Twisted-Wonderland: Our Precious Treasure (Part 1)

(39) JADBSSG: Heads Held High, Touch the Sky, Our Hearts We Pledge to Thee!

"A prefect meeting?"

Riddle nodded before sipping on his cup of tea. "Yes. It will be held tomorrow at 4 pm after everyone's class is over," he said, putting down his cup to its saucer. "And since you're technically the Prefect of the Ramshackle Dorm, you're invited."

"Are you sure though?" Jonah frowned. "Can't I just don't go?"

Riddle shook his head. "No. You can't skip this. It's your responsibility."

Jonah pouted, playing with his strawberry on top of his shortcake. "I thought you've become more lenient, Senior Riddle."

Riddle's breath hitched. "I-I am!" His grip on his cup tightened. "It's just-"

"Hey." Jonah immediately grabbed Riddle's trembling hand, making their eyes met. Jonah gave him a gentle smile. "Don't worry. I'm not scared." He saw Riddle took a deep breath before letting it out from his mouth. Riddle gave him a small nod but Jonah kept caressing his knuckles.

It was one Monday afternoon when all class finally over and Riddle and Jonah decided to have some tea together in the Heartslabyul Garden. Today, it was strawberry tea which Jonah made by himself. Along with some strawberry shortcakes made by Trey. This was probably the first time Jonah meeting Riddle again in private since their 'day off'. Sure, they passed each other between classes and lunch hour, but never just the two of them. Jonah was glad that Riddle was doing okay these two weeks. He didn't want to ruin their progress.

"You're right." Jonah pulled his hand back, smiling at Riddle, making him blush a bit. "It's my responsibility, right? What kind of captain am I if I don't show a good example to my crew." He rested his chin on his palm with his elbow on top of the table, frowning a bit. "But... What should I report?"

Riddle cleared his throat. "Well, usually you report your underclassmen progress and some changes that happen around the dorm." Trying to distract himself by stirring his tea. "For tomorrow's meeting, we have an additional agenda to discuss the upcoming Magishift Tournament."

Jonah paused from putting a forkful of strawberry shortcake into his mouth, lowering it back to the plate. "What is that?"

Riddle looked up at him. "You haven't heard about it?"

Jonah shook his head. "Amnesia, remember?" he said, tapping his temple.

"Oh. Right." Riddle looked down again. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Jonah said, smiling when Riddle raised his head again. "Maybe if you tell me about it, something will come up."

Riddle sighed. "Alright." He cleared his throat before started his explanation. "Magical Shift, or Magishift, is a world-famous magic sport played by two teams made up of seven players. To put it simply, you try to take a disc from each other and try to shoot it at the goal positioned in the opponent's territory. The team who scores the most points is the winner."

"Oh well, I don't think I can join in though," Jonah said, chuckling at the end.

Riddle smiled. "Maybe next year when your dorm has more students." He cleared his throat again. "Anyways, Night Raven College is a world-renowned powerhouse when it comes to Magical Shift. A lot of our school's alumni play in professional leagues. Even more, Magical Shift is a sport that tests not only physical skills but also one's magical skills. Professional teams will be observing our school's intra-dorm Magishift Tournament. A lot of renowned magicians around the world will come to watch. There will be a lot of shops lined up during the tournament as well, and they will be exhibiting products from all over the world."

Jonah whistled. "This sounds like a very important event, huh?"

"You can call that," Riddle said nodding. "Players who do exceptional and win in the tournament are invited to join professional teams, so it is a given that it comes with popularity, too."