshell on him just now.

“Are you alright, Skully?” You ask, “I know this is all pretty crazy, so I wouldn’t blame you if you’re feeling overwhelmed.”

“If you’re concerned about how you’ll get back to the time you came from, don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll be able to.” You assure him. “Last time this happened, time didn’t pass while we were inside the book, and after we completed the story, we were sent right back to where we were when Grim first opened the damn thing, so that’s likely what will happen to you.”

“And you won’t have to do this all alone since we’re all in this together.” You add, “We’ll make sure that all of us get back to where we belong.”

For a moment, Skully just stares, appearing surprised, making you wonder if he wasn’t expecting anyone to offer him words of comfort when he clearly needed them most.

Soon after, his previously stiff posture begins to relax as he smiles, “You are just as kind as you are lovely, Yuu-san. I greatly appreciate you showing such concern on my behalf. Hearing your sweet words has completely soothed my troubled heart. Thank you very much.”

He gently takes hold of your hand, after reclaiming his student ID, so he can press a tender kiss against your knuckles. “I am truly fortunate to have met such a wonderful person during my time here inside this mysterious book.”

After he kisses your hand, Skully’s beaming face, which thankfully no longer looks as anxious as it did earlier, ends up dangerously close to yours. “Perhaps it was destiny that brought us together. When I think like that, I can’t help but feel grateful for this serendipitous turn of events since I, otherwise, would not have experienced the joy of meeting someone as enchanting as yourself.”

Warmth envelops your chest upon hearing such sweet words. “Awww.”

Unfortunately, you don’t get to enjoy this endearing moment for very long, because, within seconds, Sebek pulls you away from the other boy and inserts himself between the two of you. “You are too close! Get back, you insolent human!”

Before you can try to stop Sebek, who’s obviously overreacting, Jamil suddenly appears at your side and begins using disinfectant wipes on your hand that Skully just kissed, much to your exasperation.

“Oh, c’mon, I’m wearing gloves!” You exclaim before rolling your eyes. “Aren’t you too old to be worrying about cooties, Jamil-senpai?”

After giving you a look, Jamil finishes cleaning your hand and proceeds to start harshly scrubbing your face with a new disinfectant wipe. “You should be thanking me for being willing to share my limited amount of wet wipes with you, not getting cheeky with me.”

“He didn’t even kiss my face!” You complain as you futilely try to escape getting your face disinfected.

Meanwhile, as you’re trying to fight off Jamil, Epel, Trey, and Riddle are all trying to hold Sebek back to keep him from attacking Skully while Grim yells at Skully for getting too close to his henchman.

At the same time, Malleus tries to provide helpful advice to his retainer regarding how to compete with his new love rival, much to the exasperation of Leona, Vil, Azul, and Idia.

In the background, you can hear Jade’s telltale snickering, proving that he’s enjoying all the ongoing chaos, not that you’re surprised, of course.

All in all, it’s just another typical moment in the life of the Ramshackle Prefect since chaos always ends up unfolding around you despite all your best attempts to avoid it.

Unfortunately for you.

Once Jamil has finally finished disinfecting you and everyone else has calmed down, you decide to get everyone back on track. “Alright, so now we know this book is even more powerful than we thought since we’ve got an upperclassman, who’s from hundreds of years ago, here among us.”

“I’m honored to be the upperclassman of such wonderful people!” Skully cheerfully pipes up. “Ah, but please don’t feel as if you need to be formal toward me, considering I am still technically only sixteen years old.”

“Uh, is this really alright?” Epel nervously asks, “According to some shows I’ve watched on TV, time-travel can lead to serious stuff like time paradoxes, right?”

“Under normal circumstances, that is something we would have to worry about.” You reply, “But considering it’s very likely that this book will do another memory wipe after we get outta here, we should be fine.”

“We should still be cautious, however, just in case.” Jamil advises, “So refrain from talking too in-depth about the future around Skully.”

Leona nods in agreement. “As long as we do that, we should be fine. More importantly…”

“Let’s focus on getting outta this damn book.” He huffs, “We need to complete this story, right?”

“That’s how we returned to our world last time.” Riddle thoughtfully grabs his chin. “Which means we will need to find out who the protagonist of this story is and offer them our assistance, like what we did with Stitch.”

“I wonder where we will find this protagonist, considering we have yet to encounter anyone who appears to be a part of this fictional world.” Jade comments, “After all, according to Malleus-san’s earlier report, all there is here is this forest, which doesn’t appear to have any signs of life.”

“As I was looking around, I did keep an eye out for other people.” Malleus informs, “However, I did not see anyone, so I believe we are the only ones in this forest.”

“What?!” Grim gapes, “Then, how the hell are we supposed to get outta here?!”

“And, more importantly, how long do I gotta wear this damn collar?!” He adds with a whine as he miserably gestures toward the collar he’s still wearing thanks to Riddle’s Unique Magic.

You roll your eyes. “Considering you still have yet to actually apologize for getting us into this mess, I highly doubt that Riddle-senpai is gonna be removing that collar anytime soon.”

“Naturally.” Riddle crosses his arms. “If you can’t even do that much, you deserve to remain collared.”

As a grumbling Grim begins waging an internal war against his pride since, while he obviously wants to be free of his collar, he just as much doesn’t want to have to apologize, you tune him out and focus your thoughts on the situation at hand. If there’s no one around right now, does that mean someone will show up eventually like what happened with Stitch, or are we just in the wrong place right now?

The former seems more likely since Malleus made it seem like there’s no other place to go in this story aside from this forest since these barren trees were all he could see, no matter where he looked.

Your gaze focuses on your surroundings. I wonder…is this story related to a Disney movie too, like the last one? That would explain why this forest seems somewhat familiar to me.

That reminds me. When I first saw it, I also thought Grim’s outfit seemed familiar. You recall. I wonder if I can get some clues if I take a moment to really look at everyone’s new outfits. Maybe the clues can help me figure out what movie this world is connected to, and that, in turn, might tell me what we need to do.

Figuring that’s really the only option you have at this point, you let your gaze roam across your friends who are all either talking amongst themselves or entertaining themselves by watching Grim struggle to apologize.

The first thing that jumps out at me is we’ve all got a spooky theme going on here. You think to yourself. Most of the guys look like they’re dressed to go to a funeral, for some reason.

Soon after that, you finally notice the fact that, unlike you, all of the guys, Skully included, are wearing the same metal badge that has a picture of a spiral hill on it.

A very familiar-looking spiral hill.

As recognition dawns on your features, you quickly look back at Grim’s outfit, and then, you look at Jamil and Sebek, who are both wearing hats that have a skeleton's face on them.

A skeleton's face that also looks very familiar.

Your eyes widen. No way. The Nightmare Before Christmas?! Does that mean we’re gonna meet Jack Skellington?!

It seems pretty likely, considering Jack Skellington is the main character of The Nightmare Before Christmas. Plus, Grim is wearing an outfit that looks much like what Jack wears in the movie, and Jack’s face is even on Jamil’s and Sebek’s hats.

Surely, the book wouldn’t give your friends outfits like that for no reason, right?

You thoughtfully frown. If this story is based on The Nightmare Before Christmas, then this has to be the forest that contains the holiday doors that Jack finds at the beginning of the movie.

Your eyes light up with realization. Which means we need to find those doors and head for Halloween Town! Jack won’t come to us. We gotta go to him!

Now, you just have to figure out how to convey this to your friends since they won’t just follow your lead without you providing an explanation first.

After you take a moment to ponder how to go about this, you remember the fact that it’s likely that your friends won’t remember the events of this book adventure. Normally, I’m always reluctant to bring up the Disney movies from my world since I never wanna risk them asking too many questions, but maybe it’ll be alright this one time since they won’t even remember once this is all said and done?

Considering it’d be way easier for you to just tell the truth, you would prefer to go that route since you don’t want to lie, nor do you want to have to think of a more complicated plan that will allow you to avoid ever having to actually tell a lie.

Another thing that you would like to avoid is having to come up with a way to dance around the topic of you being from another world whilst talking with Skully when it would be so much easier for you to just be honest about that too.

Normally, you would never tell someone you just met about your origins since you only want people whom you know for sure that you can trust to know that personal information, but considering Skully will likely lose his memories of his time inside the book, you don't mind sharing your secret with him. Besides, even if he does remember this information, it won't really matter in the end, because he's from the past and he won't be able to use that information against you once he returns to the time period he's from.

Once you've decided that you’ll just be completely honest with Skully and the others, you open your mouth to share your recent discovery with the members of your group, who are all still talking amongst themselves, but soon pause before you can say anything. Wait. Before I do that, there’s something else I’ve been meaning to do, and now’s the perfect time to do it since everyone else is currently preoccupied.

Quickly, you look around for a tree that’s large enough to hide behind, and once you find one, you begin heading in that direction, intending to take care of a matter related to your outfit that’s been bugging you for a while now while everyone else is distracted.

Or, at least, that was your intention before your plans get ruined by Jade, who will never pass up an opportunity to have fun at your expense.

“Oya? Are you going somewhere on your own, Yuu-san?”

Immediately, upon hearing Jade's question, all ongoing conversations come to an abrupt halt as the rest of your group quickly focuses their attention on you, making you internally curse.

While you scowl at the shamelessly smiling eel-mer, Skully quickly approaches you. “If there is somewhere you would like to go, please allow me to escort you, Yuu-san! I would hate for anything to happen to you, after all!”

“She doesn’t need YOU escorting her!” Sebek quickly retorts as he tries to get in between you and Skully.

“Yes, if anyone should escort her, it should be Sebek.” Malleus adds, making Sebek blush.

Vil sighs, “We’re going to have to deal with this nonsense the entire time that we’re stuck inside this infernal book, aren’t we?”

Trey weakly chuckles, “Probably…”

Idia groans, “Ugh. I wanna go home. I don’t wanna be stuck in a real-life shoujo manga. I wasn’t built for this…”

Meanwhile, Jamil raises an eyebrow at you. “Yuu, was there a reason for why you tried to walk off while everyone else was talking? You do realize we’re better off sticking together, don’t you?”

“I wasn’t even going that far.” You huff as you gesture toward the tree you were heading toward. “I just wanted to go behind that tree, so I could check out a part of my outfit that’s been bugging me.”

Upon hearing that, everyone else freezes, and you can practically feel the awkwardness that’s now in the air thanks to you bringing up a topic that most teenage boys wouldn’t want to discuss with a girl their age, much to your amusement.

One of the only people who appears unfazed by your words is Vil who draws closer to you as he gives you a once-over. “What’s the issue with it? Nothing appears out of place from my point-of-view. Did the book do a poor job with putting on your leggings?”

“Nah, they’re fine.” You shake your head. “I’m not in any kind of discomfort. I just wanna know what the hell I’ve got strapped to my thigh.”

You tap your right thigh, creating a sound that immediately tells everyone that there’s definitely something there hidden underneath your dress. “See? There’s something there, and I’ve been wanting to see what it is for a while now, but I’ve been putting it off since it requires pulling up my dress, which I obviously can’t do while you guys are around.”

“Or I guess, I COULD if you guys are that worried about me being on my own.” You wryly add.

Much to your amusement, Sebek’s, Skully’s, Riddle’s, Trey’s, Azul’s, and Idia’s faces all instantly become noticeably flustered as they all simultaneously make choked sounds in response to your words.

Naturally, Jade wastes no time in having fun messing with them. At the same time, Leona smirks, “Heh, won’t bother me if you do.”

While a frowning Jamil narrows his eyes at the lion Beastman, both Trey and Vil give Leona sharp looks. “Leona.”

Meanwhile, Malleus surprises you when he says, “Ah, so that’s what’s behind the unfamiliar magic I’ve been detecting on Yuu’s person.”

“‘Unfamiliar magic’?” Epel and Grim curiously parrot.

“Since we found Yuu, I’ve been detecting magic on her person that’s different from the magic that was used to create our clothes.” Malleus explains, “I had intended to eventually question her about it since it seems to be a protective magic of sorts, which has made me rather curious about it.”

You blink in surprise. “Now, I’m even more curious about it if it involves protective magic.”

Eager to see what the source of that protective magic your friend sensed is, you resume heading for the closest tree that’s large enough for you to completely hide yourself behind. “Just gimme a sec to check. I’ll be real quick.”

Thankfully, this time, nobody tries to stop you for obvious reasons, so you’re able to hide yourself behind the tree without having to deal with any further interruptions.

Once you’re sure that you’re completely hidden from view, you pull up your dress enough that you can finally look at what’s strapped to your right thigh.

And when you finally get a good look at the mysterious object that you're so curious about, your jaw promptly drops. “Holy shit!”

Grinning, you quickly pull the item that was securely wrapped around the holster on your thigh, and after releasing your hold on your dress and smoothing it out, you hurriedly come out from behind the tree.

All the while, you excitedly hold up the item that’s now in your hands. “I got a WHIP!”

Much to your amusement, almost all of your friends look at the whip in horror. “Why?!”

Cackling, you gleefully crack the whip. “This is awesome! Way better than the beach umbrella I got last time!”

“This is awful!” Idia exclaims as he moves to hide behind Azul. “As if Yuu-shi wasn’t already scary enough! The last thing we needed was for this place to unlock her inner sadist! We’re so screwed!”

Meanwhile, you, without thinking, use your awesome new whip to wrap around a nearby tree branch and proceed to successfully swing yourself from your current location to a spot that's a few yards away, like what you’ve seen people on TV do. “Oooh! I think the book also gave me the skills to use the whip! Nice!”

“Fascinating.” Malleus grabs his chin as he looks at your whip with intrigue. “So the book provided Yuu with a weapon and the proficiency to use it. Perhaps to make up for her lack of magic?”

“Eh?!” Skully exclaims, “Yuu-san doesn’t have magic?!”

“Oh yeah, that never got mentioned, did it?” Trey replies, “Even though she attends NRC like the rest of us, Yuu is actually magicless. That’s why she and Grim are a set and treated like two halves of a whole student since they each make up for what the other lacks.”

“The Great Grim lacks nothin’!” Grim interjects with a huff. “I just decided to make Yuu my henchman ‘cause I was feelin’ generous!”

While several of your friends roll their eyes at Grim’s response, Skully excitedly claps his hands together. “A two-in-one student. How wonderful! I can see the future is full of many exciting things!”

“More importantly!” Grim directs his attention to you. “Henchman, lemme have a turn! The Great Grim wants to try usin’ a whip! I bet I’d look really cool with it!”

“Ooh, I wanna try it too!” Epel grins, “I’ve always wanted to see what it’s like after having seen them get used in the movies!”

The corners of your lips dip downward. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. You guys could end up accidentally hurting yourselves since I doubt the book gave anyone else the ability to proficiently use a whip.”

With a wince, you add, “And I don’t wanna deal with Vil-senpai’s wrath if anything should ever happen to Epel’s beautiful face…”

“No, you don’t.” Vil agrees, wearing a stern frown. “Now, put away that whip before these foolish spudlings do something they shouldn’t.”

“Aw, man…” Epel and Grim simultaneously pout, looking equally disappointed.

After giving them both an apologetic look, you quickly return to the tree you hid behind earlier and return the whip to its holster.

Once that’s all taken care of, you rejoin your friends and decide it’s time to finally get the ball rolling. “Now that my curiosity has been satisfied, I want to start exploring the forest. There’s something I’m looking for that will likely lead to us getting closer to our goal of completing this book’s story.”

Surprise immediately dawns on everyone else’s features in response to your words before Leona drawls, “I had noticed you were doing a lot of deep thinking earlier. By the looks of it, you know something that we don’t, so why don’t you fill us in first?”

“I’d rather wait until I find what I’m looking for before I go into detail about my theories since that will confirm my suspicions about what kinda story this is.” You reply, “After all, right now, all I’ve got are my own assumptions, and I don’t wanna get anyone’s hopes up if it turns out I’m wrong.”

As several of your friends exchange looks, Azul raises an eyebrow. “And what exactly are you looking for?”

A grin rises to your lips. “Trees with doors. Seven of them, in fact. If we find trees with painted doors on them, then that will confirm my suspicions that we’re inside a story that’s based on a movie from my world.”

In complete sync, all of the now visibly shocked boys exclaim, “EH?!”

Once he overcomes his initial shock, Idia grins, “Duuuude! This is like a whole other level of isekai! Ortho’s never gonna believe this!”

“Oho?” Malleus smiles, also appearing excited. “If this book is somehow connected to Yuu’s world, then I’m now even more interested in it.”

“B-But how?!” Riddle asks, as he looks at you with wide, incredulous eyes. “How could something like this even be possible?!”

All you can do is shrug. “Beats me. I’m just as surprised as you, but I can’t deny that the possibility of me being right is pretty high since this place is somewhat familiar to me.”

You jab a thumb at a surprised Grim. “Plus, Grim’s outfit is a lot like the outfit the main character from the movie I’m thinking of wears, which makes it hard for me to believe it’s merely a coincidence.”

Grim grins, “Guess the book could tell that I’m the main character of this group! Myehehe!”

“Hardly.” Sebek scoffs, “You were only given those clothes because no one else would wish to wear such ridiculous attire.”

“What was that?!” Grim scowls, “You wanna piece of me?!”

Thankfully, before a fight can break out between your two sons, Skully successfully distracts everyone by asking, “I’m sorry, but did you say ‘your world’ earlier, Yuu-san? As if to imply that you’re from a different world from the rest of us here?”

Upon hearing Skully's question, all of your sons adopt panicked looks, obviously because they know how you prefer to keep your origins a secret. Your upperclassmen, however, remain calm since they all know that you wouldn't have mentioned the fact that you were from another world unless you were fine with Skully knowing that information, and they likely understand why it's not a big deal for Skully to know this information.

Before your sons can say anything, you give them all a reassuring look, which silently tells them that they have nothing to worry about, and as your sons are calming down, Jamil subtly approaches them and starts whispering to them, no doubt explaining why it's okay for Skully to learn about your origins.

While Jamil handles that for you, you return your attention to Skully. "Oh, right, sorry, I didn’t mention that yet, did I? Yes, I’m actually from a completely different world than Twisted Wonderland. I ended up at NRC due to the Dark Mirror summoning me, and I’ve just been there ever since.”

“Oh my!” Skully dramatically cups his cheeks. “I did not realize that other worlds actually existed! Amazing! The future is truly full of many wonderous surprises!”

After that exchange, Jade decides to get everyone back on track by asking, “So, for us to make any progress with this story, we must search for trees that have doors?”

“Yep!” You nod. “They’ll all be together too, so they should easily stand out if they really are here.”

“I have no idea where exactly they’ll be, so we’ll just need to pick a direction and just hope we’ll get lucky.” You add before you promptly start walking toward a part of the forest you haven’t yet been in, figuring that’s as good a direction as any to start with.

Much to your amusement, just like what happened earlier when the two of you were alone together, Skully quickly moves ahead of you, so he can offer you his hand. “Please allow me to escort you.”

The corners of your lips quirk upwards. “Thank you.”

Since you personally don’t mind being escorted and honestly think Skully’s gentlemanly mannerisms are cute, you go along with his request and accept his hand, much to Skully's delight and Sebek’s annoyance.

“Skully is such a gentleman.” Riddle remarks before determinedly declaring, “I won’t lose!”

Trey just shakes his head. “Is this really something to get competitive about?”

Fortunately, in the end, everyone decides to follow your lead since it’s not like anyone else has any better ideas for how to get out of this crazy book.

As a result, you all soon start exploring the forest, choosing to stay together rather than split up since your upperclassmen still want to err on the side of caution, just in case.

During this time, Sebek hovers by your side that’s not occupied by Skully, whom he’s clearly not fond of due to him allowing his jealousy to get the better of him.

Of course, it doesn’t help that Malleus has been encouraging Sebek’s ongoing antics since he doesn’t want his retainer to lose to his new love rival, much to the exasperation of the other upperclassmen.

Since Sebek mostly just glares and grumbles, you leave him be since Skully appears to be completely oblivious to the fact that he’s the current target of Sebek’s ire.

It’s Skully’s apparent obliviousness that makes you think about Jack Skellington since it reminds you of how oblivious Jack was to Sally’s romantic feelings for him throughout the majority of The Nightmare Before Christmas.

That, in turn, makes you notice the fact that Skully’s glasses remind you a lot of how Jack’s eyes look, which you doubt is just a coincidence.

Realization soon dawns on your features. When I placed his sunglasses on his head earlier, it was Jack’s face I was reminded of ‘cause those dark patches of his hair look like Jack’s mouth.

I wonder…could Jack Skellington be the Disney character that Skully resembles, like how Jamil-senpai and the dorm leaders that are present resemble the members of the Great Seven that their dorms represent? You muse. That would explain why he’s such a gentleman and why these Halloween-themed clothes suit him so well.

Before you can ponder the matter further, you get distracted when Grim exclaims, “I see ‘em! The doors that Yuu was talkin’ about!”

Immediately, you focus your gaze on the area that Grim is pointing toward, and just as he said, up ahead, there’s a circle of seven trees, all of which have painted doors on them.

Upon seeing the trees that have doors, everyone in your group increases their pace, so you can all hurry toward the doors. As a result, it doesn't take long for your group to reach its destination.

“Wow! Yuu-san was right!” Epel gapes, staring at the doors with wide, amazed eyes. “There really are doors here! We really must be in a story based on a movie from her world!”

“How fascinating.” Jade examines the doors with noticeable intrigue, grinning all the while. “To think, I would get to learn more about Yuu-san’s intriguing world in such a unique manner. I am beside myself with excitement. Fufu.”

“Alright, we’re here now, so start talking, Herbivore.” Leona orders, “Tell us what we need to know, so we can get outta here.”

Humming thoughtfully, you release your hold on Skully’s hand after giving it a quick squeeze before turning, so you can face everyone. “Hmmm. Where to begin? I could tell you guys about the plot of the movie, but maybe that wouldn’t be necessary if this story covers a plot that’s completely independent of the movie.”

“First off, let’s address the matter of these doors, and we’ll work from there.” Jamil advises, “What are they for, and why did you feel it was necessary to bring us to them?”

“Oh, that’s because we won’t find our story’s protagonist until we use one of these doors.” You answer, “You see, these are the holiday doors - doors that will magically transport us to towns that are all about seven holidays that are celebrated in my world, although not all of the countries in my world actually celebrate all of them.”

“Out of the seven holidays here, the only ones you guys would recognize are Valentine’s Day and Halloween.” You add.

“Did you just say Halloween?!”

Catching everyone off guard, Skully makes that loud exclamation that causes you and several others to jolt in surprise.

In a blink, Skully’s trembling hands are tightly clutching your shoulders, and his broad grin is hovering right above your face. “You know about Halloween, Yuu-san?!”

Upon seeing Skully’s trembling figure and broad grin, all you can do is stare. “Uh, yes?”

Before anything else can be said, Sebek pulls Skully away from you. “You’re too close, human! Do you have any respect for other people’s personal space?!”

“Ah, my apologies.” Skully quickly tries to compose himself. “I just got so excited at the mention of my beloved Halloween that I could not help myself. It’s not often I hear anyone mention it, you see.”

Realization quickly dawns on your features. “Could it be that Halloween wasn't very well-known back during your time period, Skully?”

He sadly frowns, “That’s right. I believe only the people of my hometown, a small village at the bottom of a foggy valley, celebrate it.”

“Seriously?” Idia raises an eyebrow. “I know holidays don’t all necessarily start off super popular, but I never heard of Halloween being on such a small scale.”

“It’s a first for me as well.” Riddle grabs his chin. “Although, I must confess I’ve never tried to research Halloween’s origins, so if Skully says that it wasn’t popular back in his time period, I feel inclined to believe him since he obviously knows his own time period better than the rest of us do.”

“Hmmm.” Malleus thoughtfully frowns, “I suppose I never gave much thought to what led to Halloween becoming such a well-known holiday either. Obviously, a lot of change occurred between Graves’ time period and our own.”

“Does that mean everyone here is familiar with Halloween?” Skully asks, looking noticeably excited. “Could it be that in the future everyone will come to know my beloved Halloween?!”

“That’s right.” Trey nods. “Nowadays, it’d be stranger to encounter someone who doesn’t know about Halloween ‘cause it’s so popular.”

With an excited gasp, Skully happily cups his cheeks. “Oh, marvelous! Simply marvelous! It’s like a dream come true!”

An amused smile rises to your lips. “You really love Halloween, huh, Skully?”

“Oh, yes, with all my heart!” Skully beams, “I love it more than anything else in the world!”

Well, that confirms it. Jack Skellington is definitely the Disney character that Skully resembles. You chuckle. He’s too similar to Jack to not be connected to him.

Hearing a loud sigh, you direct your attention to Leona who asks, “Going back to more important things, we gotta go through one of these doors to find this story’s protagonist, right?”

“Exactly.” You nod before jabbing a finger at the pumpkin door. “The Halloween door to be exact, because the movie from my world that this story is based on is focused on Jack Skellington, the-”

Before you can finish your sentence, you, once again, get cut off by Skully who loudly gasps, “Did you just say Jack Skellington?!”

While the majority of your friends either give Skully annoyed looks or just sigh and shake their heads, Sebek scowls, “Will you quit interrupting her?! At this rate, we’ll never get out of this infernal book!”

As you place a hand on Sebek’s arm to calm him down, you focus your surprised gaze on Skully. “You know Jack Skellington, Skully? Does that mean he actually exists in Twisted Wonderland?”

“He does!” Skully eagerly nods. “He is the one who created the legend of my beloved Halloween! He is Twisted Wonderland’s very own King of Halloween!”

Much to your surprise, all of your friends give Skully surprised looks. “Eh?!”

You raise an eyebrow. “Judging from those reactions, it seems like the legend of Jack Skellington isn’t a very well-known one.”

“Oh, how tragic.” Skully sadly shakes his head. “This was not uncommon in my time, but I had hoped that, since Halloween had become more well-known in the future, the same could be said about Jack-sama. It would seem the future is not as bright as I had first thought…”

While you draw closer to Skully so you can consolingly pat his shoulder, Malleus remarks, “This is rather surprising. To think, there’s a founder of a holiday as well-known as Halloween, and I’ve never once even heard of him. I wonder if Lilia has, considering how much traveling he has done in the past.”

“It is rather surprising.” Vil agrees, “You’d think such an important person would be in our history books.”

Riddle frowns, “How vexing! I dislike the idea of being uninformed about any particular subject! I must do some thorough research on Halloween when we return to school!”

“Even if you do, you still might not find anything on this Jack Skellington person if the only people who ever knew about him were those who lived in Skully’s hometown, which is what I’m currently assuming.” Jamil replies.

“Sadly, it is as Jamil-san says.” Skully confirms, “Jack-sama's legend is one that has been passed down in just one tiny little area - my hometown.”

“That’s too tiny!” Grim complains.

Ignoring Grim, Skully continues, “Because most people outside of my village have never heard of Halloween, no one will listen, no matter how much I try to talk about Jack-sama and Halloween at school…”

He heavily sighs, “They really are worthless. They just get angry with me.”

Trey nods in understanding. “So that's why you were acting that way about school earlier.”

Meanwhile, you find yourself lost in your thoughts. I’m starting to get a better idea of what kinda guy Skully is. The reason he seems so unused to being around other people is ‘cause, outside of his village, he has no one who understands him and his avid love of Halloween. As a result, he’s probably just used to being alone.

It doesn’t help matters that Skully’s love of Halloween seems extreme enough that he probably unintentionally comes across as overbearing to other people. You muse. Considering he has a tendency to be oblivious, like Jack Skellington, he probably doesn’t realize that he’s also partially at fault for his schoolmates’ anger, especially if his tendency to invade people’s personal space is also involved in those angry exchanges.

And, considering how Skully’s love for Jack Skellington seems similar to Sebek’s love for Malleus, you could see that resulting in Skully rubbing plenty of people the wrong way, like what has often happened with Sebek.

Like how you’ve helped your son make friends, you wish you could do the same for Skully, so he can experience the joy of having friends at school since you hate the thought of him spending the remainder of his school life all alone.

Unfortunately, considering the current circumstances at hand, it seems likely that whatever you do here inside this book will be forgotten by Skully and the others as soon as you all return to your respective time periods.

Just after you think that, you remember how you and your friends, who went on that book adventure with Stitch, regained your previously forgotten memories of your time in the book thanks to the wish you made. Unless I wish for Skully to remember what he learns during his time with me…

Well, the wishes I made the last time I was stuck inside a book got granted. Who’s to say that won’t happen again? You think to yourself. Plus, even if Skully doesn’t completely remember everything that happens, he may remember just enough that he can improve his circumstances back at school.

The corners of your lips curve upwards as you cross your fingers. Here’s to hoping for the best.

“Yuu-san, I sincerely apologize for so rudely interrupting you earlier. Please continue with your previous explanation. I promise I will not interrupt you again.”

Upon hearing Skully’s apologetic voice, you’re successfully pulled away from your thoughts about him.

When you see his sincere, guilty expression, you reassuringly smile, “It’s alright. Considering how much you love Halloween and Jack Skellington, I can’t blame you for reacting like that.”

Your smile grows. “Today must be your lucky day, Skully, since we’ll need to meet that idol of yours in order to get through this story. Even better, we’ll probably end up teaming up with him for the sake of this story’s plot, so you’ll get the opportunity to spend lots of time with him.”

Much to your amusement, Skully starts trembling with excitement. “I can’t believe I’ll actually get to meet THE Jack Skellington! This is the best day of my life!”

“Do you have any clue as to what we’ll be expected to do after we find this Jack Skellington gentleman, Yuu-san?” Azul asks, “It would be good if we had an idea of what to expect before we proceed further.”

“It’s hard to say since, for all I know, this story could take place before or after the events of the movie from my world.” You shrug. “Or it could even take place during the movie, although I’m hoping that’s not the case since I really don’t wanna have to personally deal with the whole Santa Claus kidnapping fiasco.”

“‘Kidnapping fiasco’?!” Everyone else parrots, appearing noticeably alarmed and incredulous.

“Yeah, it’s a long story, but don’t worry, Jack Skellington is a nice guy.” You assure them. “He only kidnapped Santa Claus ‘cause he wanted to give Christmas, which is a holiday from my world, a Halloween twist and give Santa, who's the guy in charge of Christmas, a day off, so he didn’t have any bad intentions.”

While Skully begins gushing over how kind Jack is to help out Santa in such a fashion, Jamil draws closer to you, so Skully won’t overhear him before dryly muttering, “Let me guess. He did all that before asking for Santa’s input, and that’s where everything goes wrong in the movie.”

“Bingo.” You quietly reply, “Jack Skellington is a very ‘my pace’ kinda guy and has a tendency to be oblivious, which is why things eventually got outta hand, although he still saved the day, so to speak, in the end.”

“He sounds like a real delight.” Jamil sarcastically replies, making you snort.

After you take a moment to rein in your amusement, you get yourself back on track and resume addressing all of your friends. “More than likely, the plot of the story will involve helping Jack Skellington with Halloween, considering our outfits are all Halloween-themed, although this kinda attire is appropriate year round in Halloween Town, which is the place where he and all the other characters from the movie live.”

“So, for now, let’s go in with the expectation that we’ll be asked to help out with preparing for Halloween.” You suggest, “And, if that’s really what happens, then we’ll likely remain in this book until Halloween arrives, so we can ensure it goes off without a hitch and earn ourselves the happy ending we’re looking for.”

Skully excitedly claps his hands. “Oh, how wonderful! I would love nothing more than to spend Halloween with Jack-sama and all the other lovely residents of Halloween Town!”

“This does sound like it will be a most exciting story.” Jade chuckles, “I look forward to meeting this Jack Skellington gentleman we've heard so much about, considering he’s someone from both our world and Yuu-san’s. It’s not everyday such a fascinating coincidence occurs, after all.”

You chuckle. If he only knew…

With a shake of your head, you draw closer to the tree that has a pumpkin door and proceed to open it, revealing the tree’s dark, seemingly empty interior. “Alright, now that we know where we need to go and have an idea of what we need to do, let’s head for Halloween Town.”

“Once we find Jack Skellington, we can just play things by ear, and if such info ever ends up becoming useful, I’ll share more about the movie whenever the movie characters aren’t around to overhear.” You add.

“Yeah, good call.” Idia nods. “Wouldn’t wanna risk any potential fourth wall breaking or give ‘em an existential crisis.”

All you can do is snort. “Right.”

Just as you’re about to enter the now open door, Skully stops you. “Wait! Please allow me to go first, Yuu-san. Considering we can’t see the bottom from here, we might end up taking quite the plunge, and I would hate to risk you suffering any damage in the fall.”

Once you overcome your surprise, you smile, “Aw, you’re so sweet and thoughtful, Skully. Thank you.”

“But are you sure?” You ask, “I’d hate for you to get hurt in my stead.”

He puffs up his chest. “Do not worry about me! If it’s for the sake of protecting a lovely lady such as yourself, a gentleman can handle anything that comes his way!”

Your heart melts upon hearing such a cute response. “You are so cute. I’m liking you more and more by the minute, Skully.”

While Skully starts cutely blushing, Riddle sighs, “If only my card soldiers could have such impeccable manners…Then, I wouldn’t even be here in the first place…”

Trey chuckles, “Can’t argue with you there.”

Meanwhile, Malleus turns to look at Sebek, who’s once again glaring and scowling at Skully. “You truly have a formidable rival, Sebek, the kind of which I’ve only seen in Lilia’s TV dramas. We’ll need to get serious from here on out.”

While Sebek gets incredibly flustered by his liege’s words, Vil sighs, “Oh, just stop already. I’ve long since gotten tired of this nonsense.”

After saying that, he proceeds to head for the door to Halloween Town. “I’ll go first, just so I can get a temporary break from you all.”

Without further ado, Vil proceeds to jump through the door, much to your amusement, and Skully is quick to follow after him, having recovered from his earlier embarrassment.

“That’s probably the best idea Vil has ever had.” Leona drawls before he also passes through the Halloween Town door, making you snort.

Just as it looks like Grim intends to go next, you grab him. “Hold on, Grim. Before you can go any further, you gotta give Riddle-senpai a proper apology, so he’ll remove your collar. Considering we have no idea what this book will throw at us, I want you to be able to use your magic going forward.”

“But I did apologize!” Grim pouts.

Riddle scoffs, “What I heard earlier was hardly a proper apology. In the end, all you did was grudgingly say the word ‘sorry’ under your breath, which is, by no means, sufficient.”

While Grim starts grumbling, you set him down in front of Riddle before returning to the door. “Alright, Grim, I’m going on ahead of you to have fun while you waste time due to your pride. See you later.”

“You’re horrible, Henchman!” Grim complains, “How dare you treat your boss like this!”

“Don’t forget, we wouldn’t be here in the first place if it wasn’t for you.” You dryly reply, “So you’re getting your just desserts.”

With that, you proceed to swing your legs over the bottom of the pumpkin-shaped doorway, one at a time, before coming to sit on top of it. Before you can move any further, Jamil surprises you when he comes up from behind and grabs your shoulders.

“Will you really be fine?” Jamil whispers into your ear. “A place called Halloween Town isn’t exactly a go-to destination for someone with a horror phobia.”

Upon realizing that he’s concerned about you, you turn to give him a smile. “Don’t worry, Jamil-senpai, I’ll be fine. While I can’t promise I won’t get spooked, I think I’ll be more excited than anything since I’m visiting a setting from a beloved movie from my childhood - the only movie with this kinda setting that never actually scared me.”

Your smile grows. “Besides, I’ve got you guys with me, don’t I? I’ll be just fine.”

For a moment, Jamil carefully scrutinizes you, obviously looking for any signs that you're not being completely honest about your feelings, before finally nodding. “Alright, if you say so. Just don’t overdo it.”

You playfully salute him. “Yes sir!”

After that exchange, Jamil finally releases your shoulders, prompting you to push yourself off of your seat, so you can follow after Skully and the others.

All the while, you broadly grin, “Halloween Town, here I come!”

Chapter Text

After you pass through the door that leads to Halloween Town, you find yourself falling through a sea of pure darkness for a brief moment before your surroundings abruptly change.

In a blink, that sea of darkness turns into a starless night sky, which is illuminated by a large, beautiful full moon.

It’s thanks to that captivating moon that you’re able to keep from panicking like you would under normal circumstances upon realizing that you’re falling from a great height and heading straight toward the hard ground below.

Of course, what also helps is that you trust someone will catch you before you hit the ground, so despite the horrible past experiences you’ve had these last several months that involved you falling from the sky at a great height, you’re able to keep calm, well for the most part anyway.

Fortunately, whatever anxiety you did feel instantly vanishes when you eventually fall into the open arms of Leona since his reassuring presence always does a good job of putting your heart at ease.

After Leona sets you down, you thank him for catching you before remarking, “I’m surprised you were the one who caught me, Leona-senpai. I thought Skully was gonna do that.”

He huffs, “With his scrawny arms, he would’ve just ended up falling to the ground along with you, so I told him I’d take care of it.”

Leona jabs a thumb over at Skully, who’s currently looking in the direction of the spiral hill from The Nightmare Before Christmas, which currently has the full moon as its backdrop. “While he was disappointed at first, he quickly got over it once he saw that weird hill over there, which he has been fawning over ever since he laid eyes on it.”

All you can do is snort. “I can’t say I’m surprised. Spiral Hill is a pretty iconic landmark in the movie this story is based on, so I imagine it’s much the same in the stories told in his hometown.”

After that exchange, you look around and take in the scenery of the cemetery you remember seeing in The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Fortunately, despite how much you hate everything that has to do with horror, you’re able to remain relatively calm as you observe your spooky surroundings since, rather than be flooded with memories of Mumei’s past abuse, which is what typically happens whenever you’re exposed to anything related to horror, all you can think about is The Nightmare Before Christmas, the movie from your childhood, which you’ve always loved.

You release a quiet sigh of relief. Oh, good. Looks like I really will be alright, after all. Despite what I said to Jamil-senpai earlier, I had been a little nervous about how I’d react to such a spooky environment, but it looks like my fondness for The Nightmare Before Christmas surpasses my fear of Mumei. What a relief.

Now, that’s not to say this whole adventure will be completely smooth sailing for you since you’re sure that you’ll end up falling victim to plenty of jump-scares during your time in this book, but you think that overall you should be fine, just as long as you avoid remaining by yourself for long periods of time since that could lead to you thinking about memories you’re better off permanently forgetting.

The corners of your lips curve upward when you subtly glance down at your right wrist and see Leona’s tail, which has been loosely wrapped around your wrist since you started checking out your surroundings. I’ll especially be alright as long as I’ve got Leona-senpai with me. No bad memories will be able to hurt me as long as he’s around.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one is currently looking at you and Leona, you subtly draw closer to him, so you can brush your side against his, all the while softly stroking his tail’s tuft.

Because you know that actions speak louder to Leona than words in moments like this and that he’s not one for sappy exchanges, you convey your gratitude in this manner since you know that’s what he’d prefer over a normal thank you.

In response, Leona, whose gaze has been fixed on the moon this whole time, tightens his tail’s hold on your wrist and makes no complaint about you being so close to him, like he would if anyone else tried to invade his personal space like this.

A pleasant warmth envelops your chest in response to his reaction, causing your smile to grow. I’ll be just fine.

You’re sure of it.

Once everyone has successfully arrived at the cemetery, including a grumpy Grim who has finally been freed from Riddle’s Unique Magic, you let everyone know that these current surroundings are straight out of the movie from your world, much to their amazement.

“Man, I’m so jealous.” Idia pouts, “I wish I could visit the worlds of my favorite anime. Yuu-shi is living every otaku’s dream…”

Azul sighs, “Don’t forget the fact that we’re stuck inside this ‘dream’ until we successfully complete the story. It’s hardly an ideal arrangement when you’re at the mercy of a strange book.”

“But it does make things rather exciting.” Jade chuckles, “Considering how Floyd described his book adventure, I find myself rather looking forward to seeing what this story has in store for us.”

Jamil shakes his head. “You’re the only one who feels that way…”

“Well, maybe not the only one.” Jamil quickly corrects himself when he looks over at Skully, who’s still excitedly looking around, looking like a kid in a candy store.

“Oh my, I can’t believe I’m seeing the swirled hill from the legends with my own two eyes!” Skully happily exclaims, “And that I’ll soon get to see the Halloween Town of my dreams and spend Halloween with Jack-sama! Oh, this is indeed a most glorious day!”

Sebek scowls, “Seeing him all cheerful is annoying. Halloween, Halloween, he keeps saying. Like he's really got nothing but Halloween in his head.”

You give him a look. “Sebek, you really have no room to talk, considering how you get when Tsunotaro is involved.”

While the majority of your friends either snort or nod in agreement, Sebek gasps in offense. “How dare you compare my devotion to my liege to that miscreant’s irksome behavior! We are nothing alike.”

“Yeah, ya are.” Grim dryly replies, “He talks about that Jack Skellington guy just like how ya talk about Tsunotaro.”

As Sebek glares at your partner, Malleus smiles in amusement. “How amusing. To think, Sebek would have something else besides his love for Yuu in common with his love rival. Our current circumstances are becoming more and more like an episode from one of Lilia’s TV dramas.”

While you snort, Sebek looks at his liege in dismay. “Don’t listen to them, Malleus-sama! Those fools don’t know what they’re talking about! They-!”

“Oya oya? There are some visitors here that I don't recognize, Zero.”

In an instant, everyone goes quiet, and Sebek quickly moves into a new position to guard Malleus.

“Who's there!?” Jamil calls out to the owner of the voice that just spoke up, which is unfamiliar to everyone except for you, as everyone, aside from you, Grim, and Skully, gets into defensive positions.

Much to your and Skully’s amazement and delight, an incredibly tall, well-dressed skeleton walks out of the nearby shadows into the moonlight, allowing everyone to get a good look at him.

With an excited gasp, Skully giddily cups his cheeks. “It’s him!”

A broad grin much like the one Skully is now sporting quickly rises to your lips when you see the familiar, beloved figure from your childhood. “Boy, do I love it when I’m right.”

Meanwhile, the well-dressed skeleton responds to Jamil’s earlier question. “Who am I? I'm a master of fright. The ruler!”

He holds up his arms and does a scary pose. “I'll scare you right out of your pants, the Pumpkin King.”

“Because I am…” The skeleton grins, “Jack Skellington!”

For a moment, there’s nothing but silence, and then, Grim screams, “Fnaaaagh! The skeleton's talkin’!”

Looking the most alarmed you’ve ever seen him look, Leona asks, “W-What's with this guy?!”

Jamil stares at Jack with wide eyes. “Skeleton? Ghost? No, fae?!”

“As if there is a fae like this!?” Sebek retorts, “He's clearly a monster!”

As you’re amusedly watching all your friends, whom you just realized you never actually gave a description of Jack Skellington to, start freaking out upon seeing Jack, you hear a familiar barking sound.

When you look at its source, you see Zero from The Nightmare Before Christmas and promptly coo, “Awww!”

Riddle gapes at the ghost dog. “That's... a dog with a glowing nose?!”

“Dog?! This is a dog?!” Azul incredulously asks, wearing a flabbergasted expression much like the redhead.

Jade stares at Zero with wide eyes. “I think it’s a dog because it has ears and cries ‘yip’!”

Getting flashbacks to how Azul and Floyd had a similar conversation when they first met Stitch, you start giggling. I can’t believe this is happening again. This is so damn funny.

Meanwhile, a shocked Vil points out, “Looking closely, its nose is a pumpkin... and it doesn't have legs!”

“He doesn’t have any legs ‘cause he’s a ghost dog.” You explain once you rein in your laughter. “I have no explanation for the glowing nose, though, but it sure is cute.”

As Skully proceeds to start fawning over Jack and introduces himself to his idol, you do a little whistle to earn Zero’s attention. “Here, boy!”

With a cheerful bark, Zero flies over to you, prompting the guys around you to back away, much to your amusement.

“Aww, aren’t you a cutie?” You coo as you gently pat the dog’s head, or at least, make an attempt to since the dog is intangible. “What a good boy!”

Upon seeing the ghost dog happily accept your attention, Idia, who had previously been freaking out just like everyone else, quickly settles down due to his soft spot for animals. “D’awww.”

In complete contrast, Grim sulkily crosses his arms. “Oh, great. It’s like what happened with Stitch all over again. Dogs are such a pain.”

Epel chuckles, “My condolences.”

As that exchange is transpiring, Zero surprises you when he flies up to your face and licks your cheek. “Woof! Woof!”

A startled squeal escapes you when the dog’s super cold tongue somehow makes contact with your skin despite his ghostly status. “So cold! Ahaha!”

“Hey! Don’t go lickin’ my henchman without my permission!” Grim shouts as he angrily shakes his paw at Zero. “That’s where I draw the line!”

Unfortunately for Grim, his yelling results in him becoming the next recipient of Zero’s affections since the dog takes an immediate shine to him for some reason.

While Grim is whining about the dog chasing and licking him, much to the amusement of everyone else, Idia releases a content sigh. “Ah~, nothing soothes the heart more than the cuteness of animals.”

You grin, “I couldn’t agree more.”

Around the time you come to Grim’s rescue and get Zero to settle down, you tune back into what’s going on with Jack Skellington and find out that Leona and Jamil have taken care of explaining to the Pumpkin King that you’re all from another world and are looking for a way home.

Much to your amusement, after your group’s situation is explained and everyone introduces themselves to Jack, Skully tries to get everyone to be more formal when addressing his idol after hearing Jack get called a skeleton by Epel, just like how Sebek always does with Malleus. “Everyone, please... if you would please call this one Jack-sama.”

However, Jack quickly assures his fanboy that that’s not necessary. “No, no, just Jack is fine. That's what everyone in town calls me.”

When Jack mentions his town, you perk up. “Oh, so there’s a town nearby? Would you be willing to take us there? Unfortunately, since we’re new to these parts, we’re in a bit of a bind as to where to go, considering this is a completely different world from ours.”

“Ah, yes, I’m sure you poor fellows are.” Jack nods in understanding. “Very well. I’ll guide you to my town.”

Skully beams, “Oh, you are so generous, Jack-sama! Thank you so much!”

“No need to thank me.” Jack smiles, “After all, everyone in town likes having fun, so I'm sure they'll all be happy to have you guys pay us a visit.”

His expression becomes contemplative as he crosses his arms. “And...you may be the answer to the worries I've been carrying lately.”

Upon hearing that, almost everyone spares a look at you, and you, in turn, nod, confirming everyone’s immediate assumption that, in order to complete this story, you’ll all need to help Jack with whatever is worrying him.

Jack starts walking and motions for everyone to follow after him. “Come, this way! I'll guide you. Let’s go, Zero!”

Zero, who had been hanging around you and Grim while you were all talking, cheerfully barks before flying after his owner, and, of course, Skully also follows suit without waiting to see what everyone else does since all that’s on his mind right now is his idol.

After those three leave, Riddle remarks, “Well, that worked out rather nicely. Thankfully, it seems Jack-san will be a lot easier to work with than Stitch.”

You chuckle, “Yeah, we shouldn’t have a difficult time getting along with this particular protag.”

“At the very least, you guys won’t have to worry about him biting any of you on the ass like what Stitch did to Ace.” You wryly add, making several of your friends snort.

Epel snickers, “I’ll definitely take dealing with a talking skeleton over that any day.”

“Likewise.” Trey agrees, wearing an amused smile.

“We better start moving, so we don’t get left behind.” Jamil advises, “It’ll be hard enough to keep up as it is, considering how much distance Jack-san can cover with his extremely long legs.”

Just as you’re about to agree with Jamil, your Quirk suddenly activates, causing a vision to overtake your senses.

In a blink, your surroundings abruptly change, and you quickly find yourself in what appears to be Halloween Town’s Town Hall, much to your surprise.

Your surprise only grows when you see your future self and everyone else from NRC on the Town Hall stage along with Jack, who’s behind the podium, announcing that you and the others are here to help Halloween Town have the best Halloween ever.

It’s as I thought. You think to yourself. Jack is gonna ask us for help with Halloween, probably ‘cause he’s looking for something new, like in the movie. Obviously, we need to complete that task in order to get out of this crazy book.

Unfortunately, your vision soon shows you that such a task will be more difficult than you had originally expected, because Skully’s version of a “best Halloween” is a lot different from what your friends would consider a “best Halloween”.

Apparently, to Skully, an ideal Halloween is one that focuses on three words: quiet, simple, and economical.

According to Skully, Halloween must be a quiet affair. The quiet should be so pervasive that you can hear your own heartbeat; such a quiet bestows true fright. In that stillness one can solemnly enjoy solitude and fright.

In regards to simplicity, Skully believes that extraneous costumes and such are beyond tasteless for Halloween. They're entirely unnecessary.

Not only that, he believes that all decorations should be cleared out and that an entire room must be in just black to emulate night. Inside the room, one pumpkin may remain, and inside its hollowed shell will be put a flame, standing alone against the darkness. In that way, one can experience the creeping fright.

Lastly, as far as the word “economical" is concerned, Skully believes a modest Halloween is best. He thinks that drinking and singing and causing a fuss is not fitting for a day where everyone remembers the other side.

On the contrary, Skully believes that everyone should imbibe even smaller portions than normal to sharpen their nerves, because it’s “a day to remember that someday you too will become a ghost.”

Needless to say, this is not what you were expecting, although you had assumed that Skully’s Halloween would be a little different from everyone else’s due to him being from hundreds of years in the past - from the time period when his village was the only place where this holiday was celebrated.

This kinda makes sense, though, since this is Halloween before it becomes mainstream in Twisted Wonderland. You muse. Back in my world, Halloween was also quite different in the beginning, although it wasn’t exactly like how Skully’s hometown celebrates it.

Regrettably, you’re the only one who’s understanding of Skully’s ideal Halloween since all of your friends shoot down every idea he proposes and also insult his ideas by calling them boring. Naturally, you’re not at all pleased with this since they’re all being so rude and disrespectful of the culture of Skully’s hometown.

Yes, Skully isn’t helping matters by acting like his Halloween is the only right one, proving that he’s rather close-minded when it comes to this topic, but that doesn’t give your friends the right to treat him so poorly, especially when, by the looks of it, at the start, everyone had all agreed to leave writing out all the Halloween planning and presenting it to the citizens of Halloween Town to Skully.

Obviously, your friends had just assumed that Skully would want to celebrate Halloween like they do, making you wonder if they all somehow just suddenly forgot what time period he came from, unlike your future self who keeps giving your friends disapproving looks every time they're disrespectful of Skully's culture. This makes you think that your future self had incorrectly assumed your friends would all be more understanding of Skully's ideas due to being familiar with his circumstances since you know you wouldn't have allowed things to turn out like this if you had known your friends would react in such a rude manner.

