The days slowly turned into weeks as the warm autumn turned into a cold, rainy season while winter crept closer and closer. By the time November came, the sky was constantly grey with clouds, and it seemed there was a never-ending stream of rain that was always somehow colder than the previous day.

"How's the training?" Koa asked while Lia munched on a giant red velvet cookie as big as her palms. They were on the first floor of their tower. Besides them, only Celine was present on her own floor, working on her experiments.

“Ifm gofin goof afhigt!” She replied in an unintelligible mumble, her mouth stuffed with cookie crumbs.

"Gulp first, and try again!" Koa rolled her eyes, rolling on the couch, leaning against its back, looking at Lia, sitting at the bar section, accompanied by a giant mug of hot chocolate in front of her.

"It's going good, alright!" She said, wiping her mouth of crumbs, taking a big gulp from her drink, "Keily is capable of casting fire spells in quick succession, now up to six before he runs out of mana! I told him to focus on storing enough mana for the competition! What about you? Did you finally choose your five minions yet?"

"I narrowed it down to 15!" She replied, wiggling her bottom like a little puppy, "It's hard; there are some adorable and charming boys amongst them! And some talented ones too! Anyway, I am doing background research on the last group, and I'll pick those with the least connections to any kind of power outside of the Academy!"

"I don't think that would matter for us!" Lia answered, tilting her head, thinking a little.

"It isn't for us!" Koa chuckled, with a dangerous light in her eyes, "If I take in people who have no substantial background in Meriath, their families will be elevated when they learn about our backgrounds. They would be much more thankful for it later on, and I risk the least amount for a potential betrayal! I don't want guys around me who want to mount me just to climb higher on an imaginary ladder!"

"Eh… you are thinking weirdly, Koa! You ARE Weird! With a capital W!"

"W is for Winners, Lil' Lia!" She laughed, licking her lips, stretching with a loud moan, and listening to the storm outside, knocking on their windows. "What about you? You spent most of your days with the bunny boy! Are you still clean? I'm watching Keily… he looks at you with wild desire hidden in his eyes!"

"Ehehe, I'm untouched!" Lia laughed, hopping off her bar stool and walking over to Koa, "But I know he has a bit of a… problem."

"His red rocket isn't working?" Koa asked, shocked.

"Red rocket?" Lia blinked her eyes, confused, before putting it together, "Is it red?"

"Dogs have it like that. I don't know about bunnies. It was a guess!"

"Oh! I… I don't know, I never saw it yet! But no, it does work! Works too well, in fact!" Lia sighed.

"Huh? I don't get it, then. Why is that a problem?" Now Koa was the one who was completely stunned and confused. She had never heard that a boy's poking stick would work… too well. That would mean it could remain standing all night long. That was not a problem at all!

"Every time he is focusing well enough, getting the hang of it, he gets aroused! When he realizes that his thingy… grows big, he gets embarrassed, and all his focus falls apart! Haaah… I told him it was not a problem and that I didn't mind! Yet he still fails to continue after it happens! I'm stuck, Koa! What should I do?"

"Did you try to touch it?" Koadriana asked immediately, her eyes burning with the fire of curiosity.

"Yeah, it was surprisingly firm and hot despite his pants being in the way!" Lia nodded, tilting her head, "It made him jumpy. Now he is pretty quick; I couldn't do it a second time. Haaah… It isn't like I would hurt him! I just wanted to help him regain focus!"

"And… Aurora hasn't skinned him or you yet? How?" Koa whistled, surprised hearing her tale.

"Pft, she doesn't know!" Lia waved his hand, "I'm not stupid! Plus, she doesn't suspect Keily!"

"Of what?" Her bracelet pinged, and looking towards the open door, Aurora just walked in, dispelling a black umbrella floating above her.

"Nothing!" The two said in perfect sync.

In answer, Aurora stormed in, reaching out, grabbing Lia's wrists, and restraining her while black tentacles sneaked out from the ground snaking up her legs, touching her under her skirt.

"Kya?! Nyooooh~! Stoooooohp!" Lia moaned, feeling a bit frightened as Aurora examined her sister, fearing the worst.

It was that moment when Raufon and Sion walked in, hearing Lia's cries and seeing the scene of Aurora bounding Lia very… weirdly, while Koa just watched on with great interest.

"Shit," Sion gasped, trying to process what was happening. "I knew you were a bad bitch, but damn…."

"Well… they are not blood-related," Raufon said, trying to sound supportive.

