Her eyes snapped open and the first thing she saw was a very worried looking Yuu... again.
"Fgna! He's awake!" Grim cried out in surprise.
"Let me see! Let me see!" Ace's voice called out.
"Ah! Wait, Ace!" Deuce's voice rang out followed by a sound of surprise, "Let the supervisor take a look at him first. We'll just surprise him if we suddenly pop out like that."
Feeling rather warm, Lotus slowly sat up with Yuu's help.
"Careful now." Yuu warned her as he supported her back.
There was still a slight pain in her chest as she sat up and looked around. Turns out that she was at the lounge of Heartslabyul. The room was very decorative and a red theme could easy be identified amongst all of the card, hats, and roses left on the walls and mirrors. She was lying on one of the red sofas in the room as familiar faces surrounded her.
"I... I was talking with Riddle, right? I passed out?" She said in confusion.
"That's what Riddle said." Grim nodded as he sat on her lap waving his pitchfork tail.
"You passed out from the cold." Yuu explained carefully and touched her forehead, "You seem to be at a good temperature... It's unfortunate we don't have a medical thermometer..."
"I'll go get one." Trey responded and left the room.
Lotus was still a little unsteady as she took one of her pills secretly and laid back down. She looked to Yuu in confusion and said, "Did I interrupt your practice?"
"No." Yuu shook his head, "We were just about to wrap up for the day anyway."
"Y-Yeah!" Ace agreed with a wide smile, "More importantly, what happened?"
"You were exposed to the cold for too long." Riddle concluded, "I had the window opened today when he came in. I didn't think that he had a problem with the cold till he fainted as he was about to leave."
"Seriously?" Cater looked to Riddle in disbelief when he heard this.
"Excuse me, Riddle. Can I speak with you for a bit?"
Riddle looked to Yuu in surprise before nodded his head, "Of course..."
Yuu turned to Ace and Deuce, "I'll leave him with you guys for a little."
"Sure." Ace nodded.
"Just leave him to us." Deuce responded with a firm nod.
Once the two were gone, Deuce and Ace began to talk about how their practice had gone which had been terrible.
After having made it out of the room, Yuu turned to Riddle and asked hesitantly, "Can I leave Lotus in your dorm tonight?"
"Oh? Is there a reason for this?" Riddle raised a brow having heard this.
"It's too cold tonight and tomorrow morning." Yuu explained, "I've known that he's weak to the cold, but I didn't imagine it would be this bad. When the holiday break began, he collapsed and hit his head on the stairs. She was lucky a student from Pomefiore saw him from afar and saved him, but he had a fever not long after. This time, he collapsed again and tomorrow will be even more chilly."
Grim nodded firmly, "Mh, yeah. He's been in life threatening trouble over the holidays."
"Life threatening?" Riddle glanced over to Grim in surprise.
"Yeah!" Grim confirmed, "Last time, he hit his head on the stairs and was bleeding. The ghosts didn't even know he had a mishap either and he was just outside of our dorm!"
"Tonight will also be just as cold." Riddle nodded as he pieced the information together, "Basically, you want him to stay in the dorm tonight. I didn't think that he had collapsed recently."
Yuu nodded, "During the holiday, we were pulled away from the dorm and had to leave him with his friend from Diasomnia. He told me that he developed a high fever during the stay. I believe he's severely weak to the cold."
"All right." Riddle nodded, "He can stay with us for the night. Tomorrow, I'll send Ace and Deuce to accompany him. Since they usually meet up with you, then it should work out just fine. The temperature tonight will also be every more chilling and he's only just awaken."
Yuu nodded, "He doesn't seem to be in full health yet either. If we move him to Ramshackle dorm now, he would just faint along the way. I can't risk having him faint so far away from the nurse's office. Thank you very much for helping us, Riddle."
"It's what we have to do. It'll be all right. Just leave him with us tonight." Riddle said reassuringly, "We'll look after him here."
