Chapter Text
A short and plump woman sighs as the clock strikes at exactly five o'clock. She turns her attention to her students who aren't even hiding their impatience and excitement to go home "Alright children… that is all for today's lesson, go home now and Monday cleaners, don't forget to stay and clean the room.” all the students began to pack their bags in perfect unity (one of the times where they are all well coordination.
The bustling sound of students rushing out of their classrooms signals the end of another day torturous/wonderful day at school.
The way back home is a 10-minute walk to the terminal and a 6-minute tricycle ride home, it wasn't that long but she always looks forward to going back home to lay down on her soft bed, but unfortunately, she still has her cooking and dishwashing duties to tend to before relaxation(Because a certain lil'bro is to lazy to do the dishes when there's a chore list!)
After the completion of her tasks and nightly routine, Kris lays down on the heavenly bed of rest, and of course she did not forget to take her glasses off (that shit is expensive! Could you believe? 7k!).
However, as she begins to surrender to the temptation of sleep, something—an arm?—roughly pulls her consciousness away from her sleeping body. She, in turn, reacts accordingly.
Oh... oh— what the fuck— wait why is there a floating mirror in front of me?? Wait why am I floating?? Is this some sort of dream? Am I finally going crazy!? Oh Primus—
She begins to lose herself in the endless frenzy of questions she asks no one but herself, and fails to notice the sudden ripple on the mirror’s surface. As a pale hand slowly emerges from whatever lies beyond, an all-too-familiar voice breaks her away from her dilemma as it speaks.
For me, For them, For you,
Oh, this is some sort of sick dream right? It has to be!
The pale hand reached out and gripped her wrist in a way that wasn’t painful, but tight enough to make sure she couldn’t escape.
Kris shrieked in panic. Nope nope, no sir, nuh-uh not today—
We are all running out of time—
Desperation.
Yea I’m sure you are, but I don’t wanna run out of time so please leave me—
No matter what-
Request.
Yea no, farewell sir, I’m getting out of here.
Just as she was about to try and pull herself back into her physical body, the pale hand’s grip tightened, refusing to let her go.
Never let go of my hand.
Command.
The hand tightened its hold once more, then without any hesitation, pulled this poor weeb straight into the mirror of unknown.
“NOOOOO— I don’t wanna die and become a therapist! NOOOO—!”
However, her cries went completely unnoticed as the hand kept pulling her in… And then… A strange sensation suddenly wrapped around her entire being as she passed through the mirror and entered something dark, uncomfortable, and just a little suffocating.
After taking a moment to collect herself…
Well fuck, this definitely wasn’t part of my New Year’s plans. At least I got a new outfit out of it, though. Ooh~ heels, nice… Now how the hell do I get out of here?? Do the Yuus just… punch the lid off or… something?
The thought of having to do actual physical work to get the lid open immediately made her give up on the idea. She knew she needed to be outside, or use a special key to open this thing anyway—but before she could think any further…
Her thoughts were suddenly cut short as the coffin began to shake. Instantly, a heavy sense of dread crept its way into her mind.
“Grrr… this lid is so heavy!”
Oh yeah, Grim…
Oh shit, it’s Grim—
The shaking didn’t stop as Grim began to ramble about not getting caught and needing a uniform.
“Time for my secret move!"
As Grim announced this with glee, Kris panicked.
Originally, her plan was to just lie low and wait until the orientation or entrance ceremony started, but she had completely forgotten that Grim would literally set her on fire long before that even happened.
FUCKFUCKSHITFUCK— IT BURNS—
Desperate not to be turned into ash by this fire-breathing cat, Kris managed to ram the lid right off the coffin out of pure panic. Grim was caught completely off guard as the human teen tumbled out, falling face-first onto the cold cement. It hurt like hell, but at least she wasn’t getting cremated alive.
“Whaaaa—!! Why are you up!?”
Kristina pulled herself up and glared at her soon-to-be partner.
“Watch it, kitty! You were literally trying to burn me alive—how the fuck was I supposed to sleep through that!” Sorry Grimy, I love you, but I definitely don’t wanna die in pain.
“I’m not a cat! I’m the Great Grim!” Grim huffed in annoyance.
“What do you mean you’re not a cat… you even look like one…”
An awkward silence settled between the two. Internally, Kris was already having a whole debate with herself, while Grim continued to sizzle with unbridled anger. Do I run now or not?? I don’t wanna get burnt, but I also wanna see if I can befriend Grim early on… Choices, choices.
“Hrk! Whatever— Now give me those clothes! Or I’ll roast ya!” Grim declared, puffing out small embers of blue flame just to show he was completely serious about his threat.
