This Is Part 12 Of The "What If Yuu Didn't Want To Go Back?" Series!

This is part 12 of the "What if Yuu didn't want to go back?" Series!

(I, the author of this work, do not consent to this work being crossposted/translated without my knowledge or used to train an AI, ever.)

Masterlist

Vil's words echo in my head like laughter echoes in a cave. My brain struggles, trying desperately to wrap itself around this information, and it suddenly succeeds.

Tears resume flowing down my face- tears of joy, because, finally, I am alive. I am real. Finally, after all these years and all this pain, I live. For the first time, I live. I've been alive this whole time- since my arrival- and I didn't even know.

Perhaps Vil and Rook know I'm crying happy tears because they remember my rant, or perhaps it is because of the stupid smile on my face, and my laugh, my most genuine laugh ever, unrestrained.

This whole time, the ripples on the water were mine- and I didn't even know. Maybe I'm too used to bad things- maybe I died before, and this is the universe's mercy. A new world, and my first life.

The pieces are all here, not yet assembled, but here, and I am aware of them all. I have Grim, I have parents, I have friends- given how Rook and Vil seem to care for Korrak and Mandible behind closed doors just as they do for me and Grim, maybe I have a brother or two. Maybe Epel is a cousin. Who knows? This is my first life, and I love my shiny new family.

I love us, all of us, with all of our imperfections and weirdness and disadvantages and problems and quirks- I love this family, and, maybe, that includes me. It certainly includes Grim, and he's my familiar, so...

Oh, well. Who cares? Finally, my breaths sustain life- my life. My heart beats with meaning, with purpose other than obligation. I have a whole life ahead of me, for the first time ever.

Once again, Rook's arms are wrapped around me, his chin resting on my shoulder.

"Your joy is beautiful, Monseur Mystery."

I look. Grim is... crying? So is Vil.

"Are you guys... alright?"

Vil nods. Rook pulls back, revealing his own, tear-stained face to me.

"We are more than alright, little one." Despite his tears, Vil's voice does not break, and his eyeliner does not run.

"Your elation is contagious, Monseur Mystery."

"Rook, Vil, Grim... thank you. All of you." My voice breaks. "I just can't thank you enough. Thank you so much, for everything. For all the little moments when I needed help and you were there, thank you. For every time I needed a hug, or a hairbrush, or a reminder to eat something other than fish, or a reason to live before I realized I was alive, thank you."

We stay there, the four of us, for a long moment, just crying shared tears of shared joy. It only lasts, however, until Vil looks at the clock on the wall.

"It's nearing bedtime, little one. Go to your room and get ready to sleep." He smiles. "You've earned it."

I nod. "Alright."

"Would you like an escort, Monseur Mystery?"

I laugh. Even in these vulnerable, important moments, Rook is still... well, Rook. He's always himself, always open and never vulnerable, somehow, until these little moments. And, somehow, the subtlety of that change just makes it all the more golden.

"I'll take it, Rook."

When we arrive at the dorm room, I take care not to wake our roommates. Rook just leaves, as he probably has some important Vice Housewarden business to attend to. Grim and I wave before the door closes.

I take a look at my magestone. The black only covers 3/4 of it now, so I can probably attempt a spell without overblotting.

I close my eyes and grip the gem tightly in my palm, imagining myself in my pajamas before I wave the pen.

When I open my eyes, I have changed clothes. Admittedly, it takes a lot to avoid squealing out of delight. Alas, excitement is tiring, and I have yet to finish my skincare routine.

Grim and I head to the Backstage Room, finish up, and leave. We don't talk, but there's an air of contentment as I brush him, an acknowledgement of the fact we both know: today, a new chapter in our lives has started.

I can't wait. Even as I lie on my bed and try to sleep, my heart pounds. Why wouldn't it? Today has been filled with so many firsts- first willing cry, first spell, first time realizing I not only exist but live.

