A lot happened, too much for Takara to process really, seeing as how he was sleepy and thinking about candy. Motorcycle crashes, pillars of ice, someone wasn't holding his hand anymore. He should find a new hand to hold, he liked holding hands. A bunch of new people appeared, blue haired lady, blonde lady, and white fox lady. There was also fairy lady hanging out with blue haired lady, but he couldn't hold her hand, she was too small.

One could practically see the gears slowly turning in his head as he clenched his now empty fist, before getting dragged over to blue haired lady's group by Itsuko. Then white fox lady wanted to meet him, so that was the decision made! "H-hi. I'm Takara, it's nice to meet you miss!" He exclaimed, followed shortly by a yawn as he covered his mouth with his free hand. Then a bunch of policemen showed up, hopefully they'd be as nice as the one from earlier.

Rose meanwhile, was having the absolute time of her life! The ride she just went on with Kanbaru was pretty much the sickest thing ever, she should totally claim Kanbaru as the pirate ship until she can get an actual ship. Then Kanbaru acted really sexy and cool as she tamed her wild motorcycle, saving everyone from a grisly death with quick thinking and decisive action! Perfect second mate material, Rose really made the right decision there. Admittedly, getting smacked by some blond delinquent wasn't super fun, but she could shrug it off with this body so it's all good!

"Hell yeah!" She exclaimed as Itsuko likely lifted her hand off Kanbaru's neck to observe Rose. "Kanbaru, this card is literally awesome. I'm pretty sure I'm invincible with this thing and I feel way faster. You gotta try this out sometime, being a fairy is so cool." Rose rambled, talking about how cool the world was from this point of view and how much adrenaline and energy was running through her body right now.

Of course all this was interrupted by the ever present killjoy, who had once again chased them down along with a retinue of cops. "Ugggggh. Kanbaru, I vote we just blast these losers. Cops suck and I don't think that one is gonna be convinced by our sexy charms like the last girl was." Rose said as she stood on Itsuko's palm, brushing herself off and frowning. Oh yeah, should probably introduce herself to the girl huh. "Hey what's up, I'm Rose! Pirate extraordinare, currently a fairy because being a fairy is pretty cool. Nice to meet ya!"

---

"Thank you. But, have a little more shame, Aria," Clair said as she set her feet on the ground once again. She picked her jacket's hood back from Kanbaru and looked around. "It seems that we are all here again, huh? Anyway..."

"This small one is Rose, and the booby one is Kanbaru, I don't think I got the other's names but they certainly should know the biggest thief in the land: Me, Clair! Oh, and this flashy one is Aria. She's what happens when you listen to weirdoes that say it's right to pick up girls in a dungeon." Clair did her abridged introductions, point to everyone around while the fox behind her pouted.

"Boo boo, you could at least have said I'm the one and only Paladin of the Squall. When will I ever get any respect?"

"Maybe when you start to behave like someone of your age?"

"Hey! Age is just a number, you know? Also, this me is a lovely flower blooming in the fresh spring breeze. You can't call me old because you know my great-great-grandaughter or something like this."

Aria coughed lightly, righting her posture when Caprice and Takara spoke."Why thank you! The youth these days is really charming," she said, doing a nearly U-turn personality-wise. "My my, what a nice boy. You are even cuter than I thought. Here, have this candy."


Just as Aria pulled a bright aqua-colored, marble-like candy from one of her pockets and knelt to give it to Takara while petting his sleepy head, the whole group was finally caught by the long arm of the law.

"Stop right there! This time you have nowhere to run to. Surrender yourselves to the Student Council and maybe I'll be nice and not chain you up," Iona said, or rather yelled, from her perch atop one of the nearby rooftops.

She looked down upon everyone with her arms crossed her chest, almost as if she were taunting anyone to not follow her orders.

Whether the thoughts of rebellion still crossed the minds of the group, or if they were even aware of what was going on in the first place, didn't matter in the great scheme of things.

If you don't go to the Council, the Council will come for you.

"You have done well, Iona. However, I believe there's no need to be so heavy-handed with our 'guests'," an inconspicuous-looking boy wearing a heavy coat and scarf over a dark school uniform said as he walked towards the group from behind the lined-up police cruisers.

"Please, forgive my assistant. She has a tendency to get overzealous every now and then," the boy who wouldn't look out of place as the generic protagonist of a light novel series spoke again.