To make matters worse, when the subject of how ghosts are treated in Skully’s ideal Halloween gets brought up, all of your friends get angry and call him a brute when he says that all the evil ghosts that cause trouble during Halloween would get erased via magic.

Because Halloween is supposed to be all about honoring ghosts since they’re Halloween’s guests of honor, you can understand why your friends got so upset, but they really have no right to criticize Skully so harshly, considering how they acted last October when Malleus created an endless Halloween for the sake of some ghosts who had wanted to spend Halloween with everyone at Night Raven College.

Needless to say, by the time this vision finally ends with the last thing you see being your future self finally losing her temper after seeing your friends’ hypocritical behavior, you are one pissed off girl.

And all of your friends know it too since, when your sight returns to normal, you see all of them sporting expressions that range from being wary to nervous to downright terrified.

Idia, who falls into the final category, fearfully hides behind Azul. “W-Who screwed up?!”

Before you can stop yourself, you growl, “ALL of you did.”

In complete sync, everyone wisely takes a few steps away from you, obviously recognizing that giving you space is the right idea.

Because you know it’s not fair to lash out at them when they technically haven’t done anything wrong yet, you close your eyes and try to calm yourself down, muttering all the while.

“Oh, shit.” Idia whimpers, “She’s doing that thing where she tries to bring down her rage gauge by muttering all the curse words she knows under her breath, isn’t she?”

“Yep.” Leona tiredly pinches the bridge of his nose. “She’s trying to be quiet about it, but I can hear her clear as day.”

Frowning, Riddle tries to draw closer to you, but Epel and Sebek quickly latch onto him to stop him from trying to talk to you.

“Don’t do it!” Epel whisper-shouts, appearing panicked. “When Yuu-san is this mad, nobody’s safe, not even the upperclassmen she respects!”

“He’s right.” Sebek agrees, “It’s best to give her time to calm down. Trying to talk to her prematurely will only worsen the situation.”

Riddle just stares at you with wide eyes. “What in the world did she see in that vision?”

“I’m afraid to find out.” Trey weakly replies as he nervously fiddles with his glasses.

Vil sighs, “I suppose we should be grateful she had a vision of whatever happened since this means we can prevent whatever has made her so upset, although we’ll still have to hear exactly how she feels about whatever it is that our future counterparts did when we hear about her vision.”

Jamil tiredly massages his temple. “And Yuu will definitely let us have it too, considering how she is. This will NOT be a fun conversation.”

Malleus frowns, “It’s unusual for Yuu to get this angry, so our future counterparts really must have acted inappropriately.”

As Sebek quickly assures his beloved liege that there’s no way Malleus would ever do such a thing, Jade turns to teasingly smile at Azul. “It would seem we’re soon going to see something along the lines of what happened after the first semester final exams, Azul. Fufu.”

Azul’s eyebrow twitches. “I wish you would drop that already.”

Around that time, you finally manage to rein in your anger and open your eyes, earning everyone else’s attention.

After taking some satisfaction from the fearful and apprehensive expressions you’re now looking at, you cross your arms. “Since you guys technically haven’t done anything wrong yet, I have no intention to yell at you or inflict any kind of physical punishment for the unacceptable behavior I just witnessed in my vision.”

Unbeknownst to you, you begin unconsciously emitting blood lust as you threateningly narrow your eyes. “However, if you guys still end up doing a repeat of the events from my vision after hearing everything I’m about to tell you, I WILL be bringing out my new whip and having you guys help me see what all it's capable of. Understand?”

Simultaneously, the majority of your friends quickly reply, “Yes ma’am!”

After that exchange, you finally let yourself relax and quit glaring at your friends. “I’m glad we could all come to an understanding.”

But definitely not more glad than your friends, considering how so many of them visibly relax when you stop glaring and filling the air with pure blood lust.

Just goes to show that the powers of intimidation really are a girl’s best friend, especially for a girl who attends a school like NRC.

And that’s a fact.

After you finish threatening everyone, you finally realize that you don’t see Grim. “Uh, where’s Grim?”

“Oh, no need to worry about him.” Jade smiles, “Last time I checked, he was running after Jack-san and Skully-kun whilst being chased by Jack-san’s dog, who had come back for him, presumably due to having such a strong affection toward Grim-san.”

You give him a deadpan look before sighing, “Oh well, I’m sure he’ll be fine since Zero won’t hurt him.”

Knowing you can’t afford to waste any more time, you decide to get the ball rolling. “Alright, moving on. Since we don’t wanna keep Jack-san waiting on us, I’ll try to be as quick as I can. For starters, just as I had guessed, he’s gonna ask us to help with the planning of this year’s Halloween.”

“Also, it’s not just you guys that were at fault for the events of my vision.” You continue, “Skully was also at fault since all of you boys were being rather close-minded about Halloween due to you all having your own preferences for the holiday, which you all believe are the best ways to celebrate it.”

“But you guys were definitely acting more like jerks than he was.” You dryly add, “That’s why the majority of my anger ended up focused on you.”

“Lucky us.” Idia mutters.

“So, essentially, you’re telling us that, in your vision, we clashed with Skully when we were proposing ideas for how to celebrate Halloween?” Jamil asks.

Nodding, you proceed to explain to everyone what Skully’s ideal Halloween would be, and as expected, when they hear about it, everyone looks noticeably unimpressed, with the exception of Idia, whose expression is mostly neutral, probably because he's the only person here who would prefer to spend Halloween in solitude.

“But that sounds so boring!” Epel complains, “Who would wanna celebrate a Halloween that has no costumes, colorful decorations, music, or candy?!”

“Agreed!” Sebek chimes in. “By the sounds of it, our future counterparts were completely in the right for objecting to all of that foolish human’s boring ideas!”

Both of your sons promptly freeze when you start glaring at them. “Epel, Sebek, I really expected better from the two of you, considering how highly you both view your hometowns. I can’t believe you would treat another person’s culture with such utter disrespect like that.”

“How would you guys feel if someone told you that the way your hometowns traditionally celebrated a holiday was wrong and boring, huh?” You ask, “I bet you wouldn’t like it, now would you?”

At that, Epel and Sebek immediately grow quiet, and shame quickly dawns on their expressions.

Out of the corner of your eye, you can see some of your other friends, who had looked like they had intended to agree with Epel and Sebek before you spoke up, wearing similar expressions, obviously having finally realized why your vision made you so upset.

Epel guiltily lowers his gaze. “I wouldn’t like that at all…Sorry, Yuu-san, you’re right. No matter how I feel about somebody else’s ideas, it’s not right to disrespect someone else’s culture…”

“I…agree.” Sebek quietly remarks, “I’m sorry as well, Yuu.”

Your expression relaxes once you hear their genuine apologies. “I forgive you since I can tell that you guys never intended to be disrespectful in that way.”

As you let your gaze sweep across your whole group of friends, you continue, “I know that none of you were thinking about the fact that Skully came from a time period where only his hometown celebrated Halloween. You all didn’t mean to look down on his hometown’s culture. You just couldn’t help but disagree with everything he said that clashed so drastically with the Halloween you all know and love.”

“That’s why it wasn’t that part of my vision that got me so pissed off.” You wryly add.

Azul winces, “Oh, dear. It gets even worse?”

“Of course, it does.” Leona sighs, “Alright, out with it already, Herbivore.”

You cross your arms. “At one point in my vision, the topic of ghosts came up, and Skully revealed that, if evil ghosts were to show up to cause trouble during Halloween, his response would be to erase them using magic.”

In complete sync, all of your friends incredulously exclaim, “Erase them?!”

Sebek scowls, “For him to not show Halloween’s guests of honor hospitality but instead erase them...How utterly undignified!”

“It’s rather surprising.” Malleus frowns, “I didn’t expect Graves to be capable of such brutish behavior.”

As several of the others make similar comments, you scowl, “This is why I was so pissed off! You guys are such hypocrites!”

“Well, everyone except for Tsunotaro, that is.” You add as an afterthought.

While several of your friends give you offended looks, Jamil raises an eyebrow. “Why is Malleus-senpai the only one excluded?”

You hold up two fingers. “Two words: Endless Halloween.”

Upon hearing that, realization instantly dawns on everyone else's features, and within seconds, all of your friends, with the exception of Malleus, are avoiding looking at you.

Meanwhile, Malleus nods in understanding. “Ah, yes. I had almost forgotten about that. Considering all the poor ghosts that got attacked by everyone here last Halloween, I can understand why you consider them to be hypocrites.”

“We wouldn’t have attacked them if it wasn’t for you!” All of the other dorm leaders promptly retort, earning themselves some glares from Sebek, who obviously doesn’t appreciate such disrespect being shown toward his liege.

After that exchange, Trey sighs, “Alright, now, I completely get Yuu’s earlier anger. We really messed up in that vision. Her ire was warranted.”

Nodding, you huff, “What made it all even worse was that you guys got all indignant when Skully said he wanted to erase the ‘evil’ ghosts, and you didn’t even think to consider the possibility that the ghosts that hung around his hometown were horrible enough to warrant being attacked. You just acted like all ghosts are good and worthy of the utmost respect on Halloween, regardless of what they do.”

“Not gonna lie, that was kinda cringey to me.” You grimace, “‘Cause you guys were acting like RSA students, with all your talk about being kind to all ghosts, no matter what they do, ‘cause you guys love your guests of honor so much.”

Much to your amusement, just as you had expected, everyone gives you some incredibly offended looks upon hearing you compare them to RSA students, and several of your friends even release scandalized gasps.

“Y-You take that back!” Idia demands as he points a shaking finger at you. “Being compared to those goody-two-shoes is literally the worst insult ever!”

“I mean, it’s true, though.” You shrug. “After all, not only were you guys sticking up for all ghost kind like a bunch of goody-two-shoes, you guys basically said that the best Halloween involves singing songs together and making children happy with candy.”

A teasing smile rises to your lips. “I didn’t realize you guys cared that much about protecting the smiles of ghosts and children alike. You all are such NICE guys. What a bunch of sweethearts~”

In complete sync, all of the guys grimace when you call them nice guys. Idia, in particular, gets hit by your words the hardest since he looks so disgusted - to the point that he looks like he could lose his lunch at any given moment, much to your immense amusement.

After you have your fun messing with your friends, you comment, “To clarify, you all decided that the best Halloween would be one that has music, colorful decorations, and candy since those are all important aspects of Halloween to you guys.”

“While your ideas weren’t bad, I thought they were rather boring.” You bluntly state, “That’s why I didn’t think you guys had any reason to criticize Skully for being boring ‘cause you were no better.”

As the majority of your friends make displeased faces in response to your words, Epel pouts, “How’s that boring? That sounds like a fun Halloween to me!”

“That’s the thing. This isn’t a Halloween for you or for any of us for that matter.” You look around and meet everyone’s gazes one at a time. “This is a Halloween for the residents of Halloween Town. Making THEM happy is our top priority if we wanna get out of this book.”

You place your hands on your hips. “And no way would they be satisfied with a Halloween that has absolutely zero thrills and chills! It’s not Halloween without that! Take that away, and you guys are just describing a child’s birthday party!”

“Hm. I suppose you do make a good point.” Malleus agrees, “Lilia always says that Halloween is never a success until he pulls off a good, satisfying scare.”

While Sebek makes a face, no doubt recalling all the times during his childhood when Lilia scared him and Silver on Halloween, you nod. “That’s especially the case for the people of Halloween Town. These guys are all about scaring people for fun. To them, that’s the highlight of Halloween.”

“They don’t care nearly as much about music, candy, and decorations as they do about scaring.” You add, “So, more than anything, we need to provide them the opportunity to have as much fun as they want via scaring people.”

“I have no idea if I mentioned that prior to the events of my vision.” You frown, “But I probably didn’t think to do that, so I’ll take responsibility for not helping you guys better understand the kind of people we’re supposed to be helping. That’s why I don’t blame you for not going the super scary route.”

“But man, I sure was surprised by the sheer lack of horror elements in the best Halloween idea you guys suggested.” You remark, “I thought for sure that you guys would wanna do at least a little scaring since I thought most of you would enjoy that kinda thing. Apparently, I was wrong.”

Upon hearing that, the guys all exchange looks, each of them looking as if they’re also surprised that no one thought to include anything involving scaring into their best Halloween, before Vil huffs, “More than likely, no one said anything because we were all too busy reacting to Skully’s outrageous ideas.”

“Probably.” Leona agrees, “In my case, I probably just didn’t want to do any more work than necessary to get out of this damn book.”

As you snort and several of your upperclassmen give Leona exasperated looks, Malleus comments, "It is also entirely possible that none of us wanted to suggest any ideas that would make you uncomfortable, Child of Man, considering you personally are not fond of anything related to horror and the like."

"Yeah, that makes sense." Epel nods. "I would hate for Yuu-san to have to deal with what she hates most the entire time we're stuck here, after all."

When the majority of the group shows that they feel similarly, surprise briefly crosses your features before your expression softens. "Aw, thanks, guys. Hearing that makes me really happy."

"But there's no need to hold back on my account; after all, Halloween just isn't Halloween if it doesn't haves some chills and thrills." You add.

It’s at that moment you notice that Idia is currently eyeing you suspiciously, prompting you to raise an eyebrow at him. “What? Why are you looking at me like that, Idia-senpai?”

“‘Cause you’re not acting like the Yuu-shi I know, duh.” Idia frowns, “Are you some kinda shapeshifter who took her place while she was separated from us earlier and copied her Quirk’s ability? ‘Cause the real Yuu-shi would NOT be asking us for more horror.”

All you can do is roll your eyes. “Were you not listening to me? I’m only asking for chills and thrills for the sake of the Halloween Town residents since I wanna do everything I can to ensure we give them a Halloween that will satisfy them and give us the happy ending we need. It’s not like I WANT to spend a whole day dealing with people constantly scaring the crap outta me.”

“Even so, your behavior is still rather surprising.” Jade remarks, “While I can completely understand wanting to do everything in your power to ensure we escape this book, I still would have thought you’d be willing to take a risk by supporting an idea that has no horror elements due to your strong aversion toward horror.”

“After all, even if we don’t provide the Halloween Town residents with their ideal Halloween, I think we still have a strong chance of reaching a happy ending just as long as we provide a Halloween that they can enjoy.” He adds.

Just as you’re about to retort that you’re not the type to half-ass things, you find yourself pausing since, now that you think about it, it is rather strange for you to want to go the extra mile, considering your horror phobia, especially when, as Jade said, it’s likely that you all could provide a satisfactory Halloween for Halloween Town even without doing anything super scary.

That’s why you go quiet and take a moment to think this matter over and consider why you feel that you need to give Halloween Town the best Halloween possible.

Soon after you do that, a flood of past memories involving all the times you watched The Nightmare Before Christmas back in your world abruptly invade your mind.

And just like that, everything becomes crystal clear to you.

A small, soft smile rises to your lips. “After giving it some thought, I think the main reason I’m wanting to go the extra mile for Halloween Town is simply ‘cause I want to do something nice for everyone there as an expression of gratitude.”

“‘Gratitude’?” Jamil parrots, wearing a frown whilst looking at you with concern, making you wonder if he can tell you’re thinking about your past - a skill he’s developed since becoming friends with you.

Nodding, you elaborate, “For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been fond of these fictional characters, and I watched the movie they starred in more times than I can count, ‘cause, for some reason, it always brought me a lot of comfort.”

“I can’t really explain it since I can’t even remember when I first watched the movie or why I’ve always liked it, but whenever I watched the movie, especially the first song in it, I didn’t feel like I was alone.” You quietly continue, “That’s why I always watched that movie whenever I was lonely or hurting ‘cause, without fail, it would always make me feel better.”

When your eyes begin to grow misty, you quickly blink away the tears before adding, “Since those characters were there for me when I needed help the most, I, without thinking, found myself wanting to return the favor, ‘cause they did so much for me, and I’m just so grateful for them.”

“Yuu (-san) (-shi)....”

As the majority of your friends quietly call out your name, all the while giving you looks that are a mixture of sad and surprised, your expression grows sheepish. “Heh, now that I’ve said it all out loud, it sounds pretty silly, huh?”

“It doesn’t.” Sebek immediately denies, catching you by surprise. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to repay a debt, even if the other party is completely oblivious to it.”

“Yeah!” Epel grins, “I mean, when you think about it, this is actually a really lucky turn of events since the book gave you the opportunity to thank the guys who gave you all the help you needed back in your world, so you should take full advantage, Yuu-san!”

Once you overcome your surprise, your expression softens. “Sebek…Epel…”

“Perhaps this is exactly why the story we’re in is based on a movie from Yuu’s world.”

Upon hearing Riddle’s words, everyone turns to look at the redhead who continues, “Considering how the last time this happened the strange book granted the wishes that Yuu made, it wouldn’t be too strange to think it has done something along those lines again by bringing her to a world where she can repay these characters she feels so indebted to.”

All you can do is stare. “Huh, I never considered that possibility before…”

Could it be that I met Stitch in that last book adventure ‘cause he was someone I’ve always wanted to meet? You wonder. Was that another wish that got granted by the book?

You’re soon pulled away from your thoughts when a smiling Trey says, “In that case, it makes perfect sense for Yuu to want to go all out for the residents of Halloween Town. After all, it seems like a waste not to, considering the circumstances.”

“I guess Yuu-shi’s not an imposter, after all.” Idia remarks, “She’s just dedicated to her oshi, like a normal otaku.”

Vil gives him a look. “Don’t lump her together with you.”

“Yes, that’s an insult to Yuu-san.” Azul agrees, making Idia scowl and you snort.

Before you can try to come to Idia’s defense, Leona surprises you when he says, “Alright, so from here on out, we’ll follow Yuu’s lead. Since it’s her debt that’s gotta get paid, it only makes sense that we do things her way.”

“Yes, I agree.” Malleus smiles, “Child of Man, please do as you see fit, and I shall endeavor to help you in any way I can since I too would like to do something for these characters who are so important to you.”

Warmth envelops your chest in response to their words. “Leona-senpai…Tsunotaro..”

“You can count on me too, Yuu-san!” Epel eagerly pipes up. “Let’s give Halloween Town the best Halloween they’ve ever seen!”

“I will gladly offer my assistance as well.” Jade smiles, “After all, Yuu-san always comes up with such interesting ideas.”

Azul gives you his professional businessman smile. “Naturally, I shall do so as well. I would hate for one of my dear employees to continue harboring an unpaid debt, after all.”

Jamil eyes him warily for a moment before returning his gaze to you. “I don’t mind helping, just as long as you don’t come up with anything too outrageous.”

“Same.” Idia chimes in. “I can totally get wanting to repay fictional characters for the emotional support they provide, so I’m fine with going along with this, just as long as you don’t expect too much outta me.”

Vil just shakes his head at Idia’s words before commenting, “I also don’t mind helping since I personally dislike doing things half-heartedly; I’d much rather give my best effort for this Halloween rather than do something half-baked. After all, anything connected to the name Vil Schoenheit needs to be high quality.”

Riddle smiles, “I also don’t want to do things half-heartedly, so I will gladly lend my assistance in creating the best possible Halloween that everyone in Halloween Town can readily enjoy.”

“I don’t know how much help I’ll be, but I’ll do what I can.” Trey comments, “Don’t wanna be the only upperclassman not contributing, after all.”

The pleasant warmth inside your chest intensifies when you hear their kind words and see their expressions that tell you they all just want to help you, simply because they care about you. “Guys…thank you. That really means a lot to me, more than words can even begin to describe.”

Catching you by surprise, Sebek suddenly pulls you into a bridal carry and starts running toward the direction that Jack and the others headed with you in tow. “You can’t repay that debt if we stick around here, so we must hurry and catch up with that skeleton! Considering your attire is not fit for running, I will graciously carry you! Be grateful, human!”

As everyone moves to follow after you and Sebek, Malleus grins, “Heh, well done, Sebek.”

Meanwhile, you chuckle, “I am very grateful. Thank you, Sebek.”

Sebek once again surprises you when he brings his mouth close to your ear and murmurs, “I’ll do everything in my power to help you repay your debt to these characters, who helped you during the period of your life when I could not. I’ll treat it as if it’s a debt I myself am harboring, because whatever is important to you is also important to me.”

His lips purposely brush against your ear. “I also wish to express my gratitude to these people who aided the one who is so dear to me and are likely partially responsible for why I am currently able to hold you in my arms like this.”

Once you overcome your surprise, your expression softens as your eyes grow misty. “Oh, Sebek…”

Feeling so happy you could burst, you smile as you look into his soft, adoring gaze and warmly whisper, “Thank you. I can’t even begin to describe how happy I am right now ‘cause of you. I’m so grateful to have someone as amazing as you in my life.”

“I love you so much.” You quietly add, pouring all the love you feel into those five words - the love that you feel so compelled to convey right this very minute.

The corners of his lips curve upwards as he hugs you tighter. “I love you too.”

Upon hearing those affection-filled words that are said quietly enough that only you can hear them, you beam as you affectionately rub your cheek against his shoulder. “Oh, I wanna kiss you so bad, but I won’t since I don’t want you to get teased by the others.”

An adorable blush colors his cheeks. “J-Just save that for later when there’s no audience…”

Realizing that means he’s asking for a raincheck, you grin, “With pleasure~”

Taking full advantage of the fact that you don’t have to run to catch up with Jack’s group like the rest of your friends, thanks to Sebek carrying you, you use this moment of free time to brainstorm about potential ways you all can celebrate Halloween with the residents of Halloween Town, all the while absentmindedly fiddling with the stole Sebek is wearing.

Regrettably, coming up with these types of ideas isn't as easy for you as it would be for most people, because you don’t have a lot of experience in this area since you’ve never actually gotten the chance to properly celebrate Halloween.

Back in your world, all you did during that time of the year was participate in cage-fights where you’d have to either wear a mask or a complete costume, so that was sadly the full extent of your Halloween experience for the last ten-plus years.

Unfortunately, despite you being at NRC this last Halloween, you still were unable to celebrate the holiday, because it had occurred less than a week after Leona’s overblot.

Because of the poor state you were in following that overblot battle due to your recklessness during that fight, you had been ordered to remain in the infirmary for the next several days, so as a result, you couldn’t attend the big Halloween party that NRC hosts every year.

Now that I think about it, that’s probably another reason why I want things to go so well with the Halloween we’ll be celebrating inside this book. You muse. This will technically be my first Halloween, so I want to have as much fun with it as I can and that entails making sure the NBC characters, who were always offering me support when I was a child, have the best Halloween ever.

Naturally, you also want to ensure your friends have a great time, so you want to keep their feelings in mind as you think over what you all can do for Halloween.

I also want Skully to have fun since he loves Halloween so much. You frown. But I wonder if he’d be willing to accept a Halloween that’s not exactly like how it’s celebrated in his hometown, considering how he acted in my vision. From what I gathered, he’s the “my way or the highway” type of guy when it comes to Halloween.

Which had really surprised you, considering how congenial he has been since you first met him. You had really thought he’d be more of an open-minded kind of person.

But he is a NRC student. You wryly remind yourself. Of course, there had to be a catch somewhere with his personality since the only one-hundred-percent good boys at our school are Kalim-senpai and Silver-senpai, and I have a feeling NRC hasn’t had too many students like them since it was first founded.

That said, you don’t think it’d be impossible to reason with someone like Skully since, despite how he talked about spending Halloween in complete solitude in your vision, you know that he doesn’t truly like being alone.

On the contrary, you’re sure that, deep down, Skully wants to have friends. That’s why he’s been so friendly all this time and why he seemed so happy whenever you were considerate toward him and reached out to him.

Because nobody who looks as elated as Skully does whenever you hold his hand would ever truly want to be alone.

No matter how much he may say otherwise, Skully doesn’t want to remain in the dark, all alone, on Halloween. You think to yourself. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have made the effort to talk to his schoolmates about his beloved holiday. He would’ve just been content celebrating it on his own while at school.

Your expression becomes pensive. His words and actions basically contradict themselves. That makes me wonder if, maybe, spending Halloween alone is a part of his hometown’s traditions but not necessarily something he truly wants to do.

Obviously, this is all pure speculation on your part, but your instincts are telling you that you’re on the right track. At the very least, you can tell for sure that there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to how Skully feels about his hometown’s Halloween traditions.

You’ll definitely need to investigate this matter since you’re just too much of a busybody to leave this be. Most importantly, you just can’t stand the idea of Skully always being alone on his favorite holiday.

Like how you always were during every holiday back in your world.

Skully is just too much like me for me to ignore. You internally sigh. Even though this will likely put a lot of extra work on my shoulders, I can’t turn a blind eye to him, especially when he’s such a good boy at his core.

Soon after you think that, you’re convinced that your decision to help Skully is the right one when your group finally catches up with Jack’s group.

“Oh, there you all are!” Jack cheerfully waves. “Skully-kun said you all might’ve gotten caught up in admiring the scenery, so we decided to chat to pass the time since we didn’t want to rush you.”

Surprise briefly dawns on your features as Sebek carefully sets you down, but that surprise quickly turns into realization when Skully pulls down his sunglasses and gives you a wink while Jack isn’t looking at him.

The corners of your lips curve upwards. I guess Skully must have assumed something came up on our end, so he took the job of keeping Jack preoccupied long enough for us to catch up.

As you mouth a silent thank you to Skully, Jade politely smiles at Jack. “We apologize for keeping you waiting. We did get a little distracted along the way, so we greatly appreciate your patience.”

“Yuu~!” Grim, who’s currently being licked by Zero, whines, “Hurry up and get this dog off me~!”

Chuckling, you pat your knees before whistling to beckon the dog over. “Here, boy!”

With an excited bark, Zero quickly flies over to you and begins licking your face, making you giggle.

“It seems Zero-sama is quite attached to both Grim-san and Yuu-san.” Skully smiles, “I’m most envious.”

“There’s nothing to be envious about!” Grim retorts as he scrubs at the areas of his face that got licked with his paws.

Meanwhile, Jack gestures toward the gate behind him. “Welcome, everyone, to Halloween Town!”

With that, Jack enters the gate and motions for everyone to follow after him, which you all do, with Azul and Idia taking the rear due to them still huffing and puffing thanks to all the earlier running they had to do.

Soon after you pass through the gate, you find yourself standing at the center of Halloween Town, and all you can do is marvel at your surroundings that look exactly as they did in The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Skully loudly gasps as he takes in his surroundings. “T-this is...the Halloween Town I've only ever dreamed of…”

“This stillness. This desolateness. This majesty. Ah... how beautiful.” He clasps his hands over his heart. “It's just as I'd imagined it, the ideal town!”

Much to your amusement, in direct contrast to you and Skully who are admiring this new scenery, your friends look noticeably unsettled by their surroundings.

“Dark!” Riddle exclaims, without thinking.

“Scary!” Idia pipes up as he hides behind Trey, making you snort.

A wide-eyed Trey remarks, “Yeah! That reaction actually fits, right?!”

Looking unimpressed, Vil comments, “Yes... it's quite the tasteless square. Incredibly brutal.”

“There are all these weird tools I don't recognize strewn about…” Epel fearfully looks around. “It’s got worse vibes than the Pomefiore basement!”

While Vil gives your son a sharp look, you huff in amusement. “I don’t know why you guys are surprised. It’s called Halloween Town. Of course, it’s gonna have this kinda spooky vibe.”

“Indeed. It has an entirely frightening atmosphere, just as you’d expect from a town with such a name.” Jade chuckles, “It reminds me of how Ramshackle dorm once was. Fufu.”

“And yet someone, for reasons beyond me, still thought it’d be a good idea to gain ownership of it and turn it into a restaurant.” You dryly reply, without missing a beat, making Azul twitch and Jade grin.

Never one to pass up a chance to have fun at Azul’s expense, Leona smirks, “There sure are some foolish people in this world, aren’t there?”

Azul scowls at him, but before he can do anything else, you all get distracted when you all hear a voice that doesn’t belong to anyone from your group. “Jack, I was looking for you. Where did you go?”

“Hm?” Jack turns toward the direction the voice came from and smiles, “Ah, Sally!”

A quiet, delighted gasp escapes you when the ragdoll, Sally, from The Nightmare Before Christmas walks onto the scene. There she is! Halloween Town’s best girl!

Jack gestures toward you and the rest of your group. “I found some visitors. We just arrived.”

Sally eyes all of you curiously. “Visitors?”

“Fnagh!” Grim yelps, “Another scary thing's appeared!!”

Without hesitation, you lean down and pinch his ear, making him wince, before whispering, “She is not a thing. Do NOT be rude to her, or else, you’re gonna catch these hands.”

You give the rest of your friends a look. “That goes for all of you, although I’m not worried about Leona-senpai since he’s been drinking his respect women juice since he started bottle-feeding.”

While Leona snorts, everyone else gives you incredulous looks to which you raise an eyebrow in response. “Don’t tell me that you guys didn’t notice Leona-senpai treats me a whole lot better than he treats the rest of you. I thought that was obvious.”

“Of course, it’s obvious.” Azul huffs, “I just did not realize that was one of the reasons for why he treats you so favorably.”

“To think Leona-san was such an upstanding gentleman.” Jade smiles, “How admirable.”

“And here I thought this was all old news to everyone.” Leona smugly replies, “After all, unlike certain other dorm leaders I could name, I can say with complete confidence that girls always get treated with the utmost respect by everyone at MY dorm, without any contracts involved, I might add. Heh.”

Leave it to Leona to start throwing shade as soon as an opportunity presents itself. He really just cannot resist proving his superiority.

As the other dorm leaders’ expressions sour, Idia, who’s the only dorm leader Leona’s words don’t actually apply to, shuffles closer to you and whispers, “So that ragdoll is your oshi, right? That’s why you’re willing to pull out your whip on us if we treat her with any kind of disrespect?”

“Yep.” You nod. “She's the only one with any real common sense in the movie and is like the voice of reason.”

“Kinda like my role at NRC.” You dryly add.

While Idia rolls his eyes, you all get distracted when Skully approaches Sally and excitedly asks, “Are you possibly... Sally-sama?!”

“Yes. That's right, but…” Sally tilts her head. “You know about me?”

“But of course!” Skully beams, “Sally-sama is known for guiding Halloween Town with her wisdom, and your strong feelings for Jack-sama left an impression on many people. You're incredibly adored in my village.”

Huh, so it’s not just Jack Skellington who’s famous in his village. You blink in surprise before smiling. Good. Sally’s awesome, so she deserves all the positive attention she can get.

Meanwhile, Sally gets embarrassed by Skully’s words. “Strong feelings? No…”

Your smile grows. It’s cute seeing her try to deny her feelings, although I can’t blame her for getting embarrassed, considering Jack is right there and so many other people are around.

Considering Sally is trying to deny her feelings for Jack, this obviously means the events of the movie haven’t taken place yet, and since Jack intends to ask you and the other NRC students for help with this year’s Halloween, you think it’s safe to assume he won’t be trying to kidnap Santa Claus anytime soon.

Thank goodness. You sigh in relief. That’s one less thing I’ve got to worry about.

You’re soon pulled away from your thoughts when Sally decides to quickly change topics by drawing closer to you and the others. “So you're all Jack's visitors. Welcome to Halloween Town. It’s nice to meet you.”

Catch you by surprise, a smiling Sally offers her hand to you first to shake, and after you quickly overcome your surprise, you reach out to take hold of her hand, making sure to do so gently since the last thing you want to do is accidentally cause any of her stitches to come loose.

“It’s nice to meet you as well, Sally-san.” You warmly smile as you shake her hand. “I hope we can get along.”

Her smile grows. “You're a kind person. I can tell from the way you shake hands.”

Once again, you’re caught off guard since you really weren’t expecting to hear such kind words from your favorite NBC character right after meeting her.

A pleasant warmth envelops your chest as you beam, “I can say the same about you.”

“Aw, Yuu-shi’s having a moment™ with her oshi.” Idia whispers, wearing a small grin, “She’s really living the otaku dream.”

Epel grins, “Yuu-san looks really happy.”

“Indeed.” Malleus smiles, “I’m glad she is enjoying herself, especially considering how she normally reacts to anything related to horror and the like.”

Jamil nods in agreement. “Even though she said she would be fine, I’m still impressed that nothing here has fazed her so far. She obviously has seen everything here enough times that it’s nothing new to her.”

As your friends are all quietly talking amongst themselves, you release Sally’s hand and approach Jack while Skully resumes happily talking to Sally.

Figuring you need to get the ball rolling for the sake of the story’s plot, you decide to remind Jack about you and the other NRC students all being stuck in this world with no way to get home since you have a strong feeling that Jack will agree to help in exchange for you all helping him, like what happened with Stitch.

“Thank you again for allowing us to come here, Jack-san.” You remark, “We were really at a loss when we found ourselves in this new world without anywhere to go.”

“Do you think we might be able to find any clues about how to get home if we stick around here?” You ask.

“Hmm. It’s possible.” Jack thoughtfully frowns as he crosses his arms. “Unfortunately, although I do very much want to help you get home, you’ve come at a time when we're all really busy.”

“You see, there are only three days left until Halloween.” Jack explains, making your and all of your friends' eyes widen.

Only three days?! You internally shout. Considering you intend on asking us for help, does that mean we only have three days to get ready?! Seriously?! Why did you put your Halloween preparations off this late?!

At the same time, a surprised Skully, who overhears your conversation with Jack, exclaims, “Eh?! I-It's going to be Halloween here that soon?!”

“What’s with this hard mode mission?!” Idia whisper-shouts, after looking at the other NRC students. “Does the book have it out for us or what?!”

Vil sighs, “I suppose it wouldn’t be much of a story if things were too easy for us.”

Leona clicks his tongue. “What a pain in the ass.”

While your friends are whispering amongst themselves, Jack responds to Skully’s question. “Yes! And yet we haven't figured out how to make this year's Halloween exciting.”

He frowns, “I don't just want to keep repeating the same thing every year anymore…”

I’m not surprised by that, considering that’s how he feels in the movie. You think to yourself. I’m just surprised he still hasn’t come up with an idea yet. Sounds like the Pumpkin King is in a creative slump.

As if to confirm your assumption, Jack sighs, “I've been worrying since last Halloween ended about how to make this year's Halloween extra exciting, and I still have yet to come up with an idea I’m satisfied with.”

“You've been worrying about it all year?” Grim asks, appearing surprised. “Huh, that seems hard.”

While you nod in agreement, Jack suddenly perks up. “Yes, that’s it!”

With a grin, he outstretches his arms and gestures toward you and all the other NRC students. “You all will help us celebrate Halloween this year!”

“Since you all came from somewhere outside of Halloween Town, I bet you know some interesting things that I do not.” He cheerfully continues, “I'm really curious and fascinated. I would love for you all to give us ideas on what kind of Halloween to have this year.”

“And, once Halloween is over, I will help you look for a way home.” Jack promises.

Much to your amusement and to the exasperation of your friends, rather than wait for you all to accept his proposition, a noticeably happy Jack acts like it's already a done deal. “How wonderful! This year's Halloween is sure to be amazing.”

He turns to look at Sally and grins, “I’m looking forward to it. Right, Sally?”

“R-Right.” Sally agrees before sighing, “..ah, there goes Jack and his bad habit again…”

While you chuckle, several of your friends make comments about Jack amongst themselves, expressing their not so positive opinions of him thanks to his impulsiveness rubbing them the wrong way.

Meanwhile, Skully happily rests his hands over his heart. “Spending Halloween in Halloween Town, and miraculously having it center around me...This is a dream come true. I am so glad I opened that book!”

He eagerly draws closer to Jack. “Jack-sama, it would, of course, be a joy to help you out!”

Skully then focuses his attention on you and your friends and smiles, “I’m so excited! Let's work together to make this a most wonderful Halloween!”

Immediately, all of your friends', sans Grim's, gazes fall on you, and you know without them saying anything that they’re thinking of your most recent vision, which showed that a collaboration between them and Skully won’t be nearly as exciting as he thinks it will be.

I’ll need to have a talk with Skully before that town meeting, or else, things will just turn out like they did in my vision since he’ll stubbornly try to have things go his way. You think to yourself. We all need to be on the same page here.

As those thoughts are running through your head, you return Skully's smile. “I agree. I’m looking forward to us all collaborating and spending this Halloween together. I’m sure it’s gonna be a Halloween that we won’t ever forget.”

Little did you know just how right you were.

Chapter Text

After everyone from Night Raven College agrees to help the residents of Halloween Town with their upcoming Halloween, Jack grins, “Everyone, my thanks for your help!”

“Now that that’s all settled, I'll have to introduce you to the rest of the town.” He cheerfully adds.

Just after Jack says that, the town’s mayor, another prominent character from The Nightmare Before Christmas, rushes onto the scene. “Jack! We were looking for you!”

“Hmm?” Jack blinks in surprise before smiling when he turns and notices that it was the mayor who just addressed him. “Why, if it isn't the mayor!”

The mayor releases a huge sigh of relief. “Oh, I'm so glad we found you. I wasn't sure what we would do without you.”

Much to your amusement, while the two Halloween Town residents are talking, your friends are reacting to the mayor’s unusual appearance.

Grim gapes, “Now, there's some triangle dude wearing a weird hat...!”

“Another strange person!” Sebek exclaims, looking just as shocked by the mayor's appearance as the majority of your friends.

Jamil just sighs and shakes his head. “I'm not even surprised anymore.”

Completely oblivious to your friends’ reactions to his appearance, Halloween Town’s mayor remarks, “We have to talk about Halloween, Jack! Now that the date has changed, it's only three days away! Oh, what if we can't get ready in time…?!”

Jack reaches over to give him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “Well, you came at just the right time. Call a town meeting, and I'll tell everyone all about it.”

As his face shifts to the one he uses when he’s angry or upset, catching all of the NRC boys off guard, the two-faced mayor asks, “When?”

“Immediately!” Jack replies, instantly making you remember an exchange that was just like this in The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Amused, you watch as the mayor hurries to the car he drives in the movie, so he can start driving around town and deliver the news that Jack wants everyone to come to Town Hall for a town meeting.

Because you let your friends know ahead of time that things would turn out like this when you had explained what happened in your last vision, none of them are surprised by this turn of events, aside from Grim, although it’s obvious some of them don’t understand why a town meeting involving every town resident is necessary.

Shaking his head, Leona sighs, “Holding an idiotic meeting with the whole town about ‘the best Halloween’...just what are Skellington and the mayor thinking?”

“It's nothing strange.” Sally reveals, “We have these kinds of meetings all the time in Halloween Town.”

She smiles, “So everyone in town can hear important things from Jack.”

While you smile at Sally’s cute response, Idia huffs, “Gathering for every little thing, what a terrible town. Can't Jack-shi just decide and then send whatever out as an email!?”

“Emails are definitely not a thing here.” You dryly reply as you roll your eyes.

Meanwhile, Malleus comments, “If he can simply order the townsfolk, then Skellington is indeed a ruler.”

“Jack always has the best ideas.” Sally remarks as her smile grows. “He's... fufu. He's really so wonderful.”

Awww. You internally coo. She’s so cute when she’s talking so happily about Jack.

Regrettably, both your and Sally’s smiles don’t last for long thanks to the next Halloween Town resident who arrives on the scene. “Sally! So this is where you've been!”

Panic immediately dawns on Sally’s features. “Ah! That voice…!”

All eyes quickly fall on Dr. Finkelstein, the scientist from The Nightmare Before Christmas who created Sally.

The doctor doesn’t look too pleased. You note as you watch Dr. Finkelstein approach Sally. I bet Sally slipped him some deadly nightshade, so she could sneak out like she does in the movie.

Your suspicions are confirmed when Dr. Finkelstein scowls, “You slipped out again... I've been looking for you.”

Sally nervously takes a step backwards. “D-Doctor...!”

Just as he did at the beginning of the movie, following the performance of “This is Halloween”, the doctor grabs one of Sally’s hands before he starts moving his motorized wheelchair in the direction he just came from. “You're not ready for so much excitement. You're coming with me!”

She tries to pull her arm free. “No! Let me go!”

Unable to just sit by and watch, you quickly move and position yourself directly in Dr. Finkelstein’s path, forcing him to come to a stop. “Please wait! Jack-san is calling for an emergency town meeting to discuss what to do for Halloween, and he wants everyone to be there, both you and Sally-san included!”

Deciding to use the doctor’s ego to your advantage, you add, “Considering you seem like a very intelligent fellow, I’m sure your assistance will be indispensable to this year’s Halloween, so for Jack-san’s sake, please stick around.”

Thankfully, just as you had expected, Dr. Finkelstein, who originally appeared annoyed by your interference, immediately cheers up when you praise his intellect. “Heh, you’ve got good eyes. Just as you guessed, I'm the most knowledgeable person in town, and there are indeed times when Jack will ask for my help when he's troubled.”

A frown quickly replaces his previous grin. “However, while I am not opposed to attending the town meeting myself, I don’t think Sally should. Too much excitement isn’t good for her. She’d be better off at home.”

“That’s not true!” Sally immediately denies as she continues to try to pull herself free from his grip. “I can handle a town meeting just fine!”

After sparing a glance at Epel and Sebek, who both look as if they want to get involved and help out Sally like what you’re obviously trying to do, to let them know they should leave this matter to you, you return your attention to the doctor.

“I agree that Sally-san’s well-being is very important, so it’s very kind of you to look after her like this.” You remark, “However, considering she appears to be in good health now, perhaps she could handle this one particular town meeting?”

Before Dr. Finkelstein can refute your words, you continue, “After all, this is a very important town meeting. The success of this year’s Halloween is dependent on it, so I think everyone who is able to attend the meeting should, especially since I’m sure Jack-san is going to need everyone in town’s help in order to get everything ready in time, considering there are only three days left until Halloween.”

Upon hearing your completely rational reason for wanting Sally to attend the town meeting, the doctor pauses to consider your words. During this time, he briefly unhinges the top of his skull, so he can scratch his brain, just as he occasionally did in The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Much to your amusement, upon seeing this, the majority of your friends start gaping, and they all immediately take a few steps away from Dr. Finkelstein.

“Hmm…” Dr. Finkelstein purses his lips. “I suppose you do make a good point…”

“She does!” Sally eagerly agrees, “Everyone has to work together for Halloween, Doctor! Jack will be counting on all of us! We can’t let him down!”

As expected, Dr. Finkelstein does not like the idea of potentially letting Jack down since every resident of Halloween Town holds the Pumpkin King in such high regard.

Speaking of the Pumpkin King…

“Oh, hello there, Dr. Finkelstein!” Jack, who had been previously talking to other Halloween Town residents who had started showing up and heading for the town hall building, cheerfully waves as he approaches your current location. “I’m so glad you could come to today’s town meeting!”

He gives the doctor a friendly pat on the shoulder. “I know what a busy man you are, so I really appreciate you taking the time to come. I just know you’ll be a big help to us for this year’s Halloween!”

“And, of course, I know you’ll be a big help too, Sally!” Jack adds, obviously not wanting to leave the ragdoll out. “With all of us working together, this will be our best Halloween yet!”

Yes! Perfect timing, Jack Skellington! You internally cheer as you watch the remaining resistance in Dr. Finkelstein’s face immediately vanish in response to Jack’s words. You’re the man!

As you’re thinking that, Sally dreamily smiles, appearing as if she’s on cloud nine. “Oh, Jack…”

Meanwhile, Dr. Finkelstein proudly straightens his posture and puffs out his chest. “Of course, my boy! I’ll do whatever I can to make sure this year’s Halloween is a rousing success like all the others!”

He then promptly redirects his wheelchair and starts heading for Town Hall, all the while still holding onto Sally’s hand. “Alright, come along, Sally. Since it’s for Jack, we’ll both attend the meeting, but I intend to keep a close eye on you the whole time, so you don’t overdo it.”

Although she doesn’t appear too thrilled about the doctor’s close monitoring, Sally makes no complaint and obediently follows after him since she’s obviously just grateful that she can attend the town meeting like everyone else. “Yes, Doctor.”

Much to your surprise, as she’s leaving, Sally turns to look at you and warmly smiles, “Thank you! I look forward to hearing your ideas at the meeting!”

Happy that you could be of assistance to your favorite NBC character, you beam, “You’re welcome!”

Just after those words leave your mouth, you remember that you still haven’t decided what you should suggest that the Halloween Town residents do for this year’s Halloween.

Not only that, you still haven’t talked to Skully, who, while you weren’t looking, somehow acquired some kind of parchment and a quill and has been eagerly writing on it for the last several minutes, no doubt filling it with all of the ideas he proposed in your vision.

Since your friends know that you would prefer them to leave handling Skully to you, because there's a chance they could end up butting heads with him like what happened in your last vision, none of them have said anything to him, which means you need to hurry if you want to get this matter resolved before the town meeting starts.

As you begin to approach Skully’s current position, you cross your fingers. Here’s to hoping for the best.

While Jack returns to greeting all of the Halloween Town residents, who start pouring into Town Hall whilst your friends stare at their surreal appearances with wide eyes, and getting ready for the upcoming town meeting, you come to a stop in front of Skully, who has been hard at work, making a project plan for this year’s Halloween.

Upon seeing just how excited Skully is and how much he has already written down in such a short amount of time, you can’t help but feel bad since you’re about to burst his bubble, although you have every intention to mitigate the damage as much as possible since you really want to avoid him going through what he did in your most recent vision.

Unfortunately, your upcoming conversation with Skully can’t be avoided, not if you want to ensure you give Halloween Town a Halloween that’s satisfying enough to ensure you all will fulfill the book’s happy ending requirement, so you can all return to Twisted Wonderland.

That’s why, after giving yourself a quick, internal pep-talk, you gently take hold of Skully’s elbow to gain his attention since his hands are currently occupied. “Skully, can we talk for a minute? I’m sorry for interrupting your fun, but I really need to talk to you about the plans for Halloween before the town meeting.”

Thankfully, Skully picks up on the urgency in your tone and gives you his undivided attention. “But, of course, Yuu-san. I will gladly listen to your lovely voice and give you my undivided attention for as long as you wish. I am your willingly captive audience.”

The corners of your lips quirk upwards in response to his unique way of speaking that’s just so Skully that you can’t help but smile. “Thank you. I really appreciate it.”

Quickly, you guide Skully over to a spot that’s out of the way, near an empty alley, since you don’t want to risk any of the locals overhearing this conversation.

Along the way, you exchange looks with Jamil and gesture over at Grim in hopes that he’ll take care of explaining what happened earlier at the cemetery while your partner was getting chased by Zero since you can see Grim giving you a confused look, obviously because he has no idea why you need to take Skully somewhere more private.

Thankfully, Jamil gives you a nod before he approaches Grim, so you know you can count on him to handle things on that end.

Once you’ve found a good spot to talk and have made sure the coast is clear, you say, “Okay, first off, I have a secret I need to share. It’s related to the fact that I’m from another world.”

“In my world, magic doesn’t exist, but superpowers called Quirks do." You continue, "They’re essentially what Unique Magic is to mages since everyone who has a Quirk has one special ability, such as being able to make themselves grow until they’re as large as a building or grow extra appendages. The possibilities for what Quirks can do are truly endless.”

Skully excitedly gasps as he cups his cheeks. “Oh my! What a fantastical world! Truly amazing!”

Since you don’t want to risk getting off track, you just give him a smile upon hearing his reaction to your revelation about Quirks before explaining, “The reason I’m bringing this up now is ‘cause I wanted to tell you about my Quirk, Prophecy, which allows me to see into the future via visions that I have at random.”

As the taller boy stares at you with astonishment that’s obvious despite his shaded glasses, you remark, “The reason we all took so long in meeting up with you and Jack-san earlier was ‘cause I had a vision - a vision about the upcoming town meeting to be exact.”

A worried frown appears on his face. “Oh dear. Should I take this to mean the meeting will not go well, considering how long you all spent discussing it and your earlier urgent tone?”

You grimace, “Well, it wasn’t exactly the worst possible outcome if that’s what you’re thinking, but it wasn’t really an ideal turn of events either.”

Before Skully can try to question you further, you quickly push his glasses onto the top of his head, surprising him, so you can firmly look into his eyes for the remaining duration of this discussion. “Skully, what I’m about to tell you may end up upsetting you, but I want you to keep calm and just hear me out, alright?”

“And I want you to know that your thoughts and feelings about Halloween are completely valid.” You add, “I never want you to believe that I or anyone else here thinks you’re wrong for how you feel.”

For a moment, Skully just stares at you with wide eyes, and then, a myriad of emotions flit across his face too fast for you to catch.

After a long pause, Skully slowly nods, all the while looking like he’s expecting to hear the worst possible news, probably because of how his thoughts on Halloween were received back at school.

That’s why you take hold of his hands and give them a squeeze. “I’m not going to criticize you, Skully. Please believe me on this. I’m only having this conversation with you, because I think it’s necessary for the sake of getting out of this book and because Jack-san needs more than just an idea for how to celebrate this year’s Halloween, if we’re gonna help him out of the predicament he’s in, which is a little more complicated than you think.”

Just as you had hoped, upon mentioning that his idol is in trouble, Skully’s gloomy expression quickly becomes alarmed. “What?! Are you implying Jack-sama is suffering in other ways that I have negligently not noticed?!”

You give his hands a reassuring squeeze. “Don’t worry, Jack-san will be just fine as long as we all work together and get on the same page, so just take a deep breath, and I’ll explain everything to you.”

Thankfully, Skully follows your request and takes several deep breaths. Once he has settled down, you say, “Regarding Jack-san’s situation, by the looks of it, he appears to be in a creative slump, so if we don’t get him out of it, then it’s likely he’ll have trouble with future Halloweens, which is why we can’t just focus on the idea of making this particular Halloween the best one ever. We gotta ensure this is a Halloween that will positively affect all future Halloweens, so Halloween Town won’t find themselves in a predicament like this again.”

“Even though this story will likely end after this one particular Halloween, I still think helping Jack-san get out of his creative slump is important ‘cause that was also part of the plot of the movie from my world, making me think that to complete this story we need to help him overcome his creative slump.” You add.

“What exactly is a creative slump?” Skully curiously asks, obviously unfamiliar with the phrase.

“A creative slump is a period of a person’s life when they feel uninspired, have doubts, and struggle with what they normally create without issue on a daily basis.” You explain, “For example, sometimes artists find themselves unable to draw or paint something they’re satisfied with, and writers sometimes get writer’s block and can’t write, no matter how hard they try.”

