That night, with the entire interrogation over, Lotus opened her window and sucked in a breath of cold air before letting it out. The cool air helped alleviate the deep concentration she had been in within her room and clean away the tapping that had echoed in her ears. She could smell the scent of moisture as she mumbled, "It's gotten colder..."
The window frames were cold to the touch as Lotus smirked and sat on the window sill, "Again... Winter is coming..."
She closed the notebook the dorm leader of Octavinelle had given her and smirked, "The notebook Azul made is hardly different from a study guide or notes. If the test is in this format, then there's no need for me to worry over the tests."
She put away the book into the drawer. Before looking to forest again with a smirk. To think that ahead of the forest would be the cliffside with the school building on top...
"A structure on top of a cliff..." Lotus sighed and said aloud in boredom, "What a common arrangement..."
Lotus smirked, "Still, I wonder what sort of magic keeps the land afloat..."
With her mind having wandered away from the notebook, she smirked as she stared into the forest, "So... Are you done now?"
She played with the white pebble in her hand with a smirk on her face as she took out a black on from her ring, "I guess you've finished your move..."
She chuckled and played with the stone before looking to the wooden board that lay on the small desk. she fiddled with the black stone in her hand and said aloud, "In a game of Go, the black stone is always the first to move. Now that you've played your part, it's my turn once again..."
She tossed the pebbles in the air with a laugh, "Haha... Tell me... How are you going to counter my advances?"
.....
The night was cold and the cold wind blew through the forest of dead trees as a dark shadow weaved through the woods. The figure had on a forest green robe and his black hair was tied back up into a ponytail.
"Each and everyone of them..." The man grumbled with a sigh of dismay.
He wasn't surprised that everything had gone down hill the moment they arrived. From the very beginning, they all had differences and were very naive. After all, it was every cultivator for themselves.
He made a drawing on the ground and some black pebbles before light suddenly lit up. The man nodded and stepped back. According to the fifth elder, there should be someone more capable amongst the others that should be arriving.
.....
The next week was filled with lessons, recuperation, and afterschool activities. After leaving the stalls, she found a familiar figure coming over to her with a smirk. Seeing him, Lotus laughed with a bright smile, "Good afternoon, Azul-senpai! What brings you here? Out for a walk?"
"You could say that." Azul responded easily with a welcoming smile, "I just finished club activities, just now."
Lotus looked to him in surprise, "Really? With the business you run in the dorm, I assume you'd be swamped with work to attend clubs, but it seems you've got everything covered. That really is amazing..."
Azul laughed, "Haha! Are you trying to build a connection with me already?"
Lotus smirked, "No, but the content of your work on the notes were so flawless. I'd be a fool not to have recognized your skills in all honesty. Without much calculations on the side for arithematics, I can only assume that you're very skilled in mental arithmetic, which is the best skill to have when one runs a business."
There was a flash of suspicions in his eyes, but it quickly vanished as Azul continued with an exasperated sigh, "With all this compliment, you'd make anyone think you're trying to curry favor."
Lotus laughed this time hearing the humor in his voice, "Apologies, apologies. I hope I didn't end up offending you in some manner."
"You did not."
"That's good to hear." Lotus smiled, "So, is there something Azul-senpai need from me?"
Azul smirked, "I heard you know your herbs very well."
"Ah, plants." Lotus nodded, "I can't be considered to be the best, but, if I can be of help, then please..."
"Recently, there's been dead tarantulas lying around the school grounds. A few of my customers and staff have already been poisoned by those things, I'm afraid. I've had a few of my staff go to Pomefiore dorms and Scarabia to find an antidote, but they've never seen such a poisonous tarantula before." Azul began.
"Ah..." Lotus nodded as she recalled the notice on the board a couple days ago about the blue tarantulas, "Then, is there a reason you came to me from that? I didn't think you'd come to me so quickly."
Azul shook his head feigning a sigh, "I did not. But, I heard from a Heartslabyul resident that they had some antidotes brought to their dorm and you were helping them before."
Lotus nodded, "I see. So, that's it..."
"That's right..." Azul responded, "I inquired them about it and that was what they've told me."
"You want the antidote?" Lotus clarified with a frown.
"That's right." Azul nodded, "Of course, I'll pay-"
"There's no need for payment, but..." Lotus responded quickly before saying in thought, "If you can gather me the bodies of those dead tarantulas as many as you can, I'll treat your staff. The customers will have to be free since I can't trouble their dorm leaders for something like this just for visiting your cafe. Your reputation would go down, otherwise, correct?"
Seeing the solemn look on her face, Azul looked up to her as she continued, "However, what worries me is how long have they been poisoned and how did they get poisoned..."
Azul raised a brow, "It's been two days. Those spiders were dead at first, but attacked when we went to pick them up. Not even the professors are able to decipher where these creatures came from."
"Two days..." Lotus frowned, "And, the nurse?"
"They couldn't even figure out the problem." Azul sighed.
Lotus grumbled, "With your skills in potions, you've must've put matters into your own hands as well, I assume..."
Azul smirked, "You're right on the spot again. Haha..."
Lotus nodded and said, "Let me go get my kit and the antidote."
"The kit?" Azul raised a brow.
Lotus nodded again with a sigh, "Metallic Sapphire tarantulas aren't deadly when they don't want to be."
She sighed and looked at the time on her phone, "I'll be there in an hour. It's the third day, they'll develop puss if they can't overcome the poison with their own natural immune system by today. And, that would be bad."
She left before Azul could stop her.
.....
Thankfully, she had received the clear with the nurse office and the support of the Dark Mirror before she went ahead to the dorm. The mirror was crowned with the emblem with a seashell image and a crown that sat on top of the mirror. Two eel figures sat on both sides and tentacles crawled up the sides of the mirror. On the ground was littered with coral figures and seashells. The little room was lit by glowing seashells one on each side. Lotus took her box of antidotes and her kit before entering the mirror.
Upon entering, she was met with the underwater scenery and water bubbles floating in the air. However, she could easily enter the dorm. The buildings were rocks in the shape of a large seashell or underwater stones similar to the ones in coral reefs.
Hurrying through the corals and on the stone path, she soon found herself at the Mostro Lounge. The place was bustling with students ordering drinks and the staff was swiftly serving them with quick precision. Some of them were seemingly rather clumsy to which Lotus noticed the other seniors quickly giving them a hand from time to time. The place was also rather large and there was a nice music playing in the background. It was jazz.
She's heard Jazz a few times since living in this world. For her who have been used to the songs her sister played on numerous instruments, something like this was rather expressive while rock was rather loud and fast beat, but not as loud as metal rock. If anything, she still prefers the calming music of the classical.
It was there that one of the students looked to her in surprise, "Ah, it's you..."