Iona's composure was shattered for a moment as soon as she laid eyes on the newest arrival to the scene. She recovered her bearings as fast as she lost them and flew to the ground, standing beside the inconspicuous boy with a surprised look in her eyes. "Mast—I mean, President, what are you doing in a place like this?" she said in a voice that was nothing like the harsh, imperious tone she was wielding until a moment ago.

"I was having something to eat. Even the School Council's President needs food, right?" the boy said to Iona before turning his attention to the group once again. "Setting that aside. Apologies once again, but I must insist that you follow us. There are many things we must discuss about your stay in this City on the Edge of Midnight."

---

It was rather more lively around here with the merging of groups, greetings being exchanged between those unfamiliar with one another while the blockade of cop cars comically rose before them. Rose's idea to just blast through was heard and dismissed with a snort, the prospect of spending their time for trying to blow past a veritable wall of blue and the hentai tenshi was not appealing to her. She prepared herself for more of the ravings that came from Iona, but the weirdest thing occured that stole her attention back to street.

An utterly non-descript young man, the sort to completely blend into a crowd even with a fashionable scarf, was just walking through the line of cops, and they in turn were letting him. If that wasn't enough, Iona came down from her perch and twittered at his side, downright captivated just by his presence. His position was revealed and she almost accepted it for making complete sense, only to remember that nothing here made sense in the first place.

"Follow my lead, Rose. Claire." Kanbaru said lowly before approaching the Student Council President, flashing a bright smile as she bowed quick and low, setting her chest to bounce before his gaze regardless for Iona's presence. "We'd love to follow along. It's been so hectic since we got here, why, not a few minutes could pass without some brute trying to accost us. I'd personally enjoy your protection if you'd let me have your hand~"

Much like Takara, a lot like Takara, Itsuko found it hard to keep track of what was going on. No stranger to abnormalities herself, those experiences usually didn’t end up in her almost being rammed by flying motorcycles. She ignored Iona and her little cop patrol-rather intentionally she might add-in favor of hearing out the rider’s logic as well as introductions. “Oh, uh, well you can call me Itsuko! Death by motorcycle isn’t the strangest thing I’ve ever seen, but-”

She nearly jumped as the “bug” turned out to be a girl, one barely as big as her fist. “Ok, no, now that’s the strangest thing I’ve ever seen,” she said incredulously. “Now wait just a minute little lady. How can you be a pirate and a fairy? Why, those two things just don’t mix! You guys some kind of bard travelers or something?” The logic made sense, but extraordinary powers and people dressed in weird garbs was nothing new in this world, or rather, Floor. A final look was passed to Clair now and the blonde casually carried Rose around still in her palm as she walked up to the fox “Hey, uh, you look familiar. Have we met before?”

Before she could ponder on that anymore, the swooping presence of authority passed a shadow over them all. Only one person could have made Iona into a blushing schoolgirl so quickly and so Itsuko didn’t even part him a glance. “Really? You brought the cops and the President on us? You actual killjoy,” she said loudly, uncaring if the angel heard her while sticking a tongue out for good measure. While Iona’s reaction was no doubt sour, the Student President merely laughed heartily in good nature before raising his hand.

A simple gesture was all that was needed to disperse the robotic police, sending them at ease. One by one, the alleyway was filed out until only the large group of delinquents, Iona, and the Student President remained. “It’s good to see you too Itsuko. Causing trouble in these parts again?” He ignored her response of, “Bite me,” if only to pay attention to the bluenette huddling closer to him. His amused smile didn’t waver even as Kanbaru leered with her chest thrust.

“You must be the leader of the bunch? Who else can be so forward and speak the group’s mind. The spirit of youth persists in you, just like your grandmother.” The Student President was all smiles as he patted Kanbaru’s head, ruffling her blue locks knowingly. As he spoke, a jarring pain revealed itself in the bluenette’s eye as if an invisible knife sought to pierce it through violently. The pain was instant and gone as soon as the Student President moved away. “I would be happy to escort you. Surely we can discuss this in better light?”

The boy clapped his hands once before the world swirled around them. From a dingy alleyway inside the city, they were now in a dark but regal looking student council room that wasn’t too disparate from anything in Miso City. “Can you turn on the lights Iona? We’d like our guests to be well informed when they participate in the Umbral Games.” The Student President already made to sit at the head of the room, smile inquiring for any questions the group may have.