Despite that, when my heart calms, I immediately sleep. I do not dream; I am too tired. And yet, my excitement remains.

When I wake, Grim wakes with me, and I am ready. I want to see what the day will bring, I want to live and laugh and love, and not in the midwest-white-lady way.

Korrak, despite not being exited in the morning, at all, ever, is still in some kind of better mood than usual.

I brush Grim like usual, but without the air of "I don't really belong" that used to invade every moment of every day, both before and after I gained life. The absence of that once-constant aura is welcome, and, for once, I feel hope. Real, genuine hope, just for the day.

I spend breakfast trying to get water in a glass to hover midair, and, though I do fail, it's only because the magic didn't break the surface tension.

This is part 10 of the "What if Yuu didn't want to go back?" Series!

(I, the author of this work, do not consent to this work being crossposted/translated without my knowledge or used to train an AI, ever.)

Masterlist

"Are you sure I can't use the power drill?"

"I ain't known ya fer all that long, ginger, but I wouldn't trust ya wit' a feather if I didn't think th' clinic had 'n open spot."

"What the fuck is your problem?"

"Trappola," I start, doing my very best to embody Vil's aura of a strong mother giving a warning, "say that again, without swearing."

"The fuck?"

"We both know what a swear is. Do not play with me, Trappola."

"Okay, fine. Hey, lavender breeze, what is your problem?"

"Lavender breeze? Well, I ain't no hussy city folk- you wanna fight me, ya better say it outright, ya concrete coward!"

"Oh, I'm a coward? You're on!"

"Say it, ya toilet-fire-fer-hair! Say ya wanna fight! 'R are ya too much'f a ketchup addict t' talk?"

"Korrak, right? Where is he getting those insults?"

"B-beats me, Deuce."

"Uh... hey! Ace! Epel! Not the time!"

Epel momentarily freezes, recalling the stories of Crewel's punishments he's heard from other. Trappola, not so much.

"Deuce, shut up!"

Something in Deuce snaps. There's a wild look I'm his eyes, and he's, evidently, just as sick of Trappola as he should be. "You wanna fight, just say it!"

"Is that a challenge?"

"Not 'ntil ya say it is, ya pigeon poop patootie!"

"Okay, fine! I'll fight you both!" With that, Trappola punches Deuce exactly once, in the shoulder, before getting his shit wrecked on the lab floor. Korrak even summoned popcorn, which would've pissed off the "pigeon poop patootie" if he weren't so busy getting his ass handed to him.

"You got it, Sir!" By the time I look up to see who said that, a tall, buff wolf dude is heroically lifting our damsel in distress from the linoleum and carrying him to Crewel. They briefly discuss something, and then Trappola's knight in shining armor is leaving him in a chair and walking over to us.

Crewel, having started sooner, arrives first. "Well, I can't have my pups dogfighting. Who was involved?"

Wolf boy, who has now finished walking over and is standing next to Crewel, speaks up. "The other Heartslabyul and the Pomefiore with no familiar, sir. Those are the ones who were fighting him. The others were eating popcorn."

Crewel smiles. "You and you, not Yuu," he begins, pointing at Epel, Deuce, and me in turn, "detention. You are to clean all of the stations in this room, top and sides, after class. I will let you have dinner first. Do not open the cabinets or drawers when you clean them, but do wash the cabinet doors and handles."

Epel and Deuce nod. "Yes, sir."

Crewel seems to approve. "Howl, you will be joining them in place of Trappola. Make sure they don't fight again."

"Yes, sir!" Howl practically salutes Crewel. Well, he doesn't, but I'm pretty sure Crewel had to tell him not to do that at some point, because that poor wolf boy looks like he has to physically stop himself from doing some kind of salute.

Once Crewel walks off, Wolfie starts glaring at us- mostly at Deuce and Epel, but everyone gets a taste of yellow eyes boring into their soul.

