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𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 13

𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕜𝕗𝕦𝕝𝕝𝕪 𝕗𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕕 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕨𝕒𝕪 𝕓𝕒𝕔𝕜 𝕥𝕠 𝔸𝕔𝕖, 𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕔𝕖 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝔾𝕣𝕚𝕞, 𝕨𝕙𝕠 𝕒𝕝𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕪 𝕙𝕒𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕓𝕒𝕤𝕜𝕖𝕥 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕘𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕤. You rubbed the back of your head with a sheepish smile, silently apologizing for being late. "Where have you been?! ...Y-You look, uh... ᵖʳᵉᵗᵗʸ ᵍᵒᵒᵈ..." Ace mumbled the last part, blushing as he saw the beautiful and colorful flower crown adorning your already pretty face.

Deuce blushed a little bit too, and passed you a pair of pastel pink gloves.

Ace, Deuce and Grim chatted and talked about many things, with you listening. They included you in the conversation too by asking you questions, and you were very grateful for that.

After having enough chestnuts to feed the whole school, you decided to go back to Heartslabyul. Your empty hands searched for something to hold, with Deuce insisting that he'll carry your basket. You tried to refuse, but he wasn't budging. In the end, you settled for carrying Grim and your first-aid kit.

Back in Heartslabyul, Trey welcomed you with a warm smile, and another task, much to Ace's dismay. He still couldn't get over the fact that his douche of a Housewarden wouldn't release the collar. "Now it's time to peel the chestnuts, of course." He smiled and pulled out knifes. He walked over to you and stopped when he was behind you. He grabbed your hand and with his help, he showed you how to peel the chestnut. His hands guided yours, and you were more than happy that he explained what to do.

For Trey, he was in heaven.

"Alright, let's get to work!" Deuce enthusiasticly shouted, grabbing his magic pen out of his pocket. Ace grumbled something under his breath, but started working nevertheless.

The work was hard and quite time-consuming, but the relief of finishing was worth it. You sighed out a pained huff, fixing your bow and massaging your sore wrists.

"Good job! Now we'll just make a batter, toppings and we're done." Trey pat Ace and Deuce's back. They all made the impression they do not want to continue. You laughed quietly at them, still moving your wrists in a circular motion to relieve the tension.

The tart was done. Decorated, filled with chestnuts, and still hot from the oven. You looked amazed at what you and your friends made, resisting the urge to eat the whole cake. Trey chuckled, "(Name), you do know that you're gonna be served this cake first, right? As the guest of Riddle, we have to meet your expectations, after all. ... Does this suffice?" Trey asked you, gulping down the nervousness of you disliking the tart.

You nodded your head at full speed, a happy look kissing your face. You gave Trey a bone-crushing hug, smiling at him. Trey masked his excitement with fixing his glasses, hugging you back quickly to avoid any suspicion from his underclassmen.

Deuce chuckled, and held Grim tightly, so he wouldn't eat the delicious treat. Ace huffed out, a sheepish smile slipping its way on his face.

"Now that's what I call a chestnut tart. My dear kouhai, why don't we take a pic?" Cater appeared out of nowhere, shocking all five of you. You waved at him and walked over to him.

He snapped a quick photo of you smiling. The lighting was perfect at that moment, and he couldn't live with himself if he didn't take advantage of it.

"As sneaky as ever, huh? I didn't even text you yet, and you're already here." Trey looked over at the (now) happy Cater who was squishing your cheeks. "Huh? Well, I started to miss my little kouhai, after all~!" Cater giggled and squished your cheeks one more time.

"So, we wait until tomorrow to give it to Housewarden, right?" Deuce summarized the plan. Trey nodded, "Pretty much. Let's meet tomorrow. That's all for today, get some rest! And as a bonus, you can have a piece of the chestnut tart. Help yourself!" Trey smiled, and took out white and red decorative plates, and red silverware.

"Yay~! Thanks for rewarding me by doing nothing!" Cater says as he digs his dessert fork into the tart. You held your own plate too, and took a bite. You chewed, taking in the flavor.

Your tastebuds exploded! It was absolutely delicious! You started eating quicker, savoring the sweet tart with bitter aftertaste.

The others seemed to agree, as they've all munched happily too.

You walked out of the kitchen, leaving Trey and Cater to talk. You held the happy Grim in your hands, patting his head as you heard light snoring. Ace and Deuce walked next to you, mumbling about how much work that was. You stopped abruptly. The cookies!

Ace and Deuce stopped as well. "Did something happen?" Deuce asked, scanning his eyes over your face for any sign of injury. You shook your head no, and then started rummaging through your bag, quickly getting hold of the two cookie bags. One was decorated with red card pieces, and the other was with blue.

You handed them their gifts, looking at how their faces became brighter and brighter by the second. "This is.."

"VICTORY!!" Ace and Deuce shouted simultaneously, doing a high-five with each other. They hugged you, carefully as to not squish Grim. You laughed, and stood there. You couldn't hug them back, so you at least gave their cheek a small kiss.

After they broke the hug, they looked red in the face. 'Did I do something?! Are they sick?' you thought, a worried look spreading on your face. "W-We're fine.. Bye, for now! W-We'll see you tomorrow..." Ace took it upon himself to reply, si he quickly dismissed your gathering to run to his room and calm down. Deuce was no different. He needed to call his mom about how to act around you.

You looked over at their leaving silhouettes, deciding that it was time to go back to your own dorm, too.

You walked over to the old building, the wind practically pulling you in. It was getting colder, and wind was growing harsher. 'I have to hurry, or Grim will catch a cold!' you thought, tucking Grim into your jacket.

You then noticed the man from yesterday. He was walking away from your direction, and it didn't look like he noticed you yet. 'I have to call him over.. But how..? I can't wave, he wouldn't notice... Should I... Shout for him..? What if he doesn't hear me?! That would be embarrassing... Well, I guess I'll have to do it... I don't want Tsunotaro to catch a cold...' you thought, remembering Grim talking about the tall man.

You took a deep breath. You haven't talked in so long, it felt as if your vocal chords were old and rusty. You swallowed, mentally preparing yourself.

'Okay, (Name)... You can do this...' you thought, gulping down again.

"Tsu..!" The first attempt went horrible, with you starting to cough uncontrollably. You wiped your mouth, flushing in embarrassment. Your voice was scratchy, and sounded like a broken record.

You breathed in again. 'Now or never.'

You sighed out, and furrowed your eyebrows.

"Tsunotaro!!"

That's all for today :)