Straight-Up Not Having A Good Time At Night Raven College: Chapter 1

Chapter 9: A Mealtime Chat

"GAH! H--Housewarden?!"

The small, delicate boy with rose-red hair, who she'd come to know as Riddle Rosehearts, stood behind Ace.
His posture was ramrod-straight and his arms were folded as he glared up at Ace with a scathing look of disapproval.

This was the first time Kat had seen him since the ceremony.
His school uniform was immaculate and tailored to perfection, not a wrinkle or smudge to be seen.
He'd actually tied his tie in a bow...
It was a surprisingly cute detail, compared to his aura of professionalism, but it seemed to suit him.
His rose-red hair was neatly kept...
Aside from two locks that didn't seem to want to lie neatly with the rest, standing up slightly against his bangs like a pair of drooping antennae.
They almost seemed to fall in an angular heart shape...

"Oops-- Riddle!"
Cater jumped up too, waving a hand with a nervous smile.
"Hey, sorry we didn't see you there-- you're looking adorbs, as always!"

"Hmph."
Riddle cast the disapproving look on Cater now, making him shrink back.
"Cater. If you insist on continuing to run that clever mouth of yours, keep in mind you may well end up losing it... Along with the rest of your head, of course."

Cater sat back down with a quiet laugh, knocking himself lightly in the head.
"Oh, nooo... My bad, my bad! Forgive me!"

"Myargh?!"
Grim, who had bristled, puffing out like a sea urchin at all the commotion, glared at Riddle angrily.
"YOU! You're the punk who put that weird collar on me at the entrance ceremony! You--"

Kat reached over, bopping him on the head, not quite so light this time.
"SHUT," she hissed angrily.

Riddle looked at Grim for a moment, blinking.
Then he turned his gaze to her, and she stiffened.
Those startlingly gray eyes of his scanned her, but he didn't seem particularly angry or anything.
It was more like mild disapproval, which seemed to be his default state of existence.
"And you are... The new students who nearly got expelled yesterday, I believe."

She nodded, blushing.
"Y-Yeah... I mean, yes."

"Hmm..."
He tilted his head at her, then started walking around the table towards her.
She stood up nervously as he approached, tugging at the hem of her hoodie.
"We met briefly at the ceremony, did we not?"

She straightened up a little.
"Oh! Uh-- yes, actually! I-- didn't get to introduce myself, though, it was... Kinda hectic. I'm Kat. Apparently I'm the..."

She hesitated.

"...Prefect? Of the Ramshackle dorm? According to the Headmaster, anyway... Thanks for not letting this one--" she gestured towards Grim.
"Set me on fire that time, by the way."

Riddle blinked again. His eyelashes were almost as long as Lilia's..
Then he seemed momentarily amused. Cupping his elbow in one black-gloved hand, he put the other, in a loosely curled fist, to his chin, giving a soft laugh.

"It was no trouble," he replied with a shrug. "Kat, hmmm... Well, my name is Riddle Rosehearts, Housewarden of Heartslabyul. However..."

The brief moment of mirth vanished almost instantly. He looked at Grim, skewering him with a sharp, icy look.
"I'll ask that you, little creature, refrain from referring to my Unique Magic as a 'weird collar'."

Grim stiffened, giving a small 'GURK!' sound.

Then Riddle looked back at Kat.
The disapproval in his gaze actually hiked up a few notches from his apparent baseline level.
"Goodness gracious... Not only a student, but a prefect as well? Really..."