I glance to my left. Korrak is frozen in place, seemingly out of fear. Wolfie takes notice quite quick.

"Hey, are you alright?"

No answer. Wolfie tries again.

"Hey, you. With the deep purple eyes that have hints of pale blue in them. I'm talking to you. Are you okay? Do you need to go to the nurse? I'm not gonna hurt you, okay?"

Looks like I misread Korrak's sudden lack of movement. Ever since he and Howl locked gazes and the wolf boy told him his eye color, my roommate has been blushing.

"Myaah, we have an assignment! Come on, I want a good grade!"

Epel just shakes his head and mutters something about "jus' don't know how t' be direct."

"Uh, name's Jack. Jack Howl. Nice to meet you, Mr...."

"K-Korrak. Korrak Dinik. It's, um, nice to meet you, Jack."

"C'mon, guys, we do have an assignment. And, Jack, I'll try not to get into another fight."

"Good. Deuce, right?"

"That's correct! How'd you know?"

"Heard the whole thing. Speaking of which, Epel, never insult people again. You're too good at it. Now, we need to find a way to use the drill that nobody would really expect."

Hey, I know this! "Flashlight."

"Drills have flashlights?"

"Yeah, so you can see where you're drilling. Just turn it on and you have a flashlight."

Korrak looks at Deuce, who nods and begins furiously writing on the provided paper.

"Now we can just screw around!"

"Question: why does the opossum talk more than the human?"

"Don't worry about that, Jack. But, hey, we get to slack off now! Mya-ha!"

Nothing significant happens for the rest of the class, but I did notice that, out of the three-sevenths of us who have fur, Jack's is the worst-kept. His fur looks very soft, to be honest, just... dusty. And like he doesn't put some fur oils on his brush before he uses it in the morning, which is what I expected, given that Pomefiore is the only dorm that makes a point of ensuring everyone and everyone's familiars are top-teir in skin and fur care.

Back at the dorm, however, Vil is waiting.

"Epel. I have been told you got into a fight today and that you are to return to Crewel's room after dinner. Explain."

"I didn't throw the first punch, he did. And he called me 'lavender breeze!' That ain't sumthin' 'e can git away with!"

"Who?"

"Trappola," I fill in.

"Oh, the claustrophobe from the entrance ceremony?"

I grin. "Yeah, him."

"And, Epel, are you hurt?"

Epel just grins. "Not at all!"

Vil nods. "Rook, make sure Epel returns to Crewel's room after dinner.

Rook appears out of nowhere with the typical "Oui!"

Dinner is salmon patties! Rook stops the mosh pit by the tartar sauce from becoming an all-out brawl, but someone still ends up with a black eye. Nobody gets in trouble because the kid tripped, and not a single punch was thrown.

As per usual, Vil makes everyone take something that isn't fish or tartar sauce, and we are not exempt. The cucumbers are good, though, as are the rest of the assorted veggies we wind up with. As some of the first people to get there, we get a load of carrots, which Grim devours the moment he's done with his patties.

The instant Epel finishes his food, he sighs. "Is he behind me?"

I don't have to answer. Once again, Rook just goes "Oui!" Epel puts his plate away, waves goodbye, and leaves. I toss in a "May the odds be ever in your favor!" That gets Rook to spend what I assume is the rest of the walk prateing about beauty. Because, hey, that's Rook. What else would he do?

Korrak goes to our bedroom and does whatever. I go to the bathroom, and, when I return, Rook intercepts me.

"Monseur Mystery, go get your phone and come with me." When I return, phone in hand, Rook says nothing more. Instead, he leads me wordlessly down the halls, and I recognize the route as the way to Vil's room.

When we reach the rather large door, Rook knocks only once upon it.

"Come in."

We do.

Vil's face softens when he sees me. "Yuu, I assume you may have trouble with setting up the phone?"

"I can't even figure out how to open the box."

"Alright. Let me show you."

