Verse Twenty-Six

CK was terrified. She remained seated on the table, but her gaze remained glued to the smoke erupting from inside the kitchen. Her eyes were wider than those googly eyes they stick to random objects for fun, and she hasn't moved an inch from her seat out of terror.

She thought she'd be waking up to a nice morning where the birds were shining, and the sun is chirping. But no. She woke up to a rather nice smell wafting from the kitchen of her dorm room…then she remembered she was alone in the room.

Thinking there was an intruder, CK shot out of bed and hurried out with only a sweater on. You can only imagine the reaction of a young, lone woman to a man at the kitchen, beating up some eggs and decorating pancakes with sliced fruit while humming.

"Hm~ Oh?" Malphas noticed CK staring with her mouth gaping open. He smiled pleasantly at her, "Good morning, my groggy, little mistress."

"…Who the fuck are you? How'd you get into my room and…is that my apron?!"

CK was about to send out a pair of flipflop missiles when she remembered that Malphas had been able to get enough energy to create a human form for himself. That's how she landed at the table with a disturbed, wide-eyed stare at the opened kitchen door. 

She remembered letting Malphas add a condition that she would eat whatever he cooked for her. CK grumbled and slumped on the table sleepily. She had yet to comb her hair out.

"My tummy's going to rumble…" CK pouted sleepily. "Poor thing. It must be terrible to have to constantly eat in order to live," Malphas said amusingly as he carefully laid a plate before the girl, "Here you go."

The smell of freshly-melted butter, hot chocolate, and freshly-cooked pancakes caused CK to sit upright immediately. Her eyes sparkled at the sight of the pancakes stacked nicely, syrup oozing out in-between each stack. A warm cup of chocolate was next to the plate along with a sanitized metal fork.

"…This isn't poisoned, is it?" CK squinted her eyes at Malphas suspiciously. "Why don't you try a bite?" Malphas smiled, causing CK to squint harder.

"Hmph," CK said, taking the fork and slicing for a bite. A few tentative chews, and CK paused. She slowly turned to Malphas, who smiled wider to see CK's eyes sparkle in awe.

"It's great…" she sniffed and continued to eat. "There's plenty more syrup and pancakes in the kitchen," Malphas said. He stood behind CK, working through her hair with his fingers while CK ate with a profound sense of docility.

'I see. All I need is food to tame this girl,' Malphas thought in amusement. He expected that CK would raise her guard, but things changed when pancakes were introduced.

"You said you don't need food to survive. Why are you good at cooking?" CK frowned while chewing. "That's a secret, little mistress. Sadly, I can only cook in human form, which you know only lasts for a limited time," Malphas said.

"Hmph! Still hiding things, I see," CK put her fork down to drink her hot chocolate, "I still haven't forgotten that trick you pulled with the Juris Vindicator. Don't think that you can win me over with food. Also, what are you doing with my hair?!"

"Please indulge me this time, little mistress. I'll be reverting back to animal form soon, and you're still a mess. Let me do my part of the contract and allow me to look after you," Malphas said, redefining the smooth curls of CK's hair.

"…That's still my apron you're wearing. Put it back."

"But of course," Malphas chuckled, taking notice of the childish twinkle hiding in CK's eyes before she looked away. "Don't tell me you're upset that I outsmarted you once?" Malphas asked.

"That's precisely the reason! Honestly, I could have let you go if you asked. It's not like that would be enough for you to break free," CK sighed in exasperation. "Wrinkles, little mistress. Watch out for the wrinkles~" Malphas mused, causing CK to glare over her shoulder and at him.

"Haha. You don't have to worry about me betraying you anytime sooner. Truth be told, it will take a greater opportunity than your protection to sway me," Malphas' eyes glimmered mischievously as he ran his fingers over her hair one last time.

"So please, do your best to keep my loyalty," Malphas smirked. CK stared at him seriously before returning her attention to her food, "I better make sure that opportunity never comes around, then."

"That's right," Malphas said pleasantly. Once he deemed CK to be presentable, he disappeared into a puff of feathers, switching to his crow form. He perched on the table, occasionally grooming his feathers while CK finished her pancakes.

CK picked a sliced strawberry with her fork when the message board next to the bookshelf flickered with notifications. "Hm?" CK turned to the board confusingly. She finished the last bits of her pancakes before walking to the message board.

The holograms flickered as it displayed a newly-received message. The recipient? Winslow Danchev. CK's brows rose in intrigue and opened the message with a tap. 

Winslow: If you're up before lunch, come to the plaza.

CK tilted her head at the message, then typed up a response.

CK: Will the world end if I don't come?

A response came after she replied. CK snorted, almost hearing Winslow's grumbling behind his message.

Winslow: Just come. I doubt you have anything to do.

Technically, he was right. It's been two days since the graduation rites and the trial ended. The school had been busy repairing the damages during the Juris Vindicator's surprise visit, and they hosted the invitees for a while longer before sending them off.

During this time, CK had been cleaning up her belongings in the dorm room. The school year was technically over, and everyone will finally be able to leave. She didn't want to admit it, but there was a feeling of loneliness knowing that she'll have to leave the place that kept her for four years.

Deciding to indulge Winslow's request, CK put on some decent clothes and opened the door. "Come, Malphas," CK called, "I'm sure Winslow would like some answers from you."

<…Must I really go?>

"You aren't going to get away with dumping responsibility on my name after all of that," CK said sternly. Malphas sighed and flew over to CK's shoulder, letting her take him as they left the dormitories.

Act IV: Monday's Child is Fair of Face

The plaza was decorated for festivities. Upbeat music played by bands comprised of students played above the sounds of laughter and happy chatter. Several rowdy guys would rotate around the plaza carrying bottles of 'mystery drinks', happily encouraging those with cups to keep drinking.