---

Caprice's smile did not leave her lips as she watched Aria's actions. Certainly anyone who gave candy to Takara couldn't be a bad person, that's something she herself would do. "Certainly age is just a number, I wouldn't expect you to be a day older than myself if not for your - refined speech patterns." She agreed with Aria's sentiment, though with a pause of perhaps ill-fortuned timing, if one was inclined to look for such things.

Caprice turned to the 'Student Council President' however, and finally gave her response. "As no doubt important as your offer is, I believe we have a prior appointment with Miss Itsuko to join her at a candy store, along with Takara here.... Ah and I see we're already here. Alright then. I suppose we'll have to reschedule for later." A bit too late it was, distracted by the fine fox ears on display. Caprice took herself a seat at the table with a sigh. Pulling forth a deck of cards, she began idly shuffling and snapping them from one hand to the other. Minor tricks to simply warm up the fingers.

It seemed she did not have any questions for the president.

Takara stared at the candy for a moment, as if trying to comprehend the idea of candy just being given to him for free, before shrugging and popping it into his mouth and rolling it around with a lazy smile. "Thank you Miss Aria!" His words were a little slurred since he was talking with his mouth full and sleepy, but he was understandable enough regardless. Stuff happened, adults talked, then they were in a nice dark room, perfect for taking a nap. Which is just what Takara did, his face hitting the table near instantly as he contentedly sucked on his candy and cuddled up with his pillow.

"Hey now, I'll have you know that I am the first and only pirate fairy, and that also means I'm the best! Don't you go disrespecting my status as the queen of fairies and pirates, or I'll have to show you just how wrong you are~" Rose said provocatively as she moved up Itsuko's arm in a flash, whispering into her ear while caressing it gently. Kanbaru signalled Rose to follow her lead, prompting a sigh as the pirate fairy rolled her eyes.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road." She cracked her neck and stretched her arms, crouching down and then jumping off Itsuko's shoulder into a backflip, landing on the table and transforming in a poof of smoke back to her normal form. Her pose was provocative as she lay on her side on the table, head propped up on one hand, arm resting on elbow, legs spread ever so slightly as she stared the "President" down. "Hey now Mr President, there's no need to be in a rush~ Who cares about some boring old Umbral Games or whatever, you've got a whole room to ourselves, just you and a bunch of beautiful ladies with nothing but time on their hands." She glanced over at the sleeping child briefly, before looking back to the President. "Just gotta, move the kid~ Maybe your lovely assistant could help out while we, get to know each other better~?" Rose suggested as she shifted her position so she was now on all fours, leaning into the President's face while licking her lips erotically.

"Wow, you certainly work fast, Mr. President. I wonder if your hands move as well as your power~" Kanbaru said in response to the police filing away like it was completely normal to take orders from a high schooler. Judging by appearences, it likely was and that just screamed of some heavy authority in the seemingly bland young man's pocket. Her eyes narrowed, trying to discern just what it was as though it were a physical sign on his person or mannerism-

Then he spoke and she felt an ice pick run through her skull and shatter her spine. Thunderstruck, unable to do more then wince, the mere mention of a grandmother had her mind plunged into a haze of static that seered her thoughts-

"Huh." The bluenette said, finding her eyes watering and her mouth tasting of cotton all of the sudden. They were in a new locale, no doubt the President's work, so she blinked away the formed tears and adopted her seductive smile, setting beside the young man while Rose was opposite her, both of them putting on the charms while doing their best to isolate him from the hentai tenshi. "Oh Rose, let's not be hasty here. I'm sure these games must have some sort of reward, and no doubt our patron here might find himself feeling generous when we sweep whatever competition is put before us."

---

"I don't know if that's a good idea—Oh well!" Clair answered Kanbaru's call for them to make use of their good in a baffled tone. Something—perhaps the murderous look in the angel girl's eyes—kinda made Clair feel like that wasn't such a great idea. However, before she could do anything else, she shrugged at the sight of her two companions going ahead and doing it either way.

Before she could answer Itsuko's question or anything else for that matter, the whole group saw themselves magically yeeted to a dark office somewhere else in the city. "I don't know. Maybe, but you look like the kind of gal someone wouldn't forget so easily. So, who knows? Have you ever been to one of the other floors? Maybe we crossed paths on Kitty Kat's bar or something like this," she asked back once she finally got the chance.

Clair ignored her friends' idea of a plan. First of all, she was still halfway sure they would get skinned alive if they went any further. And second, while the smallish blonde didn't have a complex about her body shape, she felt throughout offended that Kanabru and Rose thought that knocking their honkers in the President's face like that was the only way to get things done.