I have something to say about the What If Yuu Didn't Want to Go Back series.

Recently, I have come to realize that I cannot upload one part a day and still post long, quality updates. I need some time to figure out how to get the plot to go where I want it to, among other things.

For that reason, the series will be put on hiatus- but fear not! I will return to it when I know what I'm doing. Also:

I am starting a new series, which will be uploaded while I plan out WiYDWtGB. Part one will be uploaded later today.

I hope I can continue to post content that entertains you all!

This is part 18 of the "What if Yuu didn't want to go back?" Series!

(I, the author of this work, do not consent to this work being crossposted/translated without my knowledge or used to train an AI, ever.)

Masterlist

"Well, it's not my fault!"

"Of course not! Ace, nobody intentionally trips and falls on the stairs before the big tournament. Why would it be your fault?"

"Well, Deuce, just because I accidentally fell on the stairs doesn't mean I meant to sleep through my alarm and forget my school bag!"

"Myaah? Ace really screwed himself over this time!"

"Shut your trap, Grim!"

"Ace, be nice. Besides, you could've gone and gotten your stuff before class started. Why didn't you?"

He appears momentarily stunned, then resumes his previous attitude. "Shove it somewhere else! I'm not in the mood!"

"Ace! Don't yell at Yuu!"

Ace just flips him off. Trein, of course, walks in right when he does that- in clear view of the door.

"Trappola, detention."

Ace just groans.

The rest of class is quiet and it's easy to focus, right until the end. I notice instantly: when Ace puts his weight onto his right foot, he winces.

Grim and I share a look. Something is going on here. Luckily, we need only a few seconds of walking to determine a few details.

"Hey, Ace, does your right ankle need an ice pack, or were you using magic to keep it cold?"

He stops dead in his tracks and turns to face us, eyes wide with shock.

"Ace? Ace, are you okay?"

"Leave him be, Deuce. Ace, Yuu and I can take ya to the nurse if you want. Seriously, you need an ice pack on that."

"Ace," Deuce's voice is serious now, "did you get hurt on the stairs?"

"N-no, I'm-"

"Ace, that's serious! You could have a sprain! Come on, I'll carry you!"

"Hey, wait! Deuce, you don't have to- woah!"

With that, they're gone, Ace thrown over Deuce's shoulder like a sack of rice.

I smile. Ace is often a hindering factor during alchemy, so it's nice to toss him to the wind for a period or five. Plus, we're helping- he can't get mad at us for that!

Besides, if he's going to be mad, he's going to be mad at Deuce. He's the one who's carrying him like he's a burlap sack of potatoes.

Alchemy is boring, exept for the part when we told Crewel why Ace and Deuce weren't with us and the line "so Deuce threw him over his shoulders like a pillowcase full of cotton" made him laugh.

P.E. involves Deuce returning with two notes to Vargas: one for Deuce himself, and one for Ace. On the bright side, Vargas is rather distracted, and class is easy.

At lunch, we learn something new.

"Yeah, all them weekends're no class 'fter th' firs' one. Anyways, th' Spelldrive tournament's startin' up t'day! Jus' th' interdorm one, 'course, but'chall git th' idea, don't'cha?"

Oh, yeah, we have club activities today. Hopefully, the board games club has other Pomefiore students.

"Hey, you know what happened today? Ace showed up with an injury and no schoolbag. You should've seen Deuce toss him over one shoulder and run off with him; it was hilarious."

"Never seen anything like it, mya-ha!"

"Kinda odd, th-the decision of replacing our last th-three classes w-with clubs f-for the day... Meh."

I zone out and miss the rest of the conversation. My mind is too busy to pay attention- I'm remembering. Remembering how Korrak was exhausted on day one. Remembering how Mandible said "Pilot parents" but Korrak said he had nobody but Mandible, Grim and I just days later.

He seemed so small then. So scared, like he wasn't used to new places or people. But, if he did have pilot parents, shouldn't he be very used to all that?

