The Bird and the Garden 2: Restart!

Chapter 16: Verde's Secret

Students bustled all around the Academy, going about their typical Wednesday. It was lunchtime, and everyone was relieved that the week was half way over. With exams approaching, and then the Vytal Festival, everyone was stressed. Everyone except a certain group.

"Vao, stop playing with your food!"

Vao glared angrily at his younger brother. "Oh, piss off! I'm not playing, I'm making art!"

When Y/N leaned over his brother's shoulder, he was genuinely taken aback. Somehow, with tomatoes, lettuce, ketchup, and mustard, Vao had managed to recreate Y/N's face. The only thing wrong with it? In his assortment of condiments, Vao had written a vulgar word and an arrow pointing at the depiction. The word was 'bitch'. Vao learning how to spell was probably the worst mistake Y/N had ever seen. Aside from joining a crime organization.

Verde clapped her hands approvingly. She too had looked at the mess Vao made, and seemed pleased. "Well done, Vao. With practice, we could perhaps even paint together."

"Don't encourage him," Weiss hissed. She didn't seem happy that Vao was goofing off, and knew full well he wasn't going to eat it. Vao picked up a paper plate, holding it high. "Look, Weiss! I made you, too! You knob!"

The paper plate had mustard smeared across it. The shape was... Well, it was the word Vao just used as an insult. The heiress screamed in fury, trying to lunge over the table to strangle him. Sasha held her back with one hand, still munching on her sandwich. "Let it go, buddy. Let him have his fu-"

Sasha was cut off when Vao squeezed a ketchup bottle, drenching her sandwich. The giantess screamed in horror. "You know I hate ketchup, you ass!"

Vao was laughing hysterically. Vao is just an asshole like that. Y/N smacked the back of his head harshly, causing the Branwen to cry out in pain.

"Unyu!"

"Eat, Vao! Gain some weight!"

Vao trailed his hands down his sides proudly. "Then how will I keep up this amazing hourglass figure if I got a muffin top?"

"Men shouldn't have an hourglass figure..." Cardin muttered. Vao threw a grape at him, the ginger catching it in his mouth. Yang snickered, tossing her own food at him. Y/N groaned at the immaturity of his siblings. Was he really the younger one?

Blake watched as an apple soared over her head, turning back to her book with a shake of her head. And as for their decoy? Milita was watching the entire thing, sipping from her milk, bored out of her mind.

"... Is this seriously what you do all day? Do boring tests, talk loud and be stupid?" She asked. Milita thought to herself before shaking her head. "Nevermind, Vao's always been loud and stupid."

"Yeah, tests are pretty much every day here. Just wait until Professor Branwen's class... She always hands out tests," Cardin muttered sullenly. "And they're always really hard, too. Usually that's because Vao screws everyone over."

"How?"

Y/N frowned, leaning against the table. "You see, it starts out with being asked a simple question. He always gets to be philosophical about it, and then tells her it was a pathetic question. Then she gives a harder one that even he can't bull crap his way out of."

Vao growled. "Hey, last week was rubbish. There's no way anyone could have answered that question!" He hissed defensively. Weiss groaned, rubbing her temples. "Vao, you were asked what two plus two equaled to..."

"Yeah, and it's twenty-two. She even explained it like that! Take two, add another two, and wot do you get? Twenty-two. Dumb fuck."

There was so much iron in the irony in that statement could have built Y/N a new weapon. He looked at his older brother like he was the saddest thing he had ever seen. "Dude... Two plus two equals four..."