Waves of Destiny (Twisted Wonderland)

Chapter 33

Chapter 33

"Azul!" I said happily. "It's good to see you."

Azul gave me a polite smile. "It's good to see you too, Ona. Getting in a workout?"

"My friends and I are auditioning for the Song & Dance Championship audition. Jamil is helping us."

"Oh, really?" Azul looked at Jamil. "That is surprising."

"I know, right?" said Grim.

Jamil narrowed his eyes at Azul. "What do YOU want, Azul?"

"Why, what EVER could I have done to earn your ire?" said Azul. "And here I thought we were the closest of classmates! More to the point: you're on class duty, correct? Our afternoon Magic History period is going to be a study hall today. Professor Trein wants you to come and get the classwork printouts from the faculty office."

"Fine. I'll be right there."

"Say, didn't Azul stream Jamil's whole diabolical plan to the world?" Grim whispered to me.

"Nope," I said. "He did no such thing."

"Myah?! How do you know?"

"He told me, but I figured it out before then. Why would he stream Jamil's speech to the world when all he needed to do was get Jamil to believe he had done so?"

"Exactly, Ona," said Azul. "It's like you've never heard of a bluff before, Grim. That was obviously a ploy to convince him there was no talking his way out of it. I can't believe you thought that I, the very soul of benevolence, would willingly destroy a classmate's reputation and social standing!"

"...You absolutely would," said Jamil.

"A real nice guy wouldn't tell such a nasty lie in the first place," Grim grumbled. "Anyway, Ona, how did you figure it out?"

"Azul doesn't do anything more than is necessary," I said. "He just wanted to stop Jamil. He had no reason to destroy his reputation."

"Yes, unlike Leona, I don't torment others for sport," said Azul. "All I did that day was put my smartphone on a speaker call with Jade. I obtained some perfectly good intel from the experience. I would never dream of devaluing my own assets!"

 Jamil sighed. "Whatever you say. But you know what? I'll grudgingly admit that thanks to Azul's benevolence...' My parents and the Asim family still don't know the real reason I overblotted. As for the students... We've been more or less treading water ever since. Scarabia emphasizes mindfulness and forethought. Our students are trying to avoid jumping to conclusions. They're watching and waiting to see who's more beneficial to side with. Myself and Kalim included."

"Heh. Classic Scarabia. Astoundingly shameless, one and all. I'm impressed the two of you would even dance together after everything that transpired."

"Hmph. Say what you will. In my case, the overblot incident has caused my reputation at school to plummet. It makes sense for me to fall in line with Kalim for a while, in the interest of improving my position both within Scarabia and without."

I sighed and shook my head. "You haven't learned much, have you?"

"I am doing what I want and not what others think I have to do. Is that not enough?"

"It's something, I guess."

"Heh. The students must be circling you like sharks, waiting for the first sign of blood so they can challenge you for your seat," said Azul. "If not for your clashing idiosyncrasies, it would be hard to imagine a more appealing person to serve than Kalim. He's eventually going to inherit an entire trove of treasure. In our modern society, that wealth represents a power magnitudes greater than any magic. Why, it borders on omnipotence."