This roommate is a mystery- and I am a male Nancy Drew with magic and a cat. In spirit, at the very least.

This is part 6 of the "What if Yuu didn't want to go back?" Series!

(I, the author of this work, do not consent to this work being crossposted/translated without my knowledge or used to train an AI, ever.)

Masterlist

"Hey, Yuu! Hey, Grim! How's your day?"

"Hey, Korrak! Hey, Mandible! Guess what happened in first period?"

"Ooh," Mandible chirps, "did someone flirt with the teacher?"

"Myeehh... Nope. Some kid showed up late, and asked another kid what he had up his ass when the other kid told him to try and be on time!"

Epel, Korrak, Mandible, and Rook all burst out laughing, along with several other kids who heard Grim telling the Tale of Trappola.

"Firs' period 'n our class, sum' kid wen' on ahead an' tried t' flirt wit' Crewel! Didn't go well fer 'im, no s'prise there."

Vil is still trying to hold in his laughter. "Who exactly thought it was a bright idea to show up late for first period?"

"The claustrophobe from the entrance ceremony. I told the teacher, mya-ha! He asked the question to a new friend of ours."

I nod. "Yeah, there's a Heartslabyul right in front of us who's really nice. Then there's Trappola..."

"The gall o' some folk, eh? Hey, I dun' think we've really met- name's Epel! Nice t' mee'cha!"

"Nice to meet'cha too, Epel! I'm Yuu- Y-u-u, not y-o-u- and this is my familiar, Grim!"

Epel and I shake hands. Epel then shakes hands (paws?) with Grim unasked, so I like him more than I did listening to him, Korrak, and Mandible becoming friends this morning.

"It's nice to see you all getting along so well. Remember to keep a balanced diet, alright? In other words, that is entirely too much watermelon. Take some of the fish."

"We did, Vil."

"Where is it?"

I point to Grim. Vil chuckles.

"Well, just make sure he switches shoulders every once in a while. Otherwise, it'll ruin your posture. Same with you, Korrak. Mandible needs to sit on your left shoulder as often as he stays on your right."

Korrak nods. "Yes, sir."

"Ah, such young innocence, pushing through the teenage years! If only lunch lasted longer... Alas, there are many things I cannot change. Nonetheless, Beuté!"

"Hey, Rook is right! We have ten minutes to get to our next class!"

"Mandible is right. Come on, Epel!"

With that, Epel, Mandible, and Korrak all rush off to finish their food and get to their next class. Grim and I share a look before running after them, eating watermelon all the way.

"Bye, Deuce! We'll see you tomorrow!"

"Bye, Yuu! Bye, Grim! I'll see you in History!"

I sigh. "That wasn't so bad, was it, Grim? For a first day of school, I'd say that was awesome!"

"I have to agree! Can't wait to go to dinner and bed..."

I laugh. Grim is sitting on my other shoulder- per Vil's advice- and is flat-out pooped. He appears satisfied, though. I imagine I look similar. Oh, well. Nothing to do now but eat, the bedtime routine we're going to be doing all the time now that we're in Pomefiore, and a good night's rest. Maybe a meet-up with Korrak and Mandible- after all, you don't have to be Heartslabyul to spill tea.

Dinner is mostly silent. Everyone is too hungry to talk and too tired to stay at the table once they're done- such a thing would delay bedtime! Most of the chatter occurs on the way to and in the Backstage Room, as we freshies have started calling it.

"So, what happened to the flirt?"

"Ah, he had t' wash all th' mirrors 'n the school- 'cept the magic one, course. All wit' Vargas watchin'! 'Heard 'e kept on givin' 'im terrible dating advice th' whole time! Musta been a sight t' behold, I tell ya. What o' Trappola?"

"He had to wash every seat in the classroom after school. So, 40 chairs. By hand. Alone. To a shine. Those chairs are going to be cleaner tomorrow than they were today!" I glance left. "Korrak, wake up."