“The reason I think it’s very likely that this is what Jack-san is currently going through is ‘cause he literally spent almost an entire year thinking about Halloween and never came up with any ideas that he was satisfied with.” You add.

Skully stares at you with noticeable horror. “Jack-sama has a condition that’s that serious?! That’s horrible, absolutely dreadful! Whatever shall we do?!”

Once again, you give his hands a strong squeeze to calm him down. “Don’t worry, creative slumps are always temporary, and while Jack-san’s has definitely lasted longer than a normal human’s creative slump would’ve, I’m sure we can help him overcome it if we give him a Halloween that really inspires him and gets the creative cogs in his head turning.”

“That’s essentially what Jack-san is trying to do by asking us for help.” You continue, “He wants to see something new, because a lot of times new experiences are what help people get out of their creative slumps since those experiences get them thinking in ways they’ve never tried before.”

As Skully’s posture begins to relax upon hearing that his idol’s situation isn’t as severe as he had originally feared, you hold his gaze. “This is the reason why I don’t think the quiet, simple, and economical Halloween you normally celebrate will work here since the chances are high that Jack-san has celebrated Halloween like that in the past, considering how long he’s been around celebrating Halloween.”

“Meaning it won’t help him overcome his creative slump…” Skully sadly says, wearing a sorrowful frown.

Your expression softens. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t incorporate elements of the Halloween you celebrate in your time period, Skully, because I personally thought you did a great job on the instilling fright part of Halloween when you were talking about your ideal Halloween in my vision. You definitely know what you're doing when it comes to being scary, and I think that skill will be very useful to us. I just need you to also be open to trying new, unfamiliar things.”

“You see, that was the problem with the meeting I saw in my vision.” You reveal, “You and all the other NRC boys were all being stubbornly close-minded 'cause you and my friends all have the types of Halloweens you grew up with, which each party thinks is the superior version because those are the kinds of Halloweens you all are the most familiar with.”

“But that line of thinking is wrong.” You continue, “Because Halloween isn’t something that can be contained in a metaphorical box. It can’t be limited by rules that dictate what is and isn’t right for it.”

A grin rises to your lips. “Because Halloween is so much bigger than that. It’s a powerful force that can’t be contained, just like our imaginations, ‘cause this is the time of year when people let their imaginations run wild and do the kind of crazy, extraordinary things that you can only get away with under a mystical full moon.”

As Skully stares at you with wide, awed eyes, you say, “I’m not asking you to change how you view Halloween or to disregard the traditions you so highly regard, Skully. All I ask is that you be willing to give a new version of Halloween a try this one time for Jack-san’s sake since we’ll all be able to accomplish a lot more if we work together rather than butt heads.”

Your grin softens as you squeeze his hands. “That said, I do hope that you’ll make yourself open to the idea of enjoying a new version of Halloween, not for the sake of replacing the old Halloween you know and love but for the sake of just coming to appreciate a new aspect of your beloved holiday since I think that will help you come to love it even more.”

For several seconds, Skully just continues to stare at you with wide eyes, all the while wearing an expression you can’t read, and then, he finally pulls himself out of his stunned stupor.

Faster than you can blink, Skully has his arms tightly wrapped around you and begins twirling you around, catching you off guard. “Oh, Yuu-san! You indeed are just as lovely a person as I’ve always thought you were! To think, you harbor such a profound love for Halloween, just like me! We truly are kindred spirits destined to meet!”

“The passion in your voice just now was absolutely captivating!” He gushes, “With every love-filled word I heard, the more I, in turn, fell in love! Ah~! How should I express the joy I am feeling?! I could just kiss you right now!”

“Don’t even think about it!”

In a flash, an irritated Sebek pulls Skully away from you after grabbing him by the collar. At the same time, a scowling Leona grabs hold of you and sets you down beside Jamil, who, once again, has his wet wipes out.

As you insist that the wet wipes are unnecessary since it’s not like you got kissed this time, the rest of your friends all congregate around you and Skully, with the majority of them appearing exasperated with Skully.

Jade, of course, just looks thoroughly amused by this turn of events. “It would seem Yuu-san and Skully-kun are becoming even closer friends. Fufu.”

“Yes, this is rather worrying.” Malleus frowns, “Sebek will need to be more careful henceforth to ensure his love rival doesn’t gain any more of an advantage.”

After giving the fae an exasperated look, Vil directs his attention to you. “So? Should we take the enthusiastic reaction Skully had just now to mean he’s in favor of celebrating a Halloween that’s contrary to his usual, traditional Halloween?”

Before you can answer that question, Skully, who is miraculously unfazed by Sebek’s rough manhandling and glaring, pipes up. “While I am greatly saddened by the idea of not celebrating the traditional kind of Halloween I know and love, I am willing to try a different avenue if that is what it will take to help Jack-sama overcome his dreadful creative slump since helping him and all future Halloweens to come is my highest priority.”

A warm smile rises to his chapped lips. “Also, I believe this is the best way for me to express my appreciation toward Yuu-san, who, this whole time, has been so considerate of my feelings.”

“That’s why I will go along with whatever she feels is best, because I know her consideration and her love of Halloween is real.” He adds, “That passionate love will surely lead to us finding the happy ending that we’re all so desperately seeking.”

All you can do is stare at him with surprise for a moment before your face softens and a smile forms on your lips. “Skully…thank you. I really appreciate your willingness to cooperate and you putting your trust in me. I promise I won’t make you regret your decision.”

“I could never regret any decision that causes you to smile so beautifully!” Skully cheerfully replies, making you coo at his cuteness.

“That’s enough of that!” Grim scowls, “Nobody can flirt with my henchman without my permission! Ya got that?!”

At the same time, Sebek glowers at Skully. “Grr! This insolent human truly never fails to irritate!”

Epel quickly tries to placate them. “Calm down, you two. If you mess with Skully-kun too much, you’re just going to make Yuu-san mad.”

Just as you open your mouth to agree with Epel’s words, you find yourself abruptly freezing in place due to suddenly feeling a pair of eyes on you.

A chill runs down your spine once the feeling of eyes boring into you registers, because the kind of stare that’s focused on you is a hungry one, not unlike all the piercing stares you were forced to endure back in Japan’s underworld.

Covertly, you look in the direction of the nearby alley since that’s where the hungry gaze that’s transfixed on you is coming from, even though, the whole time you, who had been keeping a close eye on your surroundings, were talking to Skully, you never once noticed the approach of anyone.

That’s why you’re not surprised when you see that the dark alley is completely empty, although you are confused. What’s going on? I know I never sensed anyone enter the alley, but the hungry gaze that’s on me is definitely coming from that alley. Does this town have an invisible resident who just doesn’t get mentioned in the movie, or is this a completely new character that only appears in this story?

Seconds after those thoughts cross your mind, Leona purposely inserts himself in between you and the alley, successfully hiding you from the hungry eyes that had previously been boring holes into you.

At the same time, Jamil, who’s still right beside you, takes a firm hold of your elbow, as if feeling the necessity to get a hold on you, just in case.

“What is it?” Jamil murmurs, just loud enough for you and Leona to hear.

“No idea.” You nervously whisper, “I felt a hungry gaze on me just now that came from the alley, but I don't see anyone.”

While Jamil’s grip on you tightens, Leona quietly growls, “I don’t smell or hear anything that’s out of the ordinary, but something feels off about that alley, like you’ll get swallowed if you go too far into the shadows.”

His words make you shiver. “Well, I will definitely NOT be doing that.”

Jamil gently urges you to move away from the alley. “Let’s just put some distance between you and the alley. If Leona-senpai says it’s dangerous, we should do our best to avoid it.”

“Is this normal for this place?” Leona asks as he continues to use his body as a barrier, so whatever’s in the alley can’t look at you as you're walking away.

You shake your head. “No, while there are plenty of scary-looking people here who love to scare for fun, all of the town residents are nice people. None of them would ever look at me in the same way those eyes from earlier did.”

“And there wasn’t anyone in the movie who was like whatever is in that alley.” You add, “Nobody can completely erase their presence or manipulate darkness or anything like that, as far as I’m aware anyway.”

“Perhaps it’s something that only appears in this particular story?” Jamil suggests, all the while wearing a deep frown.

“It’s possible.” You shrug. “After all, anything can happen in a world of fiction, especially if this book wants to throw plenty of obstacles our way to keep things exciting for the story.”

Leona clicks his tongue. “Tch. What a pain in the ass. You better avoid entering any alleys on your own from here on out, Herbivore. Don’t give this damn book any openings to exploit.”

All you can do is wearily sigh. “I’ll do my best.”

Little did you know that your best sadly wouldn’t be enough.

After putting some distance between you and the alley, you discover that Leona and Jamil were the only guys who took notice of what happened by the alley since everyone else had been distracted by Sebek and Grim, who had gone after Skully, because your jealous sons obviously don’t like having a rival for your attention. This is probably for the best since, while the others will need to be told about what just happened eventually, you'd rather save that for later and keep everyone focused on preparing for Halloween.

Fortunately for Skully, Epel, along with Trey and Riddle, was able to keep your irate sons under control, so Skully was saved from facing the full brunt of Sebek's and Grim’s anger and jealousy.

Amazingly enough, Skully doesn’t appear to mind Sebek’s and Grim’s rough treatment of him. Instead, he just continuously praises their devotion to you, which just further irritates them, much to your amusement.

“Alright, enough.” Leona calls out to the boisterous first years after you, he, and Jamil are a safe distance away from the alley and closer to where everyone else had ended up after your jealous sons had started going after Skully. “Don’t forget we’ve got that stupid meeting coming up, and considering how many people have already shown up, it’s only a matter of time before Skellington calls for us.”

“Ah, yes, Leona-san is right.” Azul nods. “We should discuss what will be said during the meeting to ensure we’re all on the same page right from the start.”

“Considering we don’t have much time left, I sure hope Yuu-san has a plan.” Jade wryly smiles, “After all, it would be rather embarrassing if we had nothing to present despite us knowing in advance what to expect thanks to her vision, now wouldn’t it?”

While Jamil and Riddle give the eel-mer some exasperated looks, you huff, “I get it. I’m the one who said I’d come up with a plan, so I can’t drop the ball now, especially now that we’re all willing to cooperate.”

“For the record, it’s not like I don’t have any ideas.” You dryly inform, “It’s just hard for me to decide what would be enough to help Jack-san get out of his creative slump since I think that’s the key to getting the happy ending we want.”

You scratch your head. “Even though the kinda Halloween that’s normally celebrated in Twisted Wonderland, which entails colorful decorations, lively music, and lots of candy, would technically be new to Jack, I don’t know if it’d have the kind of strong impact that would give him the inspiration he needs since it really wouldn’t be THAT different overall from how Halloween is celebrated here ‘cause they have decorations, music, and candy here. It’s just not as colorful and animated as what we’re used to.”

“I really wanna give Jack-san something that strays from what he normally does.” You continue, “I wanna go outside the Halloween box.”

“In that case, is there any kind of Halloween tradition from your world that would meet that requirement?” Malleus inquires, “I don’t believe I’ve ever heard how Halloween is celebrated in your world.”

Skully brightly smiles, “Oh, how exciting! I would love to hear about how Halloween is celebrated in Yuu-san’s world!”

As expected, Jade also takes a shine to the idea of learning more about your world. “I feel the same way. I would be more than delighted to experience a Halloween from another world.”

“At this point, I’m willing to go along with any idea, just as long as we can keep progressing through this story.” Idia sighs, “I just wanna get outta here…”

Trey chuckles, “I’m fine with anything since I did agree to follow Yuu’s lead earlier, and I think it’s a good idea to take inspiration from the traditions of her world since they’re what she’s most familiar with.”

“I’m sorry to burst everyone’s bubble, but for the most part, in my world, Halloween is celebrated the same way it's celebrated in modern day Twisted Wonderland.” You reveal, “While not all countries in my world celebrate it the same way, wearing costumes and enjoying lots of candy is done in most places.”

“But…” You thoughtfully rub your chin. “That said, I feel like you guys are onto something since I’m suddenly getting the feeling that I’m forgetting something that could be useful here.”

That’s why you take a moment to ruminate about the Halloween traditions from your world. Eventually, you find yourself focusing on Japanese Halloween traditions in particular, because you’re obviously the most familiar with how things are done in the country where you were born and raised, although everything you know is from research you’ve done on the holiday and what you’ve seen on TV rather than from personal experiences.

After spending several minutes lost in thought, it finally hits you - an idea that involves something done in Japan that’s not technically connected to Halloween but is still something that can absolutely be used under these current circumstances.

A broad grin rises to your lips. “I got it! I know exactly what we need to do!”

When everyone’s intrigued and curious gazes focus on you, you continue, “We’re gonna turn the tables on the Pumpkin King. This Halloween, it won’t be him who does all the scaring.”

Your grin grows. “This year, it’s HIS turn to get scared.”

Just as you had hoped, when you throw down the challenge of trying to scare the King of Halloween - a feat that obviously wouldn’t be feasible for most people, your friends all get a certain, competitive gleam in their eyes that you know means they’re up for the challenge.

Because NRC students never run away from a challenge; their pride won’t allow it.

Skully’s face is the only one you can’t completely read, because he’s back to wearing his shaded glasses. However, he thankfully doesn’t appear to outright dislike your idea.

“Scare Jack-sama…?” Skully murmurs, his astonishment obvious in his voice. “Is such an incredible feat even possible?”

“Wouldn’t you like to find out?" You ask, "After all, this is the only time you’ll ever get such a chance.”

“And it’ll also be a good way to show him just how passionate you are about Halloween since scaring is such a big part of Halloween to him.” You add, “If you wanna show him what you’re made of, this is the way to do it.”

Upon hearing that, Skully briefly grows quiet before he determinedly clenches his fists. “You’re right! If I want Jack-sama to see how much I love Halloween and how much I appreciate everything he’s done to create this wondrous day, then this is the only way to do it! It’s what he would want!”

“So?” Leona props his arm on top of your hat-covered head, so he can use you as an armrest, earning himself some exasperated looks from some of your other upperclassmen. “What exactly did you have in mind, so we can give that annoying skeleton a good scare?”

With a grin, you motion for everyone to gather closer together before you start quietly going over the details of the plan you just concocted.

By the time you finish going over your plan, pretty much everyone is sporting a grin like your own, proving that all of the guys are on board with this idea, just as you had hoped would happen.

Your grin grows in response to their positive reactions. This Halloween is gonna be awesome.

You’re sure of it.

After you and the other NRC students finish discussing your big plan for Halloween and going over all the details, Jack has you all come into Town Hall, which is now packed with Halloween Town residents, and brings your group onto the stage, obviously intending for you all to directly address everyone in the audience.

Naturally, you’re not too thrilled about this arrangement since you hate being stared at and being the center of attention, but you’ll just have to deal with it this one time since there’s really nothing that can be done about this arrangement.

On the bright side, Leona and Jamil stick close to you and somewhat partially hide you from view. Whether it’s because of your aversion to being the center of attention or because they’re still slightly on edge thanks to that incident at the alley, you’re not sure, but regardless, you’re very grateful for their protective actions.

Meanwhile, Jack, who’s standing behind the sole podium on the stage, addresses the audience and gets them all to quiet down. “Listen, everyone!”

Much to your amusement, he proceeds to reel off what he says in The Nightmare Before Christmas during the scene when he presents his Christmas findings to the town. “Things so peculiar, they were not to be believed! Things to tantalize my brain.”

Jack grins, “From a world unlike any you have ever seen, we have some visitors.”

“A world unlike any we've ever seen?” One of the vampires in the crowd curiously parrots.

“Yes.” Jack nods. “One called... Twisted Wonderland!”

“Twisted Wonderland? What's that?” The clown with a tear-away face asks.

One of the local witches exclaims, “Surely everything that lives there has a bent and crooked body!”

“They might just have squished faces.” The man, who looks like he’s melting, remarks.

“No, they might be really evil at heart.” One of the monsters, who has three black and red fronds on his head, grins, “I'm thrilled!”

As you’re quietly chuckling over hearing the Halloween Town residents get so excited after hearing about Twisted Wonderland, Idia gapes, “These ridiculous misunderstandings about our world just keep spreading...!”

“Really? I don't know that I'd exactly say they're wrong.” Leona replies, making you snort.

Meanwhile, Jack gestures toward everyone from NRC. “Let me introduce them. These are the folks from Twisted Wonderland!”

In a flash, a bright spotlight starts beaming down on the area of the stage where you and the other NRC students are standing, instantly blinding your group and making you all groan.

“Ugh!” Jamil grimaces. “Bright...!”

As several of your other friends also complain about the spotlight, a kid who looks like a corpse asks, “Those are the things from Twisted Wonderland?”

All at once, all eyes fixate on everyone from Twisted Wonderland, and for once, you’re not the only who freezes upon having several people staring at you.

“T-they're like... really staring at us!!” Grim exclaims, appearing unnerved like the majority of you, before quickly moving to hide behind you. “They've all got bad vibes, so it's kinda scary…”

While you reach down to comfortingly stroke your partner’s head, Jade nods. “Indeed. We've come from another world, but will we be able to meet Halloween Town's expectations?”

At the same time, Skully gracefully bows toward the audience. “It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Skully J. Graves…”

Much to your exasperation, before Skully can say anything else, Sebek rudely interrupts him. “Skeleton! Other monsters!”

Once he has everyone’s attention, your boisterous son continues, “As said, we are from Twisted Wonderland. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

“Now... those far should listen, and those close should witness.” Sebek reverently gestures toward Malleus. “This one here is Malleus Draconia-sama!”

“Normally, such lowly people would have to beg for an audience before his venerable self.” He informs, “You should be crying and kneeling and worshiping your good luck at being allowed such a presentation!”

The monster, who has three black and red fronds on his head, gleefully laughs, “Look, just like I said. He's making an evil face! Heeheehee!”

As several other people in the audience cheer and laugh, Epel sighs, “What... is what I want to say, but…”

Riddle shakes his head. “Such rude behavior is about what I expected.”

Jade chuckles, “Sebek-kun, at least, has lived up to the expectations.”

Skully smiles, “Sebek-san is such an enthusiastic one, isn't he? I can't help but feel an affinity with that.”

You, who didn’t see this happen in your vision because it didn’t cover the introductions portion of this meeting, face-palm. “Honestly, I don’t know why I didn’t see this coming, considering how Sebek is. I really need to work on his bad manners.”

Appearing pleased over how positively his friends have reacted to the members of your group, Jack addresses the audience. “These people are surely going to teach us about a Halloween the likes of which we've never seen. So to make this year's Halloween more exciting, let's listen to their ideas!”

Jack turns to look at you and the others on stage. “So, Twisted Wonderland folks, let's hear it. What kind of Halloween do you think would be the ‘best Halloween’?”

Taking that as your cue since it makes the most sense for you to present the idea that you came up with, you take a quick, deep breath to settle your nerves before moving toward the front of the stage.

Much to your surprise, Grim follows suit and comes to stand right beside you. “Y’all better listen closely to my henchman! She did a lot of thinkin’ when she was tryin’ to figure out how to help y’all, so y’all better appreciate her!”

Once you overcome your surprise, your expression softens as you warmly smile, “Thank you, Grim.”

After giving him a quick pat on his head, you, who’s feeling better thanks to your partner’s support, turn to look at Jack. “Before I share my idea, I wanted to ask you a quick question, Jack-san, if you don’t mind.”

He blinks in surprise before smiling, “Sure! Ask away!”

“I’ve been wondering this ever since you mentioned how you spent the last year thinking about what to do for this year’s Halloween.” You remark, “Are you currently in a creative slump?”

Much to your amusement, Jack, along with everyone in the audience, curiously parrots, “‘Creative slump’?”

Realizing the NBC characters are in the same boat as Skully, you proceed to provide the same explanation you gave Skully earlier, so they’ll all understand what you’re talking about.

Once you do that, Jack slams his hands against the podium. “So that’s what it’s called! Yes, that’s exactly what I’m in! A creative slump!”

In direct contrast to Jack, who appears relieved to finally have a name for what he’s been dealing with for the last year, all of the other Halloween Town residents are horrified.

“Oh no, poor Jack!”

“What are we gonna do?!”

“Is there a cure?!”

“Please save our Jack, Bent Girl!”

“Otherwise, Halloween is doomed!”

That last exclamation comes from the mayor who releases a loud wail from his position behind the spotlight before almost falling off the elevated area where the spotlight is located, like what happened in the movie.

Thankfully, the mayor gets saved by an exasperated Leona who covertly uses his magic to return the distraught elected official to his previous spot behind the spotlight.

After sparing Leona a grateful look, you hold up your hands in a placating manner. “Everyone, please calm down. A creative slump isn’t anything like an incurable disease. It can easily be overcome if Jack-san gets hit with the inspiration he’s been lacking.”

“That’s why Jack-san is looking for something new for Halloween.” You explain, “Even though he didn’t actually know he was in a creative slump, he unconsciously knew he needed to experience new things to give himself the spark of inspiration he was looking for that was needed to get the metaphorical cogs in his brain turning.”

“This is typically what people dealing with creative slumps do.” You add, “They seek out new things to give them a fresh new perspective on whatever they’re working on, and that, in turn, helps them come up with new ideas.”

Jack excitedly claps his hands. “Yes, yes! That’s exactly what I’ve been trying to do! I’m so glad you understand, Yuu-kun!”

Much to your amusement, almost everyone in the audience follows his lead and starts clapping and praising you for being capable of understanding someone as amazing as their king.

“These guys are really easy to impress.” Epel mutters, eliciting nods from several of your other friends.

Vil sighs, “I suppose this works to our favor since Yuu has made a very positive first impression as a result.”

Jamil nods. “As long as she maintains this momentum, there shouldn’t be any issue with getting everyone here to go along with her plan for Halloween.”

Smiling, Skully rests his hands over his heart. “I am sure that everything will work out just fine once everyone sees Yuu-san’s passion for Halloween firsthand. It’s that beautiful love that will unite us.”

You hope that he’s right since, if the residents of Halloween Town don’t like your plan, it’ll be back to the drawing board for you.

Internally crossing your fingers, you begin sharing your idea for this year’s Halloween. “In order to give Jack-san that something new he’s looking for so he can get some much needed inspiration, I propose that, for this year’s Halloween, we do a Halloween that’s unlike anything you all have ever done before.”

As Jack and everyone else from his town eagerly lean forward, you grin, “I propose that we do a test of courage!”

“‘A test of courage’?” Everyone from Halloween Town curiously parrots.

Before anyone can start throwing questions your way, you elaborate, “Let me explain. A test of courage is essentially an event that entails people walking through a particular assigned area, like say from one end of a cemetery to the other, and during this walk, they’re faced with all sorts of scary and horrible encounters that they must overcome in order to reach the end goal, which is usually where an item, like a lantern, is held and must be retrieved in order to prove that you passed the test.”

“That’s why it’s a test of courage, because only the bravest of souls can complete the challenge.” You add.

As Jack and several people in the audience ooh and aah, your grin grows. “But this test of courage will be like none that anyone has ever seen! That’s because the main goal here won’t be to just frighten any normal person who loves a good scare. No, the goal will be much grander than that.”

With great flourish, you gesture toward a surprised Jack. “The goal will be to scare none other than the Pumpkin King and Master of Fright himself!”

“EH?!” Everyone in the audience exclaims.

Jack blinks in surprise before grinning, “Now, that IS new! How exciting! Normally, I’m the one doing the majority of the scaring!”

“Exactly!” You point at him. “That’s why this is the perfect way to flip the script and give you the inspiration you need.”

Your gaze returns to the audience, who look as if they don’t know how they should feel about your idea. “I understand scaring someone of Jack-san’s caliber is quite the daunting task, but I know if anyone can do it it’s the residents of Halloween Town who know their king the best.”

Since you can still sense some uncertainty from the crowd, you say, “I know that you all respect and admire Jack-san very much. Even though I haven’t been here for very long, the fact that your king is well-loved is obvious to me just from spending a short amount of time in this town.”

“And because you all love Jack-san so much, I want to ask for your help in giving him the inspiration he needs.” You continue, “I want you all to show your king what all you’re capable of and let him see everything that you’ve learned from watching him over the years. Give him the kind of fright he’s never experienced before.”

“After all, what better way can you show your appreciation for your king than by giving him the biggest fright of his life?” You ask, wearing a broad grin.

Much to your immense relief, within seconds after you say that, everyone in the audience is out of their seats, wildly clapping and cheering.

“Let’s do it!”

“Yeah! Let’s help Jack!”

“You can count on me, Jack!”

“I’ll give you the scariest Halloween you’ve ever seen!”

“I’ll use everything you’ve taught me!”

“I won’t let you down, Jack!”

One by one, all of the townsfolk declare their desire to help Jack and their willingness to go along with your plan. When he sees their reactions, Jack brightly smiles, “Thank you, everyone! I just know this Halloween will be our best one yet!”

Upon seeing all of the smiles on the Halloween Town residents’ faces as well as all the pleased expressions on the NRC boys’ faces, a matching smile rises to your lips. “I couldn’t agree more.”

Once everyone in the audience settles down, you proceed to go into detail about your idea for this year’s Halloween, starting first with providing a more in-depth description of what's typically done in a test of courage.

After doing that, you tell everyone that you think there should be two separate tests of courage, because there are so many residents in Halloween Town. That way, there won’t be any worry of overcrowding a certain area.

“I also think it will be more fun if we have two teams who are competing against each other to have the scariest test of courage.” You remark, “After all, nothing gets people more fired up than a little healthy competition.”

“And, if we have two tests of courage, that means everyone in town will get the chance to get scared since, while the main goal is to scare Jack-san, it’d be more fun if everyone is also able to experience going through a test of courage.” You add.

Jack eagerly nods. “Yes! Everyone should get a chance to scare and be scared! It’ll be much more fun that way!”

As everyone in the audience cheers in agreement, Jack smiles, “And I do like the competition idea. It’ll ensure that everyone gets an equal opportunity to shine during Halloween and make things even more exciting!”

Upon hearing this, Skully starts gushing about how kind and generous his idol is, earning himself an annoyed look from Sebek.

This irony will never cease to amuse you.

Nodding along with Jack’s words, you reply, “Obviously, you’ll be the one to decide which test of courage was the scariest of all, if one, in fact, does better than the other, and I also think it would be fitting if you were the one to present a reward to the winning team since I can’t think of anything that would make everyone happier than a reward prepared by Jack Skellington himself.”

While Skully and everyone in the audience excitedly gasp, Jack grins, “Alright, leave the reward to me! It’s the least I can do to thank everyone who’s working so hard for my sake.”

With that decided, you move on with the discussion about this year’s Halloween. “I think the teams should be decided by lot. That way things are fair. It’d be great if we could set it all up at the exit, so when this meeting concludes, everyone can get in a line to find out what their team assignment will be.”

“Once everyone has their teams, they can gather together outside and choose where they want their test of courage to be, what kinda theme they wanna go for, etc.” You add, “And they can write up a quick project plan of sorts and turn it into the mayor, so we have an idea of what to expect from both teams.”

“Mayor, do you think you could get enough lots set up in time before our meeting ends?” Jack asks after focusing his gaze on the area where the spotlight is.

“Of course, Jack!” The mayor quickly answers, “Just leave it to me!”

With that, the elected official scurries down a nearby ladder and heads out the door, so he can gather the supplies he’ll need from his car.

Meanwhile, you gesture toward yourself and everyone else from NRC. “In regards to us, rather than drawing lots, I think what would be better is to have each of us assigned to a team based on what team would benefit most from the skills we all individually bring to the table.”

Plus, this way, I can ensure that certain people don’t get put on the same team. You dryly think to yourself. After all, the last thing anyone needs is for Leona-senpai and Tsunotaro to be on the same team.

Thankfully, Jack has no qualms about going along with your idea of avoiding lots for the members of your group, much to the relief of all your friends who want to avoid being on the same team as the people they don’t get along with.

Or, at least, that appears to be the case since Jack nods along with your suggestion, even though, judging from his pensive expression, you can’t tell if he’s actually listening to you right now, considering how deep in thought he appears to be.

That’s why you’re not particularly surprised when Jack abruptly exclaims, “Eureka! I’ve got a great idea!”

Before anyone can question him, the skeleton continues, “I was just thinking about what Yuu-kun said earlier about submitting project plans to the mayor. Normally, both he and I would be the ones who look over those plans since we always oversee each Halloween.”

“But I can’t do that this Halloween since that will ruin all of the surprises everyone will be planning for me!” Jack frowns, “Obviously, I don’t want that, but I also don’t want to put too much work on the mayor’s shoulders, nor do I want to put the townsfolk in a position where they’re not getting the kind of support they would normally get from me.”

Just as you’re about to tell him that you had intended to have everyone from NRC play that role of support, Jack catches you off guard when he suddenly points at you, grinning all the while. “That’s why I say we have Yuu-kun be the temporary Pumpkin King, er, Queen until Halloween!”

In complete sync, everyone else shouts, “EH?!”

“Isn’t it a great idea?” Jack proudly puffs up his chest. “After all, this is Yuu-kun’s brilliant idea, so it only seems right to put her in charge. And this way I can ensure that nobody’s surprises will get ruined!”

He nods to himself. “Yep. This is perfect. Now, I won’t have anything to worry about!”

“Oi, oi, he’s just going ahead and making this huge decision without even asking for Yuu-shi’s input.” Idia mutters, giving Jack a less than impressed look.

Riddle frowns, “Even though it was Yuu’s intention from the start to end up in such a role along with the rest of us, I can’t say I approve of Jack-san’s handling of this matter.”

Trey shakes his head. “Unfortunately, I don’t think there’s anything we can do here since all the townspeople appear to be in favor of the idea.”

Indeed. While everyone in the audience had been shocked at first, it doesn’t take them long to voice their support, but that’s not really surprising since you think they’d all go along with pretty much any idea that Jack proposes.

Meanwhile, all you can do is stare. Definitely did not see that coming. I didn’t even consider the possibility of Jack-san picking someone to be his temporary replacement since I didn’t know he could do that.

Your expression becomes thoughtful. But maybe this would be better than my original idea of having our whole group in that role since these people are more accustomed to just relying on Jack-san, and having too many people in his role might just end up making things unnecessarily complicated for them.

Still, that said, Jack Skellington has some big shoes to fill, so you don’t know if it’d be wise to just leave that job entirely to you.

That’s why you suggest, “I’d be happy to be the temporary Pumpkin Queen to ensure nobody’s surprises get ruined, but considering I’m a novice in this area, why don’t you also appoint Skully to share your position with me, Jack-san?”

All of your friends give you shocked looks. “What?!”

Meanwhile, Skully, who had become unusually quiet after hearing his idol name you as his temporary replacement, starts gaping as he cups his face. “Me?!”

Nodding, you smile at him. “Since nobody in our group loves Halloween more than you, I think you’d be perfect for the job, especially since you’re so knowledgeable about Jack-san and Halloween Town in general. I think you’d be a great help to someone inexperienced like me.”

Plus, my instincts are telling me that I shouldn’t leave you alone. You internally add. Even though you agreed to work together with everyone, I’m sure all this change will still be hard on you, so I wanna keep an eye on you, just in case, ‘cause I’ve become fond of you and don’t wanna see you look as sad as you did when Jack-san asked me to be his temporary replacement.

“Yuu-san…” Skully replies, sounding incredibly touched, making you wonder if there are tears in his eyes now that just can’t be seen thanks to his glasses.

“Hmmm. Yuu-kun does make a good point.” Jack thoughtfully rubs his jaw. “I’d hate to put too much stress on a lady’s shoulders, so having Skully-kun work together with her would be a good way to avoid that.”

Soon after, he smiles, “Alright, let’s do that! Skully-kun and Yuu-kun will be Halloween Town’s temporary Pumpkin King and Queen!”

As everyone in the audience begins to cheer, a noticeably overjoyed Skully clasps his hands together. “Oh, Jack-sama! To think, you would bestow such a high honor upon my unworthy shoulders! It’s a dream come true!”

“I won’t let you down!” Skully declares before making a hand pose that makes his fingers resemble Jack’s collar. “I’ll ensure we have the best Halloween ever, so you'll get all the inspiration you need!”

Still smiling, Jack walks over to him and pats his shoulder. “I’ll be counting on you, Skully-kun.”

“Jack-sama!” Skully emotionally exclaims, as he trembles with emotion, much to your amusement.

Your amusement doesn’t last for long, however, when your gaze falls on the rest of your group, and you see how much the majority of your friends are disliking this turn of events.

“What’s the big idea, Henchman?” Grim pouts, “You’re supposed to be MY partner and MY partner only!”

After quickly shushing him so he won’t make a scene and draw attention to himself, you pat his head. “Calm down, Grim. I’m not replacing you. I just thought Skully was best suited for the kinda work Jack-san does.”

Letting your gaze roam across the rest of your friends, you explain, “I know my original plan was to have all of us in this sorta position, but after giving it some more thought, I figured it’ll be less confusing for the townspeople who are so accustomed to just relying on Jack-san if they only have to report to me or Skully when they have a problem.”

“I suppose you do make a good point.” Jamil nods in understanding. “While it’s always good to have a lot of helping hands, that can also be a bad thing if the people are left confused about who they should talk to when they have a problem.”

“Having just one or two people in charge of overseeing will make the whole process much simpler.” Azul agrees, “So I am perfectly fine with this new arrangement.”

Jade amusedly smiles, “The only issue here I believe is that some of us may not approve of Skully-kun being chosen to work alongside Yuu-san.”

When he then focuses his amused gaze on Sebek, who’s been scowling all this time, your son’s scowl deepens. “Of course, I don’t approve! If anyone should be chosen as king, it should be Malleus-sama! He is far more qualified than anyone!”

“Ah, and here I thought you were upset because she chose Skully-kun over you.” Jade teasingly replies, “I suppose I was mistaken.”

“You most certainly were!” Sebek retorts, not convincing anyone since his embarrassment and jealousy are apparent in his current expression that's now visibly flustered thanks to Jade's teasing.

“While I have no issue with myself not being chosen, it is a shame that Sebek won’t be working alongside Yuu.” Malleus frowns, “Truly a missed opportunity.”

As Sebek becomes even more flustered, Jade tries to hide his snickering behind his hand while Vil, Trey, and Leona all give Malleus some exasperated looks.

Wanting to get this conversation back on track, Epel quickly says, “I’m fine with Yuu-san’s idea since Skully-kun does have a lot of knowledge about this place, and there’s no denying how much he loves Halloween. I can understand why she picked him for the job.”

“I feel the same way.” Trey chimes in. “So it’s fine with me as well.”

“If this means Yuu-shi will be the one responsible for that exhausting extrovert so I won’t have to deal with him, then I’m all for it.” Idia comments, making you snort.

Fortunately, despite the reservations most of your friends have when Skully is concerned, everyone, in the end, shows their support for the idea of you working together with him, with Grim and Sebek being the only exceptions, although those two do thankfully eventually stop complaining, much to your relief.

Once Grim and Sebek finally settle down, your thoughts end up focusing on the latter. I gotta say, I’ve been surprised by Sebek’s recent behavior. Normally, only Ace and Grim get this worked up and let their jealousy get the better of them. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Sebek act like this before.

Now, that’s not to say you’ve never seen Sebek get jealous over you giving someone more attention than him, because there have been times when he has gotten jealous of Silver, because Silver is someone you compliment regularly due to you having such a high opinion of the sweet upperclassman.

And, of course, Sebek expressed some jealousy when his tsum visited NRC since you gave his adorable counterpart a lot of attention and affection.

However, Sebek has never gotten this worked up before. Normally, he just sulks until you shower him with enough love to make him forget he was ever jealous in the first place.

Obviously, that is not what’s happening here, and you’re not sure why. Is it because Skully is a person he’s unfamiliar with, and it upsets him to see you becoming closer to someone new?

Maybe Sebek’s going through what Grim and Ace did when I began adopting more sons. You muse. After all, Sebek, Ortho, and Epel basically all got adopted around the same time, and by that point, I had also met all the guys I’m now good friends with, so this will essentially be Sebek’s first time going through the process of me making a new friend.

The corners of your lips quirk upwards. Guess I’ll need to make sure that I give Sebek even more love than usual while we’re inside this book since I can’t allow one of my boys to feel neglected.

Plus, while Sebek’s jealousy is a little exasperating, you can’t deny finding his behavior to be endearing as well since it just proves how much he loves you and doesn’t want to lose you.

Your expression softens. Not that he has anything to worry about. I love my sons way too much to ever allow anything to come between us.

And that’s something that won’t ever change.

Chapter Text

Once you all finish going over all of the details for this year’s Halloween, Jack officially calls an end to the town meeting.

Thankfully, by the time the meeting ends, the mayor is all set up by the exit, so everyone can draw lots on their way out and meet up with their team members outside where they’ll have plenty of space and privacy.

Much to your amusement, as the townsfolk are leaving, they address you and the rest of your friends, making comments about how this year’s Halloween will be a great one and how they’re looking forward to working with you all, and you hear some of them refer to your friends as “bent boys”, obviously making a reference to the “twisted” part of Twisted Wonderland.

Your amusement eventually turns into surprise when, after all the townsfolk, sans Jack, exit the building, Skully suddenly approaches you and takes hold of your hand. “Yuu-san~!”

Wearing the kind of charming smile that would surely make him a hit with the ladies on Magicam, Skully says, “Please allow me to properly thank you for bestowing upon me the honor of working alongside you as Jack-sama’s temporary replacement.”

He tenderly kisses your knuckles. “A kiss for you, lovely lady. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I promise to work hard to meet your high expectations.”

Your heart melts in response to his charming actions. “Aw, you’re welcome, but there’s really no need to thank me. You really were the natural choice for the job, considering a person with a passionate love for Halloween really is needed for this kinda work.”

While Sebek and Grim glare at Skully because of his affectionate actions and the positive attention you're giving him, Jack cheerfully moves to pat both your and Skully’s shoulders. “That’s right! You can’t be the Pumpkin King if you don’t have a strong love for Halloween! That’s why I’m confident that you two will both do a great job!”

You chuckle, “Thank you. While I don’t think I can compete with the likes of you two in that regard, I’ll still do my best, so I won’t disappoint.”

“Nonsense, Yuu-san!” Skully replies, “Your love for Halloween is just as beautiful and passionate! That’s why you were able to touch everyone’s hearts earlier and why everyone was so quick to agree with Jack-sama’s idea to make you his temporary replacement!”

“Exactly!” Jack nods. “I can tell you’ve got a lot of love for Halloween in you, Yuu-kun, and so can everyone else! Your passion for our beloved Halloween is undeniable!”

“Which is pretty ironic, considerin’ Yuu technically hasn’t even actually ever properly celebrated Halloween.”

Upon hearing Grim’s casual remark, everyone on the town hall stage promptly freezes before slowly moving to fix their wide-eyed gazes on your partner.

At the same time, you look at him with obvious horror in your eyes as you hiss, “Grim!”

Completely oblivious to the fact that what he just said was the equivalent of unlocking Pandora’s box, Grim blinks. “What?”

It’s at that moment, after everyone else’s initial shock wears off, all hell breaks loose.

“WHAT?!”

Faster than you can blink, Jack and Skully, who are both now visibly distressed, start bodily shaking you like you’re a maraca, causing your hat to fall off your head.

“Is that true, Yuu-kun?!”

“Have you truly never celebrated Halloween before, Yuu-san?! Please say it isn’t so!”

Regrettably, you are unable to answer their questions right now because of how hard they’re shaking you since you’re more preoccupied with trying to fight off the extreme dizziness you’re now feeling. “Ugh.”

“Yuu (-san)!”

“Oi, Skellington, knock it off!”

“Unhand her, you fools!”

“Calm down, Jack-san, Skully! At this rate, you’re going to make Yuu sick!”

“Or worse, you’ll KO her, and then, we’ll have to somehow complete this ridiculous event without her! Do you understand how hard this kinda work will be without the protag?!”

Thankfully, while you’re unable to free yourself from Jack’s and Skully’s tight holds, Leona and Sebek are quickly able to respectively latch onto the two, who had been shaking you, and pull them away from you, with the help of Malleus, Trey, Epel, and Vil, who also moved to grab onto the distressed pair.

Because you’re so dizzy, your legs immediately give out once the shaking finally stops, but thankfully, Jamil and Azul come up from behind to catch you and gently lower you to the stage’s floor.

While the majority of your friends are yelling at Jack and Skully as well as at a confused Grim since it’s his fault this turn of events happened in the first place, Jamil uses his magic to wet his handkerchief before using the handkerchief to gently dab at your pale face. “Just close your eyes and wait for the dizziness to pass. Once you feel a little better, we can see about getting you something to drink since I have some medicine on me that should help.”

Of course, he does. Jamil truly is the most prepared man in all of Twisted Wonderland.

As you close your eyes, like he advised, you mutter, “Thank you, but I think I’ll be fine without the medicine. I just need to wait until the world stops spinning.”

Just after those words pass your lips, you feel a cool, pleasant breeze hit your face, making you release a content sigh.

Since it came from Azul’s direction, you’re quick to assume he used his magic in hopes that a fresh breeze will help you feel better. “Thank you, Azul-senpai. That feels really nice.”

“There’s no need to thank me, Yuu-san.” Azul replies, “I am simply taking care of one of my most valuable employees.”

“The clear embarrassment in your expression right now tells a different story, Azul. Fufu.”

“Nobody asked for your opinion, Jade!”

As expected, Jade wastes no time in taking advantage of an opportunity to tease Azul, who’s obviously not thrilled about being exposed.

Meanwhile, Jamil exasperatedly sighs, “If the two of you are going to start squabbling, go somewhere else and do it. Yuu will recover faster if she doesn’t have to listen to your nonsense.”

“Yes, you shouldn’t raise your voice while you’re positioned so closely to Yuu-san, Azul.” Jade chides, “You should be more considerate of her weakened condition.”

“I wouldn’t have raised my voice in the first place if it wasn’t for you.” Azul retorts, making sure to keep his volume low for your sake.

Chuckling, you reopen your eyes since your earlier dizziness has started to abate thanks to your friends’ help. “No need to worry about me. I’m already feeling better.”

“Of course, you would say that, considering how you are.” Jamil huffs, “Regardless of how you THINK you feel, you better remain seated while you give us an explanation for Grim’s earlier, poorly timed words.”

Since you had expected him to say that, you go along with his order to remain seated to appease him and because you don’t really feel like standing right now anyway. “Yes sir.”

After that exchange, you release a loud, shrill whistle to gain everyone else’s attention, successfully stopping all the yelling that had been going on while you were recovering.

“Good.” You remark once everyone goes quiet. “Let’s stop with all the yelling since Skully and Jack-san really didn’t have any bad intentions when they were shaking me, and their reactions were understandable, considering how much they both love Halloween.”

“Of course, that said, I would like to ask that no more shaking of my person happens from here on out since that wasn’t a very pleasant experience.” You dryly add, making Jade chuckle.

Skully frowns guiltily. “I apologize, Yuu-san. To think, I would let my emotions get the better of me and treat a lady in such a brutish manner. I am ashamed of myself.”

Wearing a similar expression, Jack apologizes, “I’m sorry too. Are you alright, Yuu-kun?”

“I’m alright.” You assure them. “And apologies accepted.”

After that exchange, you decide to address the bombshell that Grim had dropped earlier since, while it’s not exactly a topic you’re excited to talk about, you’d rather talk about that than have to keep assuring people that you’re fine since not everyone seems convinced.

That’s why you quickly say, “Moving on, let me provide an explanation for the bombshell that Grim dropped earlier.”

After briefly sparing your partner an annoyed look, to which he responds by hiding behind Epel’s legs, you continue, “To answer your earlier questions, while I am very familiar with Halloween and think highly of it, I have technically never actually celebrated the holiday before.”

“Not because I didn’t want to, of course.” You add, “I just never got the chance growing up ‘cause I was always busy with whatever was going on in my life at the time like schoolwork, chores, part-time work, etc. On every October 31st for as long as I can remember, I always had a very busy schedule.”

Which technically isn’t a lie since Japan’s underworld always hosted an underground cage-fight tournament on Halloween since the people in charge were apparently of the opinion that holidays were the perfect time to go all out when they entertained people with mindless violence and bloodshed.

And, because Mumei always expected a stellar performance from you, you always did a lot of extra training up until the day of the tournament, so that, along with all the other responsibilities you had, kept your schedule quite full.

Upon hearing your explanation for why you’ve never celebrated Halloween before, Jack and Skully simultaneously cup their faces as their now identical expressions become noticeably distraught.

At the same time, a lot of your friends look at you with noticeable pity, with Trey being the most blatant, no doubt because of Riddle, who’s the only one not really affected by how you spent Halloween in the past since the redhead likely spent all of his past Halloweens in a similar manner.

The only ones who don’t express any pity are Jamil, Sebek, and Leona, the latter two of whom look noticeably irate while the former just purses his lips and tightens his grip on his handkerchief that he has yet to put away.

Eventually, the awkward silence that had filled the air gets broken by a frowning Epel. “But, Yuu-san, what about last Halloween? You were with us at NRC, weren’t you?”

In complete sync, Riddle, Trey, and Sebek all grimace at Epel’s question while Azul, Jade, and Malleus start frowning.

At the same time, Leona’s posture abruptly stiffens, and you know their reactions are because those seven guys are the only ones here, aside from Grim, who know the answer to Epel’s question.

You worriedly glance over at Leona, who’s pointedly avoiding looking at you, before returning your gaze to Epel. “Yes, I was at NRC, but at the time, I was in the infirmary, under orders not to leave my bed until I was given a complete clean bill of health. That’s why I couldn’t participate in NRC's Halloween festivities last October.”

“Ace had tried to get her to sneak out, so she could go to the big party with the rest of us, but she wouldn’t do it.” Grim huffs, “I still don’t get that, considerin’ she had pretty much fully recovered by that point. Everyone who kept tellin’ her to stay in bed was just bein’ overly paranoid.”

“I caused everyone a lot of worry with my reckless actions back then.” You reply, “I wasn’t gonna cause any more trouble by disobeying the orders of the nurses who took such good care of me, so I did my best to be a model patient since it was the least I could do.”

“Ah, I understand now.” Jamil remarks, instantly earning everyone else’s attention. “This last year, Halloween took place the week following the Interdorm Spelldrive Tournament."

Immediately, realization dawns on the faces of your other friends who didn’t know how you spent last Halloween before the majority of your friends’ gazes focus on Leona, who just crosses his arms and closes his visible eye.

Jack and Skully are, of course, understandably confused by this turn of events, but thankfully, despite their shared penchant for being oblivious, they manage to successfully read the room and refrain from commenting on what’s obviously a very sensitive topic.

Regrettably, while he does refrain from bringing up the subject of Leona’s overblot, Jade has no reservations about stirring the pot once an opportunity presents itself. “Poor Yuu-san. To think, while the rest of us were completely unaware and enjoying ourselves at the Halloween party, she was left all by her lonesome in the infirmary. What a tragic way to spend Halloween. If only Azul, Floyd, and I had found out sooner rather than after the fact, then we could’ve visited her that day and kept her company.”

“Tragic?” Skully murmurs, so quietly that no one hears him.

Meanwhile, as Malleus’s frown deepens, both Riddle and Trey simultaneously flinch at the eel-mer’s words while Leona quietly growls under his breath.

Realizing Jade is taking shots at the people, whom you had become friends with by that point in the school year, you give him an annoyed look. “Knock it off, Jade-senpai. While it’s true I was confined to the infirmary, I still had a perfectly fine Halloween.”

While Skully perks up, Sebek, who had also looked upset because of Jade’s words despite the fact that the two of you hadn’t become friends yet by that point in the school year, raises an incredulous brow. “You did?”

“Yep.” You nod. “Throughout the day, all my friends from Heartslabyul and Savanaclaw paid me a visit, and so did Silver-senpai and Lilia-senpai. Trey-senpai even baked me a huge assortment of delicious treats, so I didn’t miss out on the treats aspect of Halloween.”

The corners of your lips curve upwards. “And, while the party was going on that night, Leona-senpai visited me, and we ended up playing chess together for hours. It was a lot of fun.”

When several people shoot him some incredulous looks, Leona, who has reopened his visible eye, dryly remarks, “Unlike SOME people I could name, I didn’t forget there was a girl in the infirmary while all the celebrating was going on - a girl who had a clear window view of all the ghosts that had ended up showing up for that party.”

Despite yourself, you wince when you recall, thanks to Leona, all the ghosts you had seen on Halloween night when you had looked out the closest window to check out the ongoing festivities, prompting Jamil to take hold of your hand and give it a comforting squeeze.

Meanwhile, realization dawns on Riddle’s and Trey’s horrified expressions, which quickly become guilty, because the position you were in that night really wasn’t ideal for someone who has a ghost phobia. That's also the reason why Malleus is now sporting a deep, remorseful frown.

Upon seeing their reactions, you give Leona a chiding look. “Leona-senpai…”

In response, Leona just clicks his tongue, obviously having received your unspoken message about you not liking his attack on the people here, whom you had been friends with by the point in the school year when the Halloween party had occurred.

After that exchange, you decide to pick up where you left off earlier when you were talking about your last Halloween. “As I said earlier, I had a lot of fun during last year’s Halloween, because, even though I didn’t get to spend the whole day with them, I still got to have some fun with my friends, which I had never gotten to do before. That’s why last year’s Halloween was the best one I’ve ever had.”

A warm smile rises to your lips. “Because, to me, the ‘best Halloween’ is one where I’m with friends and not alone.”

“Yuu (-san) (-shi)...”

When you share your ideal Halloween with everyone, several of your friends quietly call out your name while the majority of them don somber expressions, with Riddle’s and Trey’s being especially poignant. Epel and Sebek even have tears in their eyes, making you regret saying something that made your sons look so sad.

“I completely agree, Yuu-kun!”

Catching everyone else off guard, Jack makes that declaration before he draws closer to you and kneels down in front of you. “There's no meaning in a Halloween spent alone.”

Skully, who, unbeknownst to you, has been silently staring at you with wide eyes since you shared your ideal Halloween, jolts as if he’s been slapped. “Eh? No…meaning…?”

You internally cringe in response to Skully’s words. Damn. Jack just said the worst possible thing in front of the guy who has spent all of his past Halloweens alone. If I had known this was how things would’ve played out, I would’ve just kept my mouth shut.

Completely oblivious to what’s going on with Skully, Jack reaches over to pat your shoulder. “Everyone’s screams coming together is what makes Halloween. It'd be boring otherwise.”