"Oh my, you're flattering me like this~" Aria twitched her ears as at least someone else agreed with her. "And who would you be, young..." Before she could finish asking Caprice's name, they were teleported to a dank office somewhere else in the city (supposedly). "... miss?" she finished her stretched out question.

Similarly to Clair, Aria observed everything that happened silently. The foxy knight was content on fawning over Takara, practically holding back a squeal as she saw the youngling cuddling against his pillow to sleep. In fact, Aria wondered if he would be willing to trade the hard table for a more comfortable place like her lap as she found a pulled a chair and sat beside him.

Meanwhile, Iona creased her brow at the sight of Kanbaru and Rose's advances towards the President. She knew they were in vain, but even that wasn't enough to not make the angel feel like snapping them like a twig.

It was only by the grace of having angelic patience that she offered to leave the room and prepare some tea for them. Maybe she would even take a detour and go ask a certain midget in the school's science laboratory for some "additives".

---

“E-Eh, huh?” Itsuko was caught off guard less by the sudden change in backdrop and more so by the little fairy whispering things in her ear. She stared wide-eyed and maybe with an even flush to her face too, unsure what she should say regarding the provocative words. Thankfully, the attention was shifted from her to the Student President and she sighed in relief to find no bugs blowing air in her ears… Looking at Clair now, she shrugged. “Well, I dunno about floors and all that, but I’m a bit of a traveler myself if that’s what you mean. And the only “Kitty Kat” around is me, the proud tiger who stalks wherever she wants!” she answered with a fist to her chest.

At the other side of the room, the Student President watched with his trademark smile as one and then two girls saddled up to give him their winning charms. It seemed to be working because he raised an eye, discussion of these Umbral Games put aside as he crossed his hands and rested his chin atop them. A few beats passed before he laughed heartily. “Marvelous, simply marvelous! I see now; if you wanted to join my school so badly, you could have just asked ladies!”

“Oh no, did I fall into a crowd of prostitutes? Mom’s gonna be pissed,” came Itsuko’s exaggerated words, glancing now at Caprice, Akiko, and Takara suspiciously. So they were hoarding a kid! Still, there was hardly concern in her voice, as if she didn’t fear being expelled; though that assumed she even went to this school in the first place. No, what she dreaded was the keen gleam in the Student President’s gaze as he nodded along to Kanbaru and Rose’s almost seductive advances.

“It brings me great joy to have such fine ladies interested in joining Umbra Academy, my school for debauchery and villains. Let’s get your registration forms started.” With a flick of his hand, a stack of paperwork for each girl slammed into the table with a rattling weight, a few pens following shortly like rain. “With your technique, I recommend you take the various Succubus courses we offer here, Incubus too if you’re keen on the finer arts of the body. There’s always room for improvement in my school,” the Student President said, already thrusting a pen in each girl’s hands and scooting them closer to the paperwork.

“Ah, don’t think I forgot about you girls either,” he said towards Caprice and Akiko. “Now truthfully, I’d have intent to put you both in hostile detention, especially for interacting with a delinquent like Itsuko here.” Once again, he ignored the indignation that instantly came off the blonde. “However, I have an open mind and would like to assume you weren’t previously associated with her bad record. My hand of invitation extends towards you as well-qh, and here’s the tea!”

---

Rose's eye twitched slightly as the Student President completely brushed off their advances, but this was probably beneficial in it's own way. At least they weren't being thrown into hostile detention or whatever, which could have ended badly. "You know what, sure. Villain high school doesn't sound too boring, maybe we'll find something cool-" And then the stacks of paperwork were slammed down in front of them.

"Nope! Nuh uh, no way in fucking hell am I doing paperwork! I became a pirate so I wouldn't have to sign stacks of paperwork for years on end, there is no way in hell you are going to get me to spend even a second signing a single paper there! Make someone else do it, I don't care, that is not happening!" Rose made an x with her arms, refusing the pen offered to her as the president shoved his evil paperwork into her.

"I'll play your game or whatever, but there is not a chance in hell that you're gonna get me to do all that paperwork. Hit me with the rules or whatever, I don't even care anymore!" Rose shouted, getting up out of her chair and moving back to Itsuko, practically dragging Kanbaru with her. "Trust me Kanbaru, paperwork is evil, we don't want anything to do with this."