"Eh?" He really needs sleep. He got here first, though, so I imagine he'll be first to bed.

"You're done with the routine, Korrak. C'mon, let's get to bed." Korrak complies with his familiar's suggestion and carries himself out of the room, 'possum in his arms. I stop brushing Grim and flip him over.

"Purrrrrrrr, this is awesome. Rrrrrrrrrrr..."

Grim continues his happy rumbles as Epel stands and yawns. "See ya' t'morrow, pal." With that and a pat on the shoulder, he's gone, as are most the people in the room.

"Murrr, that's it?"

Grim keeps purring as I pick him up, stroke his stomach, and carry him to our dorm room. Korrak has done us the favor of forgetting to lock the door, so I do that myself before I put a sleeping Grim in his cat bed and a tired myself into my changing room of a closet to put on my pajamas.

"I wish I had magic..." The words are quiet, nearly silent on my lips, but oh-so-true. These people- these mages- can do so much with so little, and I just can't.

The glass of water is still on the nightstand when I lie down in bed. Now or never, I suppose.

Despite my efforts, all I get are ripples across the surface from the students still walking in the hallway. I sigh. No magic for me.

"Come on, Yuu. You're in Pomefiore, the dorm of tenacity! You can do it. Just go to sleep and stop worrying, just for the night."

I smile, softly. "Come on, Grim," I start, "we both know that mirror sorted you." My voice is somber. Why wouldn't it be? I'm too tired to pretend I'm Perfectly Fine with being the only one in a mage school with no magic. Still, Grim is right- I should just go to sleep.

Tonight, I dream of miracles.

This is part 9 of the "What if Yuu didn't want to go back?" Series!

(I, the author of this work, do not consent to this work being crossposted/translated without my knowledge or used to train an AI, ever.)

Masterlist

Lunch was going to be mostly sushi, but Vil went out of his way to make sure everyone is eating a balanced diet, so there's a salad, too. Grim doesn't seem to like it, but I have dressing, so the two of us eat it anyway.

"You know, one of the Heartslabyuls in our class was talking about how they have an 'unbirthday party' coming up. Apparently, their housewarden is bored, so they're throwing a huge party just because." Mandible finishes talking and takes a huge (for his size) bite of romaine. Evidently, he and Korrak are the type to eat salads one ingredient at a time.

"Wow. Ain't them folks based on bein' strict? Parties're fer havin' fun! Bet their party'll be real borin'." Epel, on the other hand, adds as much blue cheese as Vil will let him get away with and douses the whole thing in ranch.

"You know, our class has two Heartslabyuls who sit right in front of us in history. One of them is pretty chaotic." Grim attempts to lick the dressing off of a leaf and put it back in the bowl, but I shoot him a look and he begrudgingly eats it.

"That doesn't mean it's going to be fun to attend, Grim. Fun to watch? Absolutely." Having eaten all of his romaine, Mandible nabs a decently-sized chunk of blue cheese and starts turning it over in his paws.

"Small bite-ts, Mandible." Since this morning, Korrak has been talking more. He does so slowly and quietly, and doesn't say many words with the "t" sound in them. When he does, it's often a word like "nettle," where the "t" sound can be safely ignored or pronounced like "d" without anyone noticing his stutter. I'm glad he has the confidence to speak in a room full of people- chances are, we have Vil to thank.

That also explains why Mandible does most of the talking. Pretty clever fix, if I'm being honest. Also, it seems like Pomefiore is way more familiar-based than the other dorms. Not only do we seem to have more familiars than the other dorms, but Pomefiore also provides uniforms for them, and is the only dorm that does. It doesn't cost extra, either.

Ah, well. After lunch is over, we have a biology class, followed by an art course and then a lesson on improvised engineering, my favorite class. Apparently, it's a "joint class," which concerns me, as using my joints too much makes them sore.