“Halloween is something everyone does together, not something you do alone.” He smiles, “Everyone scares, everyone screams, everyone spends Halloween together. That’s how it always should be.”

As the majority of your friends either give Jack exasperated looks or give Skully, who has gone completely still and is now noticeably pale, concerned and wary looks, the oblivious skeleton’s smile grows. “And Halloween will be even more fun this year because you all will be there to spend it with us! That’s why I’m looking forward to it so much!”

In a blink, Jack springs to his feet. “Especially since this will be your first proper Halloween! That’s going to make it extra special!”

He starts heading toward the edge of the stage. “I better share this important news with the rest of the town, so they’ll know they need to pull out all the stops for Yuu-kun’s sake! Halloween Town can’t have someone’s first Halloween be anything less than the absolute best, after all!”

“Don’t worry, Yuu-kun, we’ll make sure that your first Halloween is as dreadful and terrifying as possible!” Jack cheerfully adds.

Regrettably, even though it was Jack’s intention to assure you, you don’t feel the least bit comforted by his words, because the kind of Halloween Jack is talking about is the last thing a person with a horror phobia wants.

Your expression blanches. Oh, shit. I am so screwed…

Thankfully, before Jack can get too far, Sebek, Epel, Trey, and Riddle, who had taken notice of your pale features along with the rest of your friends, all panickily rush to grab onto the startled skeleton, preventing him from leaving the stage.

Jack blinks in surprise as he looks down at everyone who latched onto him. “Is something wrong?”

The four, who grabbed Jack, exchange looks, no doubt trying to figure out how to explain how a terrifying Halloween is a horrible idea for someone like you who has a horror phobia without actually bringing up said phobia since explaining your phobia would surely become a complicated discussion with the Master of Fright.

Thankfully, Vil comes to the rescue. “It’s all well and good that you want to make Yuu’s first Halloween the best it can possibly be, Jack-san, but you shouldn’t immediately jump to conclusions about what would be best for her without even asking for her input.”

“Y-Yeah!” Idia quickly chimes in. “People like me and Yuu-shi hate being in the spotlight, so you normies only cause us trouble when you suddenly force us to be the center of attention, all the while assuming it’s what we want!”

“Oh yeah, Yuu hates being in the spotlight, unlike yours truly.” Grim agrees, “So, if the whole town focused on her like they plan on doing with Jack, she probably won’t have much fun.”

“Yuu-san definitely won’t have any fun.” Azul huffs, correcting your partner’s last sentence.

“She’ll be lucky if she survives until the end of Halloween.” Jamil mutters, knowing full well that your heart would surely give out if you had to spend the whole holiday being scared by a whole town’s worth of people.

Having overheard Jamil, Jade chuckles as he gently pats your head. “It would be an unforgettable Halloween without question, but it wouldn’t be the good kind of unforgettable, unfortunately.”

Jack frowns, “Oh dear, we can’t have that! I want Yuu-kun to have lots of fun along with the rest of us!”

As he and the others, who had grabbed Jack earlier, finally release their holds on the Pumpkin King, Riddle replies, “Then, I suggest you refrain from telling everyone in town about Yuu never having celebrated Halloween before, so they won’t give her any special attention.”

“She’ll already get plenty of attention just by being your replacement, so we really shouldn’t take any chances by putting any extra stress on her shoulders.” Trey adds as he adjusts his glasses.

Leona gives Jack a sharp, warning look as his visible eye narrows. “So keep your mouth shut.”

A pleasant warmth envelops your chest in response to the words and actions of your friends, who were all so quick to come to your aid. I have the best friends ever.

“If that’s what Yuu-kun would prefer, then I promise I won’t tell everyone about this being her first Halloween.” Jack says, successfully pulling you away from your thoughts.

He frowns, “But I hate the thought of not doing something special for her. After all, you only get your first Halloween once.”

The warmth inside your chest grows stronger when you see how much Jack wants to make your first Halloween special. “Jack-san…”

It really means a lot to you that Jack feels that way despite having just met you since The Nightmare Before Christmas and its characters have always been so dear to you for as long as you can remember, although you understand that Jack is acting like this because he’s a kind person, who wants the best for everyone when it comes to celebrating Halloween.

Even though you personally don’t think anything special needs to be done for you since you’re sure to have an amazing first Halloween, just because you’ll be spending it with so many of your friends and the characters of a beloved movie from your childhood, you can understand Jack’s feelings since Halloween is so important to him.

That’s why, while you don’t want to be the center of attention, you’re not completely against Jack doing something special to celebrate your first Halloween, just as long as you can avoid spending the whole day getting scared.

Scaring is a big part of Halloween to Jack, though, so I have no idea what else we could do that would manage to satisfy him. You think to yourself. I’m sure that, no matter what ideas are suggested to him, Jack will find a way to make them scary, like what the town did to Christmas in the movie.

Still, I suppose it wouldn’t be too bad if Jack was the only one giving me that kinda special attention since I’d rather have only one person trying to terrify me rather than a whole town. You muse. Even though he’s the Master of Fright, I think I’d be able to survive just as long as everyone makes sure he doesn’t make things TOO scary…

It’s at that moment realization suddenly strikes you like a lightning bolt. Wait a minute. I just realized…the idea I proposed for how to celebrate this year's Halloween involves everyone BUT Jack getting to do some scaring. Since I made him everyone’s target, Jack won’t get the opportunity to do what he does best.

Upon realizing that, you feel the urge to smack yourself. I’m an idiot. I can’t believe I left out the Pumpkin King himself. No matter how important getting him out of his creative slump is, I can’t just deprive him of the thing he loves doing most every Halloween, even if he is being a good sport about it.

Thankfully, recent events have provided just what you need to take care of the major fault in your Halloween plans.

Quickly, you, after returning your hat to your head, hold up a hand to Jade, silently asking for him to help you stand, and thankfully, the eel-mer kindly obliges.

At the same time, Jamil and Azul immediately rise out of their crouched positions and hover nearby, as if expecting you to lose your balance, even though you really are fine now.

After thanking Jade and giving those two a reassuring smile, you focus your gaze on Jack. “Jack-san, since you’ve temporarily given me your title, how about you temporarily take mine in exchange?”

In complete sync, everyone on the town hall stage replies, “Huh?”

Chuckling, you explain, “Back at our school, I’m called the Ramshackle Prefect. I’m essentially in charge of keeping the peace at school and making sure everyone gets along.”

Jabbing a thumb at Grim, you wryly add, “I’m also in charge of keeping Grim under control since, when left to his own devices, there’s no telling what kind of mischief he’ll get into. He needs constant monitoring.”

Grim releases a loud, offended gasp. “I do not!”

“Yes, you do.” All of your other friends dryly reply simultaneously, making you snort and Grim scowl.

A grin rises to your lips. “Since, from here on out, I’ll be busy helping the citizens of Halloween Town, I wanna put you in charge of looking after all my friends, AND…”

Your grin grows. “I want you to be in charge of my first Halloween celebration, which I would like to be a surprise, just as the tests of courage will be a surprise for you.”

“Oh!” Jack’s face lights up. “I see! While you’re helping all my friends with our town’s Halloween preparations, I can plan a special Halloween surprise for you with the help of your friends! What a splendid idea!”

He excitedly claps his hands. “I’m sure to learn all sorts of new, fun things about Halloween if I work together with people from another world! How exciting!”

“I’m glad you like the idea.” You reply, “It just came to me after I realized that my big plans for Halloween don’t give you the opportunity to do much scaring, so I figured this would be a great way for you to have your fun while everyone else is making their preparations to surprise you.”

“Ah, now that you mention it, since everyone will be aiming to scare Skellington in hopes of inspiring him, there isn’t much room for him to do any scaring himself.” Malleus nods in understanding. “It would be unfortunate if he can’t partake in an activity he enjoys on his favorite holiday, so I agree it’s a good idea to give him something he can work on while everyone else is preoccupied.”

“As Malleus-sama so wisely pointed out, it’s important that everyone in Halloween Town has an enjoyable Halloween, so I also think Yuu’s idea is a good one.” Sebek comments before giving you a concerned look. “Although…”

“Although that means Yuu-shi is literally making herself the sacrificial lamb.” Idia bluntly finishes your son’s sentence. “Typical shounen protag…”

Before a puzzled Jack can question Idia’s words, you quickly say, “I have complete faith that, as long as you guys work together, you’ll be able to put together an awesome surprise.”

“An awesome surprise that I will be able to wholeheartedly enjoy.” You add, as you give all of your friends a pointed look, hoping that they’ll get the implied message that they’re in charge of keeping Jack under control so he won’t go too far with his scaring efforts.

Thankfully, judging from the looks on their faces, it seems they’ve received your unspoken request since most of them give you a nod.

“R-Right!” Epel grins, “Just leave it to us, Yuu-san! Together with Jack-san, we’ll come up with the best Halloween surprise ever!”

Jamil pats your shoulder. “We’ll make it work out, and we’ll also use the information we’ll gather from the tests of courage to ensure we do something completely new and original since it wouldn’t be much fun if we just end up copying what everyone else is doing.”

In other words, Jamil intends to keep Jack from doing anything as frightening as the residents of Halloween Town intend to do during the tests of courage by using the excuse that they can’t copy the townsfolk.

While you give Jamil a grateful look, Jack grins, “Agreed! I definitely don’t want to copy the others, and I want to take full advantage of this opportunity to put together something special for Halloween, the likes of which this town has never seen!”

“Because there’s nothing more fun than doing something completely new!” He cheerfully adds.

Unfortunately, not everyone feels the same way. You think to yourself as you look over at Skully, who has been completely silent for a while now, ever since his idol said that a Halloween spent alone is completely meaningless.

Up until this point, Skully’s gloomy demeanor has gone unaddressed, because the rest of you had gotten completely wrapped up in addressing the matter of what to do for your first Halloween.

Plus, most of your friends aren’t the type of people to get involved in other peoples’ personal matters or show concern on the behalf of someone they hardly know, so the guys, who took notice of Skully’s current state, probably decided to leave this matter to you since dealing with this kind of thing is more of your specialty.

At first, you had thought it would be better to leave Skully be for the time being since you didn’t want to risk bringing any unnecessary attention to him by approaching him while the others are around, but you're now reconsidering that decision since it’s really worrying you how quiet Skully has been all this time, especially considering how pale he now looks.

Fortunately, an opportunity to check on Skully presents itself soon after you find yourself wanting to approach him.

In the most unexpected way possible.

“Ja~ck!”

Much to everyone’s surprise, just as you’re considering approaching Skully to check to see how he’s doing, three unexpected voices suddenly call out to Jack simultaneously.

Your surprise quickly turns into apprehension, because you instantly recognize those voices. Oh no, not them…

As you turn to look at where the voices came from, internally groaning all the while, three masked children, who seemingly came out of nowhere, scamper over to the stage where you and everyone else are still standing.

Two of the children are boys, one of whom is wearing a devil costume while the other is dressed like a skeleton, and the sole girl of the group is dressed like a witch.

“Lock, Shock, and Barrel!” Jack exclaims, looking noticeably surprised. “What are you three doing here? You guys don’t normally attend our town meetings.”

“‘Cause they’re normally super boring.” Lock, the boy dressed like a devil, bluntly replies, “But we had nothing better to do, so when we heard the mayor call for a town meeting, we came to see if you would talk about something fun.”

“And you did!” Barrel, the boy dressed like a skeleton, cheerfully pipes up. “Getting to scare you with these bent guys sounds like a lotta fun! Ooheehee!”

“We can join the fun, right, Jack?” Shock asks, “We promise we won’t cause any trouble this year, and we’ll be really helpful with getting ready for Halloween!”

Upon seeing how Shock has her hand behind her back, your eyes narrow. She’s definitely crossing her fingers behind her back, like the kids did in the movie. They must be up to something.

Judging from the wary expressions the majority of your friends are wearing, they obviously feel similarly since Lock, Shock, and Barrel aren’t very good at lying.

Regrettably, the same can’t be said for Jack, who, after thoughtfully eyeing the children and crossing his arms for a moment, nods. “We are going to need as many helping hands as we can get in order to be ready in time for Halloween, so I’ll allow you kids to be a part of the Halloween preparations.”

He smiles, “And we can’t just leave you guys out of all the fun we’re going to have since you’re all a part of Halloween Town too.”

“Yay!” The children cheer, “Thanks, Jack!”

As several of your friends sigh, you do the same before realizing that this is the perfect chance to approach Skully since everyone else’s, sans his, attention is now completely focused on Lock, Shock, and Barrel.

Covertly, you make your way over to Skully’s current position, moving slowly so your movements won’t earn you the attention of anyone, and you’re mostly successful in this endeavor since the only ones who look your way are Jamil and Leona, which is to be expected, considering nothing gets past those two.

Since you’re sure they can tell what you’re up to, you don’t bother trying to explain your actions to them and instead focus your full attention on Skully, whom you’re now standing in front of.

Proving just how out of sorts he is, Skully doesn’t react to your approach, making you think he’s completely lost in thought right now.

After briefly debating how to approach this situation, you reach out to take hold of one of Skully’s hands and give it a gentle squeeze.

Unsurprisingly, Skully jolts in response to your actions before finally focusing his attention on you. Within seconds, he plasters on the fakest smile you’ve ever seen. “My apologies, Yuu-san. I was so lost in thought that I failed to give your wonderful presence the acknowledgement it deserves.”

Not liking the sight of that fake smile, you frown, “Skully, please don’t force yourself to smile. I know you’re upset ‘cause of everything Jack-san said earlier about Halloween, and I don’t want you to think you have to hide that, especially when you’re hurting to such a great degree.”

His smile briefly falters before he quickly composes himself. “You are most kind, Yuu-san, but please do not worry yourself on my account. I am alright.”

Your frown deepens. “You’re not, and don’t you dare try to convince me otherwise. I’m not blind or dumb, Skully.”

This time, his smile completely falls, but that’s the only kind of response you get from Skully, who obviously doesn’t know what he should say now.

You give his hand a strong squeeze. “This isn’t the time or place for a heart-to-heart, so I’m not gonna push you to talk to me, and even if we were alone, I wouldn’t force you to talk about anything that you don’t want to talk about.”

Looking into his shaded eyes, you earnestly continue, “I just want you to know that I’m here for you, and I have no intention to leave you alone.”

As his breath catches, you softly add, “And I want to remind you that, regardless of what you’ve recently heard, your feelings are still perfectly valid. There’s nothing wrong with the way you feel, Skully.”

When the hand you’re holding begins to tremble, you sandwich it between both of your hands and smile, “Regardless of everyone’s separate views on Halloween, I still want to celebrate my first Halloween with you, Skully. I want to work together with you to make it the best Halloween ever.”

Your warm smile softens. “That’s why I’ll support you with all I’ve got and ask that you do the same for me.”

With a quiet sniffle, an obviously emotional Skully shakily whispers, “T-Thank you…”

Thankfully, much to your relief, it seems that your words managed to successfully reach Skully and pull him out of the emotional bog he had been slowly but steadily sinking into.

Of course, you know you’re not out of the woods just yet since nothing really has been resolved. You’ve only succeeded in showing Skully that he’s not alone and temporarily distracting him from all his worries.

Still, you’ve made progress, which is always something to celebrate, and now, Skully looks as if he’ll be able to participate in future conversations with everyone and won’t sink further into himself.

Regrettably, you’re unable to relax for long, because, within seconds after you make progress with Skully, a loud peal of thunder suddenly fills the air, making you and Skully both jolt.

It’s the sound of thunder that finally draws your attention away from Skully and makes you finally take notice of what’s currently going on with everyone else.

“Ahahahahaha!”

“Fnagh! Let go of my tail!”

Much to your dismay, while you were completely focused on Skully, Lock managed to grab a hold of Grim’s tail and is now using his grip on Grim’s tail to swing your poor partner around.

Unfortunately, Lock isn’t the only one causing trouble since Barrel is chasing after Riddle and Trey, trying to offer them a lollipop that he obviously had already licked on, much to their noticeable disgust.

However, the worst troublemaker of all is, without question, Shock, who somehow ended up on Malleus’s shoulders and is currently tugging on your friend’s horns, because she wants some of her own.

Needless to say, it takes no time at all for you to figure out that Malleus is the source of the thunder you just heard, because his expression is absolutely livid.

To make matters even worse, Jamil is passed out on the floor for some reason, making you wonder if the kids showed him a bug, considering only his bug phobia could result in an outcome like this.

All you can do is stare. How did utter hell break loose when I couldn’t have been distracted for more than five minutes?!

Upon seeing how close Malleus is to smiting Shock, you quickly pull yourself away from your thoughts, because you need to take action in order to stop your friend since Jack isn’t having much luck in getting the kids to behave themselves since the skeleton thinks he’s to blame for current events, because he was the one who agreed to allow the children to stick around.

Quickly, you release a shrill whistle that’s loud enough to make everyone freeze in place.

“That’s enough!” You point at the children as you scowl, “Didn’t you guys just promise Jack-san that you wouldn’t cause any trouble? If you don’t wanna be accused of breaking that promise, you better behave yourselves, or else, you’re going to get the most boring Halloween preparation jobs we can find! Like grave digging!”

Jack grins, “Oh, an excellent idea! There’s always a need for grave digging on Halloween!”

As all of your friends give the skeleton incredulous looks, Lock, Shock, and Barrel all dramatically gasp in dismay. “Anything but that!”

In a blink, the children stop terrorizing your friends, much to everyone’s relief, and even better, Malleus also starts to calm down.

You sigh in relief. “Crisis averted.”

At least, that's what you thought until the bad kid trio rushes toward you and latches onto your hands and one of your legs.

Glaring, Sebek scowls, “You impudent hellions! Release Yuu at once!”

“But I wanna play with her!” Shock tugs on your hand. “Let’s play, Yuu!”

“Yeah, you seem way less boring than these other guys.” Lock pipes up as he pulls on your other hand. “Let’s have some fun together!”

“Pretty please?” Barrel, who has his arms and legs wrapped around your right leg, asks, giving you some puppy dog eyes.

You eye him suspiciously. I don’t trust those eyes. You kids are definitely up to something, as per usual.

“Huh, now, that’s a surprise.” Jack comments, “I’ve never seen those three be that friendly with someone before. They’ve really taken a shine to Yuu-kun.”

His reaction makes you further convinced that the bad kid trio is up to no good since they’re acting so uncharacteristically.

Just what are these kids plotting?

As you’re trying to figure out the children’s hidden agenda, Leona scowls, “Don’t just stand there like a damn Halloween decoration, Skellington. Get those damn brats under control. Don’t let them just do as they please.”

“Agreed.” Vil frowns, “Regardless of how the children feel about Yuu, they’re clearly invading her personal space without giving any regards to her own feelings.”

“Ugh. These kids really are the worst.” Idia grimaces, “An introvert's worst nightmare…”

“Hmm. I suppose you’re all right.” Jack nods before focusing his attention back on the kids. “Lock, Shock, Barrel, it’s good that you three like Yuu-kun so much, but you shouldn’t trouble her, so please release her.”

“But, Jack, we just wanna help!” Shock replies, “If we wanna show her all the fun places around Halloween Town, we gotta guide her by hand, right?”

Lock quickly nods. “Right! And since Yuu’s new here, she needs a guide, so she can do a good job at being your replacement.”

“And we’re excellent guides!” Barrel chimes in. “We’ll take Yuu everywhere she needs to go! We’ll even show her where our awesome tree house is, so when we're not around, she’ll know where to find us if she ever needs our help!”

Upon hearing the word “treehouse”, your face blanches, because all you can think about is who lives under that treehouse.

The Boogeyman… Your eyes widen with dread. Oh, shit. Are these kids targeting me ‘cause Oogie Boogie is in need of a new meal and he likes women?

Because why else would Barrel bring up the treehouse? Obviously, the children want to encourage you to visit it.

After all, hunting for Oogie’s next meal will be a whole lot easier if their prey comes to them.

You’re soon pulled away from your horror-filled thoughts when Jack remarks, “Oh, that’s surprisingly thoughtful of you kids. You’re right that Yuu-kun needs a guide, so maybe it would be for the best to leave that important job to you three.”

Pure panic washes over you like a tidal wave when you hear Jack’s response since the last thing you want is to have Oogie’s henchmen acting as your guides.

That’s why you quickly open your mouth to protest, just like several of your friends, who all take notice of how visibly uncomfortable you are with the idea of being stuck with Lock, Shock, and Barrel.

However, much to everyone’s surprise, the first person to respond to Jack’s remark isn’t you or any of them.

“Actually, Jack-sama, Yuu-san will not be in need of a guide.”

Immediately, all eyes fall on Skully, who is thankfully back to his old self, for the time being anyway.

“Huh?” Lock, Shock, and Barrel all reply simultaneously.

At the same time, Jack blinks in surprise. “Really?”

Nodding, Skully smiles, “You see, Yuu-san, like myself, prefers to explore new areas without maps or guides, because we both enjoy the adventure of solving the many wonderful mysteries we encounter as we tread along paths unknown.”

His smile grows. “And that would especially be the case for a dream-like place such as Halloween Town, which I’m sure is filled with more wonderful surprises than we can count.”

“So please do not concern yourself with this matter, Jack-sama.” He continues, “I can assure you that Yuu-san and myself will be able to acclimate to our new environment without any trouble.”

A matching smile appears on Jack’s face. “What a coincidence! That’s exactly how I feel when it comes to exploring new places.”

“Alright, I’d hate for you and Yuu-kun to miss out on all the fun of exploring our wonderful town, so I won’t worry about assigning guides to the two of you.” He adds, “Instead, the kids can guide the rest of you Twisted Wonderland folks around town.”

Much to your amusement, in complete sync, all of your friends retort, “No, thanks!”

Meanwhile, Skully directs his attention to Lock, Shock, and Barrel. “Now that that matter is all settled, please release Yuu-san, Lock-sama, Shock-sama, Barrel-sama. If you continue to cling to her, you will only further trouble her.”

Rather than heed his request, the children all adamantly shake their heads as they tighten their grips on you, proving just how determined they are to get their way.

“Even if Yuu doesn’t need a guide, we still wanna play with her!” Shock declares as she uses her whole body to cling onto your arm, just like what Lock is now doing.

“Yeah!” Lock and Barrel agree, “Let’s play!”

To the great annoyance of pretty much everyone present, the bad kid trio proceeds to loudly chant the phrase “Let’s play!” over and over again, obviously thinking that doing this enough times will eventually lead to you getting so worn out that you’ll give into their demands just to get them to shut up.

Your eyebrow rapidly twitches. These brats are lucky that I always go easy on children, regardless of how they act. Otherwise, I would’ve lost my temper by now.

Because of all the children you failed to save back in Japan’s underworld, you’ve become the kind of person who always fights to protect kids and can’t ever be rough with them.

That’s the reason why you’ve allowed the kids to continue to cling onto you this whole time despite their irritating behavior and the fact that you want nothing to do with Oogie Boogie’s loyal henchmen.

However, even your patience has its limits, so you obviously need to do something about these children before you finally snap.

As you futilely begin trying to pry the stubborn children off of you, chiding them for their bad manners all the while, Riddle frowns, “Such unruly, ill-mannered children. Perhaps losing their heads will help them learn how to behave themselves.”

When his childhood friend reaches for his magic-pen, Trey holds up his hands placatingly. “Now, now, Riddle. Let’s not be hasty here. It’s true we need to do something about these kids, but I don’t think using your Unique Magic on them is the way to go.”

“Magic will not be necessary!” Sebek stomps over to where you’re standing. “I will simply remove these hellions by force!”

“I’ll help too!” Epel chimes in as he follows after Sebek.

Growling, Grim scurries over to where you’re standing. “Let go of my henchman, you brats!”

Unfortunately, despite your sons’ best efforts, they’re unable to pry Lock, Shock, and Barrel off of you, which is rather surprising, considering how physically strong Sebek is.

As all of your sons start scowling and complaining about the kids, who blow raspberries at them despite wearing masks, all of the dorm leaders and Jamil direct their own ire at an apologetic Jack for being unable to control the residents of his town. All the while, an amused Jade just watches the proceedings, seemingly enjoying all of the ongoing chaos.

After several seconds pass like this, Skully frowns, “I did not want to be so rude to anyone from Halloween Town, but…as you are causing such trouble for Yuu-san and Jack-sama and also making such an unpleasant racket, it can't be helped.”

Upon hearing those words, you turn to look at Skully, and your eyes promptly widen when you see that he’s building up his magic and getting ready to use it. “Skully?”

“Light the lantern.” Skully grins as he uses his hands to do the pose that makes them resemble Jack’s collar. “Scary Night.”

In a blink, it happens. One second, you have three unruly children clinging onto you, and in the next, you’re finally free from their clutches, because they completely disappear from view after being swallowed by a cloud of smoke, which came out of nowhere. When the smoke eventually clears, you see three jack-o-lanterns, which are now on the floor before you.

For a moment, the room is completely silent, and then, everyone, the jack-o-lanterns included, finally reacts.

“EH?!”

After everyone shouts in surprise, Jack exclaims, “T-The three of them...turned into jack-o-lanterns!”

Leona scrutinizes Skully and the jack-o-lanterns. “Is that Skully's Unique Magic..?”

“What's with this?!” Lock shouts, once again demonstrating that the kids can talk while in their current forms. “What happened to us?!”

“You idiots turned into pumpkins!” Shock says, stating the obvious.

“So did you!” Barrel points out.

Grim stares at them with amazement. “The pumpkins are talkin’...!”

“I don't wanna stay like this forever!” Shock whines, obviously having had enough of her new look.

“Me either!” Lock and Barrel simultaneously agree.

In complete sync, the jack-o-lanterns loudly demand, “Turn us back!”

Smiling, Skully thoughtfully rubs his chin. “Hmm. In exchange, will you promise me that you'll stay quiet and not cause any further trouble for Yuu-san and Jack-sama?”

Without hesitation, the children answer, “We will, we will! We'll be quiet and won’t cause any more trouble!”

Appearing satisfied, Skully nods. “Very well then. It’s a promise.”

Seconds later, the jack-o-lanterns disappear from sight after getting enveloped by a cloud of smoke, and in their place, once the smoke clears, you see Lock, Shock, and Barrel, who are all back to normal.

Jack smiles, “Oh, they're back to normal.”

With a smile, you turn to face Skully and take hold of his hand, so you can give it a squeeze. “Thank you, Skully. You were a huge help just now. I really appreciate you intervening before things could get further outta hand.”

Your smile grows. “Being able to turn people into jack-o-lanterns must be your Unique Magic, right? That’s really impressive, and it perfectly suits a Halloween lover like yourself. What a cool Unique Magic.”

Flushing, Skully bashfully smiles, “To receive such kind words from someone as wonderful yourself is an honor. Thank you. It brings me great joy to hear my Unique Magic receive such generous praise.”

Unbeknownst to you since your full attention is on Skully, an obviously jealous Sebek starts glaring at Skully. “Grrr..!”

Meanwhile, Lock earns everyone’s attention when he remarks, “That surprised me. The stupid faces you two made were the best, though.”

Shock grins, “Never though the day'd come where I'd be a pumpkin.”

Barrel laughs, “Funny! Do it again!”

As you and several others give the kids incredulous looks, Trey shakes his head. “They seem to be having fun...somehow…”

Azul tilts his head. “...oya? Skully-san, are you not going to get mad at them for being noisy again? I thought there was no doubt that you would simply change Lock-san and the others back into jack-o-lanterns again.”

Skully frowns, “Actually... I'm still not very skilled with my Unique Magic...After I use it once, I can't do it again for some time.”

He cups his cheeks as he shakes his head. “It is... an embarrassing limitation.”

“That's nothing to be embarrassed about.” Riddle replies, “After all, your Unique Magic involves full human transmutation magic.”

Vil nods in agreement. “Transforming yourself with potions or magic is already difficult, but ‘forcefully changing a person's shape’ magic is even more so. Even doing it once is a very high-level thing.”

“Yeah.” Leona agrees, “I don't know if you'd be able to use it on someone with powerful magic, but as a surprise, it's a good trick.”

“Agreed.” Trey smiles, “And, Skully, you're still a first year. There's a distinct possibility that with some practice you'd be able to do it even more often.”

“I thought you were just a Halloween idiot, but you might be an herbivore with more to you than I expected.” Leona comments.

A grin rises to your lips. “If all these skilled upperclassmen are saying as much, you really are just as impressive as I thought, Skully. After all, these guys wouldn’t say stuff like this unless they meant it.”

Skully’s blush darkens as he continues to cup his cheeks. “Oh my. I am but a humble, ordinary person, but to have all you lovelies compliment me so is an honor.”

Unfortunately, this tender moment doesn’t last for long thanks to a jealous Sebek who has obviously hit his limit. “I am far more impressive than that human!”

Almost everyone flinches at the sound of Sebek’s yell, which reverberates throughout the whole building.

Leona scowls at him. “Yelling like that out of nowhere, my ears hurt.”

You give your son an exasperated look. “Sebek, this isn’t a competition. There’s no need to get so worked up, just ‘cause Skully’s Unique Magic is getting praised.”

“I am not competing!” Sebek unconvincingly denies, “I am just informing you of my superiority over him!”

While you tiredly sigh, Leona rolls his eyes. “That is competing, isn't it?”

Meanwhile, Malleus, who was the only one completely unaffected by his retainer’s shouting, continues to study Skully with interest, just as he’s been doing for the last several minutes. “Hoh. It is still rough, but it is interesting magic.”

Sebek looks at him with dismay. “Even M-Malleus-sama...!”

Desperate for a topic change since you really don’t want your son to get any more worked up than he already is, you decide to address something that’s been bothering you for a while now. “ANYWAY…how about we move on and do something about poor Jamil-senpai, who appears to still be unconscious? I’m getting worried about him.”

“Oh, I am sure that he is fine. More than likely, he has remained unconscious, because he still has the bug that Lock-kun gave him earlier in his hand.” Jade casually informs.

Surprise briefly crosses your features before anger quickly takes its place. “If you knew that was the problem, then get rid of the bug for him, you jerk!”

Quickly, you approach Jamil’s prone position, and after crouching down beside him, you grab the green bug in his hand, which looks just like the one that got boiled by Lock in The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Without hesitation, you throw the bug at a chuckling Jade, who smoothly dodges it, resulting in the bug landing on Azul, who was right behind him, causing the octo-mer to release a startled cry, much to the eel-mer’s delight.

After giving Azul a quick apology, you start gently shaking Jamil’s shoulders. “Jamil-senpai, I got rid of the bug for you. Please wake up before any of the bugs living in this building can crawl out of the floorboards and go after you.”

Much to your amusement, at your mention of the possibility of more bugs coming after him, Jamil abruptly wakes up with a panicked gasp and shoots straight up into a seated position.

As you sigh in relief and begin assuring Jamil that he’s safe now, Jack turns to look at Lock, Shock, and Barrel. “Alright, you three, if you really wanna help with the Halloween preparations, go see the mayor and draw some lots, so you can get put on a team.”

He wags a finger at them. “And, remember, no more causing trouble.”

Just as they did in the movie, Lock, Shock, and Barrel all simultaneously move one of their hands behind their backs, no doubt so they can cross their fingers, before replying, “Yes, Jack~!”

Thankfully, even though it’s obvious that they’re up to no good, the bad kid trio doesn’t try to cause any further trouble and instead obediently heads outside, so they can search for the mayor.

While that’s transpiring, Leona approaches you as you help Jamil rise to his feet. Keeping his voice low so Jack won’t overhear him, Leona asks, “What’s the deal with those three brats? You wouldn’t be so nervous around a bunch of kids if they weren’t dangerous in some way.”

Not at all surprised by Leona’s desire to find out the reason why you had been panicking earlier, you grimace, “The children themselves aren't really dangerous, which is why I didn't bring them up earlier at the alley, although I wouldn’t say they’re harmless either. It’s their boss that we need to worry about.”

Because he’s close enough to hear both you and Leona, Jamil narrows his eyes. “Their boss?”

Seeing that Jack has just finished seeing off Lock, Shock, and Barrel and is now turning to face the rest of you, you quickly whisper, “I’ll explain everything the next time everyone from NRC is alone together. For now, just make sure no one goes anywhere with those kids unless they have backup, and no matter what, do NOT let anyone go near their treehouse, which is just outside of town, since that's where their boss is 'cause Jack-san banished him and forbid him from ever coming back into Halloween Town. That's why I didn't bring him up earlier at the alley 'cause he's not technically a citizen of this town anymore.”

Before Leona or Jamil, both of whom you can tell would prefer to get answers to all of their questions now rather than later, can respond, Jack loudly claps his hands, instantly earning everyone’s attention. “Sorry, everyone. We got a little off track thanks to those kids.”

“A little is an understatement.” Idia mutters, giving the skeleton an unimpressed look.

Completely oblivious to the not-so-positive looks most of your upperclassmen are giving him because of how poorly he handled the bad kid trio, Jack continues, “Going back to the subject of preparing for Halloween, I say we move forward with the idea of us all working together to create a special surprise for Yuu-kun as well as for everyone in Halloween Town since it’ll be a perfect way to reward everyone for all their hard work!”

“And while we’re working on that, Yuu-kun and Skully-kun will be in charge of overseeing the preparations for everyone’s tests of courage.” He adds, “Considering we don’t have much time to get all this work done, I’m sure those two will be kept fairly busy these next three days, so the rest of us should be able to put together a surprise for Yuu-kun without worry of the surprise getting spoiled.”

As if to support Jack’s words, the mayor suddenly sticks his head into the building after partially opening the front door. “Yuu-kun, Skully-kun, our teams have been decided! Both teams want your help with making their project plans!”

You chuckle, “Guess that’s our cue.”

“Alright, Skully and I are off to work.” You smile at your friends. “I’ll see you guys later, probably once we figure out what test of courage teams you all should be on.”

“Hopefully, by that point, you guys will have a plan for my surprise, so we’ll be able to easily figure out how to best divide your time equally between your assigned tasks.” You add.

“Grim, be on your best behavior for Jack-san.” You give your partner a look. “If you don’t…”

“You’ll be on tonight’s menu.” Leona smirks, picking up where you left off, making Grim tremble with fear.

“I-I’ll be good!” Grim nervously replies, “I promise!”

Pleased, you nod. “Very good.”

Your gaze then focuses on Sebek and Epel. “You boys be good too. If you need any parental support or advice and can’t find me, rely on your upperclassmen or ask if Jack-san is willing to do the job.”

As the majority of your upperclassmen titter, much to the embarrassment of your two sons, Sebek scowls, “That will NOT be necessary!”

Epel pouts, “Yeah, we’ll be fine, so go ahead and go to work already!”

With a laugh, you move to exit the stage and head for the exit. “Alright, I’m off to work. Let’s go, Skully.”

After giving everyone a quick, polite bow, Skully hurries after you. “Yes! Let us go and work hard for the sake of Jack-sama and all the other wonderful people of Halloween Town, so we can give them the best Halloween!”

Your earlier good mood quickly dampens when you hear the forced cheer in Skully’s voice. Obviously, he’s putting up a strong front since he doesn’t want to make anyone worry, and he doesn’t want anyone to realize just how deeply affected he had been about his idol rejecting all of the lonely Halloweens he has had.

I really need to have a proper talk with him. You frown. But now’s not the time for that. Either I’ll have to wait for us to have a free moment together during the course of the day, or I’ll have to talk to him at the end of the day.

No matter what, you will definitely talk to Skully since you can’t just stand by and let him suffer in silence, because it’s just too painful for you to watch.

Even though we’ve only just met, I like Skully. You think to yourself. I can tell he’s a good boy at heart. That’s why he’s always so kind and gentle toward me and why he was quick to come to my aid when Lock, Shock, and Barrel were bothering me.

Skully is someone you want to become friends with, even though doing that will, in turn, make parting with him harder on you when it finally comes time for the two of you to return to your respective time periods.

Despite knowing that, you still intend to befriend him, because you want Skully to be able to enjoy the wonderful experience of having a friend.

You want him to have the same kinds of great experiences you’ve had since coming to Night Raven College and meeting all of the amazing guys you now call friends.

More than anything, however, you just don’t want this sweet boy to be alone anymore.

Your expression softens. Even though Skully says he likes spending Halloween in solitude, I know he doesn’t want to be alone all the time. He wouldn’t look so happy whilst being surrounded by people otherwise.

Unlike Idia, who’s always looking for a way to escape being around people, Skully always goes toward people, never away from them, because he wants to talk to them - to form a connection with them.

This boy is desperate for those kinds of emotional connections, and that, in turn, is probably why he’s so devastated by the fact that his idol doesn’t support his Halloween ideals - that his idol isn’t whom Skully expected him to be.

Because it means that Skully has essentially lost the one connection he had thought he had to the one person he had thought would be able to understand him due to their mutual, avid love of Halloween.

As a result, Skully is like a ship adrift at sea - a ship that has nothing to keep itself anchored when the storms start rolling in.

And when those tidal waves of negative emotions start crashing against him, Skully will have nothing to hang onto, so sinking will be inevitable, just like what happened earlier before you had reached out to him.

That’s why you need to continue reaching out to him; you need to give him something to cling onto, so he won’t drown - so he won’t end up in a place so deep that your hands will be unable to reach him.

So he won’t end up in a situation similar to what all of your friends, who have overblotted, experienced.

You bite your lip. Considering overblots only happen to powerful mages, Skully should be safe from that kinda horrible outcome, but I’m still worried about him regardless since his behavior reminds me of how Leona-senpai and the others acted prior to their overblots.

For that reason, you’re determined to not leave Skully alone. You weren’t able to prevent your friends’ overblots, but you will make sure to keep him safe.

Because this is one battle that you refuse to lose.

Chapter Text

Much to your surprise, when you and Skully exit Town Hall, you find yourself wincing and squinting due to the sunlight that hits your face immediately after you walk outside. Ugh. That’s bright. ‘Cause the town hall building’s windows are all covered with thick, dark curtains, I didn’t know the sun had come up while we were having that town meeting. Wish someone would’ve given me a warning…

This makes you wonder just what time it was when you and your friends arrived at Halloween Town and why everyone was awake at such an early hour, although you suppose you can understand the locals being unable to sleep when Halloween is only three days away, especially since, prior to your group’s arrival, they had no plans for how to celebrate Halloween this year.

You’re soon pulled out of your musings by the mayor, who quickly has you and Skully split up, so you each can be in charge of helping one of the test of courage teams with their project plans.

Much to your amusement, it’s during this time that you find out the team you’ll be helping has chosen “Team Terror” as its team name while the team Skully has been assigned to is calling itself “Team Horror”.

Obviously, coming up with innovative nicknames isn’t in any of the locals’ repertoire.

Naturally, you keep such thoughts to yourself, especially since it’s not like you’re an expert at naming things, and instead focus on helping Team Terror as much as you can, all the while feeling grateful for the fact that you don’t have to be the one who’s in charge of putting everything down on paper since they want to include drawings on their project plan, which is not something you’re at all good at doing due to your lack of art skills.

However, what you’re most grateful for is the fact that only Barrel ended up on Team Terror since you don’t know what you would’ve done if you had to worry about dealing with two or more of Oogie’s henchmen.

Plus, out of the three kids, you would consider Barrel the least dangerous since it’s always Lock and Shock, who do the majority of the scheming, although you have no intention to let your guard down around him since you know all of the children are bad news.

For that reason, you make sure to always keep Barrel in your line of sight as you answer all of the questions that the Halloween Town residents throw at you to the best of your ability.

Thankfully, the whole time you’re helping with the project plan, Barrel actually behaves himself since he just spends the whole time licking his lollipop, much to your immense relief.

Of course, you still have every intention to keep your guard up, because you know that Oogie’s henchmen are still up to no good. The fact that you haven’t seen any signs of Lock since you came outside is proof of that.

Maybe he had to go and give a report to Oogie Boogie about everything that happened during the town meeting. You think to yourself. It’s a one-man job, so I could see him slipping away to do that while Shock and Barrel remain behind to keep an eye on things in town.

You internally grimace. Ugh. The last thing I want is for Oogie to find out about me, but sadly, there’s nothing I can do about it. I’m sure the kids are under orders to always tell him about whatever girls they encounter since he seems to really like them, considering how he reacted to seeing Sally’s leg in the movie when she tried to distract him so she could save Santa Claus.

It would be just my luck to run into Oogie’s henchmen the first day I’m here. You release an inaudible sigh. Considering how rarely they come into town, I didn’t even think to consider what to do if I ran into them since I just automatically assumed I wouldn’t see them, at least not until much later, but of course, I could never be that lucky.

Obviously, this damn book you’re stuck in has it out for you. That’s the only explanation you can think of for you encountering Lock, Shock, and Barrel so soon after getting trapped inside its pages.

Just as things were a little off in Stitch’s story, as far as Gantu’s role in it was concerned, some adjustments were made here, so Oogie Boogie, who is very likely going to play the role of the antagonist of this story, or at least one of them since the alley incident that happened before the town meeting proved that there's also something dangerous inside of Halloween Town, not just outside, would find out that you’re in town and get a chance to have some fun at your expense.

Because things just can’t ever be easy for you, now can they?

Thankfully, much to your great relief, despite Shock and Barrel being present, no trouble arises while you and Skully are helping Teams Terror and Horror with their project plans, so the planning process proceeds smoothly for the most part.

The only real issue that comes up is that everyone has so many different ideas, so it takes a while for each team to come up with a plan that’s completely cohesive.

Fortunately, unlike the guys at your school, all of the Halloween Town residents are team-players and aren’t the type of people to insist that things should be done their way, so they’re all open to the suggestions that you and Skully make and are satisfied with the end result that comes about after you all work together to create project plans that will make everyone happy.

Even better, Skully manages to impress several of the locals with his scaring tactics; they give him a lot of compliments when he shares ideas about different ways they can try scaring Jack, which seemingly helps improve Skully’s mood, because his ideas are finally getting validated and aren’t getting called boring, much to your relief.

Once the two teams’ project plans have finally been completed, the teams submit them to the mayor before dispersing, so they can get to work on preparing for their tests of courage.

Much to your relief, Shock and Barrel also take their leave rather than try to pester you like they did inside Town Hall, although you have a feeling that they’re only leaving because they need to meet up with Lock rather than because they intend to help their respective teams since you still haven't seen any signs of Lock, and both Shock and Barrel didn’t appear too interested in working on the tests of courage.

After everyone else leaves, the mayor, who’s currently wearing his happy face, turns to look at you and Skully and exclaims, “That was a splendid planning session! You both did an excellent job in helping the teams put their ideas together to form cohesive project plans. We’re sure to have an especially horrifying Halloween this year thanks to you two. As expected of the people appointed by Jack!”

Smiling, Skully rests a hand over his heart as he elegantly bows. “I am honored by your praise. Thank you very much. I can only hope that I will continue to live up to your high expectations.”

The corners of your lips quirk upwards. “Things worked out so smoothly ‘cause everyone here is so nice, and they’re all team-players. They were all so respectful of each other’s ideas and just wanted to do whatever they could to make this Halloween the best ever, so it wasn’t difficult at all for my team to put a project plan together.”

While Skully cheerfully nods in agreement, you tilt your head curiously. “So, now that the project plans have been made, what should we do next, mayor? Is there anything pressing that needs to be addressed right away, or should we work on assigning my friends to the test of courage teams?”

“I say you should take care of your friends’ roles in the tests of courage next.” The mayor replies, “And after that, I think the two of you should make yourselves available to Teams Horror and Terror since I’m sure they will want to seek out your advice just like they normally do with Jack.”

“In the meantime, I will head back inside Town Hall to see if Jack needs me to do anything else.” He adds, “I’m also curious about what he and your friends are all doing in there since they have yet to leave the building despite how much time has passed.”

You internally grimace. Considering how my friends are, I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re still inside ‘cause they started arguing about what to do for my surprise since I know that getting them to make a project plan wouldn’t be nearly as easy as it was for the Halloween Town residents.

All you can do is cross your fingers and hope for the best since those stubborn, uncooperative boys are Jack’s responsibility now, not yours.

Although, I wouldn’t be surprised if I have to get involved eventually since not many people possess the ability to get NRC boys to behave, like I do. You dryly think to yourself.

Right after you think that, you’re pulled away from your thoughts when the mayor says that he’ll see you and Skully later when he comes to periodically check in with the two of you before he makes his way over to Town Hall.

As soon as the mayor is out of earshot, you reach over to pat Skully’s back. “You really did a great job earlier, Skully. I know all the ideas thrown your way didn’t really fit the kind of ideal Halloween you prefer, but you didn’t let your personal feelings get in the way and instead provided your team the help they needed.”

“And all of your scaring ideas were great, just as I had expected they’d be.” You add, “The locals were very impressed.”

Skully twitches in response to your words before, once again, trying to force a fake smile onto his lips. Before he can say anything, you surprise him when you reach up to pinch his cheek. “None of that fake smiling business, mister. I only wanna see your real smiles, which you do a great disservice to by trying to give me those fake ones.”

After you finish pinching his cheek, Skully hangs his head. “I apologize…”

Your expression softens. “You haven’t done anything that warrants an apology, Skully. I don’t blame you at all for being upset since Halloween is so important to you, and you love Jack-san so much. Of course, everything he said earlier would hurt you since it completely goes against how you’ve always celebrated your favorite holiday.”

While a now trembling Skully bites his lip, you continue, “There’s nothing wrong with feeling the way you do, and I also can’t blame you for wanting to hide it since most boys your age wanna always act tough in moments like this.”

You gently grab his chin, so you can make his gaze meet yours. “I just don’t want you to feel like you need to put up a strong front when you’re with me. I want you to just be yourself, negative emotions and all, when we’re together since, if we’re gonna be friends, I want us to be honest with each other.”

“And I just don’t like seeing that fake smile on your face since it makes me really sad.” You quietly add as you gently stroke his skin with your thumb.

“Yuu-san…” Skully murmurs, with noticeable emotion in his voice, as his trembling hand reaches out to you before pausing mid-air a moment later.

Softly smiling, you release your hold on his chin and use that hand to grab his outstretched hand, whose fingers you intertwine with yours. “I’m right here, Skully. We’re in this together, so you can rely on me as much as you want.”

Giving his hand a strong squeeze, you kindly whisper, “You’re not alone.”

His trembling becomes more pronounced as his breath hitches. Using his free hand that’s not tightly clutching yours, Skully pushes up his glasses, so he can scrub at his teary eyes. “T-Thank you very much…”

“Anytime, Skully, anytime.” You gently reply, all the while comfortingly squeezing his hand.

After he eventually finishes scrubbing away his tears, Skully brings your hand to his mouth and tenderly kisses your knuckles. “I promise I will refrain from showing you insincere smiles henceforth. A lady, who’s as lovely as you, inside and out, deserves only the best smiles I can offer, after all.”

Upon hearing that he won't give you any more fake smiles, which fills you with immense relief, you warmly smile, “I'm very happy to hear that. Thank you, for your promise and for being such a sweet and charming boy.”

Much to your delight, Skully starts cutely blushing when you compliment him, making you internally coo at how cute the precious boy is.

Even though you’d love nothing more than to have a proper talk with Skully so you can provide this sweet boy with even more support, you know this isn’t the time or place for it, especially when you have no way of knowing when the mayor will return, so you refrain from trying to get him to talk about everything that’s currently weighing on his mind.

Instead, you say, “For now, let’s focus on doing what we can as Jack-san’s temporary replacements. I’d hate to be caught slacking on the job.”

“Oh yes, I wouldn’t be able to face Jack-sama ever again if I was caught in such an embarrassing position.” Skully immediately replies, making you chuckle.

With that decided, you collect some parchment and a writing quill from the mayor’s car, both of which you pass off to Skully since he’s used to using the latter, unlike you, and his penmanship is so much nicer than yours.

Thankfully, Skully has no issue with being the one in charge of doing all the writing, because he’s a sweet boy, and you think he enjoys showing off his perfect calligraphy.

“Alright, so here’s the deal, Skully.” You say, once Skully is ready to start writing. “Despite what I said in the meeting earlier, deciding which NRC boy goes on which team isn’t gonna have anything to do with whose skills will contribute the best to whatever team they’re assigned to since I honestly think they each have enough skills that they can positively contribute no matter what team they’re on.”

He tilts his head curiously. “Then…what factors will be considered when making these team assignments?”

Looking him dead in the eye, you deadpan, “Whom they each can place nice with the best.”

There’s a long pause before a befuddled Skully replies, “Pardon?”

An amused huff escapes you. “I have no idea what NRC was like back in your day, but in the future, it becomes a school full of arrogant, self-centered, uncooperative boys. Unlike most normal people, these guys don’t play nice with others, not unless there’s something in it for them.”

“That’s why the Headmage enrolled me as a student.” You dryly reveal, “He had hoped that I’d be able to keep the peace on campus by using the beast-taming abilities he claimed I had.”

With a shrug, you add, “For the most part, he wasn’t wrong since I have been able to miraculously get these guys to work together on occasion, and my friends are always willing to hear me out, but at the end of the day, the guys are still prone to butting heads, especially when I’m not around.”

Much to your amusement, after another long pause, Skully worriedly asks, “Will Jack-sama be alright?”

All you can do is snort. “I’m sure he’ll be okay. While my friends are a handful, they’re not so bad that they’re impossible to work with. He’ll probably struggle a little at first, but I’m sure Jack-san will find a way to get everyone to work together. After all, he is the Pumpkin King - a person who can’t be daunted for too long.”

Skully perks up. “You’re right! No task is too great for Jack-sama! He can do anything!”

It won’t be easy for him, though, considering how my friends are. You wryly think to yourself. I’m sure Jack has never had to deal with people like them before, so he’s got quite the undertaking ahead of him. I wish him all the luck and then some ‘cause he’s definitely gonna need it.

And, of course, you were exactly right.

Deciding to get things back on track, you say, “Going back to the current task at hand, let’s decide who will be a part of Team Terror with me and Team Horror with you.”

After Skully nods, you continue, “I wanna first start off with Leona-senpai ‘cause he’s one of the guys who only gets along well with a small group of people, so essentially, he needs to be on one team while the people he can’t stand the most will all be put on the other team.”

“I think Leona-senpai should be on Team Terror since I’m the one he likes the most, and I will have the best chance of getting him to agree to do stuff that he might not wanna do otherwise.” You dryly add, “Which means Tsunotaro, Azul-senpai, and Jade-senpai automatically go on Team Horror, and I also feel inclined to include Vil-senpai on your team for good measure.”

“Is there a reason Leona-san does not get along well with those four in particular?” Skully curiously asks as he begins writing down the names you’ve reeled off thus far.

