Lilia laughed, "I see. Then, they won't be as lonely during the holidays this year."
Lotus pouted, "Well, it's not like they're alone. They do have the ghost around too."
Ren shook his head with a sigh, "Well, there'll be more people around, so it's a good thing."
Lotus raised a brow, "You're not going back home during the holidays?"
Ren shook his head again, "I won't be returning home for the holidays..."
Noticing a reluctance in his voice, Lotus didn't press further. Instead, she smiled, "I'm thinking of purchasing a chicken from the mystery shop later on and making chicken for the holidays. You can come over and join us on the holidays, then. Forget the invitations. Truth be told, I'm a very forgetful person and I often make more than necessary during these occasions since I decided it'd be better to just let the people I invited come over for food. I'll just cook up the leftovers the next day."
"That sounds like a good idea." Lilia laughed and turned to Ren, "Well, Ren? What do you think?"
Silver raised a brow. To then, Ren doesn't really go along with anyone's invitations very easily unless it was someone such as them or Malleus who were inviting. There was also the other seniors as well.
"... All right. I'll come." Ren responded, "If that's not too troubling..."
Their eyes grew wide when they heard his answer. Lotus smiled, "Great! There's probably going to be a lot of food with the ghosts staying here at the dorm. With my cooking included, there's probably not going to be a shortage of food for the party."
Having been the first to quickly snap from his surprise, Lilia laughed, "Haha... That sounds exciting!"
Lotus laughed and reassured him, "I've never been to a party before, so this will be interesting for me as well."
Ren understood her words easily to which he nodded. When a thought suddenly came back to him, Lilia wore serious face and reminded Ren, "Ah, right. You shouldn't forget to focus on your studies. If you need help, you can always speak with us."
"I remember, Lilia-senpai." Ren responded firmly with a nod in return.
Lotus raised a brow but didn't pursue the matter as Lilia said with her with a renewed smile, "The delicacies are good. It was a surprise for us to find that the mansion here would be restored and take in residents once more."
Lotus shrugged, "The prefect was the one who was brought here. I just followed along since it seemed like fun."
Lilia wore a small smile, "Kufufu... Even after being injured?"
Lotus wore a wry smile, "We get hurt sometimes when we have too much fun as children. In the eyes of society, it would seem that we... I'm still a child. I'll have to be more careful in the future and give up playing around a bit before I enter society again."
"Oh my..." Lilia looked to her with a slight laugh, "Even if you say that, the fact that you've experienced more than the other students here is already impressive. Just one mistake and you call yourself a child?"
Hearing his little humor in this, Lotus chuckled, "You're right, Lilia-senpai..."
She took up the tea and took a sip before continuing, "Still, what does it mean to be an adult, and what does it mean to be a child?"
Lilia raised a brow in bewilderment when he heard the world come out of her mouth in a almost mystifying manner, "Oh?"
"Even after one becomes an adult in body, what does it mean that the maturity of the mind can deem one an adult?" Lotus thought aloud curiously, "Would it be the same if we say that, even if one gains all the knowledge of magic in the world, they would have the title of sage? Even if one grows past the age of a million years, what is that in comparison to the stars that has been around to witness the start of life itself?"
Noticing Ren's sudden look of confusion, Lotus laughed, "And... Now, I'm rambling again! Apologies. Hm..."
Ignoring Lilia's gaze and Silver's dumbfounded look, Lotus looked at her tea curiously, "The tea doesn't seem bitter enough..."
"The tea?" Silver looked to his own cup of tea in bewilderment, "But... It taste well... bitter."
Both Silver and Ren had different looks of curiosity on their faces. How did she knew this?
Well, they've told her from a glance. Lilia, on the other hand, wasn't fazed by her words and only complimented the tea instead.
It is quite bitter isn't it?
But, wasn't there a saying?
A man, who cannot tolerate small misfortunes, can never accomplish great things.
However, just one look at all the students here, she could tell that half of them could not accomplish great things without coming across opportunities and that is decided either by fate, power and wisdom. Amongst students in this school, two should know this better than all the others.
.....
According to Lilia, Malleus was suddenly unable to attend due to club activities. Lotus apologized for being forceful with her invitation and asked if some of the snacks would be able to stand in for her gift in apology. Well, they took some of it and left as Lotus returned to her room to study.
.....
"So you had a conversation in that manner today?" Malleus looked to them with a look of pleasant surprise.
"That's right." Lilia responded with a smirk.
"He actually dares to doubt Lilia's words..." Sebak grumbled in a rather upset manner.
Lilia laughed, "I wouldn't call it doubt. We just had a little philosophical talk today, Sebak."
"Ah, by the way, the leaves she gave us are rather interesting." Lilia brought up, "There's some interesting health benefits to it, especially when you have a cold. He gave some to us and the snacks."
Ren sighed, "Today, I was at fault for not letting Malleus-senpai speak his mind when he invited us over. I deeply apologize..."
Malleus shook his head in exasperation, "I already forgave you and you told him that I have plans on the weekends, correct?"
"Ah, right." Lilia handed Sebak a candy art on a stick and smirked, "Lotus made this for you."
"Huh?" Sebak took it with a look of confusion, "Lotus, did? A sort of candy art?"