“Wait! Wait, wait! How about you act as my familiar? You do know this place doesn’t allow monsters to enroll, right!?” Kris quickly proposed, hoping—really hoping—that Grim would accept the offer, or at least ask her what she meant by it.
“Huh!? Why should I, the Great Grim, become a familiar to a lowly human like you!?”
Bullseye.
“Well…” A smug smile spread across her lips as she laid out her reasoning, silently hoping her words would get through to him. “You can call me your henchman! As long as you behave, of course… And I’ll definitely get you some tuna after this!”
“Hmmm… well… uhh…” Grim thought it over for a moment before giving his answer. “Okay! But I’m still gonna be the boss! Ya got that, henchman?”
Huh, that was… easy… Oh well, this is way better than getting cooked alive. Kris let out a sigh of relief, then gave a dramatic mock salute. “At your service, the Great Grim!”
Grim huffed proudly. “Alright uhh… umm… Follow me, henchman!” He then turned around and ran straight out of the building.
“No wait— Grim! Don’t leave! That’s the wrong way!” Kris yelled as she took off running after the fire-breathing monster.
And so began the most pointless chase ever, with Grim trying to lead Kris somewhere—even though they didn’t actually need to go anywhere at all.
Kris eventually started to slow down after about fifteen minutes of non-stop running. She used the last of her energy to collapse onto the ground in the most dramatic fashion possible; physical activity was definitely not her forte, and it really showed. Not to mention, she had completely forgotten to take off her heels, and now her feet hurt like shit.
Just as she was about to give up on chasing her (soon-to-be) familiar, the sharp sound of a whip made her look up. There she saw Grim being held in place by that familiar crow-like man—Dire Crowley, the Headmage of Night Raven College.
God damn— he’s actually even more attractive in person— No! Kris, focus!
The crow-like man walked closer to her and extended his free hand to help her stand up. “Oh, I’ve found you at last! Are you one of the new students?” he asked, lowering his head so he could speak to her properly.
“Yes sir, I am,” Kris answered politely.
“Well then, you shouldn’t be doing things like this— leaving the grounds on your own!” Crowley reprimanded her. “Not only that, you have yet to properly tame your familiar, who has already broken quite a number of school rules!”
She bowed her head in apology. “Forgive me, Headmaster Crowley! I truly did not know this was not permitted!” …Not that I really mean it. Well… maybe just a little bit.
For a moment, it looked as though Crowley’s brain had completely short-circuited. “Oh… a polite one…” he murmured, sounding both confused and faintly impressed. “But even so! Please make sure you keep a closer eye on and take better care of your familiar next time!”
“Yes sir, I’ll definitely be much more careful from now on!” …Or so you pledged, at least partially.
“I’m not her fami— Nya—!” Grim began to protest, but Kris immediately shot him a sharp glare that clearly said ‘Shut it, or else you won’t be getting those treats you want’. Somehow, it worked perfectly, and Grim immediately fell silent, deciding not to argue any further.
“Very good…” Crowley praised her. “Now that you seem to have him under control, I shall return him to you. But I warn you— do not let him out of your sight again.”
And with that, he handed Grim back to her… and by “handed him back”, Crowley unceremoniously dropped the little creature straight into Kris’s arms.
Kris caught him, then held the cat-like monster just the way a child would hold their favorite teddy bear—much to Grim’s obvious dismay.
“Now then, let’s head back to the ceremony. You are the only one who hasn’t been sorted yet!” The Headmaster turned around and motioned for her to follow. “Oh, do keep up, fledgling! This way to the Mirror Chamber—we really must hurry!”
Kris nodded and walked closely behind him, tightening her grip on Grim despite the fire-cat’s continuous complaints.
Internally, the young girl was cheering happily; her plan to befriend and keep Grim under control had worked perfectly. Though this wasn’t exactly the time to celebrate just yet… there was still one more big obstacle waiting for her…
The Entrance Ceremony.
She sincerely hoped that Grim wouldn’t cause a huge scene like he did in the original timeline… because if he did… all the blame would automatically fall on her shoulders. After all, he was officially her familiar now—no longer just some random, strange fire-breathing monster she had happened to meet. As they walked, Kris took slow, steady breaths to try and ease the tight tension building up in her body.
Things were definitely going to get complicated sooner or later—she could just feel it. The price you pay for changing the plot, right? Still, she told herself she would just have to find a way to get through everything, no matter if it was all part of a twisted fate or simply the result of choices she herself had made. With her reliable familiar by her side and her knowledge of what was meant to happen, they would definitely make it through. At least… that’s what she hoped.