You idly twirl a strand of your hair around your finger. “When it comes to Leona-senpai’s dynamic with Tsunotaro and Vil-senpai, I’d say their personalities all just rub each other the wrong way, although there’s definitely more to it than just that.”

With a shrug, you add, “It’s hard to really put it into words, especially since you just met them. That’s why I’d recommend observing them since their typical exchanges will likely provide a better explanation than my words ever could.”

“As far as Azul-senpai and Jade-senpai are concerned, they and Jade-senpai’s twin brother, Floyd-senpai, are just not very popular amongst the masses.” You wryly explain, “They’re all about making deals that, in the end, will benefit themselves way more than the people they’re supposedly trying to help, although they never actually break any rules so they’re seemingly shady dealings are all above board.”

An amused huff escapes you. “That’s why they’re so vexing to a lot of people ‘cause they’re smart enough to do things in a way that they can’t be condemned for since they refrain from doing anything that’s technically against the rules.”

It’s at that moment you remember something important, which prompts you to quickly say, "Skully, if Azul-senpai or Jade-senpai try to offer you their ‘services’, just politely decline them, and whatever you do, do NOT sign any contracts that they try to offer you.”

Skully just stares. “....understood.”

After internally giving yourself a pat on the back for taking action to ensure Skully will be safe from the fish mafia, you decide to resume working on the team assignments for your friends who have yet to be assigned to a team. “Alright, going back to the team assignments, I say we place Epel on Team Terror ‘cause Leona-senpai likes him due to them being in the same club and ‘cause my son is a good, honest boy, who's nothing like the shady Azul-senpai and Jade-senpai.”

“Plus, I’m sure Epel will enjoy not being on the same team as Vil-senpai since it means he won’t have to worry about Vil-senpai hovering over his shoulder and keeping a close eye on him all the time.” You mutter underneath your breath.

Before Skully can try to ask you to repeat yourself since he obviously didn’t hear your muttered comment, you remark, “My other son, Grim, should also be on Team Terror, so I’ll be able to monitor him during the times when Jack-san can’t since obviously Jack-san can’t be present when we’re all working on the tests of courage.”

“Sebek, however, should be on Team Horror ‘cause, despite how much he obviously loves me, he adores Tsunotaro even more and would want to be on the same team as his beloved liege, whom he has sworn to protect at all times.” You add.

“Ah, yes, I can understand that feeling quite well.” Skully smiles, “If given the opportunity, I would love nothing more than to be on the same team as Jack-sama!”

Thankfully, those words sound sincere, so it doesn’t seem like recent events have made him completely lose his love for Jack. You note. I’m glad since Jack has obviously been a very important figure in his life for a while, and I don’t want him to lose that ‘cause his idol didn’t turn out to be exactly how he had expected him to be.

As you smile at that thought, you move onto the next team assignment. “I think Jamil-senpai should be on Team Terror ‘cause he’s someone who can get along with Leona-senpai when the situation calls for it, and most importantly, he can avoid being on the same team as Azul-senpai, whom he’s not particularly fond of.”

You thoughtfully rub your chin. “Which leaves us with Riddle-senpai, Trey-senpai, and Idia-senpai. I feel like those three can go anywhere since there aren’t any particular people whom they don’t get along with in either team.”

“Regardless of what team he’s put on, Idia-senpai’s gonna complain ‘cause he’s an antisocial introvert, so nothing's gonna really make this situation more acceptable to him.” You dryly add.

After taking a long moment to consider your options, you decide, “I say put Trey-senpai on Team Horror while Riddle-senpai and Idia-senpai go to Team Terror.”

Skully quickly writes those three names down in the team categories they were just assigned before remarking, “I’m surprised. I would have thought you would put Riddle-san and Trey-san in the same team since they get along so well, and they’re in the same dorm, if I recall correctly.”

“They are.” You nod. “While I had considered doing that, in the end, I decided to separate them ‘cause I want us fourteen NRC students to be equally divided amongst the two teams and Team Horror was in need of a peacekeeper like Trey-senpai, who is as good at keeping everyone from getting violent with each other as I am.”

“I feel a little bad for Trey-senpai since I’ve given him a tough job, but I’d be a fool to not make full use of his impressive ability to de-escalate worrisome situations.” You wryly add.

Skully beams, “I can see you have a lot of faith in Trey-san’s abilities. For you to respect him so much, he must be even more of a wonderful person than I first thought. I am glad to have such a lovely person on my team.”

The corners of your lips quirk upwards in response to his cute remark. “Trey-senpai really is a wonderful guy and super dependable, so I’m sure you’ll get along well with him.”

“And I’m sure things will work out just fine with the rest of the guys on your team as well.” You continue, “Although, Sebek will probably be more prickly toward you than anyone else ‘cause he’s been jealous of all the attention you’ve been receiving from me as of late.”

“I don’t think Sebek will ever go overboard with his jealousy since he knows how to be professional when the situation calls for it, but if he lets that childish side of him get the better of him when he’s around you, just let me know, and I’ll have a word with him.” You add, all the while hoping that your son will behave himself and not cause Skully any trouble.

Skully chuckles, “Sebek-san’s love for you is most admirable. I can tell you’re someone who’s incredibly precious to him, so I will endeavor to make it plain that I have no intention to steal your lovely self away from him.”

You giggle, “I’d appreciate that. Thank you for your understanding.”

“I’m so glad you’re such a mature guy, Skully.” You grin, “You’re like a breath of fresh air as compared to the majority of the NRC student body. If only all guys could be as sweet and well-mannered as you.”

A cute blush colors his cheeks, which he quickly cups with his hands. “Oh my, you are too kind, Yuu-san. I am undeserving of such lavish praise when I am only acting as any proper gentleman should, but your kind words are most appreciated.”

As you chuckle at his cute reaction, you decide to ask a question that’s been on your mind for a while now. “Is it because you admire Jack-san so much that you strive to be such a perfect gentleman?”

Predictably, Skully’s face brightens at the mention of his idol. “Yes! Because I respect and admire Jack-sama with all my heart and soul, I want to be just like him since there is truly no better role model.”

“That’s how everyone in my village also feels.” He adds, “Because we all love Jack-sama so dearly, we all strive to be like him since we believe that there is no better way to showcase our admiration.”

“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” You nod in understanding. “So I’m really not the least bit surprised.”

What does surprise you, however, is when Skully’s earlier cheer suddenly diminishes as he mutters, “Although, my motives behind deciding to imitate Jack-sama weren’t as pure as I wish they had been. Perhaps that’s why things turned out the way they did today; I am being punished for my selfishness…”

Your chest tightly clenches when you hear those words that you’re sure weren’t meant for your ears. "Skully…"

Before you can try to offer some comfort to the now noticeably glum boy, Skully quickly grabs the parchment he had been writing on earlier whilst using the hood of the mayor’s car as a makeshift desk, and starts heading for Town Hall. “Now that everyone from Night Raven College has been assigned to a team, we need to deliver these team rosters to the mayor. Since we can’t risk the surprises Jack-sama is preparing for you to be ruined, I shall take care of this delivery, so please wait here for a moment, Yuu-san. I promise I will not take long.”

Giving you no time to respond, Skully quickly heads inside Town Hall, no doubt wanting to escape so he won’t have to answer any of your questions since it was obvious that you had overheard his earlier remark.

Figuring you should give him some space, you refrain from chasing after Skully, especially since he’s right about you needing to avoid going inside Town Hall when everyone, who’s planning a surprise for you, is still in there.

You bite your lip. I wonder what Skully meant when he said he didn’t have completely pure motives for wanting to imitate Jack. What other motives could he possibly have had that would be considered impure in his eyes?

Considering what you know about Skully, you doubt he had any ulterior motives that you personally would consider impure since he’s much nicer than the average NRC student, and you’ve never once gotten the impression that he was faking his kindness like what some NRC students do to further their hidden agendas.

That said, it’s true that you don’t know Skully very well since you’ve only just recently met him, so you can’t make any conclusive assumptions about him at this point in time, even though you trust your instincts that are currently telling you that he’s not a dishonest person.

My instincts have never once been wrong about a person, and I doubt they’re gonna start being wrong now. You muse. However, I will still do my best to not make any assumptions at this point in time since I really do need to spend more time with Skully in order to get a better understanding of him.

Not long after you make that decision, Skully exits the town hall building, wearing a noticeable, concerned frown. Once he draws closer to your current location, you wryly ask, “Let me guess, the reason you’re frowning right now is ‘cause the guys inside haven’t made any real progress ‘cause all of my friends keep butting heads?”

Skully nods. “You know your friends very well, Yuu-san.”

“That I do.” You dryly reply before sighing, “Is it so bad that I should go inside and do damage control?”

Much to your amusement, Skully answers, “I had actually asked if I should retrieve you, so you could offer your assistance, but Jack-sama and all of your friends were quick to decline my offer.”

“Can’t say I’m surprised.” You huff in amusement. “Jack-san obviously wouldn’t want to put any extra work on my shoulders or risk my Halloween surprise getting ruined, and I’m sure my friends just don’t want to deal with me giving them a hard time for being so childish, especially so soon after I stopped supervising them.”

“For Jack-san’s sake, I’ll refrain from getting involved so early in the game, especially when it’s possible that he’ll have a breakthrough in the near future.” You continue, “So, rather than worry about those troublesome boys, I’ll just focus on the tasks we’ve been assigned.”

“Understood.” Skully replies, “I shall trust your judgment on this matter, Yuu-san.”

With a smile, he offers you his hand. “Shall we have our first patrol of the morning, my dear?”

When you tilt your head curiously, Skully explains, “After giving the matter some thought, I thought this would be a splendid way to familiarize ourselves with our new surroundings whilst also checking on the wonderful people who are currently hard at work for Jack-sama’s sake.”

The corners of your lips curve upwards as you accept his proffered hand. “I think that’s an excellent idea. Good thinking, Skully.”

Your smile grows when you see how pleased the taller boy is to once again have the opportunity to hold your hand and how excited he is to look around the town he so greatly reveres with you. This boy is seriously way too cute. If he keeps this up, I’m gonna start worrying about him potentially making my heart explode from cuteness overload.

Not that you’d mind, of course.

Hand-in-hand, you and Skully begin exploring Halloween Town, so the two of you can familiarize yourselves with the lay of the land.

Thankfully, just as Skully had told Jack earlier when he was helping you get out of having to deal with Lock, Shock, and Barrel acting as your “guides”, you and he have no trouble getting around thanks to the combined information you both have on this town, making you feel very grateful for the fact that you watched The Nightmare Before Christmas so many times when you were a child.

No doubt it's because you watched that movie so much in the past that you can comfortably walk around the town despite your horror phobia. Of course, it also helps that Skully holds your hand the whole time, and he also keeps you distracted with all of his endearing, excited reactions to everything he sees as the two of you are looking around.

The two of you don’t end up sightseeing for very long, however, since Halloween Town residents soon start approaching you and Skully, asking for your and his help with various matters, which eventually results in you and him splitting up in order to cover more ground.

And that’s how you get your first real taste of what it means to be the Pumpkin King’s temporary replacement.

For the next several hours, you find yourself moving all around the town’s pumpkin patch since that’s the location that Team Terror chose for their test of courage, accompanied by various Halloween Town citizens who need your advice for one thing or another as they get to work on decorating the pumpkin patch.

A lot of the requests that come your way are for small matters, such as to ask what’s the best way to arrange the Halloween decorations they’ll be using for your team’s test of courage or to get your opinion on the pumpkin carvings they’re doing.

Several locals also ask for your opinion on their scaring techniques and their ideas that they want to implement during your team’s test of courage. Naturally, those were the requests you were the least enthusiastic about fulfilling.

Fortunately, despite your horror phobia, you’re able to survive all the scaring methods you have to witness and provide proper feedback to everyone seeking your advice.

Of course, what helps your situation is that you’re at the pumpkin patch when you’re judging the locals’ scaring methods rather than the local cemetery, which is the area Team Horror chose to base their test of courage, meaning that’s where Skully ends up spending a lot of his time.

Now, that’s not to say there’s nothing scary about the pumpkin patch since that would be a lie. It’s a rather creepy area, although it's not as bad in the daytime as you're sure it is at night, but that’s to be expected, considering it’s a part of The Nightmare Before Christmas setting.

However, despite its creepiness, you still prefer the pumpkin patch over the cemetery since at least at the pumpkin patch you don’t have to worry about being surrounded by graves and tombstones, which is not an ideal scenery for a scaredy-cat like you, even though you did handle yourself rather well the last time you were at the cemetery.

Another key factor that helps make your situation better, which comes into play around an hour or so after you arrive at the pumpkin patch, is the arrival of Leona, who shows up at the pumpkin patch and begins lending a hand with the test of courage preparations.

Even though you don’t really get the opportunity to talk to him, because your job as Jack’s temporary replacement keeps you so busy, you’re still very grateful to have Leona around since just knowing that you have someone, whom you know you can rely on when you’re in trouble, does wonders for your mental state.

However, Leona does more for you than just remain in your near vicinity. The entire time he’s with you, he keeps a close eye on you. He does it subtly, of course, because that’s just how he is, but you always know whenever he’s looking at you since you can feel his reassuring gaze on you.

While you’re sure he does this because of your horror phobia, you think the main reason Leona has been keeping such a close eye on you is because of what happened in front of the alley near Town Hall right before the town meeting.

No doubt Leona thinks something dangerous is afoot, so he has no intention to let himself be caught unawares, not when your safety is potentially at risk, and you couldn’t be more grateful for his actions, especially since it means you also don’t have to worry about Oogie Boogie’s henchmen as long as Leona’s around.

Regrettably, even though only Barrel was assigned to Team Terror, you end up seeing all three members of the bad kid trio as the morning passes, and they all make an attempt to interact with you.

Each time, Leona gets involved by finding some work for Barrel to do and ordering Lock and Shock to return to the cemetery so they can help their team, so as a result, they’re unable to make any progress with their hidden agenda, much to their noticeable frustration and your immense relief.

After getting rid of the kids, who had started pestering you after you got your first break of the day, for the umpteenth time, Leona growls, “Damn brats are getting on my last nerve. They couldn’t be more obvious if they tried.”

“They are kids, after all.” You point out, “While they’re quite clever for their age and have plenty of skills up their sleeves, they’re still children at the end of the day, so subterfuge really is not their strong point, not in this kinda setting anyway.”

You pinch the bridge of your nose. “Eventually, they’ll give up on just trying to talk me into doing whatever they want and start getting creative with their methods to achieve whatever their end goal is, and THAT’S what really concerns me.”

Leona frowns, “How far do you think they’d be willing to go to get what they want?”

Your stomach begins to churn uneasily in response to his question. “Failure isn’t an option for those three ‘cause of the kind of boss they have, so I think they’ll do whatever it takes to complete whatever mission he assigned to them.”

Feeling his tail wrap around your waist, you look up at your upperclassman who steadily meets your gaze. “They won’t succeed. I won’t let them do as they please, so just focus on preparing for Halloween so we can get out of this damn book as soon as possible.”

In an instant, your unease fades, and in its place a pleasant warmth appears and slowly envelops you, all thanks to that reassuring gaze of his that never fails to put your heart at ease.

Smiling, you take advantage of the fact that no one is currently looking in your direction and press your side against Leona’s, so you can somewhat lean against him. “I know. I have complete faith in you, Leona-senpai. Thank you.”

“I really appreciate you looking out for me all this time.” You quietly add, “Having you here with me this whole time has been very reassuring.”

Just as you had expected, Leona makes no move to push you away since you’re one of the few people who’s allowed to invade his personal space. “Naturally.”

While you chuckle at his instantaneous, smug response, Leona continues, “It’s not the most fun job, but it beats having to deal with Skellington and the others, and at least, out here, I can get a quick nap in whenever I want.”

Even though he says that, you know Leona hasn’t done any napping since he came to the pumpkin patch a few hours ago, and as long as you’re here, you doubt he’ll do any sleeping since your safety is obviously his highest priority right now.

Rather than say as much, you just briefly take hold of his gloved hand and give it a strong squeeze before releasing it, knowing just that simple physical sign of affection would be enough to convey your feelings to him.

Since you know that sappy conversations aren’t his thing, you refrain from further voicing your gratitude and appreciation and instead change topics by asking, “So how exactly did you end up with this job that allows you to stay here with me and not have to help Jack-san and the others? From what I’ve seen, you’re the only NRC boy on our team, who’s come to the pumpkin patch, making me assume that everyone else is still with Jack-san.”

Leona yawns into his hand. “I just told Skellington that someone needs to keep an eye on you to ensure you never accidentally head into an area where your big surprise is getting worked on and that I was the perfect choice for that all important job since I'm on your team and I possess superior senses that never miss anything. Plus, because I'm just that skilled, I, while I'm keeping an eye on you, can also simultaneously lend my amazing services to the members of our test of courage team.”

Surprise briefly crosses your features before you chuckle, “Of course, I should’ve known.”

Because nobody is better at getting out of doing annoying tasks than Leona Kingscholar. He’s a real professional when it comes to finding ways to turn a situation to his favor, so he can do as little work as possible.

However, in this case, Leona really isn’t slacking off, like he would under normal circumstances, since he has been diligently looking after you this whole time, although he is getting out of having to work with Jack and the others, which was probably the main thing he had wanted to avoid having to do.

After you find out how Leona ended up with his current job, you consider asking him if everyone had stopped arguing and had come to an agreement about what to do for your Halloween surprise by the time he left or if one of the reasons he came up with the idea of him watching over you in the first place was so he could get out of having to brainstorm with everyone else since he was tired of putting up with all the arguing.

Considering how NRC students usually are, you’re more willing to believe the latter is what happened, especially since you have seen no signs of the mayor, who had said he would check in with you and Skully periodically, not since he entered Town Hall, and that makes you think he’s currently stuck there, because he’s been unsuccessfully trying to help Jack get your friends under control.

However, you’re really hoping that that’s not the case and that the mayor is just busy with other matters since you’re going to feel really bad for him and Jack if your friends really are still arguing despite how much time has passed since Skully first told you about how your friends had been butting heads.

Even though you really want to know what’s going on with the rest of your friends, you, in the end, decide to refrain from voicing your question, because you know Leona would never admit that things went to hell after you officially began your work as Jack’s temporary replacement, and you’re sure the same could be said about the rest of your friends.

Because their pride would never allow it.

That’s why, if you want to gain any information on this matter, you need to stick to gathering it from Skully and the citizens of Halloween Town, although you could probably get the information you’re seeking from Grim, just as long as no one else is around to keep him quiet when you question him, since he’s not the best at keeping secrets.

Another reason you don’t want to question Leona about what happened while you were gone is you don’t want to risk souring his mood since he’s been so good to you this morning, and you know the last thing he wants to think about is how much the others get on his nerves.

For that reason, you instead just give him a smile and say, “Well, I’m glad someone as awesome and reliable as you was given that super important job. I know I’m in capable hands with you on the job.”

“Naturally.” Leona smirks, repeating what he said earlier. “There’s no one who can be trusted more with this kinda work.”

Even though you also trust your other friends, you don’t say as much since this moment is all about you expressing your heartfelt appreciation for Leona, and you can’t deny that he’s someone who is especially skilled at putting your heart at ease in worrisome situations like this.

Much to your surprise, just after he proclaims his superiority, Leona suddenly reaches toward you and moves his outstretched hand toward your hair.

Rather than try to take hold of it, Leona has his hand go under your long locks and lifts his hand upwards toward his face, so he can get a closer look at the many strands now gently entangled with his fingers.

Leona hums as he softly strokes your hair with his thumb. “Been meaning to ask about this for a while now, but I never got the chance ‘cause of all the other nonsense going on. Is there an actual reason for why you need long hair in this pain-in-the-ass story, or is the book just making you look like Sally ‘cause she’s your favorite?”

Your eyes widen as you gasp, “I didn’t even consider the fact that my hair is just like Sally-san’s! But that has to be the reason why my hair is like this since my stockings and hat have the same kinda patchwork pattern as her outfit!”

“Plus, there is no way that this long hair is actually plot relevant.” You dryly add, “After all, having long hair will not in any way help with this whole creating the best Halloween situation.”

The corners of your lips quirk upwards. “While I had originally thought having long hair was rather inconvenient, I don’t mind it now that I know it’s meant to make me resemble Sally-san. It’s kinda like I’m cosplaying in a way. Idia-senpai will get a kick outta that.”

“So you’ve never been interested in sporting long hair?” Leona curiously asks, “Short hair is your definite preference?”

“I wouldn’t go that far since it’s not like I hate having long hair per se.” You shrug. “I’m just so accustomed to having short hair, and it’s easier to maintain, so I feel like I’m probably better off avoiding ever having my hair this long since I really don’t wanna have to do the kinda advance hair care that Jamil-senpai always has to do to keep his hair always looking so gorgeous.”

You wince, “I also really don’t wanna deal with the fallout if Vil-senpai finds out I’m not properly taking care of my hair. I’m just barely getting by with my short hair as it is.”

“And I especially don’t wanna find out what happens when you mix long hair and Grim’s tendency to catch things on fire, considering what’s happened in the past with my hair at its normal length.” You wryly add, making Leona snort.

“Having short hair really is what’s best for me since long hair will just get in my way whenever I get involved in fights.” You comment, “Besides, I don’t think this look really suits me anyway.”

“I wouldn’t say that.” Leona replies, catching you off guard. “Personally, I think you look good both ways.”

Not having expected that uncharacteristically honest compliment from him, all you can do is stare at him in surprise.

Meanwhile, Leona smirks, “That’s why I had no issue with taking the job of keeping an eye on you since it meant I would have something nice I could look at the whole day.”

His handsome face with its teasing expression moves closer to yours as he plays with your hair. “You’ve been an excellent motivator, Yuu. Because of you, I’ve just been so~ productive this morning ‘cause seeing something that’s so easy on the eyes puts a guy in a good mood. So thanks for that, heh.”

Even though you’re not normally the type who gets easily flustered, you feel your face grow warm in response to his words, just as it always does whenever Leona actually puts forth the effort to fluster you, because the genius, Leona Kingscholar, truly is good at just about anything he sets his mind to, flirting including.

Plus, it doesn’t help that his flirting always catches you off guard since he always likes to do it whenever you’re least expecting it, and you’re more prone to becoming embarrassed by compliments and words of affection when you don’t see them coming, which Leona knows very well.

And his flirting is always especially potent whenever he calls you by name rather than use the herbivore nickname he typically calls you by, which is something he has started doing more frequently as of late, no doubt because he enjoys seeing how you react to hearing him say your name.

You find your flustered reaction to him calling you by your actual name highly ironic since, at the beginning of the school year, you often tried to get him to drop the herbivore nickname that he uses for the majority of the people he interacts with since you had thought he was looking down on you and lumping you together with all the other students he considered to be weak herbivores, which had naturally greatly annoyed you.

However, you eventually came to accept the nickname once you realized that the more you made a fuss about the nickname, the more Leona wanted to use it.

Because he’s a cheeky bastard.

You also became more accepting of the nickname after Ruggie secretly told you that Leona referred to you as a herbivore not because he’s looking down on you but because he wanted everyone else, who hears him use that nickname, to underestimate you as a result, because most people hearing it would be quick to assume that the nickname means Leona considers you to be weak like a herbivore.

Apparently, Leona thought it’d be amusing if everyone at NRC made the mistake of underestimating you, so he’s been doing his part to encourage such misunderstandings.

Aside from wanting to entertain himself, you think Leona also decided to continue calling you by such a misleading nickname for your benefit since there’s nothing easier to deal with than an opponent, who has let their guard down, because they’re going into the fight thinking they have already won due to having underestimated your strength.

Amusingly enough, Leona’s scheme was actually very successful since, during the first semester of this school year, plenty of guys challenged you to a fight, thinking you stood no chance after finding out that you’re someone whom Leona calls a herbivore more than anyone else at NRC.

Needless to say, they quickly came to regret that very foolish decision.

Once you found out that Leona had no negative intentions whenever he called you a herbivore, you warmed up to the nickname, especially during the times when you could detect the subtle fondness in his voice that he failed to completely mask.

That’s why you had been fine with the idea of being forever called by that nickname since it really doesn’t matter to you what you’re called by your friends as long as the nicknames they give you aren’t negative in nature, but as of late, Leona has decided to shake things up for his own amusement since he’s always looking for new ways to entertain himself at your expense.

Regrettably, you can’t ever bring yourself to complain about these types of sneak attacks since you can’t deny feeling happy each time you hear Leona’s affection-filled words - the kinds of words you know he wouldn’t say to just anyone.

This kind of affectionate teasing is only for people Leona truly cares about, so you’re more elated than embarrassed since you know what a big deal it is for Leona to act like this around you.

Still, you can’t just let him do as he pleases without fighting back at least a little. That’s why you quickly throw your arms around him and bury your face against his broad chest.

“I can’t imagine you’re getting as much outta this as I am, considering how good you look in this suit, but I’m glad my current look is making your oh so stressful workload more bearable.” You finally reply, your voice muffled due to you keeping your face pressed against his chest.

His chest rumbles as he chuckles at your response. “You’re definitely getting the better end of the deal, but I’m getting enough outta this that I can’t complain.”

Taking full advantage of the fact that you chose to take your break in a spot that is mostly hidden from view thanks to the large nearby pumpkin, Leona returns your embrace - something that he’d only ever do when there are no witnesses.

A pleasant warmth envelops your chest when he gives you a strong squeeze that makes you melt further into his arms. “I’m glad.”

You happily nuzzle his chest. Really, really glad.

For several seconds, you remain in Leona’s arms, enjoying the comfort of his warm, strong embrace, before you finally pull away since you know that your upperclassman won’t be pleased if someone happens to walk by and catches the two of you in this kind of compromising position.

After all, he does have a reputation to uphold.

Much to your surprise, after you pull away from him, Leona lightly pinches your cheek with a huff. “If you had said you never celebrated Halloween before, I wouldn’t have let you stay in the infirmary the whole day.”

Realizing he’s talking about what happened back in October, your expression softens. “I know. It was specifically ‘cause I didn’t want anyone going out of their way for me that I refrained from mentioning that I had never celebrated Halloween before.”

“It was for the best that I remained in the infirmary anyway ‘cause I dangerously overexerted myself.” You add, “I was paying the price for my reckless actions, so you have no reason to feel guilty, Leona-senpai.”

Of course, you know Leona is still going to feel guilty regardless of what you tell him, because you wouldn’t have recklessly overexerted yourself in the first place if he hadn’t overblotted, although it was obviously not something he did on purpose.

Due to how he typically acts, most people would assume Leona doesn’t feel guilty when people are negatively affected by his actions, but that isn’t the case, at least not when the people affected by his actions are people he actually likes or cares about.

That’s why you’re not surprised by the fact that Leona feels guilty, especially considering how he reacted when this topic first came up at Town Hall.

It’s also why you’re not surprised when Leona doesn’t try to deny feeling guilty and just remains silent as he stares at you, wearing the kind of expression that you know means that your reassurances are falling on deaf ears.

Obviously, you’ll need to go about this a different way since your words of reassurance aren’t enough to help your friend feel better.

Smiling, you take hold of one of Leona’s hands and give it a strong squeeze. “You can make it up to me by making sure this upcoming Halloween is the best one ever. Make it so that, in the future, whenever I think of Halloween, I always automatically think of what happened here rather than what happened last October.”

Your smile morphs into a mischievous grin. “Unless you think that’s too much of a challenge for you?”

As expected, Leona’s visible eye gets that gleam you always see whenever he’s being challenged - that gleam that tells you his competitive spirit is making an appearance.

“Heh.” Leona smirks, “Like anything’s a real challenge for someone like me.”

Using his free hand, Leona gently takes hold of your chin and brings his smug face closer to yours. “You want a memorable Halloween? So be it. I’ll make sure this Halloween is one for the record books.”

His smirk grows. “Just don’t think you can get away with doing nothing the whole time I’m hard at work, Herbivore. Your job will be to ensure I’m always provided with plenty of motivation, understand?”

Since his flirtatious actions don’t catch you off guard this time, you’re able to maintain your composure, although it also helps that you’re too happy to feel embarrassed.

The reason for your happiness is the unmistakable warmth and fondness in Leona’s visible eye and the fact that he seems so content and comfortable right now.

It’s the kind of sight that seemed so foreign at the beginning of the school year due to how hopeless Leona, who had completely given up on obtaining happiness, felt.

Thankfully, ever since the Fairy Gala incident, this kind of heartwarming expression has progressively become more normal for Leona, because he has decided to not give up - to keep on trying.

With you by his side, of course.

Beaming, you throw your arms around his neck and kiss his cheek, pouring all your love for him into the gesture. “Of course! I’ll gladly give you all the motivation you need and then some!”

Because, if receiving this kind of motivation from you will provide him the happiness he deserves, you’ll gladly shower him with as much love and attention as he wants.

And enjoy every single second of it.

Regrettably, right after that exchange, your very enjoyable break comes to an abrupt end when some of the Halloween Town residents, who are on Team Terror, start calling out your name, indicating that they are looking for you so they can ask for your advice and assistance like they’ve been doing for the last several hours.

After giving Leona a smile and a strong squeeze, you quickly pull away from him and hurry toward the direction the voices calling for you are coming from, so you can resume your Pumpkin Queen duties.

Meanwhile, Leona gets back to overseeing all the work being done in the pumpkin patch and offering his advice whenever someone approaches him since he ends up becoming as popular as you in that regard due to him always having such great ideas.

All the while, Leona continues to watch over you, making sure that no one with impure motives ever gets too close to you.

And you couldn’t be more grateful.

Around an hour after your break with Leona comes to an end, you, who had spent most of the morning working on Team Terror’s test of courage in the pumpkin patch, get to enjoy a change of scenery thanks to the local witches, Helgamine and Zeldaborne, who want to use their magic for Team Terror’s test of courage and would like to hear your feedback on their ideas.

That’s why they bring you to the shop they run, which, amusingly enough, is called the Witches’ Shop, since that’s where they’ve been working on all the surprises they have in store for Jack.

Regrettably, Leona isn’t with you, because, when the witches approached you, he had been busy helping all of the Halloween Town residents, who had surrounded him, so they could ask for his advice on their personal contributions to Team Terror's test of courage.

Naturally, Leona wasn’t a fan of the idea of you leaving the pumpkin patch since that meant he couldn’t continue to keep an eye on you, but you assured him that you would be fine during the time it took him to finish helping everyone who needed his advice.

After all, you’ll be with Helgamine and Zeldaborne, so it’s not like you’ll be on your own during the time you and Leona will be apart. Plus, you’ll be helping the witches inside their shop - an area that you think Lock, Shock, and Barrel would be reluctant to cause trouble inside since you can tell the two sisters are the type of people, who wouldn’t allow such mischief inside their place of business, because there’s a chance their valuable merchandise could get broken or ruined.

While Leona was still noticeably displeased about this turn of events, he didn’t make any further protests and instead just said that he’d head over to the Witches’ Shop once he finished his work at the pumpkin patch.

Leona is obviously taking his job of acting as your protector very seriously, proving just how much of a threat he considers whatever had been in that alley near Town Hall this morning to be.

Since it’s unusual for Leona to be this overprotective of you, you’re obviously just as concerned about whatever had its eye on you earlier, because anything that puts Leona on his guard this much is obviously something really dangerous.

That’s why you’re grateful that Leona will be reuniting with you as soon as his work is done since it really does make you feel better to have him close by.

“Oh, we truly are kindred spirits! It’s so wonderful to meet such a lovely person who values a traditional Halloween like myself!”

Upon hearing a familiar, enthusiastic voice, you’re promptly pulled away from your thoughts about Leona and brought back to reality. Because you recognize that voice as belonging to Skully, you, who was just about to follow Helgamine and Zeldaborne into their shop, pause in the shop’s doorway and immediately begin looking around to see if you can spot him.

A few seconds later, you find Skully, whose back is turned to you. By the looks of it, he’s animatedly talking to someone, whom you can’t see due to Skully’s great height.

Because of what happened this morning, a worried frown automatically rises to your lips when you realize that Skully is facing an alley as he’s talking, but you quickly dismiss those worries since you know it’s ridiculous for you to act like all alleys are dangerous, especially when those kinds of spooky locations are ideal hangout spots and dwellings for the people who live in Halloween Town.

Just ‘cause I had a bad experience with an alley doesn’t mean they’re all dangerous. You think to yourself. The fact that Skully is having fun right now is proof of that. There’s nothing to worry about here.

Little did you know just how wrong you were.

Chapter Text

Since you don’t want to ruin Skully’s fun, you leave him to his own devices and enter the Witches’ Shop, so you can check out everything that Helgamine and Zeldaborne have put together so far for your team’s test of courage.

The next half hour passes with you watching the witches use their magic to make things levitate, because, when Jack passes through the area of the pumpkin patch where they’ll be stationed, they want to levitate several skulls and shrunken heads, which they intend to surround the Pumpkin King with.

They also intend to use a cauldron to create an eerie mist that will make their surroundings spookier, similar to how Sally created a fog in The Nightmare Before Christmas when she tried to stop Jack’s plan to temporarily replace Santa Claus.

Overall, you think they have the makings of a good scare tactic. However, considering Jack isn’t the easy ruffled type, like you are, you suggest that the sisters add onto this idea by including scary sound effects and other additional elements, because their demonstration didn’t scare you enough that you think it would have an effect on Jack.

Getting an idea, you grin, “How about you ladies team up with Grim, the cat-like monster in my group, to create some will-o’-the-wisps? I bet that would make for an excellent addition to the test of courage.”

“Will-o’-the-wisps?” Helgamine and Zeldaborne curiously parrot.

“It’s a term used in the world I came from for ghosts that look like eerie, floating blue flames.” You explain, “In a lot of stories, they are known for luring travelers from safe paths, so I think that would be very fitting for a test of courage, whose path you need to stay on if you wish to make it to the end.”

“Grim’s specialty is using magic to create blue-colored flames, so you’d be able to create some great will-o’-the-wisps with his help.” You add.

Helgamine grins, “Oooh, that sounds positively dreadful!”

Zeldaborne giddily claps her hands. “Oh, yes! Let’s do it! I’m sure Jack would be oh so pleased!”

When you see how receptive they are to your idea, your grin grows. “And feel free to rely on any of the other NRC guys on our team if you need help with more additional special effects since I’m sure they could come up with other ways to use their magic to really amp up the scare factor.”

Remembering that you still haven’t seen any signs of your friends, sans Leona, you quickly add, “Although, I think right now they’re all talking to Jack-san about Halloween, but once they’re done, they’ll be happy to help.”

Ironically, just after those words pass your lips, a panicked Sally suddenly bursts into the shop, followed by Leona and Skully, the former of whom looks exasperated while the latter is worriedly frowning. “Yuu-chan, Jack needs your help!”

Immediately, you realize that the rest of your friends must still be arguing back at Town Hall since that’s the only reason you can think of that would explain why Jack could need your help, considering he had been so dead-set on not relying on you to ensure your Halloween surprise didn’t get ruined.

Obviously, Sally must have recently gone to check on Jack and your friends, no doubt because she’s always wanting to help Jack, and upon seeing the predicament the object of her affections was in, she hurried to find the person who would be able to help him.

As expected of Halloween Town’s best girl.

I had hoped I wouldn’t have to get involved, but obviously, I wasn’t so lucky. You dryly think to yourself. Of course, I’m not surprised.

After all, since when do things ever work out so smoothly for you?

Doing your best to not let your exasperation show in your expression, you wryly ask, “Am I right to assume that my friends are giving Jack-san trouble because most of them aren’t good at playing nice with others? Skully had told me earlier that they had all been arguing when he last visited Town Hall.”

With a click of his tongue, Leona mutters, “Had a feeling he’d snitch. Knew we should’ve done something about the damn badger…”

Meanwhile, Sally quickly nods. “Yes! That’s right! They’ve been arguing all morning and haven’t shown any signs of stopping! Poor Jack is at a loss for what to do.”

“He told me that he didn’t want to get you involved since he wanted to work on a special Halloween surprise for everyone with the help of your friends while you and Skully-kun were helping with the tests of courage.” She adds, “I can understand him not wanting to risk ruining the surprise for you, but I really think he needs your help.”

The corners of your lips quirk upwards. “And I think you’re right to feel that way, considering how stubborn my friends are. Unlike me, Jack-san doesn’t have much experience dealing with guys like them, so I can understand why he’s struggling.”

After turning to look at Helgamine and Zeldaborne, you say, “Sorry, ladies, it looks like I’m needed elsewhere, but feel free to reach out to me again if you need further help later on.”

“No worries!” Helgamine replies, “We need to take some time to think of new ideas for how to further improve what we’ll do for the test of courage anyway!”

“We’ll make sure to come up with something really horrifying!” Zeldaborne promises, “Look forward to it!”

All you can do is weakly chuckle. “Can’t wait to see what you come up with.”

Thankfully, it doesn’t appear that any of the Halloween Town residents picked up on your lack of enthusiasm about getting scared since the witches and Sally are now all smiling at you.

Meanwhile, Leona and Skully, the latter of whom found out about you not being good with horror earlier today before the town meeting when you and your friends were all discussing your big plan for Halloween since Grim had brought it up due to him being so surprised about you actually wanting to make Halloween as scary as possible, appear sympathetic, Skully especially, since Leona is wearing his typical, aloof expression, so you can only tell his true feelings by looking into his eyes, which have always been easier for you to read than his expressions.

You give both of the guys a reassuring look to let them know that you’re alright before focusing your gaze on Sally. “Alright, Sally-san, let’s go help out, Jack-san. We can’t allow my friends to waste any more precious time when Halloween is less than three days away.”

Sally beams, “Yes!”

With that, you, Sally, Leona, and Skully leave the Witches’ Shop after exchanging partings with the witches and begin heading to Town Hall, which is where Jack and all your friends still are despite the whole morning having passed, much to your exasperation.

During the walk, you find out that Sally, Leona, and Skully had all coincidentally run into each other just outside of the Witches’ Shop, and after Sally had explained the situation at hand to them, the guys had joined her search for you, although Leona obviously would’ve come after you regardless since he’s supposed to be keeping an eye on you.

Speaking of Leona’s recently acquired job…

Keeping your voice low so Sally and Skully won’t hear you, you ask, “One of your motivations for convincing Jack-san to give you the job of keeping an eye on me was you just wanted to get out of having to deal with all the nonsense that’s currently still going on at Town Hall, wasn’t it?”

Leona just shamelessly shrugs. “They were all getting on my nerves, so I did the smart thing and got outta there.”

He smirks, “As a result, I’ve accomplished so~ much work, unlike those idiots, so don’t you think my wise actions are worthy of a lot of praise?’

His cheeky response makes you snort. “I guess I can’t argue with you there. You ditching the others and helping the locals is definitely better than what the others have been doing with their time. That’s why I won’t criticize you.”

Knowing what he wants to hear most right now, you smile, “Thank you for all your hard work, Leona-senpai. Your efforts have been greatly appreciated.”

Just as you had expected, Leona’s smirk grows in response to your words, and his eyes now have a satisfied gleam.

Because, while he’ll never say as much out loud, there’s nothing that pleases Leona more than having his efforts recognized and receiving the praise he deserves.

Fortunately for him, you’ll always be more than willing to do that for him. You’ll never allow him to feel unappreciated while you’re around; he’ll always get the love and attention he deserves.

You’ll make sure of it.

Much to your exasperation, when your group arrives at Town Hall, you find all of your friends, sans Grim, who’s curled up in a corner, napping, arguing about what’s the best thing to do for your special Halloween surprise.

All the while, Jack and the mayor wearily watch the proceedings, looking as if they’ve completely run out of ideas for how to handle your troublesome friends.

“To think, they’re still arguing despite how much time has passed.” Skully mutters, appearing astonished. “Everyone is so passionate about their ideas…”

“There’s no need to be nice about it, Skully.” You huff, “You can say they’re all stubborn knuckleheads who are worse than five-year-olds when it comes to playing nice with others since it’s the truth.”

While Leona snorts, you instruct, “Everyone, please cover your ears, so you can protect them. I’m about to get really loud.”

Because he knows you so well, Leona immediately heeds your advice, not needing to ask what you intend to do. Meanwhile, Skully and Sally exchange curious looks before following Leona’s example.

Once all three of them have covered their ears, you proceed to release the loudest, shrillest whistle you can muster, instantly causing all of your friends, who had been arguing, to go quiet and cover their ears.

At the same time, Grim jolts awake with a yelp. “Myah?!”

Both Jack and the mayor also jolt in surprise before turning to look in your direction, just like everyone else in the room.

“Yuu-kun?!” Jack exclaims, “And Sally, Leona-kun, and Skully-kun too! What are you all doing here?!”

As you head toward the stage, along with the rest of your group, you answer, “Sally-san told me that my friends have been causing you nothing but trouble this whole morning, and since we’re on a time crunch with Halloween less than three days away, we felt it best that I get involved so this arguing doesn’t last until the sun sets.”

Your exasperated gaze focuses on your aforementioned friends, who are all now pointedly avoiding looking at you. “I can’t believe you guys spent the whole damn morning arguing; it's already past noon! I know you guys hate playing nice and anything that’s even remotely like a teamwork exercise, but c’mon! Just pretend that you like each other long enough to come up with a damn plan!”

“I didn’t do nothin’ wrong!” Grim quickly pipes up. “It was everyone else who was arguin’ like a bunch of idiots! Right, Jack?!”

While the majority of your friends glare and scowl at your partner, Jack nods. “Oh, yes, that’s right! Grim-kun has been on his best behavior the whole time, just like Yuu-kun requested, and has been keeping Zero company.”

As if to support Jack’s claim, Zero cheerfully barks before giving Grim a playful lick, making your partner grimace.

For a moment, all you can do is stare at Grim and Jack incredulously before slowly turning to focus your unimpressed gaze on the rest of your friends, who are standing on the stage.

Jamil narrows his eyes. “DON’T say it, Yuu.”

Rather than heed his request, you remark, “I can’t believe it. You guys have been so bad that Grim was the most well-behaved NRC student while I was gone.”

“GRIM.” You repeat, with extra emphasis, all the while giving your friends the most judgmental look you can muster.

Simultaneously, all of your friends adopt expressions that are a mixture of annoyed and mortified. At the same time, Grim makes an offended noise, and you immediately apologize to him since, for once, he hasn’t done anything wrong before praising him for being so much better than everyone else, causing his expression to instantly become smug while the majority of your friends' faces become noticeably disgruntled.

As you're praising Grim, you eventually get interrupted by Azul, who looks physically pained by you pointing out the fact that he’s been behaving worse than Grim, NRC’s most notorious troublemaker. “Please say no more, Yuu-san.”

Riddle grimaces, “Ugh. How embarrassing.”

“To think, I would allow myself to end up in such a mortifying position.” Vil clicks his tongue. “The fact that I also have to deal with Leona tauntingly smirking at us makes this all the more irksome.”

While Leona’s smirk grows in response to Vil’s words, Trey awkwardly rubs the back of his neck. “I guess we really did let things get out of hand. I didn’t realize that so much time had passed since the windows in this building are all covered with thick, dark curtains.”

“Yes, I had merely thought no more than an hour or so had passed.” Malleus agrees, “Although, I will confess that I have a penchant for losing track of time when I am preoccupied with something.”

“Grrr!” Sebek scowls, “To think, there would actually come a day when I would be called more ill-mannered than Grim and in front of my liege, no less! How humiliating!”

“Yeah, this really sucks.” Epel grumbles, “I hope Ace-kun and the others don’t find out about this, or we’ll never hear the end of it.”

“Floyd would surely be most amused if he found out.” Jade chuckles, “He would definitely enjoy Azul’s current, mortified expression. Fufu.”

“Of course, you’re as unfazed as ever.” Jamil huffs, “Meanwhile, the rest of us are feeling enough shame to last us a lifetime since there can’t be anything more humiliating than being told we’re worse than Grim.”

“Personally, I don’t really mind since all the shade Yuu-shi threw at us finally got everyone to shut up.” Idia mutters, “At this point, I don’t even care what happens next since I just wanna escape being surrounded by all these normies, so I welcome Yuu-shi working her magic on everyone with open arms.”

Meanwhile, as your friends are all talking amongst themselves, all the while ignoring Grim, who unsurprisingly doesn’t appreciate all the rude comments they’re making about him, Jack frowns, “I’m sorry you had to take time out of your busy schedule to help us, Yuu-kun. After hearing from the mayor about how well you had been doing as my replacement, I had really wanted to do my part as your replacement, but it seems I failed.”

“Oh, Jack…” Sally sadly murmurs, obviously not happy to see the man she loves looking so upset.

Skully woefully rests his hands over his heart. “Jack-sama…”

After the mayor also glumly says Jack’s name and Zero sadly whines, you give Jack a reassuring smile. “You don’t need to apologize, Jack-san. I know just how hard my usual job is, so it’s perfectly understandable why you had so much trouble, especially since all the citizens of your wonderful town are so sweet and get along so well, meaning you have no experience dealing with guys like my friends.”

You give your friends on stage, sans Grim, a pointed look, prompting the majority of them to avert their gazes, before returning your gaze to Jack. “That’s why I’m partially responsible for everything getting so out of hand since I didn’t provide you with some helpful pointers on how to get these guys to play nice with each other, which I really should have done.”

“To make up for my negligence, I’ll help you get the ball rolling.” You continue, “Once a plan for the Halloween surprise has been decided, then you can take care of the rest.”

“But…” Jack’s frown grows. “That would mean the surprise would be ruined for you, and I don’t want that…”

Your smile grows in response to his words. “Don’t worry, we’ll avoid going over all the explicit details of the surprise. I’m just gonna help you guys set up the basic outline for the plan.”

Leona, who’s been spending the last several minutes silently taunting Vil and the other dorm leaders, chooses that moment to join the current discussion. “As long as everyone is vague about what they wanna do, then there won’t be an issue. For example, if you say you wanna have a party, that in itself won’t ruin the fun for her just as long as you don’t say what all will happen at the party.”

Jack quickly perks up. “Oh! I see! In that case, I am in full support of Yuu-kun’s idea!”

As Sally, Zero, and the mayor also cheer up upon seeing Jack in higher spirits, Skully smiles, “Ah~ Jack-sama’s smile is truly a lovely sight to behold~”

While Leona rolls his eyes and Sally happily nods in agreement, you chuckle, “Alright, now that that’s decided, let’s move forward, so we can finally make some progress.”

“First off, I wanna ask: Was there anything that everyone agreed on before the arguing started?” You ask, “Before I throw any ideas out there, I wanna see what has already been said.”

“Ah, yes, actually.” Jack nods. “You see, because I really wanted to learn even more about how Halloween is celebrated in Twisted Wonderland, I thought it’d be fun if our surprise involved incorporating other things from the fascinating world you all came from.”

“And that led to everyone talkin’ about how Halloween is all colorful, full of great music, and even greater food in our world.” Grim pipes up, thankfully having calmed down from his earlier ire caused by the other NRC students’ rude remarks about him.

In other words, what happened in my last vision happened while I was gone, just minus them butting heads with Skully. You think to yourself. Makes sense since those are key features to the kind of Halloween that my friends and I are the most familiar with.

Plus, despite the complaints you had made following that vision, you would prefer the kind of Halloween they had all wanted to pursue in that vision as far as your Halloween surprise is concerned since it’s free of any major horror elements, which is no doubt exactly why your friends decided to go that route.

Your brow furrows. “How did that lead to all the arguing? Surely, these guys aren’t THAT opinionated about decorations, music, and food since it’s not like there are a lot of variations in either of those categories as far as Halloween is concerned.”

For some reason, all of the NRC students, who had spent the whole morning arguing, now look a mixture of panicked and flustered, which just makes this situation all the more confusing to you.

“You see…” Jack begins to answer, only to get cut off by several of your friends.

“Wait!”

“Don’t say any more!”

“Or else I’ll die from embarrassment!”

“Do NOT answer that question, Bones!”

Unfortunately for your protesting friends, while a puzzled Jack does pause at their insistence, a smirking Grim, who’s obviously out for some revenge, has no problem with ignoring their demands. “They weren’t arguin’ about any of that stuff, Henchman.”

“Grim (-san) (-kun) (-shi)!”

Ignoring how the majority of your friends’ hiss at him, Grim’s smirk broadens. “They were all arguin’ about who knew how to make ya the happiest. They were all so confident that they understood ya and your tastes the best that they each felt they should be the leader and that everyone else should follow their orders.”

“Obviously, I’m the one who really knows ya the best, but since I didn’t feel like arguin’ with these guys, who are too dumb to notice the obvious, I just stood back and let them go after each other ‘cause I knew it’d only be a matter of time before ya showed up and got pissed about all the arguin’.” He smugly adds, “If these guys really knew ya as well as they claimed they did, they would’ve known that and followed my amazin’ example. Myehehe.”

Immediately, the majority of the other NRC students on the stage, who had previously looked incredibly embarrassed by Grim exposing them, start glaring at your partner, most of them appearing seconds away from committing an act of violence.

Meanwhile, Leona starts laughing, “I can’t believe you all let yourselves get so horribly one-upped by the furball, of all people. Oh, how the mighty have fallen! Ahahaha!”

Naturally, Leona’s mocking laughter results in several people’s glares focusing on him, not that he actually cares.

In direct contrast, Skully appears apprehensive when he sees how irate the majority of your friends currently are. “Oh my, such passionate gazes…The fact that Leona-san is completely unperturbed by them is most impressive…”

While a nervous Sally nods in agreement, you, who had ended up in a stunned stupor after hearing what your friends had been arguing about all morning, finally come to your senses.

Soon after, you release a loud squeal. “Awwww! You guys are sooooo sweet! I can’t believe you guys were arguing over who could make me the happiest! That’s soooo adorable!”

“I could just give you all a big kiss on the cheek for being so precious.” You coo, “How about it?”

In complete sync, as the majority of them start blushing, all of your friends on stage, sans Grim, Malleus, and Jade, retort, “Absolutely not!”

“Oh my. What a strong reaction.” Jade remarks, wearing a mock-surprised expression. “I’m surprised everyone is so against receiving a kiss from Yuu-san. I had thought everyone enjoyed being on the receiving end of her affections.”

“Yes, it is rather surprising.” Malleus agrees, “I can’t help but feel bad for Yuu who has to be on the receiving end of such a harsh rejection.”

“I couldn’t agree with you more, Malleus-san.” Jade nods. “It’s most disappointing to see our fellow schoolmates treat a lady so unkindly.”

