Royal Pride (Leona Kingscholar/Yuu)

29 ~ Apology Not Accepted

Leona blinked a few times as he lay on the ground, bloodied and battered. "W-What..?" He murmured, propping himself up with his arms and wincing.

As much as Yuu was trying to stay mad, she couldn't help but throw her arms around him. "I'm so glad you're alive," she whimpered, burying her head in his neck. He tensed up before wrapping one of his arms around her back, the other used to keep him sitting up.

"Mr. Kingscholar. Your negative energies accelerated your blot accumulation, inducing an overblot episode," Crowley, the headmage, spoke. "Do you not remember?"

Leona's eyes widened. "Wait... me? I Overblotted? No way..." Yuu let go of him and sat next to him, placing a hand on his back. He put a hand to his head in disbelief.

"Importantly, were you responsible for the series of incidents in which several of the school's students sustained injuries?" Crowley asked after allowing the students to exchange a few words, mostly about how Crowley had set Ace and Deuce to find out what had happened.

Leona let out a defeated sigh. "...Yeah. That was me."

"Very well. Then to begin with, Savanaclaw House will be disqualified from this year's Spelldrive Tournament. The rest of your punishment will be decided after I discuss it with the victims. Are we clear?"

Leona let another deep sigh escape him, knowing he deserved everything he was getting. "Understood," he responded.

"Headmage, wait." Much to everyone's surprise, it was Riddle who spoke.

The Headmage turned to him. "Mr. Rosehearts. I see you're here with... ah." Jamil and Trey stood behind him, along with quite a few other students. Yuu wondered when they got there—she was too focused on making sure Leona was doing okay, her hand still on his back.

"The victims of this incident," Riddle finished Crowley's sentence for him. Trey took a step forward and cleared his throat. "Headmage, I have a request for you on behalf of all the victims."

Everyone paused. "We would like to ask you to allow Savanaclaw to participate in the tournament despite their crimes," Trey said. There was a very prolonged silence after that. Knowing the students at this school, Yuu thought to herself, there was no way they were just doing this out of the goodness of their hearts.

And she was right. "Forgiving them is the last thing we want to do," Jamil said with a glare. Ruggie and Leona both flinched. "If Savanaclaw is disqualified from the tournament, we'll lose our chance at revenge," Trey explained.

"What!?" Jack and Ruggie both yelped. Riddle wore a small smile. "After all, fighting is forbidden on campus." He glared at Yuu and Ruggie, the two who'd dragged him into a fight not too long ago, and they both laughed innocently.

A vicious smirk spread on Trey's face. "But during Spelldrive, it's all in good fun, right? It just so happens to be a sport where players face off using the fullest extent of their magic."

The other students collectively spoke words of agreement, going on about how they needed their revenge.

"Plus, I don't know what happened here, but it looks like it left the Savanaclaw students in worse shape than we're in," Jamil simpered.

They continued their murmurs of agreement again until Crowley put a hand up. "I understand where you're coming from, yes, but are the Savanaclaw students even capable of taking to the field? Mr. Kingscholar has only just regained consciousness—"

"Heh," Leona scoffed, face smug. He broke into laughter. "Don't underestimate me, Crowley! I wouldn't even need to be awake to handle this sorry pack of herbivores."

"Wow," Jamil snickered, an eyebrow raised. "Now that is audacious."

Leona tilted his head towards him. "I got no intention of bowin' to anyone. If you want my apology, come and take it."

They all turned to the Headmage in anticipation, waiting for his approval. He let out a prolonged sigh, one built up from deep within his lungs. "Your petition is granted. Savanaclaw will be allowed to participate in the tournament."

Everyone started cheering, though Ruggie and Jack had nervous grins on their face. "I didn't even do anything wrong," Jack muttered under his breath.

Ruggie walked over and punched Leona in the stomach. "Urk—that hurt!"

"Don't think you've earned my forgiveness," he said, squinting at him. Leona stared back up at him. "Right, and..?"

Ruggie put a hand on the back of his neck. "Still, I couldn't tell you why, but... it pains me to see that pathetic look on your face. Your usual smug, sneering grin—somehow that suits you better."

The look on his face turned mischievous, and he and Yuu exchanged a look. She started to smile, knowing what he was about to do.

"So, come on, now! Laugh With Me!"

Ruggie pulled Leona's face into a grin, who was now forced to copy his movements. "Owww... stop it, Ruggie! Stop—ahh!"

He started laughing hysterically, and Yuu joined him in doubling over laughing. "Shyeheehee! I can't tell you how long I've wanted to do this!"

"Knock it off! Now!" Leona yelled, his voice muffled since his mouth wouldn't move the right way, stuck in a smile.

Jack let a small laugh escape him. "You guys are a bunch of idiots. Heh."

After Ruggie finally relented and let go of Leona, everyone started preparing themselves for the tournament to start. Leona, however, put a hand on his neck, watching Yuu as though he had something to stay.

She put her hands behind her back, making eye contact with him and waiting for him to speak. It already made her feel a bit better being able to tell how guilty he felt, though she was still hurt.

"I don't really know what else to say besides I'm sorry," he grumbled. "I really am. Even before I...overblotted...I said some really mean things to you. I know you probably won't forgive me, but..." He trailed off, unsure of how to express his regrets.

She flicked his forehead. "Yeah, you're right. I don't forgive you." A smile spread on her face. "But... at least you're sorry. We can talk about this after everyone gets done beating you up~"

He let out a soft laugh, taking Yuu's hand before kissing it gently. He laughed again after seeing how quickly her face turned red. "Yeah, we will."