"Is that jealousy I hear in your voice?" Koa teased Sion while Aurora let go of Lia after confirming she was still intact and pure.

"Nope." Sion shrugged as their Boss hid behind Koa, looking at Aurora with fear while the latter considered disciplining Keily next. He was a half-rabbit… he surely had some of their characteristics, which endangered Lia's future… and her mission.

"We ran into somebody interesting." Raufon closed the door walking before the fireplace, warming his hands.

"Who?" Koa asked, pulling Lia into her lap, gently stroking her head, and consoling her cousin.

"Yanura," Sion answered while pouring himself some tea, kept hot and fresh by an enchanted bronze pot. "She is a member of the girl squad we will face soon enough."

"I beat her once!" Lia added, enjoying the caressing from Koa's gentle fingers, "She is not that strong if you can get close to her! I could easily overpower her physically!"

"Because you and your brothers inherited some extreme strength from your dad!" Koadriana pulled on her cheeks, making her grin proudly, "Most mages are at a disadvantage if it comes to hand-to-hand combat!"

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"That is why I specialize in it." Aurora wrote, while Raufon also added.

"Only true for most human mages. My kind is ready to throw hands anytime."

"True. Beast folks are good at wrestling." Sion agreed, leaning against the bar, sipping on his tea. "Anyway, she wants to meet us privately. She says she has something to say. She sounded sincere and serious."

"Hmm, well…" Lia hummed, tilting her head back and forth, "We are not barbarians, so yeah, why not? We could hear what she had to say! Not that we can cancel the event, it will happen regardless!"

"Thought so." Sion chuckled, "So we invited her over. Tonight. She will arrive around ten!"

"Good move~" Lia flashed a thumbs up at him, "I am curious what she has to say~."

They didn't have to wait long to find out, as when nightfall came, Yanura arrived right on time, knocking on the door to their tower. It was Lia who opened it, greeting her with a wild smile, inviting her in like some kind of old friend.

"Come in! Want to drink something? Tea, maybe?"

"Thanks." She nodded, looking calm, acting as if they had never had any type of conflict before. "That sounds lovely."

"Isn't it? Especially in this cold weather!" She giggled, closing the door behind her.

Yanura took off her coat and hung it up on the wall, watching the big room while doing so. Her eyes quickly scanned the rest of the group; Raufon was playing Warlocks and Witches with Sion before the fireplace. It was a chess-like game, where the two opponents faced each other with 16 conjured miniature figures. Each could be assigned an element, and the main goal was to reach the opponent's base at the other end of the playing field, countering the opposing elements with others. It seemed they were in the middle of their session, not even noticing her arrival, and she was not about to disturb them. The fewer eyes landed on her, the more easily she could keep up her calm exterior.

Turning her head, she noticed Aurora sitting on a giant beanbag close by the fire, reading a thick book, also ignoring her presence. She thought this was the best; as of everyone in this House of Misfits, she was the most threatening. Seeing how she went in for the kill at the lake, aiming at Heliett, Yanura realized that her conjecture must be correct. Only someone with that background would risk injuring seriously or killing another here. That is why she risked coming tonight in the first place.

"Thanks!" Lia said, bringing her thoughts back as she sat up on one of the bar stools, licking her lips and taking away the cup of tea from Koadriana, who acted as the bartender this time. "Come, sit!" She said to Yanura, inviting her over.

"Thank you." The girl nodded, sitting beside Lia and glancing at the smiling Koadriana. "It is odd seeing you dressed up." She added, trying to seem unbothered and show that she was unafraid to joke about it.

"Ahahaha~" Koa grinned, flashing her white teeth, "If you wish, we can wrestle without clothes~ But I heard you are into older boys, like Lauron~."

"I am." She nodded without reservation, "I do have the hots for your brother." Saying that she was watching Lia, who didn't even flinch.

"Sorry, but brother Lala is into those types of girls who are soft and reserved." Lia said, lowering her cup with a small smile, looking into Yanura's eyes, "He rarely courts girls who have thorns."

"So I heard," she answered, unperturbed, but inside, she took a deep, long breath. This was enough for her to confirm that she was talking with not just someone from the House of Amarin but someone from a direct bloodline. Now it all made sense. Without the distorting flames of jealousy, she could finally see clearly, and she had a sudden urge to thank Lia for the hard smacks and kicks that made her head clear up. "I am surprised it is not publicized that children of Amarin are attending the Academy."