.....
Shortly after the four left, there was a moment of silence as Lotus rested on the ground next to the fire place. After seeing that her hands had gone pale white, she was placed next to the lounge's fireplace.
"Did you know?" Cater said with a wide smile, "There will be an exhibition in the school during the VDC."
"An Exhbition? As in an art exhibition?" One of the freshman muttered in confusion.
"Nope. It's an artifact exhibition." Cater said with a wide smile.
"Ah, then it probably won't feature the sceptre that the Queen of Hearts used." A second year said in dismay.
"Now, let's not get too bummed out yet." Cater said with a wide smirk on his face, "I haven't even finished talking yet. I heard from the teachers that they are going to display the crown that she had worn and the snake staff that the tactician of sand used many years ago. That's not all..."
Cater smirked as he said with a wide smile, "Do you remember when the royal family of the Valley of Thorns decided to display the gold staff of the Witch of Thorns?"
"Don't tell me..." Elijah spoke up with a look of awe.
"Bingo!" Cater exclaimed with an excited note, "They're displaying it in Cafeteria on the last day of the cultural festival! So, there will be a lot of construction outside of the Cafeteria. in the next few days."
"Is that so?" Riddle spoke up surprising everyone in the room.
Lotus looked over and found Riddle infront of the doorway next to Trey. Seeing everyone's eager face quickly plummet, Lotus wondered aloud, "Could it be that you guys have something to do on that day?"
"I'm afraid so." Trey responded with a heavy sigh as he shook his head in disappointment, "You see, these guys here have homework due after that week and they're falling behind."
"Yup!" Cater said with a wide smile, "That's why I'm here helping them out with tutoring. We are their seniors, after all! That and we aren't allowed to get a failing grade in this dorm without getting punished."
"Hmph! Naturally, I can't accept that!" Riddle declared, "In this dorm, only the roses can be red!"
Hearing this, the tension begin to build up again as Lotus wore a small smile, "Well, it's rare for the dorm leader to be this attentive to the students of a dorm... Why not I help out? I'm already taking up space in the lounge. Naturally, I should do something to help."
"Really?!" The freshman said with excitement in their eyes.
Trey raised a brow in surprise, "We can't make our guest take on such tasks for us."
Hesitant, at first, Riddle nodded, "Well, as long as it does not trouble you..."
"Riddle?!" Trey looked to Riddle in bewilderment when he heard this.
"Yeah, it's probably for the best if these guys want to pass the classes." Cater said with a heavy sigh, "I can only use my magic so much, you know."
"Cater too?" Trey said in bewilderment, "Could it be that his grades are really good?" Trey said in bewilderment.
"You don't know?" Riddle said in confusion, "I thought that I would usually be the last to know about these things, but It's an established fact that Lotus has always been ranked third place from the beginning of school amongst the first years."
"Really?" Trey said in surprise.
"Yeah." One of the students agreed, "When school began after break, Teacher Crewel and Teacher Trein handed us a pop quiz yesterday and he was the only one that scored a hundred in both of them."
"I didn't know about that part, but it's clear that Lotus would help the freshmen if they want to go to the exhibition." Riddle said with a frown, "Otherwise, if I see even one red mark, I will not be letting anyone of you go there."
"Seriously?!" The freshmen screeched in horror when they heard this.
"Did I not make myself clear?!" Riddle stated with a huff of dismay.
"Y-Yes, Dorm leader!"
Trey shook his head and sighed, "It can't be helped since we also have to keep watch of the crowd and the other students during that week."
"That's right." Riddle said with a sigh before he frowned, "That's why I better not find out that anyone of you are causing trouble for the guests that week. Or none of you will be going to the exhibition!"
"Yes, dorm leader!"
Hearing this, Lotus had an idea in mind. It would be boring if she just tutored them for their own benefit. She recalled how these people had failed the pop quiz and had an idea in mind.