݁ ˖Ი𐑼⋆ 𝓢wan ⠀.ᐟ

Many eyes were on Crowley. The reactions ranged from surprise to suspicion to total indifference. These kids were strangely calm for people who just got teleported into a strange place. Crowley had no idea whether to be grateful or raise an eyebrow. "Ahem! Welcome to Night Raven's College! Do you know where you are?" He asked

"Nope!" Emu was the first to reply which earned her a glance from Nene.

"There goes my hope. My dear…" Crowley muttered with a sigh. He was hoping that this wouldn't be another Yuu situation, but alas. "Where are you from, then?"

"We're from Japan" Toya provided calmly.

"Ahh, I see i see!" Crowley nodded dramatically as he mentally counted how many of them were here. There seemed to be a total of 20 students. "Well, let me explain where you are, like the great headmage I am!" Crowley gestured dramatically around the room.

"What a strange guy…" Ichika muttered under her breath which made saki giggle and Shiho shake her head in agreement.

"How does this only keep getting weirder?" Ena questioned annoyed while Kanade shrugged and Mizuki laughed.

"You are at Night Raven College." Crowley began, interrupting the chatter around him. "The most prestigious academy in twisted wonderland-"

"Twisted Wonderland? Sounds like a fairytale!" Emu muttered with excitement to Nene who still seemed to not get the source of all this joy.

"Twisted Wonderland? I have never heard of such place before." Shizuku thought out loud.

"What a chatty bunch.." Crowley sighed pretending to rub his temples. "As I was saying! Fledgling mages are chosen for their exceptional talent in magic, which i will assume you don't have, to study here!"

"Magic? Seriously? Such things do not exist" Akito deadpanned to Toya who was sitting next to him.

Crowley having overheard the comment, turned to Akito. "What a brash mouth, young man! I assure you, magic does exist. You are no longer in whatever universe you came from." Crowley explained.

That finally made the room fall silent. Some of them looked confused while others looked alarmed. Clearly though, nobody has been taking this situation seriously up until now. They probably thought that this was a sekai malfunction or something of the likes. Having a sekai with Miku really did things to your perception of weird.

Mizuki was the one to finally break the silence. "So this is basically like an isekai anime?" She asked drawing glances from a few people.

"Yes, whatever that means." Crowley nodded seriously. He had absolutely no idea what that meant. But why should it matter? He'll just pretend that this description was accurate! "Now, because I am such a kind soul, I will not throw you out of the college. Meaning that you will be under Night Raven College's protection!" Crowley monologued dramatically.

"The more he talks the more I get the impression that he's talking to a wall instead of us." Airi sighed.

Crowley had finally gone silent. He was rubbing his chin with narrowed eyes appearing to be in thought. He couldn't possibly send them all to Ramshackle. The dorm was half ruined and maintenance along with sustenance would just cost too much money.. Ahh, what was he supposed to do with these kids? It's not like he could ask the mirror to put them in dorms, last time he tried the mirror told Yuu that their soul did not belong here. He had unconscious started pacing back and forth in the room. Surely there have to be alternatives…

Wait a minute, why can't he? What was stopping him from throwing them into dorms? Ah, he was brilliant! Since the mirror doesn't work on them, it was up to him to decide in what dorm to put them. Half of the problem was solved! Now the question was: who would show them around campus? Taking responsibility for so many kids sounded like a nightmare… He could already imagine the amount of responsibility put on his shoulders. Teens could be so unpredictable, not to mention that he didn't even know the ones he had to guide. Just about anything could happen. His brows furrowed, since he was going to assign them to dorms he could make students their guides! Who were they to refuse? He was a genius, truly!

Now that he figured this out he could announce it to the students. He turned to the students waiting and finally broke the silence. "Benevolent as I am, I have decided to let you stay in our highly esteemed dormitories!"

That caused another wave of murmurs.

"Ooh, dorms? I hope we'll be together!" Saki hummed, linking her arms with her band-mates.

"I wonder what they're like." Shizuku said, smiling to Haruka who was nodding in agreement.

"Ahem, I have sent a message to some of our best students who will become your guides! While we wait for them i would like you all to fill something out for me." Crowley interrupted, shutting down the conversations. With the help of magic, he took a bunch of papers out of his cloak (that he definitely didn't create right now with magic!). He handed them out, along with pens, for the students to fill out.

Everyone quieted down again, focusing on the task at hand. It was nothing special, just some basic information the school would need like age, what club interested them and all that jazz. Meanwhile Crowley had walked off to the side to send a message to the students who were to become guides.

Meanwhile around campus students began receiving Crowley's message.

"Ugh last time I checked I didn't cause any trouble today." Complained Ace walking by Deuce's side. Both of them had been called to the mirror chamber.

"Maybe he just needs our help with something! He did say that we and Yuu make a great a team." Deuce assured trying not to think too negatively about it.

"And out of all people he chose to call over first years? Whatever…" He sighed.

Somewhere in Octavinelle Azul was complaining to his colleagues. "Seriously, did he have to request us now? Who will watch over the lounge?" Azul sighed in annoyance.

"Have some trust in the rest of our employees." Jade said smiling calmly. "It must be something important if he wants the three of us there."

