The weekend before the raid that left his classroom in shambles, Alex was in the process of using a loophole in Sloth’s ‘No Research Decree’.

Sitting in a free workshop, Alex and Yuu were preparing the room by placing reinforcement wards on the walls, all while Elissa watched from a seat in the middle.

“You sure this is necessary, guys?” Elissa asked.

“Well, we got to be prepared for researchers like us,” Yuu answered.

“But what are the chances of that happening?”

“Not zero, hon,” Alex replied, finishing carving a protection rune into one of the support pillars.

Hopping down to the main area, Alex and Yuu approached Elissa, who had long since finished the poster for the club they planned to found. In giant colourful print was ‘Come join the researchers club!!!’

“Why are you doing this, though?” Elissa asked as she hadn’t really fully comprehended why they were bothering her. “It’s not like you can do research yourselves. You have that ban that keeps getting extended.”

“Ah, but we realised that we can bypass that ban if it is the students doing the research for us,” Yuu explained.

“And, of course, we will need to demonstrate how to do research for the kids. If we don’t, what kind of club will it be?”

“So what are you going to open with then?” Elissa asked, curious.

“Hmm… I honestly am not sure. We can’t have more students summoning familiars willy-nilly.”

“Materials will also be a problem. I only have a few magic-fibre paper bundles and ink we use for blood contracts,” Yuu added.

“Damn, nothing really of use…. Oh! Why don’t we see if we can make spell scrolls with those materials?” Yuu just shook her head at Alex's suggestion.

“Been tried. It didn’t end in anything significant.”

“Why isn’t it recorded?” Yuu just shrugged. “Bad researchers, I guess.”

“Ok, magic scrolls are out…”

“Why don’t you see how controlling you can make a blood contract?” Elissa suggested.

“I dunno… I mean…” Alex said as he trailed off as the gears in his head began to turn.

“We could see how weird they can be?” Yuu suggested.

“Perfect!!” Alex shouted, clapping his hands as if he had just landed on the idea himself.

“Ok, let's take a moment to scribble down ridiculous ideas and see if the blood contract can enforce them. The more ridiculous, the better!”

The trio took half an hour sitting apart from one another, scribbling increasingly insane ideas to test out. When the evening bell rang out, indicating curfew had begun, they all returned prepared to make the most of their weekend.

“So first, Elissa, what you got?” Alex asked.

“I got. First, the signees are compelled to steal from any bank they enter. Then I got the signee surrenders all ownership rights to the creator of the contract. Finally that the two signees will, till the end of time, be soulmates.” At the last one, Elissa’s cheeks flushed red a little.

“Ok… Wow… Those are brilliant!!” Alex took Elissa into a big hug. “Couldn’t have done any better myself, though that last one will have just to be you and me.”

“Ok, you love birds, my turn. I got that if the two signees enter a room with a piano, they must play a piece of music judged by no less than six people and only when a winner is decided may they exit the room. Next, I have that the signees must enter a rap battle if they enter the same room at three-forty-seven PM. The last one was the signees will forget how to tie their shoelaces.”

“Absurd but specific so we can test the results, though I’d recommend changing the number of votes to an odd number to avoid tie-break scenarios. We can even do the shoelace one tonight,” Alex said with a grin as Elissa and Yuu looked at him expectantly.

“Ok, I get it… My first contract suggestion is that the signees must name their firstborn child after the other. Second is, the signees' hair colour will change depending on their mood. The final one is when the signees next meet their head of state, they will have their appearances magically changed to that of circus clowns. Should be an interesting one that.”

“Ok, let's do one from each list and save the rest for later sessions,” Yuu suggested, to which the other two nodded.

“Just remember the first rule of research club,” Alex said, holding a finger up to get their attention.

“What’s that love?”

“Record-Record-Record,” Alex answered. “Record the parameters before you start, record during and then record the results.”

“I thought the purpose of this was to get around Sloth’s ban. Wouldn’t making records be counter to that?” Elissa asked. Yuu responded by coughing a few times to clear her throat, only to put on a mock croaky old man voice.

“My dearest pet lunatics. A researcher must record every success but, above all, every failure. A true researcher revels in being proved wrong, as there is no greater tragedy than pressing blindly forwards in the wrong direction. So. RECORD-RECORD-RECORD,” Yuu said, slapping her hand into the other for each record said.

EXPERIMENT 1 (Shoe Lace Forgotten):

“Ok, so we got the contract written up?” Alex, to which Yuu nodded.

“Good, got my notes here recording the time we each can tie our laces before signing. Also got a handy helper block from the kindergarten play box so we can see if we can relearn.”

Taking out their pens, each of the trio signed their signature and stamped it with their blood. As with all blood contracts, their signatures lit up before becoming a darker shade of ink.

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“Did it work?” Alex asked, looking at his partners in crime.

“Let's see?” Yuu said, looking at the practice block and furrowing her brow.

“Ok, I don’t have a clue how to do this?” Yuu muttered. “Around the tree?” she fumbled with the string around the block before giving up.

“Yeah, I’ve lost the ability to tie shoes,” Yuu confirmed. A few minutes later, they had all tried, with similar results.

“Ok, now to see if we can relearn,” Alex said as he took out a picture book that came with the block with an easy step-by-step guide for kids to learn how to tie laces.

“Ok… Is it just me who thinks this is gobbledygook?”

“Yeah, it’s all Orkish to me?” Yuu replied.

“So the contract makes it so we can’t regain the knowledge wiped?” Alex suggested as he scribbled down notes.

“Ok, now to see if dissolving the contract will return the knowledge,” Alex said as he pressed his thumb onto his signature. Following suit, the three all held their thumbs down and all thought to break the contract. With that done, the page disintegrated to dust.

