The Assassin In Twisted Wonderland

Cunning Mellow- Episode 20 of Chapter 3

"But, hmm... If I were in your shoes, I would start by brainstorming a way to shred the contract document itself."

"But it's invulnerable!" cried Grim, scared. Leona sighed when the feline muttered. "You guys are seriously pea-brained." Ruggie agreed with the lion upperclassmen's metaphor. Grim fell silent.

"Let's start with the basics. Why would you take Azul at his word when he said his contract was completely unbreakable?" The hyena upperclassmen pointed out a hint question to his juniors.

"What? I mean, none of our attacks did a thing to it..." Jack replied before Ruggie cut him off and stated another hint question. "Have you considered the possibility that it was an on-the-spot demonstration put on as a bluff?"

Jack gasped as he realized the main point after his upperclassman's hints.

"All magic has a loophole. Remember that pampered little redhead Riddle's signature spell and how it sealed magic? It seemed unbeatable at first but still had a weakness. Even the best magicians can't sling spells willy-nilly. So the idea that Azul's golden contract from It's A Deal is definitely... Is preposterous. Flat-out." Leona explained to his wolf underclassman.

"So there's a way to beat it after all. Challenging the Leech brothers underwater is a losing proposition, no matter how you slice it. We'd be better off trying to find a chip in the contract scroll's proverbial armor on land instead. I see what you're getting at. I don't know, though. That sounds an awful lot like playing dirty." The silver-haired wolf junior said and muttered at the end.

"Come on, Jack... Your principles are great and all, but you guys already took a fair shot at Azul and his boys on land. Remind me again how that went?" Ruggie drawled while frowning at his junior. Jack became snapped. "Let's be clear here: these guys are scoundrels that swindle doe-eyed herbivores and take them for everything they've got. Why should you play fair when they don't? So what if it's underhanded? So what if it's taking the fight off the playing field? As long as the contract is annulled, you win. End of story." Leona stated the whole trick to corrupt the pure mind of the simple and kind-hearted junior. "Oooh, that's our Leona! The duke of dirty plays, the tyrant of technical fouls!" Ruggie snickered.

"You haven't learned anything from last time, have you?" Enma stared at Leona.

"Hey, it's like I said before. I do whatever it takes to win." Leona replied with a smirk.

"Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, huh? Fine. Let's spend the two days staking Azul out and looking for a chance to shred that contract scroll!" Jack mumbled, then announced his decision. "So now we're stalkers. Great. To be honest, I do not disagree; that is an artful plan." Enma drawled at first to set up his acting performance, then expressed incredulity while putting a hand on his waist.

"Well, good luck with that, freshmen," Leona offered his condolences as he withdrew, declining to lend a hand. "What? After all that talk, you're not gonna help us?" Grim exclaimed in surprise. "Why should I? I practically wrote the answer for you in crayon already. You guys can figure the rest out yourselves. Later." The brown-haired lion upperclassman refused to agree with the feline to help them out and left for his room. "On that note, I'm out. Good luck, guys!" Ruggie excused himself from the group of three juniors and followed Leona.

"T- that's just heartless!" Grim cried, seeing the lion male and the hyena boy leave them.

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At the Savanaclaw House walkway, Leona and Ruggie strolled along the wooden corridors, engaging in conversation. Ruggie complimented Leona, acknowledging that it's not often s
he offers such valuable advice. Playfully wagging his tail behind her, he added, "You really have a soft spot for those underclassmen, don't you?"

Leona smirked and replied, "Hah. Don't underestimate me. I can use those underclassmen to my advantage, gathering information about that cephalo-punk's weaknesses without breaking a sweat. But I'm not getting my hopes up just yet." He stared at Ruggie, a mischievous smile forming on his face. Understanding
his strategy, Ruggie smiled back and acknowledged his cleverness.

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Meanwhile, in Octavinelle, Tokaku arrived at the house lounge and immediately informed Azul about her encounter with the Ramshackle Team. Azul, wearing his signature spectacles, was taken aback. "Wait, they spotted you as soon as Leona caught you eavesdropping on their conversation?" he asked in surprise.

Tokaku nodded, her face uncovered since there were no other residents around. Jade and Floyd stood beside Azul, offering their support. Azul adjusted his glasses and contemplated the situation. Jade, speaking on Azul's behalf as his assistant, suggested coming up with a strategic plan. "It could be problematic if we can't anticipate their next move," Jade pointed out.

Azul hummed, deep in thought, before making a decision. "From now on, Eurus will no longer spy on them. We should face their moves head-on. Remember, we cannot let them win before the deadline. We need to employ some tricks to delay their progress," he declared.

Jade and Floyd responded in unison, "Yes, sir." Azul then turned his attention to Tokaku, expressing his disappointment in her failure to complete the mission successfully. Frowning, he chastised her, "Eurus, you were caught by our rivals while attempting to gather information. You have let us down, and I had high expectations for you in achieving our goals."

Azul's scolding left Tokaku feeling unsatisfied, especially considering the hard work she had put into fulfilling his orders. Both Jade and Floyd interjected, defending Tokaku's efforts. Jade argued, "Azul, I believe Eurus has done an excellent job spying on our clients. Perhaps it would be more appropriate for you to acknowledge her hard work, despite this setback."

Floyd chimed in, "Yeah, Jade's right. Blue Shark has been working tirelessly to earn your trust and help us achieve our objectives."

While the blue-haired girl remained silent, she couldn't help but feel a mix of surprise and confusion over the twins' unexpected defense of her failure. She was grateful for their support, though it also left her pondering their motives.

Azul sighed, recognizing the validity of Jade and Floyd's points. He then requested Tokaku to leak the conversation she overheard between Leona and the Ramshackle Team. Tokaku pulled out her phone, played the recorded conversation, and both Azul and the Leech twins listened intently, using this new information to devise their next plan.

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Later, once Azul had finished discussing his plan with his employees, the gathering was dismissed. Jade, Floyd, and Tokaku left together, while Azul went his separate way. As they walked along the hall, Tokaku couldn't help but feel curious about why the twins had supported her earlier. "Why did you both cover for me back there?" she asked, causing them to turn and look at her.

Jade replied with a smile, "Because Azul was scolding you from a false perspective. You have been following his orders, successfully completing them, and contributing to the progress of his business. It's unacceptable for us to tolerate mistreatment when you have done so much for us."

Floyd chimed in, "Plus, listening to that octo-boss nagging endlessly is so noisy. It's like poking my eardrums, making me fear I'll go deaf sooner or later."

Upon hearing their answer, Tokaku was left stunned. In her entire life, she had never experienced people standing up for her. She had never made friends or even communicated with others. This had prevented her from seeing the kindness that exists in the world. However, her perspective began to change when she arrived at Twisted Wonderland and met Azul and the twins.

"What is this feeling?" she thought, feeling a heavy ache in her heart.