"Don't worry Octy, if someone breaks something we'll just squeeze them real hard~" Floyd giggled already halfway out of the door.

Elsewhere Malleus was walking with Sebek towards the mirror chamber. It was mostly quiet on the way there. "I wonder for what purpose we have been summoned." Malleus thought out loud. It wasn't often that anyone remembered to invite him after all.

"I hope that the reason for which we were invited will be worth our time!" Sebek replied.

Soon after everyone had gathered in the mirror chamber. They didn't even have time to chat with each other before Crowley demanded that they get into groups with their other dorm members. Of course, nobody objected. After the groups were formed, Crowley stood in front of them clearing his throat. Behind him stood the mysterious students. The students were looking at one another curious to see if anyone had any idea what was going on.

"Ahem, my dearest students! I have called you all here since busy as I am, I cannot handle everything at once. So I will need the help of my best students, who in this case are you!" He said before gesturing behind him. "So what I need is for all of you to pick one of those unfortunate students. They have appeared under the same circumstances as the prefect of Ramshackle. As much as I would like to send them to Ramshackle, the dorm's condition doesn't allow that." He explained putting a hand over his heart dramatically. "Therefore, they will join our dorms. And you will in charge of guiding the student assigned to you!" Crowley finally finished, clapping his hands together.

The reactions ranged from excitement to annoyance. Azul pushed his glasses up with a sigh of frustration. Kalim on the other hand looked excited, already thinking about how to welcome the new members. Leona's tail flicked lazily while Idia panicked in the corner, even through his tablet.

Meanwhile the strangers were chatting curiously, commenting on the NRC students. This was all so strange to them, since when did humans with animal features exist? Others were already thinking about who they'd approach.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Go ahead." Crowley finally said, stepping aside.

It was by all means a normal day. It was a warm afternoon. Everyone was minding their own business. Students were in their clubs or preoccupied with part time jobs. Everything was going fine. Or so everyone thought.

Ena was sitting at her desk. She was supposed to be drawing but she got a bit distracted. She didnt even remember why she opened the shared folder of the group. For whatever reason she found herself scrolling through K's samples and WIPS. As she was scrolling a specific file caught her eye. It's name was "Piece of my world".

"Huh..." Ena mumbled as she stared at it. Sure, Kanade composed a lot, but she wasnt the type to hide it from them. Especially since Kanade didn't think about names of songs until it was certain that Mafuyu would work on it. In the end, Ena decided to just mention it later to the group.

In the street sekai, Toya was currentl with Kaito. Kaito was currently showing something to Toya who was nodding along. It was just them and the other vocaloids. At some point something seemed to catch Toya's interest. Kaito noticed and raised an eyebrow. "Is there something wrong?" he asked.

"No. There's just a file I don't recognise. I don't remember adding something called 'Piece of my world' to this folder." Toya explained calmly.

"Woa, mysterious isn't it?" Rin asked popping up behind the two. "We should ask the others when they come!"

"You're right." both of them agreed.

Somewhere in Phoenix Wonderland, wonderlandsxshowtime was practicing for yet another performance. Or rather they were. They had decided to take a break. Rui was sitting on one of the benches scrolling through his phone. He was trying to find a song to match the mood.

Emu jumped onto him from behind, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "Have you found anything yet?" She hummed peeking at his phone. Before Rui could even respond Emu spoke again. "Ooh, what's this one? I have never seen this song before!" Emu stated pointing at a song called "Piece of my world".

"Fufu, I wish i could answer you. I do not remember adding it to my playlist though." Rui admitted with a chuckle.

"Really? Then let's listen to it together! Guys, come here!" Emu yelled waving her hand at Tsukasa and Nene.

In the stage sekai, more more jump was practicing their choreographies. The song had just ended and everyone was catching their breath. Miku had volunteered to go pick out the next song. The girls were chattering when suddenly they heard miku call out. "You guys have a new song? Why didn't you tell us!"

"A new song? We haven't made any." Haruka said surprised as she got up and walked over to Miku. Everyone followed after her looking both confused and curious. Truly, in the Playlist there was a song called "Piece of my world".

"Maybe I added it by accident! I was checking the playlist yesterday." Minori said tilting her head.

"I wouldn't be surprised." Airi chuckled looking over Minoris shoulder.

"Well, why dont we listen to it together? We are already here and now I'm curious." Shizuku smiled.

"Eh, sure. A break couldnt hurt." Airi shrugged.

In the school sekai, leo/need was also practicing. They had just finished a song. Shiho sighed in frustration. They had been trying to perfect a song for an hour now without any success. Instead of starting over Ichika turned to her band mates.

"How about we change songs for now?" She suggested having sensed the tension in the air.

"That's a great idea. Frustration will get us nowhere." Honami agreed.

Ichika smiled back before taking out her phone to get ideas on what they could practice. While scrolling she noticed a song she didnt remember adding in the Playlist. She stopped as her finger froze over the song which was called "Piece of my world".

"Is everything okay?" Shiho asked calmly. That question seemed to wake Saki up who immediately sauntered over to where Ichika was.

"What is it Ichi? Is it the song?" Saki wondered out loud while peeking at Ichikas phone.

"Yeah, I don't remember adding it." Ichika admitted a bit confused. She had never heard of that song before.