Caprice glided her chair a little down the table to Aria. "Caprice is my title in such a place as this." Caprice finally got around to answering Aria's question now that things had settled down a bit with some people distracting the president. Shuffling her cards once more, she turned to the person offering a 'hand of invitation'. "Hmm. You have an interesting negotiation tactic."

The cards now flipped between her hands, twirling as they went, revealing their faces one at a time. "Submit to my will..." The card passing showed Iona. "... or be smothered by it." Then Itsuko in turn. "Truly a timeless classic." Takara, snoozing away on a pillow in the card as in the Tower, danced on her fingertips, an extra spin for him. "Tell me," Caprice herself was next, passing quickly like an afterthought, " is it the craven or conniving that you seek in your school?" Rose and Kanbaru twisted together, two cards at once, like they were sliding about a pole, "Or perhaps both?" They snapped away suddenly, and no more cards for now came.

On the one hand, their attempt at seduction had fallen flat as far as its intended effects went, but on the other, it did seem to greatly please the Student President in ways that the other party members hadn't. With the disparity ranging from 'Please attend my school' to 'Be consigned to eternal damnation most likely orchestrated by the hentai tenshi', Kanbaru felt forced to concede that, while somewhat insulted her charms didn't work here, it was still for the best she made the effort.

"Those classes do sound real interesting. I wonder what I could learn from beings of pure carnal skill and experience. The knowledge of anatomy alone would pay dividends in every Floor of the Tower to come. Ooh, this is getting good. The perfect college expe- Whaat?!" The Bluenette yelped, finding herself being torn away from the stack of forms she was happily filling out only for Rose to interrupt. She clutched the table with one hand while trying to fill in minutia with the other, comically crying all the while.

"Come on, Rose, think of the pirate classes! You could learn to steal from demons that write all those funny contracts to trick people out of their souls. It'll be great!" She wailed, turning great big crocodile tears towards the fairy enthusiast, inadvertantly bringing her to look towards Caprice as she played with her cards. "Look, even the card girl is spewing philosophic bullshit. She'd fit right in with the other hucksters and charlatans. Though that does make me wonder..."

A patch of ice coated the section of Kanbaru's person that Rose attempted to haul her by, sliding the grasping hand off her person and leaving her unmolested long enough to turn her focus to the Student President once again. "This is probably a stupid question, but why are you and an Angel who preeches rigid conformity to rules and authority....running a school for villians and debauchery? It all seems kinds....counter intuitive."

At the mention of 'philosophic bullshit', one of the cards Caprice was playing with sprung forth with a loud snap, fluttering wildly out of her reach. Caprice's mouth shot open, but whatever noise sought to come forth was strangled. Her mouth closed and her face contorted through multiple expressions before settling on resignation.

She folded the cards away into her coat, reaching out far across the table to snatch the one that had gotten away. She struggled forward with her fingertips to grasp it, stomach fully resting atop the table and legs kicking. Upon seizing her apparently precious prize, she leaned back, setting her boots upon the table, crossed upon each other. "She's got a point." Caprice glumly said, tapping one of her heels in agitating, pouting in her seat.

Despite her many actions, Caprice certainly hadn't given anything even vaguely resembling a straight answer to the student president.

Events moved on their own and in their own pace, but there was some level of expectation for such reactions. The Student President watched in silent amusement as one thing happened after another, Rose trying desperately to avoid the responsibility of signing papers. Kanbaru looked to be her polar opposite and at least wasn’t outright off put by the notion of spending some time signing away names. Even as she slipped free from Rose, the Student President offered her another pen, idly pushing her stack of papers closer to her.

“Oh? What makes you think I uphold the finer nature of justice?” Still smiling as he was, the Student President rested his chin atop two clasped hands as Kanbaru posed her question. It was easy to distinguish his assistant Iona for some sort of angel by looks alone but the sentiment was still an interesting point. “Is it because I command such authority? Surely where you come from, presidents of the student body and council exhibit privileges beyond the normal populace. A school of villainy this may be, but it is a school nonetheless.”

He left her off on that strange contradiction to ponder. As one could imagine, there required some level of authority to keep the school from diverging into madness and the like, especially by its rowdier students. Regardless, the Student President’s interest was placed on the card-carrying girl at the further ends of the table now. While Kanbaru dismissed Caprice’s words for rambling, the Student President remained in his cool expression.

