He Seems Depressed

"With the exposure to things outside of his usual works and expectation, he will not be prepared to take part with helping any sort of experimentations." Lotus continued with a frown, "In school, he has been working on machines, not biological experimentations such as overblot. He would have to get back to those topics slowly over time. Jumping right off the bat into this environment would tire anyone out. That's why I may have to trouble Rook this time."

"Me?" Rook raised a brow.

Lotus nodded, "When you think about it, when there is an overblot, Yuu and the others would always be around. To solve Riddle's overblot, Ace and Deuce aided him in his endeavor to quell it. When it was Leona, Riddle and the others were involved. When it was Octavinelle, Leona was present to quell it. Each of the strongest magicians and those that had overblotted in the past had been present to quell the unrest with Yuu. Yuu also has the talent for beast master. Thus, I believe to quell the unrest in Idia's overblot, Yuu would require the help of Pomefiore to stop it and reach there. I don't want to make any speculations as to why the others would be present this time, either. Too much guessing would only give us the short end of the stick."

"I was going to say that I would leave at the first chance I get." Jamil muttered with a frown.

"What are you talking about?" Lotus raised a brow, "Even though, there's no telling if you would take part in the battle or not, won't you be kidnapped there as well? Must I ask someone who can't move from their confinement once they're there?"

"This..."

Jamil was left flabbergasted and a loss for words once he heard what she said. Rook laughed to lighten the mood and added, "But, how will I find the Isle of Lament? You do realize that the place is very difficult to trace."

"It won't be for you." Lotus smiled, "Because, as long as something happened to Vil, then you would definitely track him down for his beauty, wouldn't you? So, I have a strong hunch that you would be the best choice to ask compared to Epel who is still a freshman without unique magic. If you want to track something, you should always find a hunter because they are professionals in this field, aren't they?"

Hearing this, Rook was also fairly surprised from the unusual shine in his sharp eyes and widened his smile, "That's true. But, how do you believe I would be able to go after him?"

"That's easy." Lotus smiled, "He can't bring his makeup or any products with him, right? Not to mention, they probably wouldn't allow it when they catch him without notice. It would be the same for Jamil-senpai as well. There wouldn't be much planning for anyone to prepare. Would you really let him go without those objects and let his skin deteriorate?"

They could see his smile twitch slightly as the shine in his eyes begin to waver.

"Something like that would be considered as negligence for an idol, wouldn't it?" Lotus sighed, "Why else would he kick up a fuss in the place later on when it has a valid point?"

Hearing this, Rook wore a bright smile, "It would seem that I have no choice, then."

Lotus nodded with a smile, "Do you think you can drop by Dark Mirror before you leave then when that day comes?"

.....

As they walked away, Rook noted with a frown, "It would seem that Lotus isn't in the best of moods..."

"Isn't it obvious?" Jamil responded with a grumble of disdain, "Grim went on a rampage and was taken away. It would only be strange if he wasn't worried."

"Perhaps." Rook hummed, "However, he seems to be more depressed for a different reason... And not the best of conditions too..."

"Really?" Jamil frowned in deep thoughts.

Lotus was all smiley and going through so much alongside. However, having spent much time next to her and everyone else, he naturally started to pick up when the mood from them changes. The same could even be said with Lotus, who had been rather elusive in the past.

.....

"A small party?" Vil pondered curiously.

Lotus nodded, "That's right. During this week is the time of the Lunar New Years. Although I don't want to interrupt their camp with the customs of the holiday, it shouldn't be a problem if we spent the last day of the week with a dinner party. Then, maybe you can have them step up their training tomorrow? I won't be offering anything overly sweet tomorrow anyway. Cakes and such are not a part of the celebration to begin with. Since you all have training, I was thinking of a simple hotpot. I'll be serving green bean soup in the evening as dessert. Mung Bean and water. You can add a sweetener to your liking after it's done."

"Green bean soup?"

"Green bean soup can help detoxify the toxins in the body and stop acne from surfacing." Lotus explained, "The effects are usually within a night to two and it's good to have after having something with so much spice. As for the ingredients for dipping, I've compiled a list of ingredients that I'll hand to you later. For beverages, it would either be tea or water."

"Seems like you have everything planned out." Vil noted suspiciously.

"I had thought that everyone would be busy with exams this coming month, but I never thought that we would be having a cultural festival and have to prepare for that too." Lotus explained bluntly, "Since it's like this, then having something to celebrate over can help with them bond a little more. Aside from that... I wanted to air out some old fortune for new ones and renew their motivation. With you as their coach, can they really fall back to old habits?"

Hearing this, Vil hesitated with a frown before Rook spoke up, "I think it's a good idea. It's good to have motivation, but too much pressure can make some crack. Since Roi du Poison is the leader, it would be difficult for them to fall back on old habits. Besides, didn't you use your unique magic on the sweets?"

Hearing this, it was then that Vil relented and she managed to get Jamil's help preparing the ingredients.

"I still don't understand how you got Vil's permission to let us have a party for one night..." Jamil grumbled in frustration.

"Oh... Then, you don't want to rest for one night?" Lotus sneered.

"I didn't say that." Jamil frowned.

Lotus smirked, "Then, help me cut the vegetables and I'll cut the meats. Later, you can help me with the taste test for poison."

"What?" Jamil looked up at her with a startled expression causing her to laugh.

"Haha... Focus on my instructions unless you want to be blamed for failing to prepare the ingredients properly." Lotus responded without fear against Jamil's eyes glaring daggers at her.

"You!"

Before he could continue, Lotus had already begun slicing the meat as she instructed, "Go slice the potatoes and lotus roots into one eigth slices and rinse the small mushrooms."

"You..." Jamil grumbled in dismay before he sighed in defeat reluctantly, "Fine..."

Lotus was then able to create a little party for them using the leniency of their leader to coax his approval out from him. Thanks to that and the ingredients that was used, she was able to make it possible for them to hold the party. Even the usual Epel that would eat his healthy meal begrudgingly was able to eat little and still be full by the end to a certain extent. It was rare for everyone to have such a flavorful meal before Vil who had access to the broth that has no spices.

They ended up having to work all day the next day without breaks, but it can be assumed to be worth it as they got to know the other much better and got past a dilemma with their choreography performance.

.....

"Even though we were able to get a clearer understanding of our teammates and the staffs in Ramshackle Dorm, Lotus is still the only one we cannot connect with the most in the end and we did not know much about him before either." Jamil muttered with a frown, "Just what is he hoping to achieve by telling us these things? He should know that he can't get us to pull in the others of our dorm into the matter. And, the overblot situation..."

"She's not wrong." Rook responded shaking his head, "With so many overblots, some things are bound to happen soon."

"Then, you will go to Isle of Lament?" Jamil questioned.

"Oui..." Rook sighed in disappointment, "It would be a problem since there is no date of when Vil will leave with you and the other dorm leaders... Since Roi de Dragon will not be going with them, I will stay behind and see if he can shed some light on the matter of the organization."

"Looks like I will have to play my part, whether I want to or not." Jamil grumbled in disdain.

"Do not worry, Monsieur Multi. It will only be a few days. Roi d' or will manage things well during your absence." Rook wore a bright smile, "Lotus would be present as well."

"As if I'm worried about him." Jamil denied it bluntly with a frown as he grumbled, "We know he would do fine without me regardless."