"I say we listen to it! Last time a song appeared we were brought here. Imagine if it's another sekai!" Saki joked as she gestured for Honami and Shiho to come closer.

"If that's so, it sounds like more trouble than it's worth." Shiho replied dryly. Despite that she also approached Ichika.

So did Honami who was checking her own phone. "Come think of it, it appeared on my phone too.." She noted while holding her own phone up.

"Makes it even more interesting!" Saki giggled.

And eventually, all the groups gathered together to investigate the strange appearance of the new song. Everyone was expecting to be a normal song that was added by accident with the most exciting ideas circulating being about a new sekai. Yet again, none of the mikus knew anything about the song.

As it turned out, the "impossible" ideas ended up being very much true. The second each person touched the song to play it a bright light exploded from the device. The reactions varied from interest to shocked yelping. But nobody was truly scared. They have been to a sekai before after all.

That was before they realised this wasnt a sekai at all. Shizuku hadn't even realised that she had been unconscious. She shifted uncomfortably under someone's weight. She touched around a bit and by the length of the hair she realised it was probably Haruka which made Shizuku exhale in relief.

She looked around the room they were in. To her surprise she wasnt the only one here. Some people were stirring while others were still unconscious. Apart from her group, she recognized many others. Tsukasa was there, Mafuyu was stirring, and shizuku could even swear she caught a glimpse of Shihos hair somewhere. A bright voice snapped Shizuku out of her confusion.

"Uhm shizuku-chan... where are we?" Asked Minori who had pushed herself up.

"I have no idea.." Shizuku replied honestly.

"This place looks so creepy." Minori whined. Despite that she didnt look too bothered upon realising everyone else was here too. "But hey, at least we're not alone!" She added trying to light the mood.

Across the room Mafuyu caught shizukus eye. She smiled before carefully getting up and walking around her unconscious bandmates. "Hello, Hinomori-san." She greeted politely. "If you wouldn't mind, may I ask how you got here?"

"Ah well..." Shizuku trailed off realising that explaining would definitely mean she would have to explain what a sekai was.

"I dont think that's our biggest problem right now Shizuku-chan..." Minori muttered patting Shizukus shoulder before turning to Mafuyu. "So basically we were practicing together and then we noticed that a song appeared in our Playlist! We decided to listen to it but when we played it it acted like a sekai entrance and brought us here!" Minori explained.

"Ah, I see." Mafuyu said skeptically. "So you also know what a sekai is.."

"You also have a sekai?? That's so cool Asahina-senpai!" Minori exclaimed her eyes practically lighting up.

"That's besides the point. It seems that Ena is stirring, I'll go check on her. Thank you for telling me this." With one last smile Mafuyu turned away and walked back towards Ena who was groggily coming to realization of her surroundings.

The second mafuyu turned her fake smile fell. She sighed. She didn't feel particularly upset about the circumstances but she definitely had to admit thaf this entire situation was strange. But it was no use thinking too much about it. For now she would just make sure if her friends were okay.

Just like that more and more people started coming around. The room they were in was strange to say the least. There was a big mirror in the center and a bunch of coffins floating around. It looked like it came straight out of a gothic novel.

Eventually everyone gathered close together. After agreeing that everyone came here the same way, aka by playing the strange song, they decided to think of what to do next. But before anyone could even utter out an idea the doors to the room burst open. The man in the doorway looked strange. He had a mask on and was dressed in what looked like a theater costume. He looked very, very displeased with everyone's presence here.

"Not again..." finally spoke the man. It was more of a whine than anything. But either way, it sounded like this day was going to be very long.

The prefect always somehow managed to get themselves into the craziest situations. So it was natural that people weren't too keen in meddling into whatever drama y/n got themselves into this time. And as much as Trey disliked getting into drama, he just couldnt help but keep noticing how disheartened y/n has been looking these past few days.

The day had been going like any other. Trey was in the cafeteria, sitting with Cater who was chattering his ear off. Trey didn't mean to space out, but his attention was currently on y/n who was staring at their food in a very skeptical way.

"And then he-"

"Hey Cater." Trey finally cut him off.

"Yes Trey?" Cater replied, his mouth forming a small o. Trey didn't usually interrupt people.

"Is there something going on with the prefect?" He asked as he ate another spoonful of his lunch.

"Oh, y/n... they're just homesick i think. Ace was complaining the other day about how they were speaking about celebrating some nonsense." Cater offered with a shrug.

"Ah, I see." Trey sighed. At least they weren't in trouble. Maybe he could offer them some comfort. After all it must be hard to be from another world. It's the least he could do. "I'll talk to them then."

"Hehe you're such an amazing friend Trey~" Cater mused smiling at his classmate. "Off you go then!"

Trey chuckled before pushing himself up. He picked his tray up and carried it towards y/n's table. They didn't seem to notice him until he set his plate down with a soft clink.

"Oh... hi Trey." They greeted him as they looked up. Trey sat down next to them.

"Hi there, sweetness. Everything okay? You've been staring at your food for the past 10 minutes." He commented leaning into the table and turning his head to look at them.

Y/n's pout melted into an embarrassed smile. They looked away with a slight blush. "It's nothing, really. Just a bit homesick, I guess."

"Something about a celebration i have heard." He smiled partly teasing them partly genuinely curious.