“Ok, do we know how to tie them?” Alex asked to which the other two paused in thought before shaking their heads. “Yeah, me neither… let's see if we can relearn?”

Looking at the block again, Yuu quickly got the hang of tying the shoelaces and had mastered it as quick as she had when she was one. Alex likewise managed a mangled effort but passable. Elissa, though, still failed.

“Good thing I wear slip-on-boots,” Elissa said with a sheepish grin.

“Ok, so we’ve confirmed the contract blocked our memories and ability to regain them. While dissolving didn’t return the lost memories, but it did return the ability to relearn the lost skill,” Alex muttered as he scribbled down the results.

“We will have to look further, but I think I could design an enchantment that could recreate the effect of this contract from start to dissolution,” Yuu muttered, recording her own notes.

EXPERIMENT 2 (My blood beats for you):

“Ok next one should be one Elissa’s. What one do you want to try, hon?” Alex asked.

“Blood one,” Elissa answered.

“Own all my blood?” Alex asked, to which she nodded.

“Ok, screw it let's try it,” Alex said as he began scribbling out the contract in question.

“Shouldn’t we test it on an animal first? What if all your blood shoots out and into her?” Yuu asked. Pausing mid-scribble, Alex looked up at Elissa.

“She’s right. First, we try an experiment animal, then me,” Alex said to which Elissa reluctantly nodded. As Alex finished off the contract, Yuu went and got a sapient experiment chimaera.

“Ok, it’s all ready; Elissa sign first as you are the controller of the contract,” Alex said, sliding out of the way. Signing and stamping it, she stepped out of the way.

“Ok experimental chimaera one two seven… No, that's too boring a name… ok Greg, sign an x and stamp your blood.”

“I SIGN!!!” Greg said, taking the pen and scratching an X on the page.

“Now, stamp it, please.”

“I STAMP!!!” Greg stabbed his hand with the small knife and slapped the page.

“Any change?” Alex asked, turning to Elissa.

“I can… it’s hard to describe, but I can tell he is bleeding and where from,” Elissa explained.

“So while it is your property, it can remain inside the person, and if they lose any, you know where?” Alex asked as he scribbled notes down.

“I also know it was done with a knife.”

“Fascinating; maybe we need to test with smaller cuts?” Yuu suggested.

“We can try that on me… uh, Greg seems to have…” Alex gestured to the chimaera, which had somehow died standing up.

“HOW?!!” Yuu exclaimed, looking at it. Looking at the manifest attached to the cage, Alex read details on the creature.

“It is an expiry chimaera… of all the creatures to pick, you grabbed one set to die tonight? What are the odds?”

“Pretty high considering our luck. Upside, we know it works even if you’re dead.”

“Ok, my turn then,” Alex said, taking out a second contract, letting Elissa sign it first as with the last one Alex signed and stamped it.

“Any different?” Alex asked. Elissa shook her head.

“No, I can tell you made a small cut on your thumb, but… why did you just stab your thigh with a needle?”

“Perfect line of sight isn't an issue,” Alex said as he took his hand out of his pocket.

“This will require more long-term study but should be interesting. Onto the next one!”

EXPERIMENT 3 (What does a rainbow mean?):

With the first success of sorts, they had decided to do Alex’s hair colour one next. Scribbling up the contract, Alex happily slammed it down onto the desk.

“Ok, the contract is ready. It, as suggested, will alter our hair colour to match our emotional state,” Alex said, signing it and stamping it with his blood, quickly followed by the other two.

“Ok, any change”? Alex asked, trying to look up at his own hair.

“Maybe it’s slow?” Yuu suggested.

“Maybe,” Elissa said, staring at Alex.

“Lissy, your hair!!” Yuu shouted, pointing at Elissa.

“Huh? What happened?” Elissa asked, spinning to look at Yuu.

“It was turning pink a second ago,” Yuu answered, pointing to the spot.

“Really?!!” Alex asked as he spun around Elissa to look at the spot.

“Nothing is there, though,” Alex said, looking disappointed.

“Alex… this experiment is a failure; you clearly haven’t done enough,” Yuu shouted, making Alex look even more disappointed.

“I’m sorry, guess this one wasn’t… why are you staring at me?”

“Your hair has gone white,” Elissa said, pointing to his head.

“IT HAS?!!” Like an excited puppy, Alex beamed and tried to look at his hair only to see its usual brown colour.

“Is it still white?” Alex asked to which the other two shook their head.

“The moment you cheered up, it flipped back. So is it only intense emotions?” Yuu suggested. “It is why I was mean to you there.”

“So white could mean dejected?” Alex asked.

“Possibly,” Yuu said, nodding.

“Elissa, I’m sorry… But… this is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do… for someone I cared so much for…” Alex said, gripping Elissa by the shoulders. Elissa’s hair began to turn pale white as Alex’s words began to ramp up the tension.

“I struggle even to express this, but I love you more than words could ever describe,” Alex’s final words switched her hair colour from pale white to bright electric pink.

“Ok, so negative emotions are generally pale, while love-based emotions are pink. Does explain why her hair changed when she was gazing at you.”

“Is that so?” Alex asked with a soft smile as he stared at Elissa, his hair turning electric pink itself.

“What about me?” Yuu asked as she took out a blueprint she had been working on and gazed at it.

“It’s turned orange?” Alex answered.

“This will need even more research. This is going to be a fun weekend.” Yuu said as both she and Alex began scribbling down notes, causing their hair to turn lime green.

“We just need to remember to dissolve the contract before we return to teaching on Monday. Don’t want to tip sloth off we were researching before any students joined the club.” Elissa said, her hair going a vibrant purple.