“I like to think we accept all manner of students in these gates, conniving or craven. The budding youth of dark hearts must be nurtured and guided with a steady hand. That said, your hand is impressive,” he mused, noting Caprice’s quick tricks with the cards. “Perhaps a tarot telling class can be expected in your future? You all look to be healthy assets to the school, ones that would prove beneficiary in the Umbral Games.”

---

"Noooooo paaaaaaaper woooooork!" Rose wailed as she desperately tried to pull her friend from the evil stack of bureaucracy, it seemed as if the dastardly pile of papers already held sway over Kanbaru! Her efforts were not enough as her grip slipped, sending her tumbling backwards into whoever was behind her. She brought up a good point regardless, why the hell was a school dedicated to evil so... orderly? And the president responded convincingly enough as well, it was a solid answer for most. But not for Rose.

"I'm still not buying it. You claim to run a school for villains, yet you have a literal angel running errands for you. It's fishy at best, but at worst it's blatant hypocrisy." Rose said as she slid back next to Kanbaru, staring down the president intently. A few moments of this passed, before she sighed ad shrugged. "But whatever, as long as I don't have to do this stupid paperwork I'll play along. Have fun Kanbaru." She trusted her 2nd mate to get all this bullshit done, it seemed like she was insane enough to actually enjoy the shit for some reason. For now, Rose would kick back and wait for this little meeting to end. This chair sucked. This room sucked. Ok maybe she was sulking a little. Just a little.

---

"Oh, so you are?" Clair said. She smiled at Itsuko after realizing that the other girl must be one of the Tower’s inhabitants instead of an outsider like her group.

Without another word, Clair stepped behind Itsuko and wrapped her hands around the fiery girl’s waist. "They say tigers like belly rubs. I wonder if that’s true," she said as she began to tickle the other girl’s stomach. To most people’s eyes, it would look like Clair was merely taking the chance to cope a feel, but a trained observer might be able to discern that she was looking for something. More specifically, any proof of Itsuko’s identity.

By the time the president spoke to them, Clair had already pulled back from Itsuko. She swooped a stack of papers and waved them around while reading their contents. "That’s a pretty neat deal you have here. I don’t know about my friends here, but I’m in. With one condition, of course."

"Can I have one of those school uniforms of yours?" she said, after a dramatic pause.


"I’ll remember that," Aria said after getting Caprice’s name. "Anyway, I’m beginning to run low on energy, I guess it’s time for my beauty sleep," she added, letting out a soft yawn and gradually vanishing until she turned back into a card on Clair’s pouch.


"Have you ever heard the saying: ‘The darkest place is under the candlestick’?" Iona said as she came back, bringing the tea. The grin in her face suggested she was taking quite a bit of pleasure in Rose and Kanbaru’s confusion.

"If you expected the President of a school for villains to not indulge in their own sins, perhaps it’s you who needs to rethink your opinions," she said after Rose spoke about their hypocrisy.

---

"Ah, I see. Like how even Hell in all it's chaos is said to be ruled by Dukes and Marquis with rights and responsibilities. Interestined stuff..." Kanbaru mused over the President's actions, himself the spitting image of one who chose to rule in Hell rather then serve in Heaven. His assistant seemed to have taken that metaphon in a twisted fashion, serving where Kanbaru imagined she had every ability to lead where she not glued to the Student President's side.

He did have that sort of face that said he was a real catch, so Kanbaru wasn't going to judge Iona putting her heart before her ambitions, just this once.

Especially when Rose so helpfully dumped her paperwork for Kanbaru to fill out on her behalf. A foolish decision as her lazieness would only be punished by her second mate, the bluenette taking great glee in signing Rose up for every elective she could for a schedule that would utterly destroy her...and also give her the skills of a veritable pirate lord if she survived it all. But, at least they'd have seduction classes together.

"So you keep mentioning these Umbral Games, but what are they? Some kind of battle royale or olympics? Seems kinda weird you'd be throwing people fresh off the street into them unless you expect us to be ringers for some hefty bets you have riding on them." The bluenette said, clicking her pen closed before carefully sliding her twin piles of paperwork towards the hentai tenshi.

---

"... ... ... alright, that's enough silence from me."