"Hey, who told you that!?" They muttered immediately turning to look at him.

"Oh, you know how rumours spread here." He chuckled. Trey was glad that y/n seemed to be a bit more lively now. "Anyway, want to tell me about it?" He asked resting his cheek on his palm.

"Since you asked nicely." They smiled, perking up immediately. It made Trey sigh in relief. "Okay so basically, I was talking about Easter. It's a religious holiday back in my world. People usually decorate and hunt eggs and also cook stuff."

The mention of cooking caugh Trey's attention. "Cooking? Why didnt you come to me? You know i can always help with that." He said. He had been wanting to try something new anyway so he didnt see the harm in helping y/n out.

"Really? But isn't cooking different from baking?" They asked tilting his head.

He shook his with a fond smile before responding. "Just because I bake doesnt mean I cant cook. Just tell me what we'll need." He assured.

"Ok then uh.. we'll need lamb, eggs and onions." They spoke counting on their fingers. "Yeah, that."

"Lamb? That's a new one. I haven't worked with lamb much." He remarked humming softly. "This will be great practice. It's decided then." He nodded approvingly.

"You're the best Trey! Easter is on Sunday, okay?" They said full of excitement. It was as if they were never homesick to begin with. Trey's face softened with relief.

"Okay, okay, prefect. Dont worry about it." He assured them.

So that's how Trey got himself into this situation. Not that he was complaining. He was killing 2 birds with 1 stone, satisfying both his desire to try something new and his desire to make y/n feel better. Y/n insisted on making the eggs the day before so here he was now. He had gotten permission from Riddle who seemed to be understanding of the prefects homesickness.

So now both of them were together in the kitchen. At first he was confused about the amount of onions y/n wanted but now he understood. Y/n was chattering to him about how their mother always told them that natural dye was better.

"And that's how I found out that you can dye eggs red with onion skin!" They explained to him proudly.

"That's really great. I'll keep it in mind." Trey nodded with a smile as he checked on the eggs. "They will be ready soon." He announced.

"That's great! Just in time." They exclaimed walking up behind him to peek at the eggs. "You know... im really glad that youre helping me with this." They admitted with a soft smile.

"Of course, I owe you after all." He chuckled. They weakly punched him in the bicep, laughing about him acting silly.

He turned his attention back to the eggs and gently began taking them out of the boiling water. They had changed colours into a rich red. When y/n noticed, they volunteered to decorate them with ribbons and such before arranging them in a basket. When he was finally done with taking them all out, he leaned back against the counter, admiring how dedicated y/n seemed to arranging them prettily.

"You'd think these eggs are holy." He joked which led to y/n glancing at him with fake exasperation.

"Well, presentation matters. Come sit down. It's almost 12." They scolded him before patting the chair next to theirs. He shook his head playfully and obliged.

"Sure, sure. But after youre done do tell how you want the lamb to be cooked." He reminded, sitting down beside y/n.

When the clock struck midnight, y/n said something he didnt understand. But at least they had someone to celebrate with. It was the least anyone could do for them after everything. As they cracked their eggs against eachother, Trey couldnt help but think about how fun it will be tomorrow when they attempt to cook lamb together.

Crowley never imagined that having a partner would be so hard! He had lived long enough to form an idea of what love was, though he couldn't say that he had much experience with it. He was so terribly "busy" being the Headmage of Night Ravens College that seeking out a relationship hadn't been one of his priorities. As far as he knew though, having a partner was supposed to be a cute experience. But unfortunately, the partner he had now came with additions.

It was widespread knowledge that Crowley wasn't exactly fond of administrative work. If he had a choice, he'd rather do anything but work on these boring and tiresome tasks. To his dismay, he couldn't ignore them forever. At some point he would need to sit his ass down and do them. During those moments, his partner was doing anything but helping him out. He knew from the very start of their relationship that y/n was somewhat of a tease. He wishes he had known just how much of a tease they really are. They were relentless. Even Crowley who was generally very "excited" about doing paperwork (or at least so he claimed) couldnt help but be distracted everytime that y/n was here!

It was one of those days when Crowley decided to do his work like the "responsible" person he is! He was sitting alone in his office, trying not to look too bored doing this unbelievably mundane task. The only thing he had in mind was getting back to his amazing bed and spending time with his beloved. Little did he know that his dearest y/n was already seeking his company out! The door to his office burst open without so much of a knock to save Crowley from a heart attack. The sound made him jump up in his seat.

"Who dares to invade the headmage's privacy with such- oh. It's just you y/n..." Crowley cut himself off when he realised who the culprit was. He relaxed into his seat immediately. "You know, maybe next time you should knock. My heart is too old to handle such scares!" He exclaimed dramatically bringing his hand up to his heart.

"Oh really? And how old is your heart exactly?" Y/n questioned while heading towards his desk.

"Anyway!" Crowley exclaimed with a smile, clapping his hand together. "What brings you here, my dear? Is there something you need?" He questioned setting his quill pen down.

"Just you!" Y/n declared, finally reaching his desk. They walked around it finally stopping when they reached the side of Crowley's chair.

Crowley's face felt as if it was lit on fire. He cleared his throat and hoped to the sevens that his face wasn't red enough to be noticeable. "How sweet of you! Ah yes... we should do something together after I am done with my work." He announced, rubbing his chin in contemplation.