Lilia smirked, "That's right. He said he had thought you might arrive with Malleus, so he made one for each of you. However, we arrived instead."
"What is this?" Sebak looked at it in confusion.
Lilia smiled wider as he stated bluntly, "According to her, it's a Shiba."
"A Shiba?" Sebak stared at it in confusion, "Well, it certainly looks interesting."
"Hahaha!" Lilia laughed realizing that his little junior still didn't get it, "Right? Here you go, Malleus. According to Lotus, this is a dragon from her birthplace. He thought it'd be interesting to give it to you. In my opinion, it bears no parallel resemblance to a dragon, but it certainly is interesting."
Malleus looked at in curiously as he marved on the candy art supported by two sticks, "A dragon... Hm..."
"Anyway, Ren? What do you think of Lotus?" Lilia questioned Ren curiously as they took a seat in the Diasomnia lounge taking a break from their homework.
After having returned, Silver and Ren unwrapped the snacks they brought back and was just in time when their dorm leader returned with Sebak following behind him dutifully like a guard dog.
"Lotus?" Ren paused into deep thought, "He's a nice fellow..."
Lilia smirked, "Right? Silver, what are your thoughts?"
The silver hair man grumbled, "Well... He's a little... intimidating..."
"Intimidating?" Sebak laughed, "Haha! Him?"
"Ah..." Lilia smiled, "He really doesn't like you for some reason, huh?"
"I knew I wasn't being paranoid..." Silver groaned in irritation, "What is it that he have against me?"
"Seriously?!" Sebak stared at the human student in bewilderment, "He's actually after one of us?"
Lilia laughed, "Oh my... Well, whatever it is, I'm sure he won't try anything against you. You two are also in different classes and years."
"Huh?" Silver and Sebak raised a brow in confusion.
"Haven't you noticed?" Lilia wore a wide smile, "He already shown that he disliked you the moment he saw you today, but he didn't speak against you at all and you had a conversation over tea today."
"That's true..." Silver thought carefully.
Understanding Lilia's point, Malleus clarified with a chuckle, "It seems that he's facing some personal affairs, then. He has no means to harm Silver because Lotus recognizes Silver is not at fault."
Ren, however, sighed, "But..."
"Hm?" Lilia looked to him with a tilt of the head hoping to hear his opinion for his own curiosity.
"He..." Ren hesitated in confusion, "How do I put this? He's a nice guy, but I feel that he's seems a little amused... Like he's having fun and not focusing on our conversation too much..."
Silver folded his arms over his chest as he watched Ren from afar cautiously. Noticing his words catching Malleus's attention, Malleus said to him rather curiously, "Really? What made you think that?"
Ren hesitated again unsure if it was best to speak of this when Lilia told him, "There's no right or wrong answer to all of this, Ren. What we think is just from our perspective, right?"
This time, Ren nodded slowly before he gave his reply, "It was just the way he talked to us. It seems very familiar... In fact, today when I met him in the infirmary, I had a feeling that he might sneak away from there if Malleus-senpai wasn't staying there with him. When he was watching us, it feels like he was paying more attention to me and Lilia-senpai..."
Lilia smirked, "This is what you're hesitant over? Haha... Well, if that's what you think, then I'll just agree with you... Since I had the same feeling..."
"So..." Sebak concluded, "He has some motive and wants to pull pranks on the Young Lord?"
Saying this last phrase solemnly, Silver's eyes narrowed in suspicion, and his brows furrowed till Lilia sighed, "This guy doesn't have a simply background, it seems, but, since he's not forcing us to try things, I don't see him being of any harm. Rather, his mindset might not be as different as most from the Scarabia's dorm."
Silver frowned, "You mean, he was evaluating all of us..."
"The guy with no magic?" Sebak stared at Lilia in bewilderment.
Malleus nodded, "Not having magic would not make him weak as a person. He was able to immobilize Savanaclaw's dorm leader on the day of the tournament during his tantrum."
Ren thought for a bit before hesitating with furrowed brows, "You mean that, even without magic, there are still ways for others to be strong as long as they have a different niche in their abilities."
Silver nodded upon understanding, "Now that Ren mentioned it. I recall rumors that he is close to being Mister Crewel's best student since the first day in the first year's class."
"Hmph!" Sebek huffed in disbelief, "Those are just rumors in the end."
"Oh, but, he did tell us that someone wants him to attend school here so they could officially hire him to make potions for them privately." Lilia added, "Not all potions require magic, you know. And, he's had little problems around the lab that most first years would experience."
Ren frowned as he recalled the blunder he nearly had during class on the first day of potions class, "He's very talented."
Despite the comparison between himself to her, he somehow felt more relieved than horrified, like Sebak was at the moment.
"H-He'll never surpass the Young Lord's skills, though!" Sebek quickly pointed out.
Having ignored him once more, Malleus continued, "However, I don't think he wants to hurt us or make a challenge."
"Huh?" Sebek looked to their dorm leader in surprise.
Carefully and thoughtfully, Ren nodded slowly, "Do you mean... he was just curious about us in an innocent manner?"
"Haha..." Lilia smiled wider now that he heard the words he's been waiting to hear, "That's right..."