"Hey, Yuu, do you have a joint class t-today?" I've noticed Korrak doesn't stutter on the "m," "k," "n," "a," "d," "i," "b," or "l" sounds. I think that's because they're all in his and Mandible's names.

"Yeah."

"Do you know w-what that is?"

"Nope."

Epel's face brightens. "I do! Got one later t'day."

"Myaah, really? What class?"

"MacGyvering. Pr'tty damn good skill, ain't it?"

"Not on our schedule."

"Epel... Our join-t class is Improv-vised Engineering."

"Yeah, yeah, they c'n call it by whatever th' fancy fuckin' shit they feel like, but I'm tellin' ya, that righ' there's a class 'n MacGyvering."

"Epel, language."

"Ack! Vil!"

...Okay, maybe the fact that I have to actively not laugh at the sight of a terrified Epel sitting right in front of an upright, clearly displeased Vil means I'm going to hell, but can you really blame me? There has to be a foot and a half of height difference between them, and Epel's face is priceless.

"Repeat that sentence without swearing."

"Uhh... they can call that whatever th' heck they wanna, but that doesn't mean it ain't a class on MacGyvering."

"Your word choice is on thin ice, but that is an improvement." Vil leaves.

"Um... S-so, Epel, are you any g-good at MacGyvering?"

The concern instantly evaporates from Epel's face. "You betcha sweet biscuits, I am! Back at th' farm, ya don't jus' fix things, ya MacGyver 'em. Ev'ry shed's got a hinge held t'gether by a dow'l, or a nail, or sum'thi'n else. 'M pretty good at it, 'f I say so myself."

"So... MacGyvering is just using whatever to fix stuff? Sounds easy enough."

Epel laughs. "That ain't all it's about. MacGyvering's 'bout comin' up wit' creative fixes to stuff. Y'know, shit most city folk jus' don't consider."

"Epel."

"Um, solutions most city folk jus' don't consider."

Vil nods. "Perfect!"

"Uh, class is st-t-tarting soon. We should leave."

"Oh, shit, Korrak's right!"

"Yuu. Try that again."

"Oh, fuck, we have five minutes!"

"Without swearing!"

"Myaah, we need to go right now!"

"Yuu, not Grim."

"We're gonna be late!"

Vil sighs. "I'll accept that, but you are on thin ice. Now, hurry."

Disobeying him now would be a death sentence, so off we go!

Biology was pretty interesting. From what I can tell- aka Trein starting class with, "the only reason you have this is because most schools don't clear up the local misconceptions about other species-" the only reason we have this class is because most schools don't clear up the local misconceptions about other species.

Time flies when you're having fun, though, so we are soon off to health class- which is boring, honestly. Trappola actually fell asleep there, and Deuce had to wake him.

And then, it comes. The long-awaited MacGyvering class, taught by Crewel.

Turns out: "joint class" means "multiple classes, one lesson!" We just so happen to be going with class B, so this'll be fun.

It's here that Grim and I learn Trappola has apparently never seen an opossum before.

"Huh. That's cool." Trappola says stuff is "cool" a lot. That probably means it caught his eye more than anything else.

"Myeeh? What is? The fact that we have multiple friends in the same dorm as us?"

That gets the present Pomefiores to snicker for a while, much to Trappola's evident disdain.

"No. I meant the fact that you," he points at Grim, "are friends with a rat," he points at Mandible. "I just find that weird.

For a solid minute, all six of us are staring at a very confused redhead.

"Dude," Mandible starts, "I'm an opossum."

Trappola stands there, mouth open and eyes darting around, for a couple of seconds.

"Oh."

Crewel walks in, voice booming as always. "Hello, pups! Today, we will be continuing our course on using basic tools for unintended uses. To begin, you should have a group of up to five, but you may work alone if you please. Now, you need to locate the person in your group who is the most responsible and have him raise his hand." We pick Korrak.