"I wasn't involved with Itsuko's past." Akiko blunted, since that was the raw truth. Unless the so-called President was referring to Akiko's voyeuristic tendencies, anyway. Then again, maybe he was a Jester like from the other world. Akiko didn't exactly know what to make of that character, so they had that in common. This school for villains schtick was definitely also something to figure out, as well, since it was most likely the next battleground for whatever group this was called now. Maybe something like Gray Area, or Gay Area with how Kanbaru and Rose were making the group seem. Christ, could they not keep it in their pants for fifteen seconds...?

Akiko frowned at the papers underneath her gaze. "Before I sign up for anything, I'd expect to be told what I'm signing up for. Surely you'd want an informed competitor to put on a show for anyone watching, anyway, and how would I do that other than being told, Mister President." Akiko fumbled around with the three cards in her arsenal absentmindedly, feeling the otherworldly material of the before settling on the Monkey card she had. For some reason it just... resonated with her. Maybe it was the abilities of the card that were speaking to her, but she had a fondness for it. Might be worth investigating later, when these Umbral Games start, if she wanted to check that out. Eh, with all luck, she'd be fine. After all, with the loyal knight of the Lorelai card to help keep her safe, this might go better than expected.

She couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the President while she waited for an answer, the lights casting a brighter glare onto them before something else caught Akiko's gaze -- the cards Caprice had. The art on them was... just a little disturbing, to say the least. "Caprice, do your cards have everyone here on them?"

"Hmm? Well, everyone in this room is a subset of everything, so yes." Caprice answered Akiko's question with a smile. "Though to be less coy, these cards simply show a pale reflection of my soul. And everyone you meet, even for the most fleeting of moments, touches your soul. Whether they will build you or destroy you, who can say." Caprice sent a card flicking low across the table slipping right into Akiko's fingers, which showed... Akiko. Blurry at first, but as Caprice stared further at Akiko, the picture became more precise and true to life. Though colored with the current level of disturbance she felt, as Caprice had not known Akiko for long enough to make more than a snap judgment about her. "Perhaps I will forget you in time and your image will fade from my existence, perhaps I will remember you."

"But, if you're frightened, simply remember the first rule of magic. It's just a dumb trick. All you hold before you is a picture on a card. And not even a real card made out of proper paper." Caprice snapped her finger and the card's vanished from Akiko's hand.

"Ultimately, I'm more interested in learning how you enforce your dominance than adding another skill to my hand, at least at this juncture. You may count me among the delinquents for now." Caprice finally answered the president, declining the tarot class.

“Hey, what are you doing-ahahah, stop that!” Itsuko didn’t much care for the politics of the newbies. The paperwork was always a drag of course but really, that was any school worth their salt. With the conversation no longer being about her, she took her time in trying to slip away from the room. She didn’t get too far when Clair made her move, the fox pressing into the tiger and having her rupture with laughter. She fidgeted for a few seconds before the foxy thief backed away. “What was that for?” Itsuko huffed, unaware her student ID card was just pickpocketed without notice.

But much like the other girls, Clair was more interested in the offer to join Umbra Academy. The Student President nodded and even gave Iona a handwave to prepare for the girls their student uniforms, especially when Clair’s reason for joining was one of them. Others, like Rose, Kanbaru, and Akiko, pondered about the validity of the school but, more importantly, the Umbral Games. Iona was allowed to handle such doubts; after all, if they were still questioning the school now, they could walk away and be deemed as delinquents as they wanted.

Thankfully it didn’t immediately come to that. “The Umbral Games are our way of moving from one level to the next, eventually graduating out of the school. Think of it as final exams,” the Student President explained. “In essence, you are set loose into the city for one night with free reign over the crimes you can commit. These crimes are judged and competed by a point-based system. The higher your score, the more likely you are to move on and the greater your treasured reward by the semester’s end; it’s that simple. But just looking at you, I can tell you girls have some experience under your belts, so I recommend the Umbral Games would be perfect for you to try out.”

He may have spoken of looking at them all, but it was Akiko who’s sight he met. Cool and collected as he was, the bard would see flickering images of someone who was distinctively not the Student President or his assistant. Dark corners pressed around Akiko’s vision as if she was given the sense of a confined space, before the images died away and brought her back into the present.

“The games also serve as a way of punishment for delinquents.” This time the Student President addressed Caprice. “Well, more so a bartering tool. We’re still teachers of youth after all, and we give our students the option of participating to avoid further punishment. It’s that or detention. Speaking of which, I believe you two are in due time for it if you’ve decided to be delinquents. Or, you can place your efforts into something more constructive such as the Umbral Games instead,” he said to Caprice and Itsuko.

---