“Oh, will you stop?” Azul scowls at his vice dorm leader. “If you think anyone is buying into your charade, you’re sorely mistaken.”

“You too, Malleus.” Vil gives the fae an unimpressed look. “Honestly, this is no time for your jokes.”

Appearing puzzled, Malleus tilts his head. “I wasn’t joking, though? Whatever gave you that impression, Schoenheit?”

“Yes, I must ask the same of you, Azul.” Jade, who definitely isn’t nowhere near as sincere as Malleus, chimes in. “I can assure you I was being completely serious just now.”

Knowing it’s better to get involved now before another argument can break out, you quickly intervene. “Alright, guys, let’s save that for later. Don’t forget we’re on a time crunch.”

“That’s right!” The mayor pipes up. “There are less than sixty hours until Halloween! We mustn’t dally anymore!”

Jack nods before asking, “So what do you think we should do, Yuu-kun? How can we create a plan that would satisfy everyone when all of your friends want to take the lead for this surprise and don’t want to work as a team?”

“Before I say anything else, let me say this.” You focus your gaze on your friends, who had spent the whole morning arguing, and smile. “I know it sounded like I was teasing you earlier, but I really do appreciate you all thinking of me so much. Hearing that made me really happy. Thank you.”

While the majority of your friends either avert their gazes or become visibly flustered, with the exception of Malleus and Jade, who just smile, you dryly continue, “Unfortunately, you guys are gonna have to suck it up and work together in teams. Nobody’s gonna be ordering anyone around.”

Before anyone can complain, you add, “Because I want all of your ideas for this Halloween surprise to get a chance to shine.”

Your smile grows. “What would make me happiest is a surprise where I can see a little bit of all of you in it, because I know you’re all capable of coming up with amazing things, and I know, if given the opportunity to shine, none of you would ever disappoint.”

Thankfully, upon hearing that, all of your friends, who had looked like they had wanted to protest, settle down, much to your relief.

“Very well, Child of Man.” Malleus smiles, “If that is what you wish for, then I shall oblige since one of our main goals with this surprise endeavor is to provide something that you will wholeheartedly enjoy.”

“Indeed.” Jade nods. “It would be rather selfish of us to ignore a direct request from the person we are preparing this surprise for, after all.”

“Yes, I suppose you’re right.” Riddle agrees, “I wouldn’t be able to call myself a gentleman if I ignored a lady’s feelings.”

“Yeah, in a situation like this, we gotta put Yuu’s feelings first.” Trey smiles, “We shouldn’t let ourselves get too caught up in our own thoughts and opinions that we forget why we’re doing all this in the first place.”

Epel grins, “Yeah! What matters most is that Yuu-san has an unforgettable Halloween, so I’ll do whatever’s necessary to make that happen!”

After briefly making eye contact with you, Sebek’s features soften. “Agreed. Accomplishing that all important task is really all that matters.”

A pleasant warmth envelops your chest in response to his and the others’ words, and it only grows stronger when the rest of your friends start chiming in.

“This is a very special Halloween, so I want it to be a complete success.” Vil remarks, “If that means working together with a bunch of unpolished spudlings, then so be it.”

“I suppose it cannot be helped.” Jamil comments, “I’d also hate for such a special Halloween to end in failure, so I shall do my part to ensure our surprise is a success.”

“And I shall as well!” Azul cheerfully replies, “I can’t allow my compatriots to be the only ones who contribute to this noble cause, after all.”

“It’s not like I’ve got any other choice but to pitch in.” Idia mumbles, “So I’ll do my part too to keep everyone else off my back…”

“But the one who’ll contribute the most is me!” Grim grins, “‘Cause nobody can make my henchman as happy as I can!”

Leona props his arm on top of your hat-covered head. “And I already said I’ll graciously lend my services, so it looks like we’re all on the same page now, Herbivore.”

Feeling so happy you can burst since your friends are making it so obvious how much they care about you and how much they want your first Halloween to be a success, all you can do is beam as you clench your eyes shut to fight back the joyful tears that cloud your vision. “Thank you, everyone!”

Unbeknownst to you, as this is all transpiring, Skully, who’s now wearing a lonely expression, murmurs, “She really is the opposite of me. How enviable…”

Meanwhile, you’re preoccupied with keeping your tears reined in since this really isn’t the time for crying. I’m so lucky. I have the best friends ever.

And that’s a fact.

Once you take a moment to rein in your emotions, you decide to get back on track, so this Halloween planning meeting can finally make some progress. “Okay, now that everyone’s in agreement, let’s move forward with this Halloween planning meeting.”

“I personally think the idea of a surprise incorporating the elements of a typical Twisted Wonderland Halloween is a good one since it’ll provide Jack-san even more inspiration to help him overcome his creative slump.” You continue, “Plus, it makes sense to have this group work on a plan that involves Halloween elements that all of my friends are the most familiar with.”

“So I suggest that we split this group up into teams.” You add, “That way each team can focus on one of the three elements that had been brought up earlier, and more progress will be made if all the aspects of the surprise are worked on simultaneously rather than one at a time.”

Nodding, Jack smiles, “Yes, I agree that would be the wisest choice of action. Should we use lots to decide the teams like we did for the test of courage teams, so we won’t have to worry about everyone arguing about the team assignments?”

Catching him by surprise, you shake your head. “I think it’d be better if I decide the teams ‘cause, if we’re really unlucky, the lots will result in the people who can’t get along with each other at all being put on the same team, which I really wanna avoid.”

“Plus, I’d rather each of my friends get put on a team where their skills can shine the most.” You add.

“Oh, of course!” Jack exclaims, “I would like that as well, so I shall leave this important decision to you, Yuu-kun.”

“And you guys are fine with that as well, right?” You ask, after focusing your gaze on your friends, who are standing on the stage.

Thankfully, while none of them appear too enthusiastic about having to work with each other, all of your friends nod since they know this is necessary to ensure their plan to surprise you succeeds.

“If the team assignments are along the lines of what you did for the test of courage team assignments, we shouldn’t have anything to worry about.” Jamil remarks, clearly speaking on everyone’s behalf. “So I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

Once you've made sure your friends are fine with you handling the team assignments, you return your attention to Jack. “Before I proceed with those team assignments, I wanted to suggest that you ask a few other Halloween Town locals to help you, Jack-san. After all, you’re only one guy, so supervising several teams at once would be impossible for you.”

He rubs his chin. “Yes, you do make an excellent point. While I want to surprise all of my friends who are working so hard for my sake on the tests of courage, I do think I will be in need of some assistance…”

Predictably, Sally wastes no time in offering to help Jack. “Oh, I’ll help the food preparations team! I cook all the time, so please leave it to me, Jack.”

Jack smiles, “Thank you, Sally. You really would be perfect for the job, so I’ll leave that to you.”

While Sally beams, Jack turns to look at the mayor. “For the team in charge of music, can I ask you to supervise, mayor? I'm sure a well-connected mayor like yourself can reach out to all the performers in town.”

Nodding, the mayor smiles, “Of course, Jack. Leave it to me.”

“For the decorations team, perhaps we could ask Dr. Finkelstein to supervise since he’s so knowledgeable.” Jack comments, “If he’s not already too busy assisting the test of courage team he was assigned to, of course.”

“Oh, I’m sure he’d be more than happy to help you, Jack.” Sally assures him. “I’ll let him know of your request after the team assignments are decided.”

After thanking her, Jack remarks, “Aside from those three teams, I think we also need someone to rotate and keep an eye on everything, so I'll take that job.”

“Grim-kun can join me and Zero on our team since we all get along so well together, and it is my job as the temporary Ramshackle Prefect to watch over him.” He cheerfully adds.

While Zero happily barks, Grim grumbles, “I don’t wanna be stuck in the same team as the ghost dog…”

Although you don’t hear Grim’s quiet response, you can tell that your partner isn’t too pleased about his team assignment just from looking at him. Fortunately, he doesn’t loudly make his feelings known like he normally would since he has decided to behave himself, just as you had requested.

Even though you feel bad for Grim, you agree with Jack’s idea, so you go along with that particular team assignment. “Good idea, Jack-san. I'll leave Grim to you.”

“Alright, now that we have team supervisors and have decided on Grim's team, I’ll decide what teams everyone else should be on.” You comment, “For the food preparations team…”

The corners of your lips quirk upwards. “It’s gotta have Trey-senpai and Jamil-senpai ‘cause those are our best cooks here. There’s no better place for those two.”

“Heh, I’ll do my best to live up to your high expectations.” Trey humbly replies, wearing a small smile.

Jamil huffs in amusement. “Yes, we can’t afford to disappoint, now can we?”

As expected, the two expert cooks are perfectly fine with their team assignments. Of course, that could all change if you don’t pick their teammates wisely.

After thoughtfully looking over all of your friends, you let your gaze fall on Epel before saying, “Epel, I’ll have you be on the food preparations team too since you also have some cooking experience, and you’re great at following instructions in the kitchen, but most importantly, you’ll be a big help when it comes to harvesting ingredients.”

He grins, “Alright, leave it to me! I’ll bring that Harveston charm to whatever I help make!”

You chuckle, “Very good. I have high expectations for you.”

After that exchange, you remark, “I’d like for there to be four people on the food preparations team to ensure it gets all the help it’ll need, so I’ll have you be the final member of that team, Leona-senpai.”

Much to your amusement, almost all of your friends incredulously reply, “Leona (-san) (-senpai) (-shi)?!”

Leona, who’s no longer using your head as an arm rest, raises an eyebrow. “Got a problem, herbivores?”

“Of course not.” Jamil quickly responds, “I was merely caught off guard.”

“Y-Yes, it was a rather surprising choice.” Riddle agrees, obviously wanting to avoid being rude to an upperclassman, like Jamil.

“Could it be that Leona-san actually has an interest in cooking?” Jade asks, “I had assumed he preferred eating over cooking, but perhaps my data on him was incorrect?”

His words make you snort. “No, you’re right. Leona-senpai doesn’t having an interest in cooking. That’s not why I want him on that team.”

Vil raises an eyebrow. “Then, why do you want him on that particular team? Is it because that insufferable sloth will be a hindrance regardless of what team he’s on, because he refuses to do any real work?”

When Leona starts growling, you reach over to gently pat his back before giving Vil a chiding look. “Vil-senpai, don’t be mean, especially when Leona-senpai spent the whole morning helping out everyone in Team Terror. He worked hard all morning.”

“Unlike SOME people I could name.” You wryly add, as you give everyone, who spent the whole morning arguing, a pointed look.

“He did WHAT?!” All of your friends on stage incredulously exclaim.

“I actually did some work, unlike you assholes.” Leona huffs, “Because I know better than to waste my time with pointless arguments.”

“Ugh.” Azul twitches. “First, it was Grim-san, and now, it’s Leona-san. To be looked down upon by people like them is beyond mortifying.”

While an annoyed Grim makes a noise of protest, Malleus frowns, “This is a rather unpleasant feeling.”

“Grrr! It’s unforgivable that I allowed such a disgrace to happen to my liege and myself.” Sebek scowls, “I must redeem myself!”

“This day just keeps getting worse by the minute.” Idia complains, “What did I do to deserve this Bad End treatment?!”

As all of your friends on stage grumble amongst themselves, earning themselves plenty of glares from Leona, you gently brush your side against Leona’s and murmur, “You really were amazing this morning, Leona-senpai. I know the work was annoying for you, but you did it flawlessly. I’m super proud of you for being such an excellent leader and super grateful to you for all the help you provided me. You made my job a whole lot easier.”

Upon hearing your words, Leona’s stiff posture slowly relaxes, and the irritation in his expression fades.

Soon after, his trademark smirk rises to his lips. “Buttering me up, so you can continue making use of my services, are you? Heh, guess I can’t blame you since, unlike those idiots over there, I'm actually useful to you.”

Unsurprisingly, rather than just take your compliment for what it is, Leona has to act like he doesn’t know you’re just praising him because he deserves it.

This man just cannot take a genuine, heartfelt compliment.

Amusingly enough, despite his verbal response, Leona’s tail moves to affectionately caress your leg - a move that you know means that he’s silently expressing his pleasure and gratitude for your praise.

What a cute guy your dishonest upperclassman is.

A warm smile forms on your lips as you meet Leona’s gaze that’s noticeably more soft than his typical smug gaze. “That’s right. Because you’re so dependable, I can’t help but wanna rely on you as much as possible since having you around always makes everything better for me.”

His smirk grows as his tail briefly wraps around your calf and gives your leg a comforting squeeze. “Naturally.”

Happy to see Leona in a better mood, you beam at him. Unbeknownst to you, during this time, Sally watches your exchange with Leona with sparkly eyes, all the while hiding her smile behind her hand.

Once Leona is in better spirits, you return your attention to the current task at hand and clear your throat to gain the attention of all your friends, who had been grumbling to each other and themselves. “In regards to why I want Leona-senpai on the food preparations team, the reason is simple. He’s the person I trust the most to always be respectful toward women, so I know I can count on him to be a perfect gentleman around Sally-san. He’ll definitely be super helpful to her.”

As the majority of your friends give you disbelieving looks and Sally blinks in surprise, you continue, “Also, Leona-senpai is the kind of person who can do pretty much anything when he’s properly motivated, so I think he’d be an asset on any of the teams, just as long as he’s on a team of people who don’t get on his nerves.”

“Fortunately, Trey-senpai, Jamil-senpai, and Epel are all people that Leona-senpai can get along with for the most part, so that’s really the best team for him.” You add.

“And there you have it.” Leona smugly remarks, “Because I’m just so impressive, I can thrive on any team, so it really doesn’t matter what team I’m on. Heh.”

Vil scowls, “Of course, you just conveniently ignore the part where Yuu mentioned she has to accommodate your inability to get along with most people. This is what makes you so insufferable.”

“That’s what makes getting criticized by Leona-shi, of all people, so annoying since he’s no better than the rest of us.” Idia chimes in, looking just as annoyed as Vil.

Judging from the expressions the majority of the rest of your friends are wearing, you’re sure they all feel similarly, but before they can say as much, you quickly interject, “ANYWAY! Let’s move onto the music team! I think Azul-senpai and Jade-senpai should be on that team.”

As everyone’s gazes focus on you, you continue, “I think that team should be smaller than the food and decoration teams and only have two members since, when it comes to music, I feel like the more people that are involved, the more likely that disagreements will happen since everyone has their own tastes in music, and music just seems like a topic that people would be more likely to argue about as compared to food and decorations.”

“I suppose you’re right.” Azul thoughtfully grabs his chin. “And the music team can also ask for the assistance of the local musicians, so it would be wiser to have more members on the food and decoration teams.”

Jade smiles, “I am perfectly fine with this arrangement, although I am rather curious about what led you to the decision of choosing Azul and myself for this team. Is it because we’re accustomed to working together, and we also have experience choosing music to play at the Mostro Lounge?”

You nod. “That and you two were in a band during middle school, so out of everyone here, I think that you guys are the ones with the most experience with music.”

“Also…” Your expression turns wry. “I really do NOT want to leave you unsupervised since literally any form of chaos could unfold as a result, and it’s Azul-senpai’s job to keep you and Floyd-senpai from unleashing mayhem upon the innocent masses, so I want you and Azul-senpai to be on the same team.”

Azul wearily sighs, “I sadly cannot fault that logic…”

Jade just chuckles, “Oh, Yuu-san, you always tell the most amusing jokes. This is why being with you is never boring. Fufu.”

Jamil rolls his eyes. “Don’t try to play innocent. We all know Yuu’s worries are perfectly valid.”

“Yes, it was a wise decision on her part to keep you and Azul together.” Riddle huffs, “I’m very grateful for Yuu’s great foresight.”

While Jade immediately slaps on a mock-innocent expression that nobody is buying for a single second, Malleus asks, “So that means the members of the decorations team will be myself, Sebek, Rosehearts, Schoenheit, and Shroud, correct?”

“Yes!” Sebek cheers, “I am on the same team as Malleus-sama!”

As Riddle shakes his head and Idia pitifully groans, Vil sighs, “What an exhausting team this will be…”

“For the record, you guys aren’t on the same team simply because you’re the last guys left.” You inform, “From the start, I wanted Vil-senpai on the decorations team ‘cause no one is better at making something aesthetically pleasing than him. He’s the best suited for this team.”

A smirk rises to Vil’s lips. “Naturally. It goes without question that I’d be on the team that’s in charge of presentation.”

The corners of your lips quirk upwards. “And I want Tsunotaro on that team ‘cause, with his impressive magic, he can pull off all kinds of amazing special effects, so I think the combination of his magic and Vil-senpai’s eye for beauty would result in some really awesome decorations.”

Appearing pleased, Malleus smiles, “Heh, in that case, I shall endeavor to create the most splendid of decorations to meet your high expectations.”

“I’m looking forward to it.” You cheerfully reply before focusing your gaze on Riddle. “Regarding Riddle-senpai, I figure this is where all his experience with unbirthday parties will come in handy since the party venue is always perfectly decorated for each party, and I think someone as meticulous as him would be a perfect choice for designing decorations.”

As he rests his hand on his chest, Riddle proudly smiles, “Of course. I will ensure that not a single decoration is ever out of place and that our final display is just as spectacular as my dorm’s unbirthday parties.”

Feeling eyes on you, you turn to look at Sebek, who's looking at you expectantly, no doubt wanting you to provide a good reason for why he belongs on the decorations team.

While you internally coo when you see Sebek’s cute, expectant expression, you fondly smile at your adorable son. “Obviously, wherever Tsunotaro goes, his loyal knight should as well, but I also want Sebek on the decorations team ‘cause his impressive strength will be a great asset with carrying materials and finished decorations.”

“Plus, I’m sure he’ll be able to come up with plenty of great decoration ideas since he’s such a clever boy, and I bet his impressive observation skills will come in real handy too.” You add.

A very pleased Sebek proudly puffs up his chest. “Of course! For Malleus-sama’s sake, there is nothing I cannot do! I will do everything in my power to ensure we create the best possible decorations!”

You giggle, “Of that, I have no doubt.”

After that exchange, you focus your gaze on Idia who cringes. “Please just skip me. I don’t need a protag pep-talk, and I really don’t want my very own manga panel of spotlight. I’m much better suited to being a faceless NPC who never has any dialogue options…”

While all of your friends either give Idia puzzled or exasperated looks, you huff in amusement. “With a pretty face like yours, you’re totally main character material, Idia-senpai. You really need to stop selling yourself short all the time.”

As Idia makes a choked sound, you continue, “But I will refrain from praising you further since I know how you are. Instead, I wanted to make a proposition.”

Once his hair, which had temporarily turned pink due to his embarrassment, turns back to blue, Idia warily asks, “What kind of proposition?”

A grin rises to your lips. “Rather than spend the next two and a half days only working as a team with Tsunotaro, Sebek, Riddle-senpai, and Vil-senpai, why don’t you also do some solo work?”

“Huh?!” Idia, along with everyone else, exclaims.

Vil gives you an exasperated look. “Potato, this isn’t you trying to go out of your way to accommodate Idia like you always do, is it?”

“You really spoil Idia-san too much, Yuu-san.” Azul shakes his head. “It won’t kill him to work with others for a few days, no matter how much he insists otherwise.”

While Idia scowls at them, you chuckle, “Nah, that’s not it. I made that proposition mostly for selfish reasons, not just to accommodate Idia-senpai.”

“‘Selfish reasons’?” Epel and Grim curiously parrot.

Focusing your gaze on a surprised Idia, you smile, “I really admire how brilliant and creative you are, Idia-senpai. You always make the coolest things; you really are a genius.”

As Idia once again becomes visibly flustered, you continue, “I know you don’t have your usual materials to work with, but I still think you could create a lot of amazing things if given the freedom to act as you typically do when you’re inventing.”

Smiling fondly, you explain, “That's why I want to give you the opportunity to prepare something for this Halloween 'cause I just think Halloween would be extra special if I got to see your creative genius at work.”

“Yuu-shi…” Idia mumbles, looking extremely embarrassed yet also noticeably pleased by your heartfelt words.

“Ah, but I would still want you to help Tsunotaro and the others whenever they need your genius or an extra hand.” You quickly say, “And I’d hate for you to feel pressured to do something on your own, so if you want, you could always work with Dr. Finkelstein since I bet two geniuses like you guys could make something really awesome if you teamed up.”

“Oooh, that does sound exciting!” Jack exclaims, as he claps his hands together.

Sally giggles, “Yes, it does. I’m sure the doctor would also be pleased to work together with Idia-kun who loves creating impressive inventions like him.”

“Geez…” Idia begins nervously fiddling with his pink-hued ponytail. “Talk about putting pressure on a guy…”

“If you don’t want to, you don’t have to, Idia-senpai.” You assure him. “I just wanted to share my idea since I know you like working on your own, so I thought you might be interested in an idea that would give you that opportunity.”

“Of course, he’ll do it.” Leona smirks, “Radish Sprout couldn’t possibly say ‘no’ after hearing all that praise you just threw at him.”

Wearing a similar expression, Azul agrees, “Oh yes. Idia-san would never turn down such a heartfelt request from Yuu-san at the risk of disappointing her.”

Jade slyly smiles, “Agreed. Idia-san is too much of a gentleman to do such a cruel thing.”

“Especially when Yuu is always going out of her way to accommodate him.” Jamil adds, wearing an impish grin. “I’m sure Idia-senpai is grateful for the opportunity to finally repay her for all her kind efforts.”

With a matching grin, Trey adjusts his glasses. “While he’s trying to play it cool, I’m sure Idia’s actually all too eager to do something special for Yuu. He just can’t bring himself to admit it.”

“Heh, it is true that Idia-senpai isn’t very honest, especially when it comes to matters involving Yuu, so I’m sure you’re right.” Riddle replies with a chuckle.

Malleus smiles in amusement. “If you’re worried about the rest of us on the decorations team, you needn’t do so any longer, Shroud. Feel free to focus the majority of your attention on creating something special for Yuu that will make her happy.”

“And make sure it’s something that won’t make the other decorations we’ll create look bad.” Vil smirks, “I won’t allow you to present anything short of extraordinary.”

“That’s right!” Sebek frowns, “And we’ll be expecting you to work just as hard as the rest of us! Slacking will not be tolerated, Idia-senpai!”

“Yeah! We’re gonna be expecting a lot from you, Idia-san!” Epel chimes in, wearing a grin.

Smirking, Grim pipes up. “Yeah, yeah! Don’t disappoint us, Idia!”

“Oh, will you all stop?!” Idia exclaims, looking simultaneously embarrassed and irate. “You guys are seriously the worst, ganging up on me like this! And you wonder why no one ever wants to work in teams with you!”

While you snort, Idia scowls at the rest of your friends, who naturally pretend to be innocent, before eventually bringing his attention back to you.

After a brief pause, Idia sighs, “Oh, fine. I’ll put something together for Halloween. Just keep in mind that, even with my genius brain, I can only do so much with less than three days on the clock.”

You beam, “Even so, I know you’ll still produce something amazing ‘cause you never disappoint, Idia-senpai.”

Your expression becomes fond when Idia starts cutely blushing. “And I know that you never will.”

Once everyone’s team assignments have been decided, you all quickly put together a shift schedule, so your friends can smoothly take turns between helping their test of courage teams and working on their Halloween surprise for you and the residents of Halloween Town.

After that’s all taken care of and you’ve also taken the time to give Jack some helpful tips about how to handle your friends whenever they’re being uncooperative, the meeting finally concludes, and everyone promptly splits up to take care of their assigned work, although Grim only leaves with Jack and Zero after you take some time to dote on him and praise him for being so good while you were gone this morning.

That’s how you soon find yourself alone with Skully since you had told Leona that he should help the food preparations team, because he had spent the whole morning helping out at the pumpkin patch.

Plus, you didn’t want Leona to spend too much of his time keeping an eye on you when he has so much other work to do as well, especially since now there will always be at least one of your friends at the pumpkin patch, meaning there will always be someone to come to your aid if Lock, Shock, and Barrel try to cause trouble again.

Thankfully, Leona agreed to take a break from guarding you without a fuss, although you could tell that he’d rather do that than help out in the kitchen, which naturally warmed your heart.

Even though you really enjoyed having Leona always nearby, you’re glad that he’s not with you right now since it’ll be easier to talk to Skully if it’s just the two of you.

The reason you want to talk to Skully is the fact that he has been strangely quiet for a while now. He hardly said anything during the Halloween surprise planning meeting and instead just wore a pensive expression, making you wonder what has been on his mind.

Knowing that your time with him is limited since you never know when someone will approach the two of you, asking for help, you address this matter shortly after you and Skully leave Town Hall and begin patrolling the town.

“Are you alright, Skully?” You quietly ask, “You’ve been really quiet for a while now and have looked really pensive, so I couldn’t help but feel worried.”

Skully jolts, obviously not having expected you to question his worrisome behavior, before quickly giving you a sheepish smile. “To think, I would cause such a wonderful lady such worry. How shameful of me. I apologize for my unbecoming behavior.”

You shake your head. “You haven’t done anything that requires an apology, Skully. There’s nothing wrong with not always being okay. Nobody’s perfect, so it’s ridiculous to expect someone to look happy and put together twenty-four-seven.”

“I just wanted to make sure that you’re not silently suffering when I can possibly do something to help.” You softly add, “Because I just can’t look the other way when I see someone I like in trouble of any kind.”

“Yuu-san…” Skully murmurs, sounding noticeably touched.

The corners of your lips curve upwards. “As I’ve said previously, you don’t have to say anything you don’t want to. I just want you to know I’m available if you need someone to talk to, and that offer will always be open.”

A long silence follows those words, making you assume that whatever is on Skully’s mind is something that he doesn’t want to divulge.

That’s why you’re surprised when Skully’s quiet voice eventually breaks the silence. “The reason for my earlier silence was that I had found myself completely lost in thought as I thought about you and your wonderful relationships with all your lovely friends after watching everyone so beautifully display how deeply they care about you.”

“So you needn’t worry about me.” He assures you. “I truly am alright. I was simply so moved that I found myself temporarily unable to speak.”

Even though he says that, there’s no mistaking the underlying melancholy and loneliness in his voice, proving that he's not as alright as he claims to be.

Your expression softens. So that’s why he’s been looking so lonely. Seeing me getting along so well with my friends must’ve reminded him of the fact that he doesn’t have any friends at school.

You can understand that feeling well since you can clearly remember feeling envious and lonely back in your world whenever you saw kids your age hanging out, having fun together, while you were out taking care of all the errands Mumei forced upon you.

It’s because you’re so familiar with what Skully’s currently going through that you know just what to do now that you know what’s bothering him.

Giving his hand, which has been holding yours ever since the two of you began patrolling, a strong squeeze, you reveal, “You know, before coming to NRC, I didn’t have any friends. I was always alone.”

In a flash, Skully turns to look at you in surprise. “R-Really?”

“Mmhm.” You nod. “Things were pretty rough back in my world, so I couldn’t enjoy the kind of normal life that kids our age would typically have, so I never got the opportunity to make friends despite how much I always wanted one.”

A warm smile rises to your lips. “That’s why I’m really grateful for the fact that I was able to come to NRC and meet so many wonderful people. Even though my friends are a real handful, I still love them regardless since they were the people who saved me from my loneliness and helped me learn how to love and be loved in return.”

Once he overcomes his surprise, a small, soft smile forms on Skully’s lips. “How wonderful. I am also glad that you were able to experience such a serendipitous turn of events.”

You give his hand another squeeze. “I would like for you to also experience the kind of good fortune I did, Skully, because you deserve to have people in your life who recognize what a wonderful guy you are and will give you the love you deserve.”

While Skully’s posture stiffens, you continue, “I know you haven’t had much luck making friends at NRC so far, but please don’t lose hope. I’m sure there are people there whom you can connect to just as long as you don’t give up and keep reaching out to others like you’ve been doing.”

He purses his lips. “I’d rather not befriend the likes of those fools, Yuu-san. I don’t want to associate with people who can’t appreciate my beloved Halloween.”

“I understand not wanting to be friends with people who won’t give the holiday you love the respect it deserves, but I’m sure not everyone at your school is like that.” You reply, “Surely, there must be at least one person whom you haven’t gotten the chance to talk to."

“And if not, perhaps that person will come later after your first year at NRC.” You add, “You never know.”

“But I will say this.” You look into his shaded eyes. “You won’t make any friends if you force your feelings onto others and keep things completely one-sided. You gotta be willing to compromise and hear the other party out; friendships are a two-way street.”

Skully frowns, “That…was never my intention…”

Your expression softens. “I know. You’re like Sebek in that regard.”

“Like Sebek-san?” Skully curiously asks.

With an amused smile, you explain, “You’ve seen him in action. Sebek loves Tsunotaro a great deal, and as a result, he wants everyone to always treat Tsunotaro with the utmost respect. He also never wastes an opportunity to talk about all of Tsunotaro’s amazing qualities and great exploits. He can talk for hours on end about Tsunotaro if you let him.”

Much to your amusement, Skully solemnly remarks, “I understand that feeling quite well. We truly are kindred spirits.”

“Right?” You chuckle, “You guys are two peas in a pod when it comes to your love for your idols.”

“Anyway, going back to what we were discussing earlier, Sebek’s love for Tsunotaro isn’t always well-received by his peers, partially because of his poor volume control but mostly ‘cause, once he gets going, he’ll dominate the conversation and not let anyone else get a word in edgewise.” You reveal, “For most people, he tends to come on a little too strong when it comes to anything related to Tsunotaro.”

“Of course, it doesn’t help that Sebek is rather prideful and doesn’t really play well with others.” You wryly add, “That's why he doesn’t have too many friends at school, although he’ll always say that he has no interest in making friends ‘cause his job of guarding Tsunotaro is far more important to him.”

“Considering how similar you and Sebek are, I’m assuming you’ve been having difficulty making friends for the same reasons as him, with the exception of being too prideful and unable to play nice with others, of course.” You comment, “After all, you’re just as passionate about Jack-san and Halloween as Sebek is about Tsunotaro.”

When Skully frowns, you quickly say, “Now, that’s not to say I think you’re completely at fault, because, considering how NRC students are in my time, I’m sure that, even if they weren’t as bad in the past as they are now, they were still the kinds of guys who aren’t easy to befriend.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised at all if you’ve dealt with your fair share of assholes ‘cause NRC has likely been full of them since the school first began accepting students.” You wryly continue, “So I know those guys are partially at fault for you having such a difficult time at school, considering what a sweet boy you are.”

Upon seeing the way Skully cutely flushes, you grin, “You’re a great guy, Skully, so I’m sure you could find a way to befriend those troublesome guys at your school, like what I managed to do, as long as you’re patient, open-minded, and willing to put forth the effort to dial back your enthusiasm enough that you don’t immediately overwhelm whomever you’re talking to as soon as the conversation starts.”

There’s a slight pause before Skully sheepishly admits, “Now that you mention it, I suppose there have been a few occasions when I’ve overwhelmed my peers due to getting so caught up in my excitement…”

You giggle. “I’m glad you’re willing to acknowledge and accept that rather than remain in denial, like what most of my friends would do instead of admitting their faults since they’re not as mature as you. That’s a good step in the right direction.”

“Whenever we have some free time together, I’d be happy to provide more pointers if you’d like more advice about making friends.” You offer before giving him a wink. "After all, when it comes to befriending NRC boys, you won’t find anyone better to consult than me - the girl who managed to become friends with the guys who are considered the hardest to befriend at my school. I’m basically an expert in this field.”

There’s a slight pause before a small, genuine smile appears on Skully’s face. “My, how reassuring. In that case, I would be a fool not to consult you.”

He lifts your hand that he's still holding to his face, so he can tenderly kiss your knuckles. “After all, only a complete fool would pass up an opportunity to spend time with a lady as lovely as yourself.”

His actions make you grin. “Such a smooth gentleman. I love it.”

Unable to help yourself, once Skully finishes kissing your hand, you proceed to bring his hand to your lips, so you can return the favor. Just like the last time you kissed his knuckles, Skully becomes incredibly flustered, and you can’t help but coo at the adorable sight.

Your grin grows as you use your free hand to cup one of his incredibly warm cheeks. “I’m looking forward to spending more time with you as well, Skully.”

Eyes twinkling, you continue, “‘Cause it’ll give me the chance to put all my friendship-making skills to good use, so I can add another NRC boy’s name to my list of friends.”

“After all, there’s no better way for you to learn than through personal experience, right?” You playfully ask after teasingly bringing his face closer to yours.

Much to your delight, Skully’s blush darkens even further and spreads until it encompasses his whole face in response to your teasing, reminding you of Deuce and how your best friend always acts whenever you tease him.

However, Skully doesn’t try to shy away from you, like what Deuce used to do before he got used to your teasing. Instead, Skully gives you one of the cutest shy smiles you’ve ever seen as he rests his free hand over your hand that’s cupping his face. “I will be in your expert care, my lovely teacher.”

Your heart melts in response to his adorable reaction. Oh, he is too cute, just like my sons.

If it weren’t for the fact that Skully is from a completely different time period and that Grim and the rest of your sons would surely riot, you’d adopt Skully right here and now, because he’s just so precious, although the rational part of your brain knows that you really don’t need more than seven sons.

Fortunately for your sons, they won’t have to worry about any new additions to your family since your heart wouldn’t be able to handle your eventual parting with Skully if you did adopt him since your family is so important to you, regardless of how long you’ve known them, so no matter how cute Skully acts, you won’t try to adopt him.

However, that doesn’t mean you won’t dote on him since you’re not confident that you’ll always be strong enough to resist that urge when Skully is being this cute.

Because you are incredibly weak when it comes to cute, precious boys whom you feel don’t get all the love that they deserve.

That’s why it seems very likely that, for the remainder of your time in Halloween Town, you’ll find yourself in plenty of situations where you’ll end up showering Skully with lots of love and attention.

At that thought, your cheeks begin to hurt because of how hard you're now grinning. “Heh, I’ll take goo~d care of you, Skully.”

That’s a promise.

Chapter Text

Unfortunately for you, even though you would very much like to dote on Skully when he’s looking so adorable, you’re unable to since, shortly after he accepts your offer to advise him on how to make friends back at school, the two of you hear your names being called by some of the Halloween Town residents, just like what happened the last time you and Skully went on a patrol together.

Also, like last time, you and Skully end up having to split up to help all of the locals, who are in need of advice. As a result, just like what happened this morning, you end up spending the afternoon offering advice on how to decorate the pumpkin patch for Team Terror’s test of courage and giving feedback on some of the locals’ scaring techniques.

Regrettably, you also eventually end up having to deal with Lock, Shock, and Barrel, who have finally given up on trying to verbally convince you to go along with their demands, just as you had expected would eventually happen.

Much to your great annoyance, Lock, Shock, and Barrel, who are taking full advantage of the fact that Leona isn’t around to protect you, attempt to sneak up on you from behind, a large sack in hand, no doubt with the intention of kidnapping you, much like what they did to poor Santa Claus in The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Unfortunately for them, because you knew it was only a matter of time before the bad kid trio pulled a stunt like this, you immediately take notice of what they’re up to due to you remaining on high alert, so you’re able to avoid their attempt to capture you, much to their great frustration.

Of course, no one is more frustrated and annoyed than you, although you'd be lying if you said you weren't also very apprehensive since it's obviously frightening to be a cannibal's target. However, you don't let your fear show since you don't want Lock, Shock, and Barrel to realize that you're fully aware of what they're plotting; you only let your irritation be apparent as you turn to face those brats, so you can give them a piece of your mind and hopefully scare them off since you know you can be quite intimidating when you're angry.

Before you can actually say anything, however, an exasperated Riddle suddenly runs onto the scene, obviously because he had noticed what the children had just tried to do. “Lock, Shock, and Barrel! Cease and desist at once! If you continue causing trouble and bothering Yuu with your pranks, it will be off with your heads!”

Ah, right, since he doesn’t know about Oogie Boogie, the kids just look like they’re trying to prank me rather than send me to my doom. You dryly think to yourself. He’s probably just assuming the kids wanna take me somewhere fun to play rather than to the hideout of their cannibal boss.

Meanwhile, Lock, Shock, Barrel, who are completely unbothered by Riddle’s obvious ire, exchange looks before Barrel asks, “What does he mean by ‘off with your heads’?”

“Maybe he can remove heads like what Jack does with his head?” Lock guesses.

Shock eagerly claps her hands. “Oooh, sounds like fun! I thought he was a bit of a nag, but he has some interesting things to say!”

While Riddle stares at the children incredulously, your earlier anger begins to fade thanks to this amusing conversation, which makes you snort. “Sorry, kids. He wasn’t talking about decapitation, so no one will have their heads physically removed.”

Your amusement grows as you watch as Lock, Shock, and Barrel, who had started to get excited, lower their heads in disappointment. “Awww...”

Riddle wearily massages his temple. “Being with these children is giving me a headache…”

“Tell me about it.” You wryly reply as you watch the kids decide to change tactics and quickly resume clinging onto you and pestering you, like they did this morning, no doubt because they don’t want Riddle to catch onto the fact that they want to kidnap you and take you to their boss.

“Let’s play, Yuu!” Shock requests, “You’ve been working all day!”

“Yeah!” Barrel chimes in. “You look like you could use a break!”

“We’re really good at relaxing and having fun, so come hang out with us!” Lock adds.

Your eyebrow rapidly twitches as you try to free yourself from the kids' tight grips. “As I keep telling you kids, I can’t afford to play right now when there are less than three days until Halloween. I want this year’s Halloween to be a success, so I can’t afford to slack off.”

“Aww, but a short break won’t hurt!” Shock replies, “Breaks are important!”

“Yeah, yeah!” Lock and Barrel agree, “Super important!”

“That’s enough!” Riddle scowls, “You three are clearly bothering Yuu and getting in the way of her duties, which is a clear violation of the Queen of Hearts’ Rule #657: When a lady is hard at work, handling important duties, you must not disturb her under any circumstances!”

“And you’re also breaking the promise you made this morning to behave yourselves!” He adds, acting like the kids have committed the ultimate crime, because, to him, they have.

Ah, yes, Rule #657, the rule that has gotten Ace, Grim, and plenty of other Heartslabyul students collared multiple times. You wryly think to yourself. My favorite rule.

It’s also Ace’s least favorite rule, because his usual teasing and tomfoolery can often be considered a breach of that rule if Ace is bothering you while you’re doing homework, helping Trey in the kitchen, or doing any other kind of important work.

Unfortunately for Ace, while Riddle has become more lax since the start of the school year when it comes to enforcing the rules, his strictness doesn’t wane when it comes to that particular rule.

According to Cater, it’s because Riddle is so protective of you, which you find incredibly endearing, although you’re sure that Cater just said that to tease Riddle.

You’re pulled away from your thoughts when the bad kid trio rudely respond to Riddle’s accusation.

“I don’t care about no stupid rule that I’ve never even heard of.”

“Promise? What promise?”

“You really are a nag, shortie. Can’t you just leave us alone, so we can have fun with Yuu?”

Your eyes widen when you hear Shock’s remark about Riddle’s height. Uh oh…this isn’t gonna end well…

As expected, when you turn to look at Riddle, who’s now glaring daggers at the children, you see that his face is now as red as his hair, and there’s metaphorical steam coming out of his ears.

“HOW DARE YOU!” Riddle makes a large sweeping gesture with his hand. “OFF WITH YOUR HEADS!”

In a blink, three familiar collars appear around the kids’ necks, catching Lock, Shock, and Barrel by surprise.

“Saw that coming.” You dryly mutter to yourself.

“Wha-?” Lock grabs his new metal collar. “A collar?! Where’d this come from?!”

“I can’t get it off!” Barrel exclaims as he tries and fails to remove his collar.

“I don’t like this!” Shock complains, “It’s worse than being a pumpkin! Take it off!”

Having thankfully simmered down, Riddle crosses his arms with a huff. “Hmph. Those collars won’t be going anywhere as long as you three continue to misbehave, so I recommend that you all apologize for your rude behavior and leave Yuu alone.”

He smirks, “Otherwise, those collars will be a part of your costumes for this year’s Halloween. Heh.”

“Noooo!” The children collectively whine, “Don’t want that!”

Pleased to see the troublemaking kids getting their just desserts, you chuckle, “Then, I’d recommend doing as Riddle-senpai says and not causing any trouble while he’s around. As you now can clearly see, he doesn’t tolerate troublemaking of any kind.”

Since they really do not want to remain collared for the next two and a half days, Lock, Shock, and Barrel quickly apologize for misbehaving before running off, probably thinking that, if they put some distance between themselves and Riddle, his Unique Magic will wear off.

Unfortunately for them, getting rid of Riddle’s collars won’t be that easy. Thanks to Riddle’s perfect control of his Unique Magic, those collars won’t be going anywhere unless he wills it, so you don’t see Oogie’s henchmen getting rid of their collars anytime soon.

Once Lock, Shock, and Barrel have left the scene, you turn to give Riddle a grateful smile. “Thank you for coming to my rescue, Riddle-senpai. Those three are a real handful since they’re so persistent and don’t let up no matter how many times I tell them ‘no’, so your help is greatly appreciated, especially now that they’re doing more than just clinging onto me and whining.”

“There is no need for thanks since I only did what is to be expected of me since those troublemakers were bothering an honorary member of my dorm.” Riddle matter-of-factly replies, “I could not allow their rule-breaking to continue.”

He frowns, “Have they been bothering you all day?”

You grimace, “Unfortunately. Thankfully, Leona-senpai fended them off the whole morning, so they never stuck around for long before getting chased off.”

“Considering all the positive remarks I have heard about him from the locals, Leona-senpai truly was hard at work this morning.” Riddle’s frown deepens. “It makes my behavior this morning all the more disgraceful. I apologize for the trouble I caused you.”

Smiling, you reach over to pat his shoulder. “It’s alright, Senpai. I know you weren’t purposely trying to cause trouble like those kids. You just wanted to ensure I had the best possible Halloween, which I really appreciated.”

Regrettably, your assurances don’t seem to appease Riddle since he still looks rather upset.

Before you can try to say anything else, Riddle, who has clenched his hands into fists, abruptly bows his head, catching you off guard. “I also wish to apologize for my negligence last October. Even though I didn’t know it was your first Halloween, that doesn’t change the fact that I didn’t take the necessary measures to ensure you had an enjoyable Halloween like the rest of my dorm members. I failed you.”

Surprise briefly crosses your features before your expression softens. “You don’t need to apologize, Riddle-senpai, so please lift your head.”

When he reluctantly obliges, you continue, “As I said before, no one was under any responsibility to worry about me while the party was ongoing, because you all should’ve been focusing on our school’s guests and your own personal enjoyment.”

“Especially since you and all my other friends from Heartslabyul took such great care of me during the day.” You add, “I had a very enjoyable day thanks to you guys visiting me and bringing me treats. You guys are the reason I can look back fondly on that day.”

Riddle purses his lips. “Even so, I deeply regret not visiting you that night, like Leona-senpai did. I’m ashamed of myself for not considering the kind of position you would be in by being confined to the infirmary the whole night.”

His expression suddenly becomes determined. “I failed you last Halloween, but I will not make that mistake again.”

Placing a hand over his heart, Riddle passionately declares, “I swear on the name of the Queen of Hearts herself that I will make this Halloween a total success! It will be the best Halloween anyone has ever seen!”

For a moment, all you can do is stare at him in surprise. “Riddle-senpai…”

Soon after, a pleasant warmth takes root inside your chest. “I have complete faith in you, Senpai. I know my first Halloween is in capable hands.”

You beam, “That’s why I’m looking forward to the special surprise you and the others are preparing for me.”

With all your heart.

After declaring that he’ll make your first Halloween a total success, Riddle decides that he’ll take over for Leona and be responsible for keeping an eye on you, just in case Lock, Shock, and Barrel return, although the chances of that happening seem low, thanks to Riddle’s Unique Magic.

As a result, when you resume helping with Team Terror’s test of courage preparations and advising the Halloween Town residents, Riddle decides to patrol the pumpkin patch in addition to helping with the test of courage preparations, more specifically the areas where you’re working, to ensure no one causes you any trouble.

Fortunately, as the hours pass, you see no signs of Oogie’s henchmen, so you think they’ve given up on trying to take you to their boss, for today, at least, since now their top priority is presumably getting rid of Riddle’s collars.

You’re beyond relieved since it means you’re able to relax and do your work in peace, or at least, you’re able to relax whenever you’re not subjected to anyone’s scare tactics.

Another reason you’re able to enjoy your afternoon is the fact that, whenever you’re not helping one of the locals, you get to chat with Riddle who, thanks to loosening up over the course of the school year, doesn’t mind engaging in friendly chatter while working.

Amazingly enough, it was Riddle who first initiated a conversation with you, because he wanted to hear more of your thoughts about Halloween since he had thought that was important information that he needed to know, considering he’s aiming to make your first Halloween the best Halloween ever.

Naturally, you were all too happy to chat with Riddle since the fact that he was going to such lengths for your sake really warmed your heart.

That’s why you tell him all about how you’ve always liked Halloween, despite your horror phobia, since trick-or-treating always looked fun to you, and you were always impressed by the costumes you saw on TV, although you, of course, weren’t very fond of the really realistic scary costumes.

Despite the scary aspects of Halloween, you could never bring yourself to dislike the holiday, and you’re sure The Nightmare Before Christmas is to thank for that since you love that movie so much.

It’s because of those beloved characters that you were able to see through the scariness of Halloween and find all the good parts about it since The Nightmare Before Christmas taught you that Halloween is so much more than just scaring people, and it also taught you that the act of scaring isn’t always done with malicious purposes since the Halloween Town residents were all such sweet people.

“Even though I know scaring others during Halloween is all in good fun, I still wouldn’t go out of my way to do it, even though I personally have no issue with doing the scaring.” You reveal, during one of your chats with Riddle. “I just don’t wanna have to worry about someone wanting to scare me to get back at me. That’s why I’ve never really made an effort to scare others, even for a harmless prank, so that part of Halloween really isn’t my thing.”

As Riddle nods in understanding, you continue, “Since I love sweets, I guess that would be a major Halloween highlight for me, especially after having tasted all the delicious treats that Trey-senpai made for me last Halloween.”

“However, that said, back in my world, I didn’t really have a huge interest in the sweets aspect of Halloween ‘cause I didn’t get the opportunity to indulge in sweets back then.” You add.

“Ah, yes, I was the same way.” Riddle replies, “It wasn’t until I started attending Night Raven College that I came to greatly appreciate the treats made for Halloween since that was my first time properly celebrating the holiday.”

Just as you had expected. Of course, Riddle’s super strict mother wouldn’t let him have anything to do with the holiday that involves eating lots of candy, considering she thinks sweets are poison, which is why she forbade him from ever eating them.

Your eyebrow subtly twitches when you think of Riddle’s mother, but you quickly collect yourself, so your less than positive feelings toward her don’t show on your expression.

Once you’ve schooled your features, you give him a warm smile. “I’m glad you got to properly celebrate Halloween once you were at NRC. Every kid should get the opportunity to enjoy such a wonderful holiday.”

Nodding, Riddle smiles in return. “Which is why we must succeed with our current Halloween preparations, so you can have a proper first Halloween.”

“And, of course, I fully intend for your next Halloween at NRC to be a total success.” He adds, “You will get to experience everything you missed out on last Halloween and then some. I’ll make sure of it.”

Warmth envelops your chest as your smile softens. “Thank you very much. I’m already looking forward to it.”

Riddle proudly puffs up his chest. “As you should, because I won’t accept anything less than absolute perfection.”

Sounds like Riddle-senpai will be working his card soldiers extra hard next Halloween. You amusedly think to yourself. I feel a little bad for Ace and Deuce since it’s all for my sake. Maybe I’ll offer to lend a hand since I am an honorary member of the dorm, and with Trey-senpai being a fourth-year by that point, they’re gonna need someone to take his place in the kitchen.

Before you can make that offer, Riddle says, “And in order to accomplish these important goals, I require more information. Please tell me what about Halloween you find most appealing, Yuu. You haven’t yet disclosed what your favorite aspects of it are, aside from the treats, which is what I want to know most.”

Your expression becomes thoughtful. “My favorite aspects…hmmm…”

It’s at that moment you suddenly recall an online video you once watched back in your world that showed a Halloween-themed parade that was held at Disney World.

Even though you had never been a fan of Disney villains, who were essentially the stars of the parade, you had been completely enraptured by the lovely parade floats, the lights, and the music, and you enjoyed seeing the Disney villains dancing, singing, and waving at everyone in the audience.

In that moment, despite the holiday they were celebrating, they didn’t look at all scary to you; they looked just like any other Disney character since they were out and about, enjoying a holiday, just like everyone else.

Just like how all of your friends, despite their resemblances to those Disney villains, are just normal, teenage boys.

Upon remembering that, a soft, fond smile rises to your lips. “When I was little, I once watched a video of a Halloween parade online. It really had an impact on me ‘cause everyone looked like they were having so much fun, considering so many of the people in the parade were dancing and singing.”

“The parade floats all looked so amazing.” You continue, “There had even been one that looked like a dragon that actually breathed fire.”

As Riddle’s eyes widen with wonder, your smile grows. “When I remember that parade and how much I enjoyed it, I think what I enjoy most about Halloween is just the aspect of being together with everyone and having fun. I love the whimsical nature of the holiday, which gives everyone the opportunity to let loose and act in a way they may not normally behave on a regular day.”

After you say that, you nod to yourself. “Yeah, that’s it. More than anything, I just love the whimsy of Halloween, probably ‘cause my life before coming to Twisted Wonderland was devoid of whimsy and the like.”

A sad frown forms on Riddle's lips as he softly replies, “I understand what you mean. I think I too am rather enchanted by that aspect of Halloween.”

You reach over to take hold of one of his hands and give it a squeeze before releasing it. “You know, back in my world, a lot of people love Halloween because it gives them the opportunity to be themselves without having to worry about being judged since the holiday is all about encouraging quirkiness and eccentricity.”

“For example, people who really love gothic-style clothing and people who just love scary things in general.” You elaborate, “During the month of Halloween, they can celebrate their interests and not be considered weird because of them.”

“After I found out about that while I was researching Halloween and how it’s viewed overseas, I became even more fond of the holiday since I like the idea of a holiday that allows everyone to be free to be themselves without judgment.” You add.

In response to your words, Riddle loses his earlier frown and starts smiling, “Yes, I rather like that myself. While I believe everyone should have that kind of freedom all year round, the idea of a holiday having such a positive theme is a very nice thought.”