CK only giggled at the sight, knowing that was probably some sort of liquor. But hey, it's no festivity if there's no drinking. Since everyone will depart in a few days, the graduates hosted one last party to celebrate themselves. 

CK leaned against the pillar of one of the catwalks, watching the party go on. Malphas perched on the railings next to CK. 

"They look happy. It's a beautiful sight," CK said and looked over her shoulder, "It's a happy day. You should be joining them."

Winslow said nothing as he walked towards her. CK tilted her head to see traces of displeasure on his face. "Frowning doesn't suit you, Winnie. Why are you upset?" CK asked.

"I think you know," Winslow replied, causing the girl to sigh. "Ah, of course. That's the reason why you asked me to come out here, right?" CK mused.

"You knew what would happen during the graduation rites and used me as a smokescreen," Winslow crossed his arms displeasingly. "That's a strong word to describe it," CK said.

"But it fits it well," Winslow pointed out. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "I heard about what happened during the trial. I don't know how to feel."

"The one about Ms. Dulia working with the Juris?" CK asked. "Yes," Winslow said and pinched the bridge of his nose, "The Church won't be pleased to hear about this…"

"She had it coming," CK shrugged. Winslow turned to her, "You knew for a long time, didn't you?"

"I had my speculations. I still have no idea why she did it, though," CK replied. Winslow shook his head, "And I served well as a distraction for the rest of the people while things went down in the courtroom."

CK glanced at him. "I do have to thank you for sending your…familiar to help me," Winslow muttered, "I don't know how you managed to survive fighting against the Juris Vindicator. I could've died if it weren't for him."

<Heh. There's no need to flatter me, boy. I had my own reasons for helping.> Malphas' voice echoed between the two individuals. CK giggled and ruffled Malphas' feathers.

"This 'bird' is a daemon, but you probably knew that already," CK said. Malphas' eyes twinkled as he met Winslow's observant stare. 

"He was there to help, right? I had no reason to be wary of him," Winslow said. "He was," CK nodded, "He was with me when I first came in contact with the Juris, so he knew what to do."

The young man sighed again and rested his back against the wall. "What will happen to Ms. Dulia?" he asked. 

"That's up to the faculty. I do think they'll involve the administrators, so…it might not end well," CK said, causing Winslow to purse his lips. Still noticing his uneasiness, CK patted his shoulder.

"Hey… It's a good thing you were able to deal with the situation," CK told him softly, "You might be upset that I made you stand on a pedestal without your consent, but I did you a favor."

"How, exactly?" Winslow asked. "Ms. Dulia's actions would have reflected poorly on the Radiance Church. Your organization would have suffered terribly. But since you managed to prove yourself to be an outstanding member of the Radiance Church, people won't be paying too much attention on Ms. Dulia's misconduct. They'll be busy talking about how you killed a Juris Vindicator. Just like a legend in the making," CK grinned, "Thanks to you, the Church's reputation hasn't suffered too much. That's a good thing!"

"Does reputation matter that much?" Winslow asked dubiously. "From where I come from, yes. There comes a saying that one's reputation must be guarded with their own life, and there are plenty of reasons for it," CK stared out the distance, "Once you become a part of the Church's higher ranks, you'll probably see what I mean."

Winslow did not respond, but his frown had disappeared. CK turned to him and smiled, "You did me a favor, and I've repaid it. We're even now."

"Hmph…" Winslow muttered and looked away, "Can't say I disagree."

However, he was still worried about Ms. Dulia's involvement with the Juris. She held a respectable position so she couldn't have been reckless with her actions. What was her intention? Winslow pondered over this, making a silent decision to investigate upon returning to his home-world.

CK took a deep breath and sighed in satisfaction. There was a soft smile on her face while watching the party go on from the sidelines. 

"Looks like everyone will have their own thing once we all leave," CK mused, "It's like waking up from a long dream. What a strange feeling."

She got up to leave and passed by Winslow. Without turning around, Winslow spoke out.

"Won't you stay a while?" he asked, causing CK to pause. Winslow jutted his chin to the partying students, "You should celebrate with everyone one last time. It's like you said, everyone will have their own thing after we leave."

CK blinked, "Well, I…"

"Heyyy, CK!" a peer of drunken students stumbled towards CK with giddy slurs and witless smiles, "Winslow's bloody right! You should be happy that we're finally graduates!"

"You also won your trial, right?! That's another reason to—Hic!— celebrate," a young man slurred and called out to the others, "Hey, everybody! We're all—Hic!— complete now that CK's won the trial! We're all graduating together!"

"Yaayyy!"

"Cheers to CK, everybody!"

CK blinked in surprise as a few students ruffled her hair and offered her a cup of alcohol. "No wordsmith left behind!" Harper clapped.

"Drink, CK! You deserve it!" they encouraged CK, who was still silent and stunned. After a while, she looked at them apologetically.

"I'm sorry, guys. I don't know how to break it to you but… I'm dropping out," CK said. The cheers paused, the laughter paused, and nearly everything paused after CK spoke, wide-eyed stares coming from everyone.

"Huuuhhh?!"

"What do you mean, 'drop out'?! You can't drop out! You technically graduated after the grades were submitted!" a student said in disbelief. CK smiled apologetically, "The school wanted to do something for me as a token of apology for the trial, so I asked them to drop me out of school."

"B-But we…I… None of this makes sense," another student stammered, "Why would you want to drop out?!"

There are some things I realized will not work for me if I become an alumnus. Let's just leave it at that," CK smiled at them brightly, "I'll also be leaving soon. Congratulations to you, guys. It was great to be with you all."

It was silent until a student at the back fainted. Winslow watched this from the side, and a chuckle escaped his lips before he turned the other way. You never run out of surprises, do you, CK?