"Is the paperwork really that important?" Y/n mused, trailing a finger down his arm. Crowley shivered at the gesture.

"Well... you know how it is! We are one of the best magical academies, of course it's important." Crowley tried reasoning, though the way he was fidgeting with his pen betrayed his temptation to abandon his duties.

"But can't it wait? It's not like it'll run away." Y/n continued, clearly unwilling to give up. "Do you really prefer paperwork over me?" Y/n pouted.

"What!? That is not what I said! Obviously I prefer you over it." He replied, letting his pen fall.

"Well, the way you're acting suggest otherwise." They shrugged. Despite that, they did not stop touching him.

"Okay, okay, fine. Ah, how wicked you are, taking advantage of my fragile heart...!" He sighed as he leaned back in his seat.

This was going to be a really long evening. Crowley had a feeling that his paperwork would take 10 times longer to be completed.

Epel couldn't believe his luck. He had been genuinely excited for this project. That was until partners were assigned. How did he end up partnered with the bitterest guy of this school?

The Prefect of Ramshackle didnt have the best reputation. He was known for his negative attitude and resentment, which only seemed to grow deeper the more overblots happened. He was allegedly so bitter that people started calling him lemon boy. Naturally, someone with a reputation like that didnt have many friends.

Epel cant say he interacted with him much, so he didn't know what to expect from a guy like him. His only intel came from Ace who didn't exactly have the best words to say about him. But Epel supposed that this piece of insight and the general rumours were enough for a verdict. He was so doomed.

He prepared for what was coming as much as he could. He even gathered some info in advance hoping to avoid most of the conversation. If he satisfied the prefect then maybe he wouldn't have to deal with an asshole.

Epel wasn't expecting for y/n to be more or less civil. Sure, the prefect looked tired, but he wasn't being rude. His face had a permanent scowl, yeah, but that was just about it. He introduced himself and then let Epel speak on what he had in mind. He even looked pleased with what Epel had gathered. Just what did this guy do to gain such a bad reputation? He was not at all for what Epel prepared. It was almost pleasant talking to him.

By the time they were parting ways, Epel had almost forgotten that this was supposed to be a "lemon boy". He caught himself wondering for the 100th time about the origin of everything he had heard about y/n. It's not even that they agreed on everything, quite the opposite, they ended up disagreeing a lot. But not once did y/n snap at him. The only thing that could be considered offensive would probably be when he muttered something under his breath. But other than that? Y/n seemed like a really nice guy.

Over the next few days Epel and y/n worked together. Y/n was surprisingly competent so the project was going better than Epel had imagined. They still disagreed on a lot of stuff but turns out y/n is quite patient when it comes to argumentation. It pissed him off to admit that y/n was mostly right about what he said. Additionally, the more time he spent around y/n the more he realised that hanging out with him was fun. The guy admittedly had humor.

When it was time for the presentation, their team ended up acing it. Epel beamed and from the corner of his eye he could've sworn that he saw y/n smile too. That guy knew how to smile, huh? Against his better judgement, after the lecture Epel approached y/n and suggested they should celebrate the success of their project. He was fully braced for rejection but that shoe never dropped. Instead the prefect tilted his head and smiled "sure". The fact that th prefect, of all people, smiled at him made Epel feel special.

Epel was visibly happy when he came back to Pomefiore. So much that Vil had even questioned him. When Epel told him he earned a raised eyebrow from his uperclassman but no further questions were posed.

Later when Epel had scurried out of Pomefiore Vil sighed. "He's very eager for someone who was complaining your ear off before he even started the project." Vil commented to Rook who was nearby. Which was apparently a mistake, because Rook ended up speculating what could've happened quite enthusiastically.

They agreed to meet in a cozy family owned restaurant, Epel's suggestion. Y/n had show up looking more relaxed than usual which made Epel feel proud. He managed to tame the lemon boy! Over the course of their outing he learnt quite a bit about y/n. He liked gardening for example, quite uncharacteristic for a person with his reputation. Epel had also shared about his gardening knowledge which ended with y/n suggesting that they should do it together sometime. That actually did not sound so bad.

It didnt take long for them to arrange that hangout. They met a few days later in the botanical garden where they spent the entire time chattering about plants. Surprisingly, y/n was not as much of a pro as Epel had made them out to be. He did most of the things the hard and amateurish way. Epel took quite the pleasure in correcting him.

Y/n surprised him because once again he had been nothing but nice the entire time. Not that Epel was complaining. He just found it weird that such a sweet guy had so many rumours about him. Well, if people wanted to call y/n bitter then Epel would also be bitter by his side! After all that's what friends did, no? Or maybe Epel was just getting special treatment from y/n. Either way he couldnt bring himself to care about what others thought of his new friend.

Over the course of the next few weeks he got to know y/n more. The more he found out about them the more angry he got. Not at him, but at everyone else. Epel could say he was a bit bitter himself, so he could confidently say that the guy was anything but bitter. From what Epel gathered, y/n was just tired of the shit going on in this school. Epel couldnt blame him, he couldn't even begin to imagine being stuck here against his will without any magic.