He eyes you curiously. “You said you gained this information through researching, correct? May I ask what led to you researching the topic of Halloween? I’m rather curious.”

“I had a feeling you would be, considering how you are.” You giggle, “To answer your question, I once wrote a report on Halloween for a school assignment.”

“My teacher had wanted me to experience researching a topic that entailed me learning more about cultures of other countries, so I could compare and contrast how things were done in my country and the rest of the world.” You continue, “So I chose Halloween as my topic since it was something I had always been curious about, and I knew it was a popular holiday celebrated in several countries.”

Riddle’s eyes light up with interest. “Really now? That sounds like quite the interesting assignment. I think I would enjoy working on a report like that, especially after learning about how Halloween was celebrated during the time period Skully came from.”

Your smile grows. “I definitely enjoyed working on it, so I’m sure you would too. It was fun looking into the roots of the holiday, seeing where it all began, and learning what led to the holiday becoming like it is in current time.”

“Back in my world, Halloween was once essentially like how Skully celebrates it, although it wasn’t quite as serious as what he’s accustomed to since they would still host big gatherings and feasts.” You inform, “The main similarity was that, while the holiday was still about respecting the dead, the living weren’t looking to party and have fun with ghosts like what’s done in Twisted Wonderland.”

“While they provided food and drink as offerings in hopes that the people and livestock would survive the upcoming winter, they’d dress up in hopes of warding off evil spirits and would keep iron or salt on hand, just in case.” You add.

Since Riddle appears noticeably intrigued, you proceed to go into more detail about everything you learned about Samhain, a Gaelic festival that many of your world's Halloween’s current traditions are based on.

You also tell him about how those traditions spread to other countries and how they got heavily commercialized in the west, which is how modern day Halloween came to be.

“Nowadays, most people celebrate Halloween like you’d expect, but trick-or-treating isn’t a thing everywhere, or at least, it’s only celebrated in select areas of certain countries rather than nationwide.” You reveal, “In my country, trick-or-treating is done in certain areas, but everyone mostly celebrates by wearing costumes and having parties.”

“How fascinating.” Riddle comments, “I would’ve never imagined that Halloween could be so different from what I’m accustomed to, and it’s truly amazing how much it changed and grew in your world due to all the different cultures in the west.”

The corners of his lips curve upwards. “It makes me really want to do my own research once we return to school. I want to see for myself how Halloween first began in my world and what led to it becoming how it is in modern times.”

Upon seeing the excited gleam in his eyes, you smile in return. “I’m pretty curious myself, so I’d be happy to research with you. I’d love to learn more about Twisted Wonderland.”

His smile grows. “An excellent idea. I’m sure the experience will be even more enjoyable if we work together.”

Soon after, an adorable blush colors his cheeks. “B-Because we’ll be able to cover more ground and do more research with two people as compared to one, of course.”

Judging from his obvious embarrassment, Riddle obviously wasn’t thinking of productivity when he said that working with you would make the Halloween research more enjoyable.

Fortunately for him, you don’t say as much, although the urge to tease him is strong, because he was a big help to you earlier when Lock, Shock, and Barrel were going after you.

Instead, you just nod along with his words, wearing a noticeably fond expression all the while. “Of course.”

Much to your surprise, not long after you and Riddle finish making future plans to research Halloween, an unexpected voice addresses you.

“Ah, there you are, Yuu-san. I’ve finally found you. I was worried I wouldn’t, considering how vast this pumpkin patch is.”

Surprised, you turn to see the approach of Jade, who appears to be by himself rather than with Azul, even though the two had decided to spend this afternoon working on the music for your Halloween surprise. “This is a surprise. I wasn’t expecting to see you this afternoon, Jade-senpai, since I had assumed you and Azul-senpai would be busy the whole afternoon 'cause putting together a musical composition takes time. Were you guys just hit with a burst of musical inspiration or something?”

Jade chuckles, “Unfortunately not. Despite Azul and I having similar tastes in Halloween music, we haven’t been able to come up with anything satisfactory despite having the local musicians perform a large variety of songs for us.”

“Although, I wouldn’t say I haven’t been struck by any inspiration at all since it was a stroke of inspiration that brought me to you.” He adds, wearing an enigmatic smile.

While you raise an eyebrow, a frowning Riddle asks, “Surely, you don’t intend to ask Yuu for her help in composing a song? This is meant to be a surprise for her, or have you somehow forgotten that important fact?”

“I assure you I have not forgotten.” Jade replies, “I have no intention to ruin Yuu-san’s highly anticipated surprise.”

His smile grows. “On the contrary, I, like everyone else, wish to do everything in my power to ensure the surprise is a roaring success.”

The corners of your lips curve upwards in response to his words. “Jade-senpai…”

Your touched expression quickly turns into a surprised one when Jade cheerfully reveals, “That is why I want Yuu-san to play the music from the movie this book’s story is based on. After all, surely, no music would greater excite her than music inspired by a movie that’s so dear to her.”

Riddle rubs his chin. “I see. You do make an excellent point, but what exactly do you mean when you say you want her to ‘play’ the music?”

“Fufu. Why don’t you see for yourself rather than have me explain it?” Jade asks, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

Upon seeing the clear mischief in Jade’s expression, you quickly put two and two together since there’s really only one thing Jade could mean when he says he wants you to “play” music for him.

Your eyes narrow. “Jade-senpai, you better hope Azul-senpai doesn’t keep his memories of this. If I have to deal with him constantly trying to get me to perform at the Mostro Lounge after we get back to school, you’re gonna have to find someone else to go hiking with for the foreseeable future.”

“Oh, Yuu-san, please don’t say such sorrowful things.” Jade fake-sniffles. “I know I promised to keep quiet, but I only had the best of intentions when I divulged your secret to Azul, I assure you.”

Yeah, right. You dryly think to yourself. I bet you just wanted to finally rub it in Azul-senpai’s face that you knew something he didn’t, and you’re probably looking forward to him pestering me about doing future piano recitals while we’re stuck in this book.

This must be Jade-senpai’s way of getting back at me for ensuring he can’t cause mayhem by sticking him with Azul-senpai. You wryly muse. If he can’t mess with the innocent masses, he’ll just go after me instead.

Wonderful, just wonderful.

With a sigh, you ask, “I’m assuming you already have everything ready for me, so where do I need to go, Jade-senpai?”

Much to your surprise, Jade offers his arm to you. “I shall show you the way. Please allow me to escort you. This way I can ensure you don’t trip on along the way. I’d hate for you to fall and risk ruining your lovely dress, after all.”

Since you can tell Jade has no ulterior motives, you accept his proffered arm, although you do wonder what brought about his current behavior.

As if reading your mind, Jade smiles, “After seeing so many of my peers acting like such fine gentlemen today, I was inspired to improve my own performance as a gentleman. After all, we at the Mostro Lounge always strive to be perfect gentlemen.”

“So you always say.” Riddle mutters, “But Floyd’s usual behavior makes me believe otherwise.”

Meanwhile, you raise an amused brow. Wasn’t expecting Jade-senpai to get competitive over something like this, although I know he takes pride in being a “perfect gentleman” since that gentlemanly persona he’s made for himself is what helps him get away with most of his typical brand chaos. Guess he feels the need to prove that he won’t be beaten in his “field of expertise”.

Either that, or Jade is just hoping that him being extra gentlemanly will cause you to let your guard down, providing him an opening to exploit.

Because Jade Leech is always looking for openings to exploit.

Unfortunately for him, you have no intention to provide him such an opening since you do not want to provide him an opportunity to have fun at your expense.

That’s why you don’t let your guard down as you allow Jade to escort you, although your demeanor remains calm since, despite his propensity for mischief, you still trust the eel-mer and know he’s not a serious threat to you, at least not at this present time when you haven’t done anything to seriously piss him off, which is something you intend to avoid doing at all costs.

Because Jade Leech is the last person whom you’d ever want to make an enemy out of.

You’re soon pulled away from your thoughts when one of the Halloween Town citizens, who looks like a mummy, approaches you, asking for you to watch him implement the new idea he just came up with to scare Jack and give him your feedback.

Before you can respond to the mummy’s request, Riddle beats you to the punch, catching you by surprise. “Yuu is needed for another matter at this present time and has people waiting for her, so allow me to take her place for the time being.”

“An excellent idea, Riddle-san.” Jade nods. “Once you’re done, please reconvene with us behind the largest pumpkin in the pumpkin patch.”

Fortunately, the mummy is perfectly fine with accepting Riddle’s help, which doesn’t surprise you since everyone in Halloween Town is so nice and accommodating, which means that’s one less scaring session you have to take part in. What a relief.

No doubt that was the main reason Riddle intervened, because he knows that’s your least favorite part of your new job.

After giving Riddle a grateful look, to which he smiles in response, you resume heading toward the largest pumpkin in the pumpkin patch, along with Jade, who continues to escort you.

Shortly after you part ways with Riddle, you raise an eyebrow at the eel-mer. “Did you seriously bring an actual piano to the pumpkin patch? You couldn’t just take me to wherever the piano was originally?”

Jade chuckles, “We simply didn’t want to in any way inconvenience you by asking you to leave the pumpkin patch, considering this is the area where you’ve been doing the majority of your work. Besides, we thought you might like having a spot inside the pumpkin patch where you could relax whenever you’re taking a break.”

Considering how Jade is, he probably just thought it’d be amusing to bring an actual piano to a pumpkin patch and have a recital in such an unusual location. The eel-mer probably also enjoyed making Azul have to take part in the process of moving the piano since you could easily see Jade making Azul do the task, which the octo-mer would no doubt find exasperating since it would be more practical to bring you to the piano rather than vice-versa.

Rather than say as much, you just wryly say, “How very considerate of you. Thank you.”

After that exchange, silence briefly envelops the two of you, so you pass the time checking out the progress of everyone’s work on Team Terror’s test of courage.

Thankfully, things are going well so far. Because everyone is so eager to give Jack a real scare, they’ve been working really hard to make the pumpkin patch as frightening as possible.

Considering the pace they’re all currently working at, you think that everything will be ready in time for Halloween, just as long as no major hiccups occur along the way.

“Team Terror has been doing a splendid job with their test of courage preparations. It’s hard to believe they’ve only been working since this morning, considering how many decorations they already have set up.”

As if reading your mind, Jade comments on all the progress Team Terror has been making, and you can’t help but feel proud when you hear his praise since it’s the team that you’re overseeing.

Regrettably, you don’t get to enjoy that pleasant feeling for very long thanks to Jade's next remark. “Ah, yes, that reminds me of something I’ve been meaning to ask you, Yuu-san. Will you be accompanying Jack-san when he journeys through the two tests of courage, or do you intend to go through them both on your own?”

Feeling as if you’ve been doused with ice cold water, your whole body stiffens as you turn to look at Jade, who’s now wearing quite the large, gleeful grin. “Or perhaps you were hoping to enjoy the tests of courage with one of your close companions? If so, I’d be happy to volunteer myself for your journey through your team’s test of courage since I am sure I would enjoy myself a great deal if I had you there alongside me. Fufu.”

Of that, I have no doubt. You dryly think to yourself. You would absolutely love watching me get scared outta my damn mind. You’d be more interested in watching me react to my team’s test of courage than the test of courage itself, you damn menace.

You internally groan. Dammit. I forgot to consider the possibility of me being asked to go through the tests of courage. I had just assumed I’d be one of the scarers in Team Terror’s test of courage and that I’d support Team Horror from the sidelines, but considering how much Jack wants me to enjoy my first Halloween and how important scaring and getting scared is to him, there’s no way I’m gonna be able to avoid having to go through those tests of courage, at least definitely not the one Team Horror will make.

Talking about shooting yourself in the foot. You’ve really doomed yourself with this bright idea you came up with to help Jack overcome his creative slump.

“Oh, Yuu-san, whatever is the matter?” Jade asks, trying and failing to sound innocent. “You look rather pale. Are you feeling under the weather?”

After giving him an unimpressed look, you huff, “I’m fine, and to answer your earlier question, I will NOT be going through a test of courage with you, because I’d rather not be accompanied by someone who will take pleasure in my suffering.”

He dramatically gasps, “Why, Yuu-san, that’s such a cruel accusation. I can assure you that I would never take pleasure in your torment.”

Now, you’re just lying through your teeth. You wryly think to yourself. You can’t fool me, you menace.

Upon seeing your unconvinced expression, Jade theatrically sniffles. “Oh, woe is me. I can’t believe you think so lowly of me, Yuu-san. It truly breaks my heart.”

While you roll your eyes at his awful acting, he continues, “And here I was, greatly looking forward to experiencing my first ever test of courage with you. I was practically shaking with anticipation when I imagined all of the potential excitement we could experience together.”

“Such as hordes of ghosts popping up at random, bone-chilling screams suddenly filling the air, the sensation of being watched but being unable to find the source, skeletal hands piercing through the dirt at our feet so they can reach out to grab us, etc.” He adds, doing his best to sound casual and completely failing, because there’s no mistaking the mischief underlying everything that he says.

Even though you know exactly what Jade is trying to do, you’re unable to stop the chill that runs down your spine when your traitorous mind begins to imagine the mental picture that Jade’s words are creating.

Despite yourself, you begin to tremble when your brain starts concocting scary image after scary image, and your breathing begins to grow unsteady when said images are eventually followed by the sound of Mumei’s haunting laughter, which always filled the air whenever he forced you to watch countless horror movies as a form of punishment.

“Well, this won’t do.”

Much to your surprise, you’re eventually pulled away from your harrowing thoughts when a gentle hand abruptly cups your cheek.

When you’re brought back to the present, you find yourself staring at Jade’s handsome face, which is now right in front of yours, catching you off guard. You’re unable to bring yourself to question the eel-mer's actions, because you quickly find yourself entranced when you look into his mismatched eyes.

For some reason, this occasionally happens whenever you lock gazes with the Leech brothers. There are just these moments when their eyes seem utterly bewitching, and every time, all you can bring yourself to do is stare.

Thankfully, Floyd and Jade have never seemed to mind. On the contrary, they find it rather amusing and somewhat entertaining, probably because it gives them a bit of an ego boost to be on the receiving end of your admiring gaze.

This time, however, Jade doesn’t look amused and is instead sporting an unusually serious expression.

“It would seem I underestimated the severity of your horror phobia.” Jade murmurs, “How careless of me.”

His thumb softly caresses your cheek. “My sincerest apologies, Yuu-san. This was not the end result I had wanted, not in the slightest.”

It’s thanks to Jade’s unusually gentle actions that you’re able to finally calm down. Thanks to him grounding you, you’re eventually able to fully bring yourself back to the present and banish all of your unpleasant thoughts and memories to the furthest recesses of your mind where they belong.

Once you’ve regained your composure, you rest a hand over the one that’s cupping your cheek. “It’s okay. I’m alright now, Jade-senpai.”

Rather than immediately take you at your word, Jade spends several seconds silently scrutinizing you before he finally pulls away from you with a nod. “I am relieved to hear that. I apologize again for my insensitive actions.”

Since you can tell he’s being completely sincere, you accept his apology. “Apology accepted. Just please go easy on me from here on out when it comes to anything related to horror. A little teasing is fine since I know you never have any truly bad intentions, but sadly, that’s about all I can handle with the kinda phobia I have.”

“Rest assured, I will not make the same mistake again.” Jade promises, “While I highly value my own personal entertainment, it is not more important than your mental well-being.”

A pleasant warmth envelops your chest as your expression softens. “Jade-senpai…”

And this is why, despite what menaces they can be, you’re friends with the Leech twins, because, despite the chaos and mayhem they love to cause, the two aren’t bad people at heart.

At the very least, they aren’t when you’re concerned since both Floyd and Jade would never do anything that would result in any kind of serious harm, physical or mental, befalling you.

Because, despite all the trouble they like to cause you for their own amusement, they do sincerely care about you.

That’s why you love Floyd and Jade so much and why you’re willing to forgive their typical mischief. Of course, that’s not to say you just simply forgive and forget whenever the twins cause you trouble.

After all, you’re not that nice.

With a smirk, you take advantage of the fact that Jade has let his guard down and quickly reach over to grab his tie, catching him by surprise.

Copying what you’ve seen done countless times on TV, you use your grip on Jade’s tie to pull his face toward yours, and once he’s close enough, you kiss his forehead, which is currently fully exposed thanks to the upswept hairstyle the book gave him.

Your smirk grows when you witness Jade’s expression shift from being dumbfounded to embarrassed since it’s not often you get to see the eel-mer flustered. “That’s my payback. Fortunately for you, I delivered it when there were no witnesses. However, I can’t promise that will be the case if there’s a next time.”

Much to your amusement, unlike how the majority of your friends act when you fluster them with physical affection, Jade doesn’t retreat into himself or start making a fuss.

Instead, he bats his pretty little eyes at you and brings his face even closer to yours, all the while wearing a grin that shows off all those sharp, pointy teeth of his. “Oya, oya. Is that a promise, Yuu-san? If so, I must admit, that makes me feel more inclined to cause more mischief rather than abstain from it. Fufu.”

All you can do is laugh. “Why am I not surprised?”

Unable to help yourself, you kiss his cheek. “In that case, I guess I better only use kisses as rewards for good behavior. I don’t wanna encourage any mischief, after all.”

Unlike last time, Jade doesn’t get embarrassed by the second kiss you give him since he had been prepared this time and instead seems pleased, which is typically how both he and Floyd react whenever they receive any kind of physical affection from you. “What a pity. For a moment there, I was quite excited.”

With a snort, you finally release your hold on Jade’s tie and pull away from him. “Sorry to disappoint.”

Catching you by surprise, Jade gently takes hold of your hand that had previously grabbed his tie. “Oh, you could never disappoint me, Yuu-san.”

Just as Skully has done several times since you first met him, Jade brings your hand to his mouth and tenderly kisses your knuckles, smiling all the while. “That’s why it’s never boring whenever I’m with you.”

Upon seeing Jade’s smile that’s a mixture of mischievous and genuinely fond and how his bewitching eyes are sparkling with mirth, you find yourself completely captivated since you don’t think you’ve ever seen Jade look as charming as he does right now.

This is why having pretty boys as friends is so dangerous. They just keep getting more and more captivating as time passes, and it’s seriously bad for your heart, especially when they’re looking so gorgeous whilst treating you so tenderly.

Thankfully, you miraculously manage to keep yourself from turning into a flustered mess through sheer willpower since you know Jade wouldn’t hesitate to start teasing you for his own amusement.

Of course, you’re sure that Jade still noticed the effect his recent actions had on you, judging from the impish grin that’s now resting on his lips.

That’s why you’re quick to change subjects. “Alright, that’s good. Now, let’s get to that piano already. If you guys wanna make progress on the music before we run outta daylight, we can’t afford to waste any more time.”

“Yes, of course.” Jade chuckles, “Let us be off then.”

Just like last time, the eel-mer politely offers you his arm, and you accept it, so he can resume escorting you to the area where the piano was stationed.

Naturally, you don’t think this means you’ve successfully avoided having to deal with Jade’s teasing. You’ve only temporarily put it off, because Jade never forgets anything he deems entertaining.

Unfortunately for you.

As you had expected, during the remainder of the trip to the area where the piano was stationed, Jade has fun playfully teasing you since he really can’t help himself. Naturally, you return fire by bringing up how he reacted when you kissed his forehead, so the battle doesn’t remain one-sided for long.

Thankfully, things finally settle down when you and Jade reach the largest pumpkin of the pumpkin patch - a pumpkin so huge that it could easily become a person’s house if it was possible to keep it from rotting.

Because of its impressive size, this large pumpkin will be a big part of Team Terror’s test of courage, because it has already been carved to look like a jack-o-lantern, making it the ultimate Halloween decoration.

Since this large jack-o-lantern is so far back into the pumpkin patch, it was decided that the test of courage would end here, so everyone wants to make this spot as scary as possible since they want their test of courage to have the best possible finale.

However, so far, this area hasn’t been worked on by anyone yet since the members of Team Terror have been focusing on the areas of the pumpkin patch where they’ll each be individually stationed since, right now, everyone’s working on figuring out how they want to scare Jack.

You had told everyone to work like this, because you had thought it would take more time for everyone to decide on what they would individually do to scare Jack than to decorate this area, and you want everyone to have enough time to prepare, so they can give Jack their best possible individual performances.

It’s a good thing you suggested that strategy since it means you won’t have to worry about disturbing anyone with your piano-playing since no Halloween Town residents are in this area right now.

The only people currently here are you, Jade, Azul, and…Jamil?

As surprise dawns on your features upon catching sight of Jamil, who is standing in the area behind the giant pumpkin, along with Azul, Jade, who’s equally as surprised, remarks, “Oya? I wasn’t expecting to see you here, Jamil-san. Were you keeping Azul company while I was away? How kind of you.”

Just as a smiling Azul opens his mouth, no doubt to confirm Jade’s suspicions, Jamil makes a face. “That is definitely NOT the reason I’m here. I only approached this area, because I saw you and Azul bringing a piano, of all things, here, and I wanted to find out what you two were up to.”

Azul dramatically sighs, “Your lack of trust in us truly wounds me, Jamil-san. If only I could find a way to convince you that I only have the purest of motives in everything that I do.”

“Biggest lie I’ve ever heard.” Jamil deadpans, without missing a beat, making you snort.

While Azul theatrically gasps, Jade sadly frowns, “Oh, Jamil-san, you truly have the wrong idea about us. It saddens me that you think we’re only capable of misdeeds despite our dorm being known for its great benevolence.”

Rather than bother deigning the eel-mer with a response, Jamil focuses his gaze on you and raises an eyebrow. “According to Azul, you know how to play the piano. Is this true?”

Your eyes narrow. “If I say ‘yes,’, you’re not gonna say such a skill doesn’t suit a delinquent tomboy like me, like Grim, Sebek, Jade-senpai, and Idia-senpai did when they found out about it during our trip to Harveston, are you?”

Upon hearing what Jade did in the past, a scowling Azul turns to glare at Jade. “Jade!”

Jade feigns innocence. “I don’t know what you mean, Yuu-san. I can’t recall ever saying such an unkind thing.”

“Because you technically didn’t.” You wryly reply, “You just nodded along like the others after Grim said it.”

While Azul begins reprimanding his vice dorm leader since he won’t accept any kind of behavior that could be considered harassment since that would put the NDA you signed at risk, Jamil huffs in amusement. “I was going to express my surprise, but I had no intention of being rude about it, I assure you.”

“I was simply going to ask why this is my first time hearing about this particular skill of yours.” He adds, “Although, it’s true that I’ve never thought to actually ask you if you knew how to play an instrument.”

You hold up three fingers. “Three words: Pop Music Club.”

Jamil winces, “Right. Enough said. I can’t blame you for not wanting to take any risks of them finding out since they would be relentless with their scouting.”

Having finished scolding Jade, Azul gives you his best, professional businessman smile. “Rest assured, Yuu-san, I will not allow your secret to reach the ears of the Pop Music Club. It is safe with me.”

“But, Azul, weren’t you previously discussing having Yuu-san perform at the Mostro Lounge?” Jade asks, doing his best to sound innocent and completely failing. “If Yuu-san were to do that, it wouldn’t be long before everyone at school found out about Yuu-san’s ability to play the piano.”

While Azul resumes glaring at the eel-mer and hisses his name, Jamil turns to heatedly glare at the octo-mer. “Don’t even think about it, Azul. You know Yuu hates anything that involves putting her in the spotlight. She will not be doing any kind of performance for your monetary gain.”

As a warm smile rises to your lips in response to Jamil’s protectiveness, you decide to get involved to ensure no fighting ensues. “As Jamil-senpai said, I dislike being in the spotlight, so I’m really not interested in putting on any kind of performance at school, especially when the chances are high that the Pop Music Club will get wind of it.”

“I also just prefer to only play the piano for my friends.” You continue, “I’m not used to playing for others, so it’d be uncomfortable for me to play in front of a large group of people I don’t really know.”

“Especially considering most of the people in the audience wouldn’t wanna listen to me play anyway, considering how unpopular I am with the majority of the NRC student body.” You dryly add.

When you mention your lack of popularity with the NRC student body, Jamil’s and Azul’s postures stiffen while Jade’s eyes slightly narrow. As always, this topic is never well-received by your friends for obvious reasons.

While Jamil quickly returns to threateningly glaring at Azul, the octo-mer keeps his full attention focused on you. “If that is how you feel, Yuu-san, then I will not press the matter since I never want to do anything that will make you uncomfortable.”

He slightly bows his head. “I apologize for my lack of consideration. I should’ve given more thought to how you’d feel about performing for the kind of audience the Mostro Lounge would provide.”

“Yes, you should have.” Jamil snidely remarks, making Azul twitch and Jade snicker.

You chuckle, “It’s alright, Azul-senpai. I understand why you didn’t consider my lack of popularity, because only the really dumb students would actually dare to cause trouble at the lounge, so it’s very unlikely that anything bad would actually happen while I perform.”

“So I wasn’t really worried about that happening. I just didn’t wanna share my piano-playing with those assholes.” You wryly add.

“Perfectly understandable.” Jade mirthfully replies, “Your lovely piano-playing would be wasted on the likes of those scoundrels.”

Upon hearing Jade sincerely compliment your piano-playing skills, Jamil’s and Azul’s expressions become intrigued, obviously because they know Jade isn’t the type who gives out genuine praise lightly.

Just as you’re about to offer to play the piano for them, Riddle chooses that moment to arrive on the scene, and as expected, he’s rather shocked when he sees an actual piano behind the giant jack ‘o lantern. “What in the world?! A piano?!”

Jamil huffs in amusement. “That was my reaction when I first saw Azul and Jade bringing it here.”

Giggling, you draw closer to the piano, which is a spinet piano that has definitely been around for a while, considering how old the wood looks and the fact that there are remnants of spider webs on it - spider webs that had likely been removed by Azul and Jade before they transported it. “An understandable response.”

Like the piano, the bench before it also looks rather old, so you move lightly and carefully when you take a seat on it, all the while hoping that it won’t break underneath your weight.

“Yuu, you know how to play the piano?” Riddle asks, his eyes wide with awe, as he approaches the piano like the rest of your friends.

“Yep.” You nod. “I’m no expert or anything, though. I just took a lot of lessons during the last ten years for my music class credits back when I was homeschooled.”

As all the boys, sans Jade, stare at you in surprise when they hear how long you’ve been playing the piano, the eel-mer smiles, “You’re so humble, Yuu-san. Most people would be quick to brag if they possessed the skills that you have.”

The corners of your lips quirk upwards. “I really don’t think I’m being humble, but thank you. That’s very nice of you to say.”

After you thank him, you reach to pull up the piano’s fallboard, so you can take a look at the keys, but pause, just after your hand touches the fallboard.

Upon remembering what kind of setting you’re in, you nervously ask, “Uh, someone looked at the keys ahead of time, right? This won’t be the first time the fallboard has been moved?”

As the majority of your friends raise their eyebrows, Azul answers, “I examined the keys earlier before we brought the piano here. Why?”

“Because, in this kinda spooky setting, I would expect something to pop out, like a spider or a bat, after I uncover the keys.” You dryly reply, “That would be just my luck, after all.”

While Jamil’s expression pales at the mention of possibly seeing a spider, Jade chuckles, “Oh, yes, now that you mention, we did see a rather large spider when Azul first checked the keys. He made the most amusing sound when he saw it. Fufu.”

“Jade!” Azul hisses, appearing embarrassed.

As Riddle quietly laughs at Azul’s expense, Jamil warily eyes the piano after taking a few steps away from it. “Have you made sure there are no other pests in there?”

“We did remove the majority of the cobwebs that had been sticking to it.” Jade answers, “Since the local musicians prefer instruments that they can easily carry around, they don’t use this piano very often, so it took us a while to clean all of the dust, grime, and cobwebs that had previously covered it.”

Both Jamil and Riddle grimace at that unpleasant mental image. Meanwhile, Azul says, “We did our best to make it presentable since we didn’t think Yuu-san would be willing to play the piano in its previous state.”

“And you thought right.” You wryly agree, “Thank you for giving the piano a much needed cleanup.”

With a teasing smirk, Azul turns to look at Jamil. “Unfortunately, I can’t guarantee that there are no more spiders in the piano, so please do be careful, Jamil-san.”

Seeing the way Jamil’s eyebrow rapidly twitches, you request, “Please don’t set the piano on fire if you see a bug, Jamil-senpai. I promise I’ll take care of any bugs I see, so refrain from committing any acts of arson since I really don’t want this pumpkin patch going up in flames.”

“You better act quickly, because I can’t make any promises.” Jamil deadpans, causing Jade to quickly cover his mouth with his hand in order to muffle his laughter.

Riddle sighs, “I suppose I should remain on my guard, just in case, since I don’t want all of Team Terror’s efforts to literally go up in flames.”

“Good idea.” You dryly reply as you lift up the fallboard and take in the sight of piano keys that are thankfully devoid of bugs, eliciting a sigh of relief from both you and Jamil.

Just as you always do before playing, you begin stretching your fingers and lightly tap the keys to see if everything is in tune.

During this time, Azul reveals that, after he and Jade cleaned the piano, they took the time to make sure it was properly tuned, so as a result, you find no issues while you’re looking over the instrument.

Once you finish warming up, you remark, “Alright, so while I was asked to play the music from the movie this story is based on, I don’t think I should cover all the songs since not all of them have a Halloween theme ‘cause the movie is about Jack-san trying to take over Christmas.”

“Honestly, I think the only song that would be a particularly helpful reference is ‘This Is Halloween’, the song that’s sung by the residents of Halloween Town right at the very start of the movie.” You add, “That song perfectly captures the setting of the town and explains so much about the characters, within just a few minutes, which is why it’s so great.”

After providing that explanation, you proceed to play “This Is Halloween”, which you thankfully know by heart, because it’s your favorite song from the movie and one that you played rather often on the piano back in your world.

Smiling, you close your eyes and completely lose yourself in the music. Instantly, all of the scenes from The Nightmare Before Christmas that occur while this song is playing fly to the forefront of your mind, all of which you clearly remember as if you just watched the movie yesterday, due to how much you watched that movie over the years.

Unbeknownst to you, while you’re caught up in your memories, your friends are aptly watching you, completely captivated by the music you’re playing. As a result, for the entirety of the song, nothing can be heard but the piano due to everyone being so focused on the music.

When the song finally ends, you’re brought back to reality with a jolt after the sound of applause reaches your ears. Caught off guard, you open your eyes and stare in surprise when you see the smiling faces of your friends who are all clapping.

“That was a wonderful performance, Yuu!” Riddle praises, “I can see now why Jade thinks so highly of your piano-playing. It’s obvious that you’ve put in a lot of practice to hone your skills.”

“I was pleasantly surprised.” Jamil smiles, “I really didn’t know what to expect, but it was a splendid performance. Well done, Yuu.”

“Yes, I agree wholeheartedly.” Azul cheerfully chimes in. “Your skills are most impressive, Yuu-san, and that song was absolutely exquisite. Immediately, I found myself wanting to sing along with it despite not knowing any of the words!”

Smiling, Jade nods. “Yes, it was quite catchy. I could easily see such a song becoming popular if it debuted in any movie from our world. It truly is the perfect reference for us since the melody embodies the Halloween spirit perfectly.”

Once you overcome your surprise, a pleasant warmth takes root inside your chest. “Thank you very much. I’m really flattered that you guys think so highly of my piano-playing.”

“And I’m really happy you like the song.” You beam, “It’s my favorite song in the movie, so I’m glad I was able to do it justice.”

“You most certainly did.” Azul smiles, “I could clearly hear your fondness for the song in every note, which is no doubt one of the reasons why your performance was such a success.”

He draws closer to the piano bench where you’re sitting. “Just as you had said, I think this song alone would be a perfect reference for us, although I must confess you now have me awfully curious about the rest of the movie’s soundtrack, because that first song was so enjoyable.”

“Of course, that discussion would need to happen at a later time when our busy schedules would allow it since we currently have a lot of work to do and not a lot of time to do it.” Azul adds.

“Just don’t get any ideas, Azul.” Jamil warns, “I could easily see you trying to make a profit off the music from Yuu’s world, after all.”

Azul theatrically gasps, “Why, Jamil-san, I can assure you that was not my intention in the slightest.”

His eyes gain a certain gleam that always means Azul is up to something. “Although, now that you’ve said that, I can’t deny that your idea has a lot of promise.”

“Oh, great.” Riddle sighs, “Now, you’ve done it, Jamil.”

“Don’t blame me.” Jamil huffs, “He was already plotting before I even said something. That’s just how Azul works, and you know it.”

While Jade chuckles, Riddle tiredly massages his temple. “Unfortunately.”

An amused huff escapes you. “Save your business schemes for another time, Azul-senpai. We’ve got a Halloween to prepare for.”

“Considering you didn’t bring any of the local musicians to hear me play, am I right to assume that you intended to play for them after learning the music from me, or are you gonna bring them here later?” You ask, after giving Azul, whom you know played the piano back in middle school, a curious look.

“I had intended to do the former since I know how busy your schedule has been, although, since Jade had insisted on bringing the piano here, I suppose the latter is now more feasible, just as long as we bring the musicians by whenever you’re not busy.” Azul answers.

You shrug. “Either option is fine with me, so I’ll do whatever.”

“For now, I would like to learn how to play ‘This Is Halloween’.” Azul comments, “That way the music team will always have someone who can play the song available, and we won’t have to worry about your schedule.”

Since that makes the most sense, you nod. “Alright. Makes sense.”

“So how do you wanna do this?” You ask, “If this was a normal piano bench, I’d say we could sit together, but I dunno if this old bench can hold two people since I think it’s just barely holding me.”

“With magic, I should be able to keep the bench stable.” Azul answers, before promptly waving his magic-pen over the piano bench, causing it to glow.

After he does that, Azul takes a seat beside you on the piano bench, which thankfully doesn’t break thanks to his magic. “Very good. We shouldn’t have any issues with the bench, just as long as my magic remains active.”

Even though the piano bench can now hold two people’s weight thanks to Azul’s magic, it’s clear that it wasn’t built for more than one person to use at a time, because you and Azul have to sit very close together in order to both fit on it.

Upon seeing you and Azul so closely pressed together, Jamil’s eyebrow twitches. “I don’t like this.”

“I can’t say that I do either.” Riddle frowns, “Sadly, I can’t refute the fact that the piano lesson is likely to go more smoothly with them seated together like that.”

A sly smile rises to Jade’s lips. “Most importantly, the lesson will be far more entertaining this way. Fufu.”

“Only you feel that way.” Jamil and Riddle simultaneously deadpan.

Meanwhile, thanks to the comments made by the other second-year students, Azul has started to become self-conscious about how close he is to you, or at least, that’s what you’re assuming is the reason behind the blush now coloring his cheeks.

As always, you find the sight of Azul’s blushing expression to be quite adorable, although you don’t say as much for his sake.

Instead, you just give him a warm smile. “I’ve never played the piano with someone before, so I’m looking forward to our lesson, Azul-senpai. I’ll do my best to be a good teacher.”

Azul awkwardly clears his throat before giving you a smile that likely isn’t nearly as suave as he’s wanting it to be. “I am sure you will be, Yuu-san. I have complete confidence in you.”

After that exchange, the piano lesson begins since you didn’t want to risk saying anything that might make Azul too flustered to play the piano with you.

Fortunately, despite your lack of experience with teaching, the lesson ends up going well since Azul is such a quick study and already has plenty of piano-playing experience underneath his belt.

Consequently, you really don’t need to do anything other than play “This Is Halloween” a few times and allow Azul to closely watch you, because that’s really all he needs in order to get a good grasp of the song.

As a result, it’s not long before Azul is playing the song along with you, although it’s obvious that he’s new to the song since his playing indicates he’s still getting used to the music, which is perfectly understandable, considering he hasn’t known the song for very long.

Plus, Azul is still feeling a little awkward due to his close proximity to you, which is affecting his playing, and it doesn’t help matters that Jade teases his dorm leader every chance he gets, much to Azul’s annoyance.

Still, despite Azul’s embarrassment, he’s been making great progress, and you’re sure he’ll only continue to improve, because he’s the type of person who only wants people to see him at his very best. He won’t allow himself to put on a performance that he considers to be substandard.

That’s why you’re not worried about the music preparations for the big surprise all of your friends and Jack are working on. They’ll be in good hands with Azul on the job.

Smiling at that thought, you say, “I’m really glad I put you on the music team, Azul-senpai. Considering there’s pretty much nothing you can’t do when you set your mind to it, I know that you and Jade-senpai are gonna come up with something great for Halloween.”

Your smile grows. “That’s why I’m really looking forward to seeing the end result of the music team’s hard work.”

Azul proudly puffs up his chest as he smugly smiles, “As you should. After all, we at the Mostro Lounge only provide the highest quality services.”

While Jamil and Riddle both roll their eyes, a smiling Jade nods in agreement. “Indeed. We can’t allow ourselves to do anything that would bring shame to the lounge’s name, after all. We have a reputation to uphold.”

“Not a good one.” Jamil deadpans, eliciting a snort from you and a nod from Riddle.

Naturally, this leads to Azul and Jade being their typical theatrical selves as they take great offense to Jamil’s brutally honest words and Riddle’s support of Jamil.

And, before you know it, the second-year students begin their usual bickering, because these boys can only be civil around each other for so long before things turn out like this.

Rather than try to stop them like you normally would do, you just amusedly watch your upperclassmen’s typical antics. NRC students really can't go long without butting heads, no matter what kind of circumstances they're in.

And that’s something that won’t ever change.

Chapter Text

After you eventually get the second-year students to stop fighting, you resume your duties as Jack’s temporary replacement since some of the locals had come looking for you to ask for your advice about decorations and other matters related to Team Terror’s test of courage.

And that’s how the rest of the day passes, with you helping out at the pumpkin patch while your friends, who are on your team, take turns looking out for you until the mayor shows up to fetch you since he had wanted to talk with you and Skully to get a status update on how both teams’ tests of courage are faring.

Fortunately, both you and Skully have positive reports for the mayor, who had been wearing his nervous face at the start of the impromptu meeting, which gets held right outside of the mayor's house, because everyone has been working really hard and has made a lot of progress with their Halloween preparations as a result.

When you both confidently tell the mayor that the tests of courage will be ready in time for Halloween, just as long as everyone keeps this momentum going, his face immediately shifts to his happy one. “Oh, what a relief! It looks like Halloween will be saved, after all! Thank you both for all your hard work, and please keep up the good work!”

Skully gives him a gentlemanly bow as he presses a hand against his chest. “With pleasure. I will do everything in my power to ensure this Halloween is a complete success.”

“Same here.” You smile, “You can count on us, mayor. We won’t let you down.”

After he once again profusely thanks you and Skully, the mayor says, “Oh, yes, I almost forgot. Jack wanted me to tell you that you Twisted Wonderland folks will be sleeping at Town Hall during your stay with us, and dinner should be ready by the time you two meet up with the rest of your group.”

“Oh, you are all most hospitable.” Skully beams, “Thank you ever so kindly for your generosity.”

Once you also express your gratitude, the mayor takes his leave and heads for his house, with a noticeable pep in his step, no doubt because the Halloween preparations are going so well so far.

As soon as the cheerful mayor has entered his house and is out of earshot, you turn to look at Skully and say, “Hey, Skully, I’ve just realized something. Despite us being here the whole day, it wasn’t until just recently that I started actually feeling hungry, which is weird since I ate three meals a day like I normally do when I last got trapped inside a book. What about you?”

He thoughtfully grabs his chin. “Ah, now that you mention it, that is also the case for me. I had been so caught up in our Halloween preparations that I had forgotten the fact that we haven’t eaten since we got here.”

Makes us sound like Jack, considering he was the same way in the movie. You dryly think to yourself. That’s why Sally had to bring food to him, although we never actually saw him eat what she made for him.

I had always been curious about the diet of the people here since I think the only times I ever saw someone eat in The Nightmare Before Christmas was when Dr. Finkelstein got knocked out by Sally’s cooking, when Barrel licked on his lollipop, and when Jack tried a bite of snow when he first visited Christmas Town. You muse. The movie didn’t really tell us much on that end, not that it was particularly necessary for the plot.

It’s at that moment realization dawns on your features. Wait a minute. I wonder…

“Skully, have you seen anyone eat anything since we got here?” You ask, “Besides candy?”

Wearing a thoughtful frown, Skully ponders your question for a moment before eventually answering, “Not that I can recall, which is most strange now that you bring it up…”

Having somewhat expected that response due to the theory now coming together in your mind, you remark, “In the movie these characters star in, I didn’t see much eating happening either, so that got me to wondering: What if the people here don’t actually require three meals a day, and instead, the majority of them, if not all of them, just eat like one?”

“Oh, I see!” Skully exclaims, “Because they’re not human like ourselves, it’s entirely possible that they do not require as much food to survive as we do, so it’s perfectly reasonable to assume that they may only need one meal a day. It would also explain why food has never been brought up by our gracious hosts until now since I know such wonderful people would never intentionally let their guests go hungry.”

“Do you think that, in turn, is somehow affecting us?” Skully asks, “Because this is a fictional world?”

“It’s the only explanation I can think of.” You nod. “Perhaps, while we still technically have the same bodies we've always had, they’ve been slightly biologically altered to make us better fit in here.”

Upon remembering the kinds of ingredients Sally used in her cooking in The Nightmare Before Christmas, you grimace, “Or maybe, the book is having mercy on us ‘cause of the kind of food that’s normally available here…”

When Skully tilts his head in response to your words, you explain, “The cooking ingredients I saw get used in the movie this story is based on didn’t seem all that appetizing, like frog’s breath for example, so I don’t really have a lot of high expectations for the food unless Trey-senpai or Jamil-senpai is doing the cooking.”

“Don’t tell Sally-san I said that.” You quickly add, “I don’t wanna hurt her feelings, so if she hands me something, I’m gonna eat it, no matter how it looks.”

Once he overcomes his surprise, Skully chuckles, “Such a kind lady you are, Yuu-san. Not to worry, I won’t speak a word.”

After saying that, he offers his hand to you. “Rather than speculate about what our dinner will be like, why don’t we go see for ourselves? I’d hate to keep everyone waiting, Sebek-san especially. I know he’s very eager to see your lovely face.”

With a smile, you take his proffered hand, so he can escort you, like he’s been doing all day every time the two of you are together. “Good idea.”

Right after the two of you start walking toward the direction of Town Hall, you wryly ask, “Considering you mentioned Sebek just now, am I right to assume he was giving you a hard time while the two of you were working together at the cemetery?”

“Oh no.” Skully quickly denies, “Sebek-san caused me no such trouble. On the contrary, he kindly reminded me that, while preparing for Halloween is extremely important, so is the job of supporting you, so I must give both duties my all since that is what is expected of me.”

“I feel honored to have such high expectations placed upon my shoulders.” He beams, “I must ensure that I do not let down such a wonderful person like Sebek-san, who’s a perfect example for me to follow, considering what a splendid job he did acting as Malleus-san’s support throughout the day.”

Your expression becomes amused. Somehow, I get the feeling that Skully is seeing Sebek through rose-colored glasses ‘cause he’s so sweet and oblivious, considering how he’s been acting in response to Sebek’s jealousy all this time.

Now, that’s not to say that you can’t believe that Sebek had been kind to Skully since you know your son is, in fact, a very sweet boy.

However, Sebek doesn’t show that sweet side of his to just anyone, so it’s hard for you to imagine him doing that with Skully, who’s been getting on his nerves pretty much since they first met.

Rather than tell Skully that he has high expectations for him, Sebek probably said something like nobody is capable of supporting me as well as him, so Skully better give it his all if he wants to even hope to compare. You dryly muse. Wouldn’t be surprised if he also threatened to go after Skully if anything happened to me while I was with him, considering how protective he can be.

Unfortunately for Sebek, the ever oblivious Skully completely misinterpreted his words, which ended up having the kind of effect that was the exact opposite of what Sebek had intended.

Since I don’t know for sure what Sebek said and Skully clearly was positively affected regardless, I won’t get involved despite being pretty confident about Sebek’s true intentions. You internally chuckle. I’ll just leave those two be and only get involved if Sebek really loses his temper.

You’re pulled away from your thoughts when Skully says, “Sebek-san mentioned you numerous times during our many exchanges this afternoon. That’s why I’m confident that he’s eagerly waiting for you.”

Your heart melts in response to his words. “Awww, that’s adorable. I’ll have to give my son lots of attention this evening to make up for him having to go the majority of the day without seeing me.”

Skully cheerfully nods. “I am sure he would be most pleased if you did.”

Smiling, you give his hand a squeeze. “Thank you for letting me know that Sebek had been missing me, Skully. I’m glad my son had someone so sweet and reliable looking out for him.”

Much to your delight, a cute blush colors his cheeks in response to your compliment. “There is no need to thank me, Yuu-san. I had simply wanted to lend my assistance since both you and Sebek-san are such wonderful people.”

“And I had hoped that my efforts would result in me once again getting to see your lovely smile, which is more radiant than the sun, moon, and stars combined.” Skully smoothly adds, smiling all the while.

“Awww!” You grin, “You are such a sweetheart, Skully. I really love that about you. If only all NRC boys could be as sweet and charming as you.”

His blush darkens as he lifts your hand to his mouth, so he can kiss your knuckles. “As always, you are too kind, my dear.”

“SHE IS NOT YOUR DEAR, YOU INSOLENT HUMAN!”

Just after Skully kisses your knuckles, a familiar booming voice fills the air, making you and Skully wince due to its powerful volume.

Much to your surprise and exasperation, when you turn toward the direction the loud voice came from, you see a scowling Sebek running toward you.

Because you’re worried about what your son might try to do to Skully, considering how irate he looks, you quickly pull your hand out of Skully’s hold and move to protectively stand in front of him. “Sebek Zigvolt, you calm down right this instant. I know none of my sons like to see other guys flirting with me, but I won’t allow you to go after Skully, who has been a perfect gentleman since we met.”

“I am not your son!” Sebek automatically retorts as he comes to a stop in front of you.

When he grumpily glares at you, you sternly stare right back at your son, daring him to give you any lip, ready and willing to show him some tough love if he doesn’t behave himself.

Fortunately, unlike Grim and Ace, who are typically your only sons who foolishly don’t immediately back down when they should in situations like this, Sebek quickly begins to settle down, because he knows you’re more than willing to use physical discipline if the situation calls for it, and he’s not foolish enough to pick a fight with you under these kinds of circumstances.

Once his earlier ire bleeds out of his expression, Sebek sulkily averts his gaze with a harrumph. “Hmph. Everyone is waiting for the two of you, so we can have dinner. Do not keep Malleus-sama waiting any longer, you foolish humans.”

And, of course, rather than apologize for his surly behavior, Sebek just decides to act like he wasn’t getting ready to fight Skully for kissing your hand a few seconds ago.

While you’re tempted to chide him, you decide against it since Sebek technically didn’t do anything bad in the end, and when you look at him, you quickly find yourself recalling how Skully mentioned that your son had been missing you, resulting in you being unable to remain exasperated.

Shaking your head, you reach up to cup Sebek’s face, so you can gently pinch his cheeks, making him scowl. Before he can swipe your hands away, you release his face and resume moving toward the direction of Town Hall, after motioning for the two boys to follow. “Alright, let’s get going then. I don’t wanna keep everyone waiting on us any longer.”

That’s how you soon find yourself walking with Sebek and Skully on either side of you, like when you were all exploring the forest that had the holiday trees, and just like what happened back then, Sebek gives Skully plenty of not-so-friendly looks, even though you’re not even holding Skully’s hand this time.

Yep, Sebek’s feelings about Skully definitely haven’t changed. You dryly think to yourself.

Since you really need to do something about Sebek’s obvious grumpiness, you take hold of his hand after sparing Skully a covert wink. “Alright, Sebek, since Skully escorted me during the first half of the trek to Town Hall, you take the second half, so Skully doesn’t have to do all the escorting and can take a break. He did have a very busy day, after all.”

Thankfully, Skully, despite his usual obliviousness, quickly catches onto what you’re trying to do and goes along with your plan. “Ah, yes, today was very eventful indeed, so Sebek-san’s assistance would be most appreciated, if he doesn’t mind.”

Just as you had expected, Sebek’s whole demeanor visibly improves in response to your and Skully’s words.

Within a matter of seconds, Sebek is sporting his typical haughty expression. “Heh, you humans are so feeble, getting tired so easily, even though today’s activities were hardly strenuous. I could easily continue working for another twenty-four hours without issue!”

He tightly grips your hand as he puffs up his chest. “I suppose I’ll have no other choice but to escort Yuu since she’s a magnet for trouble, and I can’t allow any misfortune to befall her while she’s under my protection.”

After sharing a smile with Skully, you reply, “Glad to hear it. I know I’ll have nothing to worry about with you by my side, Sebek.”

Sebek smirks, “Naturally! You will find no finer escort than myself - a proud retainer of the Great Lord Malleus Draconia! As long as I am here, your safety is guaranteed!”

Your smile grows as you give his hand a strong squeeze. “And I couldn’t be more grateful.”

For the remainder of the trip to Town Hall, you chat with Sebek and Skully about how each of you spent the afternoon, and thankfully, the whole time, you’re able to keep things peaceful by ensuring Sebek gets plenty of attention so he won’t get jealous.

During this time, you learn from Sebek that Jack had brought some coffins into the town hall building, so everyone in your group would have a place to rest their heads.

Apparently, Jack had offered some empty graves initially, but unsurprisingly, that suggestion was quickly shot down. That's how your group instead ended up staying at Town Hall with coffins as potential beds, although you're sure all of your friends would much rather just use the town hall building's wooden benches for their makeshift beds.

Sebek also reveals that Trey and Jamil prepared dinner. Apparently, Sally had offered to do it, but the two upperclassmen had insisted that they do it because she had already worked so hard today and it didn’t feel right for them to place even more work on her shoulders, especially after all the trouble your friends had caused this morning.

Considering how desperate Jamil and Trey had been to take the reins for tonight’s dinner, you think your concerns about this world’s food were warranted.

Since those two were put on the food preparations team, they obviously got to experience the local cuisine firsthand. You dryly think to yourself. And now, they’re determined to avoid leaving Sally in charge of our meals.

As you’re internally thanking Jamil and Trey for saving you all from having to eat the local cuisine, Sebek tells you and Skully that, while everyone had been waiting for the two of you, everyone had discussed the topic of you all only feeling hunger at the end of the day, which had led to Leona and Jamil coming up with a theory that was along the same lines of yours since they had also took notice of the fact that they never saw anyone eating anything other than Halloween candy throughout the day, further convincing you that you were on the right track since you trust those two’s opinions.