"It isn't being spread precisely because of that." Koa chimed in, making tea for herself, too, in the meanwhile. "So you don't need to worry; we are not here to start flaunting our background to get ahead of everyone else."

"Hopefully." Yanura answered with a nod, "And maybe that is why some others dare to go against you. Heliett got herself some support from a high place."

"Oh?" Lia raised her eyebrows, and everyone else also turned their heads toward her, making Yanura flinch unconsciously before continuing.

"The past week, one of the Student Council members, a 3rd-Year student called Palvina, joined our group. She is a great duelist, ranked in the top 20 on the Dueling List. She is currently in 18th place, but once she was 11th. Since joining the Student Council, she dueled less, but I would not underestimate her at all."

"A member of the Student Council?" Sion raised his voice, joining the conversation, "Every council member is ordered to leave all groups they are a part of, and the rest forbid them to be a part of any association! They ought to remain impartial!"

"But that is not a rule made by the school." Yanura nodded, "It was made by the Council. They wrote it, and they can modify it anytime. The fact that she joined us means someone in there has it out for you guys."

"I'm not surprised!" Raufon laughed nonchalantly, still focusing on his game with Sion, finally forcing him back from the offense as he broke his concentration.

“Tsk… cheater…” Sion grumbled softly, quickly setting up his defenses against his attacking pieces.

"They are cheating." Yanura agreed, watching their game with a soft sigh. "Look, I don't know what will happen, but after this is all done, I don't want trouble with you. None at all. A few of my sisters agree with me, so some of us will stand by when the duel starts."

"Huh." Lia blinked her eyes, honestly surprised. "I thought you would jump on the occasion to pay back what I did to you."

"I'm not against another duel." Yanura looked into her eyes, "But not like this. So if you want, I'm in!"

"Ahaha, okay~!"

"What are the specialties of the newcomer?" Aurora asked, writing a message to Yanura.

"She is a mage of fire and metal. And by metal, I mean electricity." As she explained, her eyes traveled toward Koadriana, "She is a 4th-Tier mage and someone who intends to reach 5th before graduation! I bet she is here because of you."

"Hmph." Koa snorted, "Then your group is looking down on me."

"They won't play nice, and it is best if you don't take her lightly!" Yanura warned her again, "She is proficient in switching elements very quickly! So much so that her fire spells are laced with electricity when she tosses them out! You all know that water is at a disadvantage against it! I don't know the full plans of Heliett and Palvina, but I know that she is here to make sure that you are beaten down and to do it convincingly!"

"I already have a guess who sent her." Sion snorted, throwing his hands up as Raufon conquered his base, winning their game and making his pieces evaporate into dust. It was hard to tell whether he was angry because Raufon capitalized on his distracted mind or Yanura's revelation. "Olivia is a sore loser!"

"You angered the leader of the Student Council?" Yanura asked in surprise, biting her nail, "Damn, you guys are not misfits but crazies!"

"She is the one offending us! Hmph!" Lia protested loudly, "I don't know what her problem is… I'm just disappointed that by the time I could challenge her, she will already be out of school! Heh, maybe I'll find her later on…." She added with an evil grin, receiving a knock on her head from Koa. "Owie… It was a joke…."

"Suuuure!" She shook her head with a smile, "Thanks for the heads up."

"I'm doing this for my own sake too." Yanura said, standing up, fixing her school uniform, "I'll convince those who see it like me and step to the sides when the battle starts. After all is done and dusted, we will leave the group anyway! It only started as a fan club; now it feels like a cult."

"It seems Lia here kicked your head in hard enough to realize it!" Sion laughed, drawing a wry smile onto Yanura's face.

"No comment." She walked towards her cape, put it back on, ready to leave. "Look up Palvina's previous duels. That is my honest suggestion. I learned that getting surprised can cause you to lose a battle very quickly." She flashed a small but provocative smile before stepping out into the moonless night and disappearing into the darkness.

"Sion…" Lia said, watching the thick darkness outside before closing the door, "Can you tell Lorin to come and visit us? I think I have new recipes to sell."

"I don't think borrowing recordings would be that expensive." He answered, but he was already sending a message.

"Not just that," Lia said, crossing her arms, remaining deadly serious. "There were no rules set up as to what we could use! If they get outside help, then we will get it too!"

"Are you thinking of hiring people to our side?" Koa laughed, liking the idea, but Lia just shook her head.

"No~ We will go to Opparu after we get enough money. I am going to outfit you all with artifacts to the teeth! Hmf! I like playing games~."