Before Epel even knew it, him and the prefect were hanging out everyday. They talked, Epel helped him with his plants and they ranted to eachother about Vil, the overblotters, Crowley and anything that came to mind. It was actually pretty easy being nice to a bitter boy like him. So now Epel had himself a new friend who could understand him better than everyone else.

Predictably most people did not approve of Epel's friendship with the Prefect. Jack had the courtesy to not comment on it. Sebek had warned him quite loudly to stay alert for wolves in sheep's clothing. Ortho had simply told him to not let his guard down around people who have a history of bad rumours. And Ace? That guy was furious with Epel.

"No way youre actually hanging out with the guy i warned you about! Im telling you the guy's an ass..." Ace sighed shaking his head with something that was half disappointment half frustration.

"Or maybe you just drag him into too much trouble." Epel offered with a weak shrug.

"You can't be for real.. he told me to grow a new prefrontal cortex!" Ace groaned.

"I wonder why..." Epel snickered. Deuce had to hold Ace back from trying to throw something at Epel.

Whatever, Epel couldnt care less what other people thought about his relationship with the Prefect. If they weren't keen on compromising with y/n then that was their problem, not his.

No one's opinion mattered enough to change Epel's mind. And so, he continued hanging out with y/n. They were having so much fun that he forgot that y/n never belonged in this world to begin with.

The reminder had been sudden. He was hanging out with Deuce and Ace when the topic was brought up out of the blue.

"Dude I already feel so bad for you." Deuce sighed as he ate his lunch.

"Huh? And why exactly is that?" Epel asked asking an eyebrow.

"Because you know... the prefect. He'll have to leave eventually right?" He asked tilting his hand.

"Oh right! Can't wait, he's so insufferable." Ace exclaimed though there was no real heat in his words.

"Oh... I completely forgot about that." Epel thought out loud.

Right, y/n eventually had to leave. The thought of it made Epel frown. It was no fair, they had just started being friends properly. Y/n wouldnt just leave like that right? Plus Crowley was still far from discovering how to take y/n home. Or at least so Epel supposed. You could never tell with him.

The thought stuck with him for the rest of the day. Deuce was right, y/n couldnt stay here forever. Epel knew that better than anyone. Most of y/n's complaints were about being brought here. He probably wouldn't even hesitate to leave Twisted Wonderland once the chance is presented to him.

For some reason that made Epel sad. He knew it was selfish, but he really wanted them to stay. Y/n having a great time with him, wasn't he? Epel wanted to convince y/n to stay. He wanted to be his friend for longer than just a few school years. Even if it was just wishful thinking.

Rook being Rook noticed that something was off with Epel that day. He not so subtly sat him down for a talk. "Alors monsieur pommette, what has been troubling you all day?" Rook asked him with a smile.

"I don't know what you mean." Epel muttered waving Rook off.

"Now, now. You've been quieter aujourd'hui! You didnt even object to what you call Roi de poison's tyranny." He laughed. Despite his attitude he was genuinely concerned.

"Im telling you it's nothing! It's stupid..." Epel shot back as his frown only deepened.

"Ah, come on now! If it was vraiment so trivial then you wouldnt be acting like a whole another person!" Rook continued.

He really was persistent...

"Ugh, 's just the prefect. I got reminded today that he'll eventually have to leave." Epel finally confessed with a sigh that indicated surrender against Rook's prying "Damn ya and your eyes."

"I see! L'amour can be so magnifiquement sad sometimes." Rook said dramatically while putting a hand to his heart.

"Huh?? What doed that even mean.." Epel muttered clearly annoyed at the implication.

"Well, mon ami. You can't always have everything-" Rook started.

"Yeah, no shit." Epel deadpanned.

"Heh, how vile! But let me speak pour un moment." Rook giggled. Then his face softened just slightly. "It is une triste verité that the prefect might leave someday. But isnt that all the more reason to live your best life with him while you still can?" He asked with a tilt of his head. "If you only think about the future then you'll be too busy to enjoy le présent. So I suggest you stop ovethinking it." Rook finally finished.

Epel was left silent. Rook wasn't wrong. Epel did infact avoid y/n today because he was too busy being stuck up about the future. "You're right.." he finally said. "I have to find him now!" Then after a beat "thank you, Rook-senpai!" Then he scurried off for whatever place he had in mind. Rook just smiled at him.

For once he followed someone's advice without getting frustrated. He continued spending time with y/n, even trying to integrate him into the school life, because if y/n was going to leave eventually then he needed to have a memorable time. There were still rumours about him and y/n was still pretty butter to people who annoyed him. But with Epel's help his school life became just a tad bit better.

As for Epel, he stayed the same. He continued being himself and continued defending y/n at any possible moment. Ace started calling them the bitterest boys on campus. Y/n didnt care, Epel found it a bit funny. If being y/n's friend made him bitter then so be it, he would accept the title proudly and they could be the bitterest guys around together.

Kanade:

Kanade didn't even notice at first. She was too busy fixing something in a song. Only when you gently reminded her that she needed to drink some water did she notice that you were wearing one of her many sweats. "Ah... that's mine isn't it?" she murmured tilting her head.