Around the time the three of you finish discussing the strangeness of only feeling hungry once a day, which is incredibly surreal to Sebek, who’s always hungry like Grim, your group finally reaches its destination.

Immediately after you enter the building, along with Sebek and Skully, Grim exclaims, “It’s about time y’all got here! I’m dyin’ from hunger over here, but Riddle wouldn’t let anyone eat ‘til everyone showed up!”

Riddle huffs, “Hmph. It’s called basic manners - something I fully intend to ingrain into your thick skull once we return to NRC.”

While Grim groans, Trey chuckles, “Well, now that everyone is here, we can start passing out the soup Jamil and I made. Hopefully, you’ll all enjoy it.”

“Considering how great it smells, I know I will!” Epel grins, “Especially after hearing all the bragging Ace-kun and Deuce-kun do about your cooking!”

“I’m flattered.” Trey modestly replies as he begins handing out bowls of soup to everyone with Jamil assisting him.

As you move to sit down in the area where the rest of your friends are and take off your hat, which gets set off to the side, you ask, “Have all the locals headed home? It looks like only those of us from NRC are here.”

“Yes, while Jack-san had been with us earlier, he took his leave shortly before you arrived.” Azul answers, “He said he didn’t want to stick around and eat with us at the risk of ruining any surprises about the tests of courage since the topic could come up while we’re eating.”

While Skully forlornly sighs when he hears that he just missed seeing his beloved idol, you nod in understanding. “That probably is for the best.”

“And now that he’s gone, we can start talking about the important stuff, like why the hell those three brats have you so on edge.”

After hearing him make that remark, all eyes immediately fall on Leona, whose piercing gaze is currently fixed on you, which, in turn, prompts everyone else to turn to look at you curiously.

Just as you open your mouth to provide the explanation that Leona has been waiting all day to hear, your gaze falls on Jamil, who just handed you a bowl of soup and a cup of tea.

Immediately, you recall Jamil’s severe bug phobia, which will no doubt make the conversation about Oogie Boogie extremely unpleasant for him.

Upon realizing that, you grimace, “Let’s save that for after we eat since I don’t wanna risk ruining anyone’s appetite.”

Being the observant guy that he is, Jamil quickly catches onto the fact that he somehow played a role in you wanting to save the conversation about Oogie and his henchmen for after dinner, prompting him to raise an unimpressed eyebrow. “Surely, you’re not actually concerned about me, of all people. I’ve seen plenty of things that would make a normal person’s stomach turn without flinching. I can handle whatever you want to say and still be able to eat just fine.”

You hold his gaze. “Jamil-senpai, trust me on this. You do NOT wanna have this conversation right now. Honestly, you’re probably gonna regret being a part of it once it finally happens, but this is information everyone needs to know, so I have no other choice but to tell you, even though I really don’t want to be the bearer of bad news.”

For a moment, Jamil just silently scrutinizes you with his narrowed eyes before finally sighing, “Fine. If you’re that insistent that we save this discussion for after dinner, I will go along with that decision and give you the benefit of the doubt.”

“Thank you.” You smile, “I promise you will understand once I tell you guys about Lock, Shock, and Barrel’s big, bad boss.”

“Guess that means the kids are the underlings of this story’s villain.” Idia quickly deduces, “Kinda disappointing ngl since they’re just a bunch of brats and not at all scary. Good henchmen are obviously hard to come by in this story.”

While several people shake their heads in response to his words, you snort, “I guess you could say that since all the characters in this story, aside from those kids and their boss, is so nice, but the fact that the villain was forcibly put on lockdown by Jack-san is also another reason why he’s short-staffed. Can’t really recruit if you can’t leave your evil villain lair.”

“Ah, that makes sense.” Idia nods in understanding. “Especially since wi-fi is sadly non-existent in this miserable world.”

“‘Wi-fi’?” Skully parrots, sounding understandably puzzled.

“It’s a future thing.” You and Idia simultaneously explain, earning a nod of understanding from Skully, who thankfully doesn’t try to press for more details.

After that exchange, you finally begin eating your soup like everyone else is doing now, since, while you didn’t mind sharing a little information about Oogie Boogie, you want to refrain from saying anything else until after everyone has finished eating.

Since you love Jamil’s and Trey’s cooking, you’re excited to try the soup they prepared, especially considering how happy everyone has been looking as they’ve been eating.

Sadly, your excitement immediately disappears once you finally try a spoonful of your soup.

So spicy! You internally scream as your eyes begin to water. I didn’t even know it was possible to make a soup this spicy!

Quickly, you grab the cup of tea that had been given to you along with your soup, so you can bring some relief to your poor taste-buds, which are now screaming in pain due to the extreme spiciness of the soup.

During this time, you covertly examine everyone in the room, all the while maintaining a strong poker face since the last thing you want is for Trey or Jamil to think you dislike the soup they worked so hard to make. Everyone else is eating the soup without any issue. I haven’t heard anyone complain about it being too spicy, and everyone’s faces are perfectly relaxed. I’m definitely the only one suffering here, which means…

You internally grimace. It’s only spicy to me ‘cause I’m so weak when it comes to spicy food. Dammit. Curse my too sensitive taste-buds!

Aside from cursing your taste-buds, you also internally curse Mumei who’s the reason they’ve become so sensitive to spice.

For as long as you can remember, you’ve always not been particularly fond of spicy food, but in the past, you were capable of eating it for the most part.

That all changed, however, when Mumei began forcing you to eat ridiculously spicy food as a form of punishment after discovering that you didn’t like spicy food.

Thanks to all his crazy punishments, eating spicy food has become a literal nightmare for you, because, rather than grow more tolerant of spice like what you’ve heard usually happens to people who eat a lot of spicy food, your weakness toward spicy food only got progressively worse, because that’s just your luck.

While eating such food isn’t exactly impossible, it’s quite arduous since you’re unable to stop yourself from crying, and your tongue will start screaming in pain once it reaches its limit, which regrettably doesn’t take long due to its spice tolerance having such a low threshold.

Of course, it doesn’t help matters that, whenever you eat spicy food, you always end up recalling Mumei's past punishments and his haunting laughter that always filled the air whenever he watched you suffer from his abuse.

That’s why you typically avoid spicy food like the plague. Under normal circumstances, you would never eat it willingly since you obviously don’t want to eat a dish that will only make you suffer.

Regrettably, that’s not an option here since this spicy soup is the only edible thing available, and you can’t just skip this meal, not when it’s the first meal you’ve had since you got trapped inside this book.

I could ask Trey-senpai to use his Unique Magic to change the taste of the soup, but that would mean I’d have to actually admit to him that I can’t eat the soup he worked so hard to prepare with Jamil-senpai. You frown. I hate the thought of being so selfish, especially when the person at fault here is me for being such a wuss, and it’s also embarrassing to admit that I can’t eat something that the majority of the people here don’t even consider to be actually spicy.

More than anything, you’d hate to make Trey use his Unique Magic after he had such a long and busy day. While his magic reserves are likely fine since he probably didn’t need to use his magic much today, you’re sure he’s mentally exhausted, like you, because so many crazy things happened today.

Your frown deepens. I shouldn’t make a fuss just because my taste-buds are overly sensitive. I just need to suck it up. After all, it’s not like eating spicy food will kill me. Besides, I’ve always wanted to work on this embarrassing weakness of mine and overcome it, and this is the perfect opportunity to try to do that.

Even though eating a lot of spicy food made things worse for you back in your world rather than make you more tolerant of it, a part of you thinks it was due to Mumei’s influence and the psychological damage you sustained at his hands, so you can’t help but wonder if things could improve for you now that you’re free from Mumei’s clutches, although you’re rational enough to not get your hopes up, considering your usual luck.

More than anything, you’d love to overcome this weakness and once again prove to yourself that Mumei’s influence can no longer hold you back or hurt you.

For that reason, after taking a moment to give yourself a mental pep-talk, you set down your cup of tea and resume eating your spicy soup, internally cringing all the while.

As expected, it doesn’t take long for more tears to obscure your vision, but you valiantly fight them off since it’d be incredibly embarrassing if you were to start crying simply because you’re a wuss when it comes to spicy food. Plus, you’re sure that such a reaction would upset Trey and Jamil, which is the last thing you want.

Unfortunately, you forgot to take into consideration the fact that there’s someone in this room who has incredibly keen senses - the same person who’s been keeping a close eye on you for the majority of the day.

“Oi, Herbivore, what’s going on with you? You’ve been fighting back tears almost the whole time you’ve been eating. It’s like that soup’s actually somehow causing you pain.”

As you wince at Leona’s blunt and completely accurate observation, everyone immediately pauses their eating and whatever conversations they had been having amongst themselves, so they can turn to look at you.

“Yuu?” Trey worriedly frowns, “Is something wrong with the soup?”

After giving you a brief once-over, Jamil clicks his tongue. “Idiot. If there is a problem, you need to say something. You’re way too considerate of other people’s feelings.”

You shake your head. “It’s fine, really. The soup is just a little too spicy for my overly sensitive taste-buds, that’s all. I didn’t make a big deal about it since, obviously, the issue is just with me, and it’s not like we’ve got a lot of food options here.”

For some reason, everyone looks at you as if you’re strange as they all simultaneously parrot, “‘Too spicy’?”

“You find this spicy, Child of Man?” Malleus asks, appearing surprised. “While you had mentioned your dislike of spicy food in the past, I hadn’t realized your taste-buds were that sensitive since there are hardly any spices in this soup, definitely not enough to register on my palate.”

“That’s because we didn’t have many at our disposal.” Jamil says, all the while looking at you like something’s wrong. “There is some spice in the soup but not nearly enough for it to ever be considered spicy.”

“Not even by Yuu.” He adds, surprising you.

Before you can respond, Jamil deeply frowns as he holds your gaze. “Yuu, I have seen you eat dishes that had more spice than this soup just fine. If those dishes didn’t bother you, this soup most certainly shouldn’t.”

All you can do is stare. “Huh? But then why-?”

“Shit!”

At that exclamation, which cuts you off before you can finish your question, everyone turns to look at Trey in surprise since it’s not like him to curse or raise his voice like that.

Just as Riddle opens his mouth to question his childhood friend’s unusual behavior, a noticeably panicked Trey quickly sets aside his bowl of soup and hurries over to you, catching everyone off guard.

Your surprise only grows when Trey firmly cups your cheeks and orders, “Yuu, open your mouth.”

Without thinking, you heed his order, because the bespectacled boy looks so genuinely concerned about you as well as slightly panicked, which naturally, in turn, makes you feel as if you should start panicking since Trey isn’t the type to get this worked up over nothing.

Ignoring Riddle and everyone else who tries to question his actions, Trey carefully examines the inside of your mouth. “Neither your mouth or tongue look swollen or particularly red. Your throat looks fine too…”

One of his warm hands moves to rest against your forehead. “No fever either…”

“Does anything hurt or feel itchy?” Trey asks, “Are you having any difficulty breathing or feeling any dizziness or lethargy?

“Um…no...?” You confusedly answer, wondering what has gotten into Trey, who’s acting like you’re seriously ill for some reason. “My tongue just feels like it always does whenever I eat spicy food.”

“I really am fine, Trey-senpai.” You assure him. “I’m not sick. I-”

“Yuu, as Jamil said, the soup isn’t at all spicy.” Trey cuts you off. “There is no reason for a mild soup like that to be able to cause you pain.”

His serious gaze holds yours. “Which means something’s wrong, and it’s because of something in that soup that only affects you. And I can only think of one reason for why you’d be the odd one out.”

For a moment, you just stare at him, but then, realization finally strikes you like a lightning bolt, causing your eyes to grow large. What separates me from everyone else is the fact that I’m an alien - an alien who doesn’t always react the same way to things as everyone else does…

Instantly, you realize why Trey is so rattled. It’s because of the incident that happened back in February on the day you had participated in a club meeting with the Science Club at Crewel’s recommendation since he had thought it would be a good, educational experience for you, who has a knack for Alchemy, and he had also hoped that, by pairing you up with Rook, the blond would focus his complete attention on you rather than do his usual wild experiments that often made his clubmates run for the hills.

In the end, the experience was rather educational since, after having been accidentally exposed to a deadly poison due to the mislabeling of a potion ingredient, which had caused a chemical explosion, you had discovered that you were immune to the lethal effects of the poison.

For some reason, rather than get poisoned when you inhaled the poisonous fumes created after adding the mislabeled ingredient to the cauldron you and Rook were using, like what happened to Rook, who thankfully had enough poison immunity that he could survive long enough to get treated at NRC’s infirmary, you became incredibly exhausted - to the point you could hardly keep your eyes open.

In addition to your extreme lethargy, you ended up with a bad cough, swollen eyes, and an inability to stop sneezing, because, much to the amazement of everyone involved, you were actually allergic to the poison; your body reacted to it like how most bodies would react to pollen or animal hair.

Fortunately, it wasn’t a serious allergic reaction and was something that could easily be cured once you got the right medical treatment at the school’s infirmary.

Of course, there was no way for your upperclassmen to know that, following the explosion that took place in the school's laboratory. As a result, Trey had understandably freaked out and rushed to take both you and his clubmate to the infirmary after Rook had discovered that a lethal poison had been mistakenly added to the potion you and he had been working on due to its canister being mislabeled by the seller the school had procured it from.

The whole time, Trey had told you to remain awake, because your difficulty with remaining awake had greatly concerned him, and he just didn’t want to take the chance of your condition somehow worsening if you fell asleep before getting properly examined since, considering how strangely you had been reacting to the poison, for all he knew, you might not wake up again if you fell asleep.

Aside from the day when Riddle had overblotted, you had never seen the bespectacled upperclassman look so scared - so frantic, because he had understandably feared the worst was going to happen to you.

And now, something similar is taking place, which is why Trey’s eyes are once again filled with the same kind of worry and panic that made you unable to refuse his orders to stay awake after you got exposed to that deadly poison since you just couldn’t bear to cause him any further pain.

Before you can try to reassure Trey that what’s happening right now is not like what happened in the past, Jamil abruptly appears in front of you and crouches down by the third-year student, frowning worriedly all the while.

“Trey-senpai, do you think Yuu is allergic to one of the ingredients we used that are only native to this world?” Jamil asks, “Those are the only ingredients that I’ve never seen her eat.”

“What?!” Your sons and Skully exclaim as they all turn to look at you with concerned gazes.

“But she has no symptoms of an allergic reaction.” Riddle, who has suddenly appeared at Trey’s other side, points out, “That can’t be it. Otherwise, Yuu’s condition would be worsening as we speak.”

“Unless allergic reactions are different for aliens like Yuu.” Jamil counters, “It’s not as if we have any prior experience dealing with people from other worlds, after all.”

Although, Trey-senpai does have some experience with this thanks to the poison incident. You muse. He just can’t talk about it ‘cause the Headmage ordered us not to since it will obviously make the school look bad if word got out that a student accidentally got exposed to a deadly poison, especially while a teacher wasn’t present since Crewel-sensei had stepped out for a little bit right before everything went to hell.

While you obviously couldn’t care less about Crowley having to deal with the fallout if the truth came to light, you heeded his orders since you didn’t want to tell any of your friends the truth about what happened and worry them, and you also didn’t want to risk the truth getting out to people outside of your friend group since you being immune to the lethal effects of a deadly poison would definitely earn you a lot of unwanted attention.

Since both Trey and Rook, who were the only people present at the time of the explosion, are the type to follow orders and they likely wanted to respect your privacy, they also kept quiet about what had happened, especially since they both felt responsible for what had happened since they blamed themselves for not making sure you were making a gas mask, which are available to use during the Science Club's meetings but just weren't used by you and Rook during that incident because the two of you hadn't been working on a potion that you both thought required the use of them.

Naturally, you had tried many times to convince your upperclassmen that they weren’t to blame for the accident, but unfortunately, your reassurances always fell on deaf ears.

“It is Yuu’s alien biology that has me worried." Trey admits, successfully drawing you away from your thoughts. "Even if she technically doesn’t have an allergy per se, there’s still the possibility that she can be negatively affected by things that aren’t from her world, simply because she’s interacting with something that, back in her world, she would never encounter.”

“Ah, I’ve seen that happen in plenty of isekai light novels!” Idia suddenly pipes up, making Azul, who’s sitting nearby, wince because of his loud volume. “Something that’s completely harmless to everyone else ends up being seriously harmful to the protag or the protag ends up with an illness that doesn’t get noticed right away ‘cause their symptoms are so different from what’s that world’s norm!”

“Oh, dear, that is most worrying.” Jade deeply frowns, “I sure hope this does not mean that poor Yuu-san has been suffering from a serious and potentially life-threatening illness all this time and the symptoms are only just now becoming apparent.”

“WHAT?!” Your sons and Skully once again shout, this time looking even more distraught.

Before you can reprimand the eel-mer, who’s obviously once again messing around at everyone’s expense, Grim tearfully scurries into your lap and clings onto you. “Don’t die, Yuu! You’re not allowed to die until I give you permission ‘cause I’m the boss!”

After briefly heatedly glaring at Jade, who gets smacked by a scowling Azul and gets glared at by the majority of your upperclassmen, you set aside your soup and pull your son into your arms. “Aw, it’s okay, Grim. Don’t listen to that asshole over there. I’m not dying. I’m perfectly fine.”

You give Epel, Sebek, and Skully a reassuring look since they’re just as worried as Grim. “I promise I’m gonna be fine. While I can see now that something is amiss here, I do not think it’s something incredibly serious since, regardless of how different an allergic reaction can possibly be for an alien like myself, I highly doubt that I’m ill when the only form of discomfort I’ve felt is my tongue being in pain, like what normally happens when I eat spicy food.”

As Skully and your sons begin to settle down, Leona, who’s been scrutinizing you all this time, says, “Nothing about Yuu’s scent has changed in any way to indicate something has changed about her overall health. I’m always able to tell via scent if she’s ever unwell, so while something weird is happening here, I don’t think her health is in any danger.”

All at once, nearly everyone in the room simultaneously sighs in relief, and a pleasant warmth envelops your chest in response to those reactions, which show just how much your friends care about you.

“If I were to make a guess…” Leona eyes you thoughtfully for a moment before continuing, “I’d say that her alien taste-buds just register the taste of one of the ingredients in the soup as being spicy rather than whatever flavor it is for us.”

“While I’ve never personally witnessed something like this happening with her before, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were dishes that tasted differently for her than they do for everyone else, considering her taste-buds are different from ours.” He adds, “For example, something that’s sweet for us could be sour for her and vice versa.”

“And something that’s mild in flavor to us is incredibly spicy to her, which is what happened here.” Azul picks up where Leona left off before he starts rubbing his chin. “Now that I think about it, I believe there were a few times in the past when Yuu-san’s descriptions of flavors for things she has tried in our world didn’t quite match up with what I’ve tasted, but the differences were so minor that I didn’t give them much thought in the end.”

As you blink in surprise, Epel suddenly shouts, “AH! I get it now! That must be why Yuu-san can handle that one really strong-smelling mud mask Vil-san puts on us sometimes! It’s ‘cause she’s an alien!”

Vil raises an eyebrow at him. “What are you talking about, Epel?”

“‘Strong-smelling mud mask’?” You parrot confusedly. “I don’t remember putting on anything like that before. I’ve only put on that one kind of mud mask that slightly smells like flowers, but the scent is so light I barely smell it.”

Much to your surprise, Vil’s now surprised gaze quickly moves to focus on you. “Eh?”

“See! I knew it!” Epel exclaims, “The reason Yuu-san never flinches is ‘cause the scent is different to her alien nose! To the rest of us, it’s got a strong scent that makes your eyes water, but to her, it’s hardly got a scent at all!”

“And here I thought she was simply mature enough to know not to make a fuss about the strong smell, unlike a certain someone.” Vil dryly replies, making Epel pout.

“This is SO fascinating.” Jade comments, his eyes sparkling with interest. “To think, both her sense of taste AND smell can occasionally differ from ours.”

His eyes gain a particular gleam that you know means nothing good for you. “This matter will require further research. Fufu~”

Without hesitation, Azul gives the eel-mer a harsh jab to his side, making Jade wince, before hissing, “Don’t even think about it! I will NOT allow you to endanger Yuu-san’s NDA!”

“Oh, Azul, your lack of faith wounds me.” Jade theatrically places a hand over his heart. “I would never do anything that would cause such trouble for you.”

“Liar.” You and Azul retort in complete sync, making Jade pout.

Upon remembering that you still need to get back at the eel-mer for scaring your sons and Skully earlier, you quickly set Grim, who thankfully is no longer in tears, down and rise to your feet. “Azul-senpai, if you’d be so kind.”

Azul smirks, “Why, it would be my utmost pleasure, Yuu-san.”

Faster than Jade can react, Azul grabs a hold of his vice dorm leader and uses his impressive strength to hold the eel-mer in place and ensure he can’t escape.

Because he’s a smart boy, Jade begins to grow nervous. “Now, Azul, Yuu-san, there’s no need to do anything drastic.”

“That’s what YOU think.” You and Azul simultaneously reply, wearing matching smirks.

“Heh, this should be good.” Leona grins, appearing amused.

“It is nice to have a show to watch whilst one eats.” Malleus agrees, grinning all the while.

“RIP, Jade-shi.” Idia snickers, “If we had wi-fi, you’d get the biggest F in the chat.”

“Doubtful.” Jamil snidely replies, “After all, I can’t think of anyone who would want to pay any respects to him.”

Riddle chuckles, “Very true.”

“Oh my, everyone is being especially cruel to me.” Jade notes, appearing increasingly nervous as you draw closer to him, although he does his best to act calm. “That saddens my heart greatly.”

As you come to a stop in front of the visibly sweating eel-mer, you start menacingly cracking your knuckles. “It’s as the saying goes, Jade-senpai.”

Your smirk grows. “You reap what you sow.”

After you spend around ten minutes or so practicing all the wrestling moves you’ve learned from Azul on an unwilling Jade, with the octo-mer acting as your wrestling coach, you decide to put an end to the eel-mer’s punishment since there are more important matters that you need to attend to.

Much to your amusement, after you finally release Jade, you get a round of applause from everyone in the room, who had enjoyed your wrestling match with the now pouting eel-mer, to which you give them all a dramatic bow as thanks for their applause and the cheering that they did while you were going after Jade.

Once you finish thanking your supportive audience, you say, “Alright, so as y’all can clearly see, I am perfectly healthy since I was able to wrestle with Jade-senpai without any issue, so I’m not allergic to whatever’s in that soup Trey-senpai and Jamil-senpai made.”

“More than likely, Leona-senpai’s theory about my taste-buds just registering the soup’s flavor differently than everyone else’s taste-buds is correct since I can’t think of any other reason for why the soup had no negative effect on my health and instead just hurt my tongue like what happens when I eat something that’s too spicy.” You add.

With a sheepish smile, Trey awkwardly rubs the back of his neck. “Looks like I made a fuss over nothing. Sorry about all that. I shouldn’t have been so quick to panic.”

The corners of your lips quirk upwards. “There’s no need for you to apologize, Trey-senpai. I don’t blame you for getting worried, considering an allergic reaction was a perfectly reasonable assumption, especially with the kind of unpredictable alien biology I have.”

Your smile grows. “I really appreciated that you got so worried about me and were so quick to act on my behalf, so thank you for that.”

And I’m sorry for scaring the hell out of you. Again. You internally apologize, hoping your silent message will reach Trey. I had really hoped to avoid another situation like this for your sake.

Judging from the way Trey’s expression softens, you think your silent apology reached him, especially since he waves his hand, as if to dismiss the unspoken apology. “No need for thanks. I’m just glad you’re alright.”

“I believe it’s too soon to say that since Yuu clearly can’t eat the dinner we prepared.” Jamil pipes up. “Regrettably, due to the limited options we had, we didn’t make anything else, and while we could possibly dilute the spiciness of her soup with water, it's hard to say if that will work since we're working with otherworldly ingredients we're unfamiliar with, not to mention the fact that we don't know how Yuu's taste-buds will react if we try to make changes to the soup.”

Trey pulls out his magic-pen. “I’ll just use my Unique Magic on it. Since the problem with the soup appears to be just the taste of it, I can just make it taste like how it tastes for everyone else.”

“Unfortunately for Yuu-san, that’s no longer an option.” Epel dryly states, instantly earning everyone else’s attention. “‘Cause Grim-kun ate all of Yuu-san’s soup while we were all distracted by Yuu-san's wrestling match with Jade-san.”

Immediately, everyone turns to look at Grim who has two empty bowls beside him, one of which must be yours since the bowl you had been eating from earlier is no longer in the spot where you had previously set it down.

In complete sync, you and the majority of your friends reprovingly shout, “Grim!”

Grim quickly averts his gaze as he crosses his arms. “I-I was just doin’ my henchman a favor! Since that soup was too spicy for her, I ate it, so she wouldn’t have to!”

“And now, she has nothing to eat since you ate so many servings of the soup Jamil-senpai and Trey-senpai prepared in addition to Yuu's portion!” Sebek scowls, “You shameless, gluttonous feline!”

“I ain’t a cat!” Grim retorts as he exchanges glares with Sebek. "And ya have no right to complain since you got seconds just as many times as I did before we found out that Yuu couldn't eat her soup, so you're just as much to blame as I am for us havin' no more soup!"

While you try to calm your sons down, Skully frowns, “Oh dear…What should we do? I’ve sadly already finished my soup, so I cannot offer to share it with Yuu-san, like I so dearly wish I could…”

“That seems to be the case for everyone here.” Riddle comments, appearing equally as displeased. “And I suppose making more food is out of the question since we can’t simply invite ourselves over to another person’s kitchen at this late hour…”

Before you can say that you ate enough of the soup that you should be fine since you really don’t want anyone to worry on your account, Trey surprises everyone when he says, “Looks like it’s time to bring out the surprise I had prepared.”

“‘Surprise’?” You, along with almost everyone else in the room, curiously parrot.

With a smile, Trey draws closer to you, and with a wave of his magic-pen, summons a large bag of incredibly delicious-looking cookies, which he hands over to you. “Since we caused you a lot of trouble this morning, resulting in even more work being added onto your plate, I thought making this for you would be a good way to apologize.”

“It’s not the kind of dinner I would approve of normally, but I’ll have to let it slide this one time, considering the circumstances.” He adds.

Immediately, your eyes begin to excitedly sparkle, just as they always do whenever you find yourself in possession of any kind of dessert made by Trey. “Best surprise ever! Thank you, Trey-senpai!”

When you beam at him, Trey’s smile softens as he reaches over to ruffle your hair. “You’re welcome. Thankfully, I only used ingredients that I’m familiar with for those cookies, so you shouldn’t have any adverse reactions to them.”

Eagerly, you pull out one of the cookies he made and take a bite, causing your expression to further brighten. “The center is so soft and chewy while the edges are so pleasantly crunchy. The perfect cookie texture. As expected of you, Trey-senpai!”

He chuckles, “As always, you flatter me. Thanks.”

“Hey, what about the rest of us?!” Grim exclaims, “I want some cookies too!”

“Sorry, Grim, the only ones I made today are in the bag I gave Yuu, who obviously needs them the most.” Trey replies, “So you’ll just have to settle for only having soup tonight.”

While Grim whines, earning himself some exasperated looks from several of your friends, Jamil comments, “I had wondered what you were planning when you made so many cookies while we were preparing dinner, Trey-senpai. I wasn’t expecting them to all be for Yuu, considering just how many you made.”

Trey sheepishly scratches his cheek. “Yeah, I guess I went a little overboard.”

“You did well, Trey.” Riddle praises, looking proud. “As expected of my vice dorm leader. You did Heartslabyul proud by properly compensating Yuu for the trouble we had caused her.”

With a slight pout, he adds, “Although, I wish you had said something, so I could have also lent my assistance. I dislike the idea of being shown up by my vice dorm leader when it comes to displaying proper manners.

“You’re right. I should’ve said something to you.” Trey chuckles, “Sorry, Riddle.”

Meanwhile, a frowning Vil approaches the area where you and Trey are currently standing. “You shouldn’t praise Trey TOO much, Riddle, considering the high caloric content of his present for Yuu.”

He gives Trey, whose expression once again grows sheepish, a disapproving look. “Honestly…you spoil her way too much, Trey. I swear, you are completely ignorant to what a normal person’s portion size is whenever you give Yuu any of your desserts since you take so much joy in seeing her enjoy the sweets you make.”

“You and Ruggie are the reasons why I always have to worry about abrupt changes in her measurements since she always has to do extra exercise to burn off the numerous calories she consumes whenever you two pamper her.” Vil wryly adds.

His eyes narrow. “There’s a thing called ‘moderation’. You would do well to learn about it.”

While Trey winces and all of the other third-year students snicker at his expense, you, who had been silently munching on your delicious cookies, quickly swallow, so you can come to Trey’s defense.

Before you can say anything, however, Vil turns to focus his narrowed gaze on you, making you freeze. “You will NOT be eating all of those cookies in one sitting, Potato. Do you understand? As I’ve said many times before, excessive sugar intake can cause much harm to your skin, and I will not allow that to happen on my watch.”

Even though you know Vil is right and that nothing good can come from eating too many cookies, you can’t stop yourself from feeling disappointed since you love Trey’s desserts so much, and after the long day you had, you can’t help but want to indulge.

Still, you have every intention to follow Vil’s orders since you know he only has your best interests at heart, and it’s not like he plans on taking your beloved cookies away from you. He just wants you to eat them in moderation since that’ll be better for your health.

At least, that was your intention before your other friends suddenly decided to get involved.

Catching you off guard, Leona suddenly gets in between you and Vil in order to hide you from view. “Quit your nagging, Vil. Your voice is grating on my ears, which are rather sensitive, you know.”

When Leona tauntingly smirks at him, Vil’s eyebrow subtly twitches. “The only one who’s grating is you, Leona. Why don’t you do us all a favor and find a corner to nap in so we won’t have to bother with you for a while?”

As sparks begin to fly between the two dorm leaders, you wonder why Leona suddenly got involved since, while he does enjoy picking fights with Vil, this happened rather randomly, and you have no idea why he’d be bothered by Vil trying to moderate your cookie consumption.

Just as you’re thinking you should intervene before things can get really heated between Leona and Vil, hands suddenly grab your shoulders from behind and begin dragging you away from the two dorm leaders.

Much to your surprise, when you turn to look at who grabbed you, you discover that the person is none other than Idia. “Idia-senpai?”

As if that wasn’t surprising enough, you quickly take notice of how all of your other upperclassmen have quickly moved over to the area where Vil, Leona, and Trey are standing.

It doesn’t escape your notice that Vil is now surrounded on all sides, making it so that he can’t get a clear look at you being dragged away from your previous position.

Much to your amusement, Idia ends up bringing you to the spot where Skully and your sons are, and he quickly makes Skully and Sebek, the two tallest boys, stand directly behind you, as if to hide you from view.

“Alright, Mission: Rescue Yuu-shi was a success.” Idia grins as he releases your shoulders. “Now, we just gotta hope the Vil-shi Distraction Team can hold out until the cookies are gone.”

“I can help with that!” Grim grins, “Just give ‘em to me, and they’ll be gone in no time!”

When Grim eagerly jumps toward you, with his hands outstretched toward the bag of cookies in your arms, Sebek swiftly intervenes and grabs the monster by the scruff of his neck. “Those are NOT for you, you shameless glutton.”

Ignoring Grim’s complaints, Sebek quickly deposits the struggling feline into Idia’s arms, much to Grim’s dismay and Idia’s utter delight. “Idia-senpai, you are responsible for keeping Grim under control. I trust that you can handle this irksome task?”

“Leave it to me!” Idia gleefully replies, “Whee hee hee!”

As Grim whines, you raise an amused eyebrow. “Did everyone seriously spring into action just so I can eat these cookies? It’s not like Vil-senpai was doing anything wrong. He really had my best interests at heart.”

“Be that as it may, my liege still wished for you to enjoy your cookies to your heart’s content, so when he gave me the signal, I acted as ordered like a proper retainer.” Sebek replies, “So, for Malleus-sama’s sake, I will not let anything deter you from eating the cookies you received from Trey-senpai.”

“While it was most kind indeed for Vil-san to worry on your behalf, surely one night of overindulgence won’t hurt.” Skully smiles, “Besides, it would put my heart at ease to see you eat your fill since you being unable to eat most of your dinner has left me rather concerned about your well-being.”

Epel grins, “And don’t forget, it’s almost Halloween. Overindulging on sweets is what the holiday is all about, so why not get an early start since this is your first Halloween?”

“Right, right.” Iida chimes in. “Besides, we’re inside a book, so whatever calories we consume here won’t have any effect on us in the long run, so Vil-shi’s got nothing to worry about.”

Upon realizing everyone’s going out of their way for your sake, because they just want you to be happy, a pleasant warmth envelops your chest and steadily grows stronger with each passing second thanks to the wonderful people you call friends. I really am the luckiest girl in the world to have such amazing friends.

You beam, “Thanks, guys. You’re the best.”

Much to your amusement, both Skully and Idia become visibly flustered at the sight of your warm smile while your sons all just appear happy to see you looking so happy.

It’s at that moment you come up with an awesome idea that will make eating Trey’s cookies even more enjoyable.

Grinning, you quickly pull out a cookie and eat it. “One for me.”

Catching everyone else in your group by surprise, you then offer a cookie to a delighted Grim, who wastes no time in opening his mouth so you can hand-feed him. “One for Grim.”

“Delicious!” Grim happily exclaims, as he cups his cheeks with his paws.

“One for me.” You repeat after eating another cookie before offering a cookie to Idia. “And one for Idia-senpai.”

When a flustered Idia tries to protest, you quickly shove the cookie into his open mouth, giving him no other choice but to eat it.

While initially Idia appears annoyed, his expression quickly brightens once the taste of the cookie registers on his taste-buds. “Ooh, that is nice. As expected of Trey-shi, the master baker with maxed out baking stats.”

“Right?” You grin, “Trey-senpai’s cookies are the best.”

After enjoying another cookie, you offer one to Sebek. “One for me, and one for Sebek.”

Despite appearing embarrassed, Sebek allows you to feed him, no doubt because he can’t resist this opportunity to have some of Trey’s delicious baking.

“Thank you.” Sebek mutters, keeping his gaze averted in a futile effort to hide his embarrassment.

You giggle at the sight of his expression, which is both incredibly pleased and also noticeably flustered. “You’re welcome.”

Once Sebek has been fed, you proceed to give Skully and Epel the same treatment, each time enjoying a cookie before sharing one, much to their delight.

Before either of them can express how much they enjoyed their cookies, Vil’s cool, wry voice fills the air. “Don’t think I don’t know what’s going on here. I can recognize an obvious diversion when I see one. It seems everyone here is just as bad as Trey when Yuu is concerned. How exasperating.”

“He’s onto us!” Idia whisper-shouts, appearing panicked. “Eat faster, Yuu-shi!”

“If I do, I’ll choke.” You dryly reply after eating another cookie. “And I really don’t wanna do that.”

“Just lemme eat ‘em!” Grim insists, “You don’t need all of those delicious cookies, Henchman!”

Epel and Sebek give him matching, exasperated looks. “Grim!”

You briefly consider Grim’s words before nodding. “Grim’s not wrong, though. While there’s nothing wrong with a little overindulging every now and then, I really can’t eat all of the cookies Trey-senpai made, no matter how much I’d like to, since my stomach can only hold so much.”

“Since I’m starting to feel full, I think it’d be best to just share the rest of my cookies with everyone.” You smile, “After all, everyone worked really hard today, so I think you guys deserve a sweet treat just as much as I do.”

Much to your amusement, in a flash, Malleus appears at your side, making Idia yelp in fear. “In that case, I too would like to try the cookies that Clover prepared since they do look rather delicious.”

All you can do is laugh. “Sure thing, Tsunotaro.”

After you hand over a few cookies to a visibly pleased Malleus, you proceed to pass out cookies to the rest of your upperclassmen who want some before giving more to those who’ve already had some and want more.

Amazingly enough, Vil actually accepts the single cookie you offer him and only briefly pinches your cheek for going along with the others’ diversion strategy, making you think this is his own way of spoiling you since you know he could’ve really let you have it if he had really wanted to reprimand you.

Once all of the cookies have been distributed amongst your friends and you eat what’s leftover, you give Trey a sheepish smile. “Sorry, Trey-senpai, as much as I had wanted to eat all the cookies you made with me in mind, I just couldn’t do it in the end.”

“It’s alright.” Trey smiles as he ruffles your hair. “I know I went overboard, so I’d much rather you share than eat too much and make yourself sick.”

“For the record, it wasn’t an easy decision.” You inform, “‘Cause I love your desserts so much and always wanna just keep them all to myself. They are my favorite food, after all.”

He chuckles, “Heh, I’m flattered.”

“Oh yeah, Ortho did once say that, according to his data, Yuu-shi’s favorite food is Trey-shi’s desserts in general rather than any one dish in particular.” Idia, who had previously been sulking about Grim escaping his hold, comments, “Caught me by surprise since I've never heard of someone liking another person’s food THAT much.”

“For Yuu-san to favor Trey-san’s baking to that degree, he must truly be a skilled chef.” Skully smiles, “I can easily believe it after eating the soup and cookies he so kindly prepared. He truly is an amazing person.”

“You’re giving me too much credit.” Trey modestly replies, just as he always does. “Besides, Jamil helped out with the soup too, so I wasn’t the sole reason it turned out as well as it did.”

“There’s no need to be so humble, Trey.” Riddle shakes his head. “In times like this, you should hold up your head high with pride since your skills in the kitchen are more than worthy of the praise you so often receive.”

“That’s right!” You fervently agree, “The food you make is always amazing and super delicious, Trey-senpai.”

A grin rises to your lips. “It’s because your desserts in particular are so awesome that I have such a big sweet-tooth now since, prior to eating your desserts, I really didn’t have much of an interest in sweets.”

In complete sync, almost everyone in the room incredulously exclaims, “Seriously?!”

While you jolt in surprise, not having expected so many people to start shouting all at once, Skully tilts his head. “Are Yuu-san’s words really that surprising?”

“They are indeed.” Jade confirms, “After all, Yuu-san’s sweet-tooth is well-known amongst those she associates with. It’s often made use of when she needs to be bribed, I mean, persuaded.”

As Azul gives his vice dorm leader an exasperated look because of the suspicious looks he and Jade are now receiving from Jamil and the other dorm leaders, Epel says, “I had no idea you only started liking sweets after coming to NRC, Yuu-san. This is my first time hearing of this!”

“Really?” You blink. “Huh, guess I just never brought the subject up.”

“So Trey really is the source of my grievances when Yuu is concerned.” Vil dryly states, as he aims an exasperated look at Trey, who winces.

Meanwhile, Grim draws closer to you and curiously asks, “So Trey’s sweets were just so good that you started cravin’ sweets after that? Is that how it works with humans?”

His question makes you snort. “Not quite, although I guess I can’t speak for all humans when it comes to how their individual eating preferences develop.”

Catching Grim, Trey, and Riddle off guard, you continue, “The reason I got so attached to Trey-senpai’s desserts and ended up with a sweet-tooth as a result was ‘cause of that day when we all made chestnut tarts together at the start of the school year.”

You warmly smile, “‘Cause that was the first time I ever really enjoyed a meal from the bottom of my heart.”

Everyone stares at you with obvious surprise. “Eh?”

“You see, back in my world, I never really enjoyed eating.” You explain, “That is to say, I didn’t feel the kind of joy people normally feel when they eat something they think is super tasty.”

“I didn’t hate eating, of course, so I didn’t skip meals or anything.” You quickly add, “I just saw eating as an obligation ‘cause your body needs food to function rather than something to look forward to.”

While Jamil, Sebek, and Leona either clench their fists or scowl, Trey, who’s now looking sad like a lot of your other friends, murmurs, “Yuu…”

Meanwhile, after you finish mentioning that, despite never particularly enjoying eating, you've always enjoyed cooking and baking, you reveal, “But that all changed after I ate the chestnut tart Trey-senpai and I made with Grim, Ace, and Deuce’s help.”

“It wasn’t just the tart itself that changed my perspective, though.” You continue, “I think what also played a pivotal role was the fact that I was eating the tart with everyone who played a role in making it and Cater-senpai.”

Your smile grows. “‘Cause that my first time eating in such a warm, fun atmosphere whilst surrounded by friendly faces. It was a very memorable experience that I’ll always look fondly back on.”

Unbeknownst to you and everyone else, Skully, whose expression has grown pensive, lets his gaze roam across all the faces in the room before murmuring, "Yes, I think I understand that feeling quite well..."

Meanwhile, after a brief period of silence fills the air following your words, a frowning Riddle suddenly says, “I apologize, Yuu. Because of my actions at your first unbirthday party, the tart that meant so much to you and all the efforts you put into it were wasted…”

Surprise briefly crosses your features before you quickly shake your head. “You don’t need to apologize for what happened back then when you’ve already done so, Riddle-senpai. Besides, the tart didn’t go to waste since I snuck it out while you weren’t looking and gave it to Grim after the party.”

As Riddle blinks in surprise, Grim grins, “That’s right! We’d never let such a tasty tart go to waste!”

Once he overcomes his surprise, Riddle chuckles, “I see. I’m glad to hear it.”

After that exchange, Trey, who had covertly scrubbed at his eyes while his dorm leader had kept you distracted, places a gentle hand on your shoulder, instantly earning your attention.

With an especially warm smile, Trey suggests, “Let’s make some chestnut tarts after we get back to school. It’s been a while, after all, and this way Riddle can finally enjoy some.”

“An excellent idea.” Riddle approvingly smiles, making Grim cheer.

Warmth envelops your chest when you see their smiles, making you beam. “I love that idea!”

With all your heart.

After you agree to Trey’s idea of making chestnut tarts once you all return to NRC, Leona decides to get everyone back on track by reminding you of something important you still haven’t done. “Alright, now that you’ve been fed, it’s time you finally explain what the deal is with those three brats and their boss, Herbivore. You’ve kept us waiting long enough.”

Realizing he’s right, you nod. “Right. Sorry for the delay. It’s amazing how easily you can lose track of time when you’re wrestling with a mafioso and stuffing your face with delicious cookies.”

While the majority of the people in the room snort, you usher for everyone to return to their seats. Rather than do the same, you take a seat beside Jamil, who raises an eyebrow at you in response. “Is this really necessary?”

“Yes, it is.” You reply, “You’re gonna thank me for being so considerate later.”

As Jamil rolls his eyes, you decide to finally get the ball rolling by revealing, “The villain of the movie this story is based on, who's the boss of Lock, Shock, and Barrel, is Oogie Boogie, aka the Boogeyman.”

Almost everyone in the room gives you an incredulous look in response to your words. Meanwhile, Grim tilts his head. “Who’s the Boogeyman?”

“If I recall correctly, it’s an imaginary monster that land-dwellers came up with.” Azul answers, “I believe there are some parents who use him as a warning toward their children when they misbehave since he supposedly targets misbehaving children while in a lot of cases he’s simply a monster the likes of which you’d see portrayed in horror movies.”

After curiously mouthing the phrase 'horror movies', which is obviously not something from his time period, Skully informs, "Even back in my time, there were scary stories about the Boogeyman, so they've existed for quite some time. However, this is my first time ever hearing of the Boogeyman ever being associated with Jack-sama, so I am unfortunately not as knowledgeable about him as I am the wonderful residents of Halloween Town."

Interesting. You muse. I wonder if this means Oogie has his own legend in Twisted Wonderland, but he's not known as the Boogeyman and is instead a public figure with a more positive reputation, like the Great Seven, considering Disney villains all get the revered idol treatment in Twisted Wonderland.

Before you can ponder this matter further, Idia states, “There are plenty of stories centered around the name ‘Boogeyman’, so it’s basically up to interpretation, but he’s always used as some kinda symbol of fear regardless of what story is told.”

He raises an eyebrow at you. “I can’t believe THAT’S the villain we’re dealing with here. Do we seriously have to go up against such a kiddie-level boss? I can’t even LOL about that.”

Jamil narrows his eyes as he frowns at you. “Please don’t tell me you actually thought I’d be one of the foolish few who are actually afraid of such a ridiculous imaginary creature.”

“Of course not.” You huff, “So calm down. Everything will make sense in a minute.”

Once Jamil settles down, you inform, “I know his name doesn’t make him sound dangerous, but Oogie isn’t someone you should underestimate. While Jack-san has defeated him more than once, that doesn’t mean Oogie is weak.”

“However, he is limited in what he can do ‘cause, after Jack-san had defeated him prior to the events of the movie that I’ve told you guys about, Oogie was banished to his lair, which is located under the treehouse outside of town where Lock, Shock, and Barrel live, and ordered never to leave it.” You continue, “And because Oogie fears Jack-san, he has his henchmen do his work for him rather than ever try to leave his lair.”

“That’s why I don’t think we’ll actually see him just as long as we avoid his lair.” You add, “At least, that’s what happened in the movie since Oogie was in his lair the whole movie since the kids brought Santa Claus to him after they kidnapped him under Jack-san's orders and got told by Jack-san to bring him somewhere comfortable.”

You sigh, “Even though Oogie’s lair was the last place Jack-san wanted Santa to go ‘cause he obviously doesn’t trust Oogie and knows he’s nothing but bad news, the kids brought Santa there anyway ‘cause that place was comfortable to them, and they knew it would please their boss.”

“Man, that’s kinda lame.” Epel frowns, appearing unimpressed like the majority of your friends. “I thought villains were supposed to have more guts than that, not be so scared of their hero rival that they need to rely on actual children to do their work for them.”

“Yes, I must admit this is rather disappointing.” Jade agrees, “I expected more from the actual Boogeyman.”

Leona carefully scrutinizes you. “What are you not telling us, Herbivore? You wouldn’t have been so scared about the brats targeting you if this was all there was to the Boogeyman, so you obviously got more to share.”

“And why exactly are you so concerned about me?” Jamil asks, “That’s something else you have yet to explain.”

All you can do is grimace. “There are two things left that I feel I need to share, and they’ll answer your questions. I was putting them off for obvious reasons, although I had every intention to get to them eventually.”

Knowing you can’t stall anymore, you turn to meet Jamil’s eyes. “Alright, Jamil-senpai, the reason I’ve been worried about you is ‘cause Oogie Boogie isn’t the kinda monster you might be expecting. He’s essentially a walking, talking burlap sack with eyes and a mouth.”

Raising an eyebrow, Jamil opens his mouth to ask why that would bother him, but before he can say anything, you bluntly reveal, “He’s full of bugs, Jamil-senpai.”

Instantly, Jamil freezes as pure horror dawns on his now ashen features. “What.”

You give him a sympathetic look. “He’s a bug man. When he loses the sack, all that’s left is a huge pile of bugs that can stand at a height that’s probably at least six feet, and he can also control bugs and make them do his bidding.”

“According to the online research I did so that I could learn just how Oogie ended up under the treehouse since the movie never explained, prior to the events of the movie, Oogie got banished after trying to take over Halloween Town with his bug army.” You inform, “He wanted to change Halloween into Crawloween, a holiday dedicated to bugs.”

Trembling, a horrified Jamil quickly covers his mouth with his hand. “My worst nightmare come to life…”

Feeling bad for the poor guy, you take hold of his free hand and give it a comforting squeeze. “On the bright side, Oogie’s easy to avoid just as long as you stay away from the treehouse.”

“I’m never going anywhere near the dwelling of that living nightmare.” Jamil quickly replies, without hesitation, all the while tightly squeezing your hand to the point you have to fight the urge to wince.

“You know, anytime a protag says something like that, they always end up going to the place they wanna avoid.” Idia points out, “It’s basically like a jinx.”

While Jamil flinches, you give Idia a warning look as you scowl, “Idia-senpai.”

This time, it’s Idia’s turn to flinch since he knows you mean business when you take that serious tone with him, and of course, Azul wastes no time in poking fun at his clubmate. “I’d be careful if I were you, Idia-san, or else, you’ll end up in the same unfortunate predicament Jade was in earlier. Heh.”

“Anything but that!” Idia yelps as his pale skin somehow becomes even paler due to his fear.

Meanwhile, you work on comforting Jamil and helping him calm down since, while you can tell from the way eyes are boring into your back that Leona is still waiting for you to drop your final bombshell, you don’t want to do anything until Jamil is feeling better.

Plus, you can’t help but want to put off revealing what has you so scared by the fact that Oogie and his henchmen are targeting you, because you know no one will take the news well.

Still, you have to bite the bullet eventually. That’s why you don’t try to come up with any more stalling tactics once you’re sure that Jamil will be okay, not that Leona would allow you to anyway, considering he’s been slowly but surely losing his patience.

With a sigh, you turn to look at Leona. “Alright, now, it’s time for what you’ve been waiting for: the reason why Oogie is a threat despite him not sounding too impressive up until this point.”

For a moment, you wonder just how you should word your upcoming explanation before deciding that there’s no sugarcoating the truth, meaning the only way to share it is by being blunt, like how you handled the bombshell you dropped on Jamil earlier.

You squarely meet Leona’s eyes. “He eats people, Leona-senpai, more specifically the people that Lock, Shock, and Barrel bring to him since he can't leave his lair, and he seems especially fond of women, judging from one particular scene from the movie when he gives Sally-san’s leg a lot of attention when she tries to distract him with it so she can save Santa Claus.”

As Leona’s eyes widen, everyone else, whose eyes also grow large, shouts, “WHAT?!”

Seconds later, realization dawns on a horrified Riddle’s features. “THAT’S why Lock, Shock, and Barrel tried to capture you with a large sack earlier this afternoon?! They were under orders to bring you to their cannibal boss?!”

At that moment, a loud crack of thunder fills the air, making almost everyone in the building jolt. Immediately, you turn to look at Malleus, who is sporting quite the scary expression right now.

“You said the Boogeyman lives under the treehouse outside of town, yes?” Malleus icily inquires, using a tone that gives you and several others goosebumps.

Rather than wait for an answer, the fae prince continues, “I will take care of him. I will be back shortly.”

Faster than anyone can react, Malleus disappears from sight and leaves a cloud of firefly-like lights in his wake, eliciting a worried cry from Sebek. “Malleus-sama?!”

Meanwhile, after having overcome your initial shock, your face promptly blanches. “Oh shit! Tsunotaro’s gone after Oogie!”

Maybe you should’ve kept your mouth shut, after all…