She smiled softly as she took you wearing her clothes in. She didn't look flustered on the outside but the small blush and her soft expression betrayed what she really felt. "It looks good on you." she'd eventually commented. For the rest of the night she would occasionally look at you and smile at you with that adorable smile

Mafuyu:

You two decided to meet in the SEKAI. When Mafuyu finally arrived and saw you wearing one of her clothes she simply stopped working. She stayed silent for a few seconds before bluntly stating "That's mine". She approached, sitting down beside you.

"Did you want to wear it?" she asked trying to understand why you took her clothes. Not that she minded. When you explained that you wanted to feel close to her she simply nodded. Then she rested her head on your shoulder. It wasn't often that she initiated physical affection but what you did made her feel happy? satisfied? She couldnt really tell what this warm feeling was.

Ena:

You were having a sleepover with Ena. She had walked out for a few minutes to fetch some snacks and drinks. You decided it would be funny to wear her favourite sweater. When she walked back in she froze. "Hey! That's my favourite sweater!" She rushed over immediately forgetting about the snacks.

"Why didn't you ask to wear it like a normal person? I wouldn't have objected if you did!" Despite that she didnt snatch it back. The deep blush on her cheeks was betraying what she actually felt. Later she would secretly snap a pic of you in it to keep for herself. And maybe she'd even comment about how cute you looked in it.

Mizuki:

You and Mizuki had a sleepover the day before. When you met up again the next day in the SEKAI, she noticed that you were wearing one of her cardigans. "Oh my! I have been looking for that all day!" She giggled, circling you. "Ah, you look so cute in it. You should wear my clothes more often." She smiled clapping her hands together.

She then proceeds to style your hair to fit the outfit. After that she tugs you closer with a smile. "A mirror selfie would be so cool right now. Too bad the only mirror we have here is broken.. well, a normal selfie should do. Cmon, pose and say cheese!!" She said wrapping an arm around your shoulders.

"I can trust you with this, right? We are bsfs after all."

Idia's comforting skills weren't exactly top tier, but he still listened and tried his best to console y/n. That's the least he could do for his best friend.

That's how this nightmare of a situation started. Idia used to think that his life couldn't get any worse. But alas, here he was, a year later, mourning his now dead best friend.

The thing y/n vented to him about was bullying. As they had said, this was the first time they spoke to anyone about it. It had gotten too much for them to handle it alone. It surprised him because in class y/n always seemed pretty upbeat. At the same time he was glad that they were opening up to him.

He might not be good with words but he sure as hell was good at sending stupid shit to cheer them up. So that's exactly what he did. Even when they weren't venting, he'd send them posts and videos that he thought they would like. It wasn't ideal but in his pov it was still a form of comfort!

Idia avoided leaving his room at all cost but even he needed to go on campus sometimes. What he didnt expect on one of his walks was to walk on seeing y/n being bullied. Hearing about it was another thing, but witnessing it?

He knew, on an intellectual level, that he should have intervened. But the guys surrounding y/n looked so physically menacing. It's not that he didn't want to get in trouble. When he tried to move his legs were stuck in place. He felt like he lost his voice and he could barely breathe. He ended up walking away. He wasn't sure if y/n saw him, but at that moment he didnt really care. He couldnt do it.

He tried extra to cheer y/n up that day. From what he had gathered they thankfully didnt see him back there. To his credit, this time he didn't stop at cheering them up. He decided that day that he would collect evidence. If he couldn't physically step in, he could at least tell Crowley about it. That would be helpful, right? As much as Crowley can help anyway..

Over the next few weeks Idia began collecting evidence. With so much knowledge of technology, he had found ways to not only witness the incidents but record them. Everytime he saw his friend getting bullied like that his heart clenched. But he quickly assured himself that he was doing everything he could to help them. In the end, the amount of footage he ended up compiling was impressive.

Naturally, as soon as he was done with his little project he gave everything to Crowley. And thank the seven, Crowley did something about it. And just for a few days Idia let himself hope that y/n's life would become easier. He didn't tell them that he was the one who did it but it was heartwarming nonetheless to read their rambling about some saviour.

Apparently reporting them didn't stop them. Matter-of-fact, a few days later y/n came to him, texting him about how it only got worse. At first he felt a twinge of guilt though he quickly suppressed it with the help of his brother's reassurance. How was he supposed to know this would be the outcome? He just did what was logical. At the same time he was left feeling helpless. If reporting them failed, what else could he do to help them if he couldn't stop those guys from digging their nails into y/n?

So he continued to do what he did best. He sent them random shit, played games with them and generally just stuck around. He had once read that having a friend could help. He could do that. He wanted them to remember that they were loved and valued. He thought that would be enough.

He was so wrong.

School ended on a decent note, at least for Idia. Many students were leaving for their hometowns, including y/n. They had told him about it many times. As they described it, it was a relatively small coastal village. Fitting for the summer holidays, he supposed. He had searched it up and it looked pretty cozy. It was like those villages that could only be reached by train. He was glad y/n would finally have some peace, even if just for the summer

The last time he ever heard from them was in August. Their last conversation was weird if he was honest. Y/n was being strangely sentimental bordering on nostalgic. They were talking about all their memories together. He found it weird, obviously. He asked multiple times if they were ok and they responded that they were feeling better than ever.

Now that he looks back on it, he shouldve known something was wrong. If he had known, if he had tried more then maybe y/n would still be here. Maybe he could still talk to them like he used to. Their last message before going radio silent was "ily". They had also hearted the message in which he said it back.

The first few days after their disappearance he was confused. Was their last conversation a way of dumping him gently? Why were they not responding? It took him a few days to see that they had gone completely offline. He realised while stalking their reposts on magicam that they hadn't reposted anything in days.

It was really strange. Did something happen to them or was it something he had done? Maybe they found out that he was the one who reported the bullying, in which case he couldnt blame them for being angry. It took him a few days to realise that they had gone offline everywhere. He was stalking their magicam reposts when he realised that it's been days since they last reposted anything.

Like any other person he eventually started panicking. It wasn't normal for your best friend to go missing just like that! But then again he had no other way of contacting them. So he did the only thing he could do, he searched their town up. As expected there wasn't much on the internet about it. The latest news article was posted a day after y/n's disappearance and it wasn't even about the town itself. Apparently a student jumped into the railway crossing just a outside of the village. The only belonging they had with them was a keychain.

His mind had gone to the worst case scenario. But he immediately snapped out of it, or rather tried to. There was no way it couldve been y/n. They sounded so happy. And not just lately, they've been happy. They couldnt possibly have a reason to commit suicide. Y/n wasn't the only teenager in that village and suicide rates were high anyway, it couldve been anyone!

He kept telling himself that. Despite his best efforts, something still felt off and it ended up showing through his moods. But he just told himself that he'd see y/n again when school started and then he'd finally find out what happened. He kept texting them as if they were still there. It was less painful to think that they had simply dumped him. He was an antisocial loser after all.

Unfortunately the so called truth he expected to find when school started only confirmed his worst fears.

When he walked in for the first class of this year he froze. Instead of seeing y/n at their desk, there was a vase with a flower in it. Idia remembers reading somewhere that it was a way to mourn the dead. All the feelings he had been suppressing all chose that moment to surface. At the time it seemed impossible. Or maybe he was just in denial. There was no way y/n was actually dead, right? They seemed so happy before disappearing... how come they were suddenly dead? It made no sense. Has he been texting a dead person this entire time?

It was a grand understatement to say that he didnt take it well. He had retreated almost immediately. Even ortho struggled to speak to him. How could this have happened? He was there for them all this time. He tried to help, he really did. So why didnt they open up to him about it? Why did it end like this? Did they not trust him? Everything that went wrong flooded his mind with self blame. If only he noticed, if only he knew how to comfort, if only he hadn't reported the bullies.

That must be it. It was his fault it ended like this. If he hadn't reported the bullies, they wouldve gone easier on y/n. Then maybe they would still be here.

That was a year ago. Idia couldnt say that he was feeling better mentally but he was definitely more stable than he was in September. The school year was horrible without y/n. He still caught himself texting them sometimes, out of habit. It was pathetic considering that if he had done more, they'd actually be here to reply to his messages.

But it was no use thinking about it now. He had better things to think about. Specifically about what he was to do. He couldnt just make an ai of them like he did of Ortho since this incident made him realise that turns out he didnt know them all that well. It was a mess.

He realised lots of things because of y/n's death. For instance he never once hugged them. Sure, they were online friends at first but in the end they were also classmates. You are usually supposed to hug your friends. Even if he isnt the type to touch he finds himself wishing that he had hugged them while they were still alive.

He clutched the broken keychain he was holding and pulled the hood of his hoodie over his head. The keychain was the one torn apart when y/n died. Ortho managed to convince y/n's parents to let Idia have it. It was the only thing he had left of y/n.

He sighed as he looked out of the window of the train. Today was y/n's death anniversary. Idia mentioned that he was going to visit them though he didn't exactly specify where he was headed. Most people would probably assume he was going to visit their grave. But he was infact anywhere but their grave. He was headed towards their village. He didn't know what possessed him to do that. It was stupid, really stupid. But he wanted to feel y/n's presence. As much as you can feel a dead person's presence anyway.

When he got off that the right station, it was empty. Thank the sevens it was empty. Instead of heading for the village he turned back and started heading towards where the train had come from. He walked along the rails aimlessly. His destination was the crossing where y/n had committed suicide which he pinpointed successfully after a bit of online research.

The summer heat was suffocating. He felt stupid for choosing to wear a hoodie. But his priority had been comfort. Whatever, it didnt matter right now. He halted to a stop turning to look around. This was probably the place he was looking for. The cicadas here were loud to say the least. He felt like someone was dragging a fork down a chalkboard. Other than that the place looked pretty peaceful. Pretty even.

When he turned to look at the railway he froze. There in the crossing stood a figure faintly resembling y/n. It was pointing at him? Reaching out? He genuinely couldnt tell.

"Great, now im tweaking out." He groaned reaching up to rub his eyes.

When he looked back the figure was still there. He was losing his shit, wasnt he? There's no way this was a ghost. They didnt look like that, he remembers seeing ramshackle ghosts. Maybe he did need help.

Despite all his dramatic inner dialogue he still felt himself taking a step forward. Then another and another. He knew that this was probably hallucination. There was no way this was the real y/n. They would have already talked, or so he assumes.

Despite that he still stepped onto the tracks, reaching out for their hand. He was that desperate for one last interaction with them, huh?

In his distraction he didnt hear the railway crossing's alarm.