Book 3 - The Merchant from the Depths: Chapter 1; Cramming Session

The screen turns on as a new beginning plays "Book 3 - The Merchant from the Depths", then the chapter title plays "Chapter - 1; Cramming Session".

It opens to the mirror once again, sucking Yuu into a dream rippling and glowing.

The dream shows a ship in the ocean in the middle of a large storm. Yuu says "What an intense storm…" A sailor is heard shouting "Hurricane a'comin'! Stand fast! Secure the riggin'!" But it seems someone had fallen overboard as a girl was holding up a passed out man, up above the waves. As it zooms out more it shows that there's a beach near-by that she's pulling him towards. It then only shows white as a female voice, most likely the girl who was helping the man, is heard saying "Look! He's breathing." It then switches to later as an older butler runs up to the man on the beach shouting "Eric!" as he helps him up and back over to the mainland. Eric, or the man tells the butler "A girl…rescued me. She has the most…beautiful voice…" It then zooms out more as a rock out at the ocean is seen as the girl looks over it at the land. But this also reveals her fish or rather mermaid tail. She only has a shell bra on and she shouts "My heart… Oh, how it pounds!" as the wind blows her hair behind her. The girl then says "Yes. I know it. The day will soon come…" As a big wave crashes on the rock behind her and makes a giant splash as she sing yells "Part of your world!" It then moves downward as two rather ugly eels are seen laughing as they watch the girl.

It then zooms out and out of the mirror itself as well, as Yuu blinks her eyes waking up. She sits up as she puts a hand to her head and questions "Was I dreaming of the sea…?"

The room is then properly seen again.

But there seems to have been some kinda small time-skip between the last chapter and now. As the room is entirely fixed up. All of the cobwebs were gone, the wallpaper was fully on the wall again or they were at least repainted. The floors had been swept, and the rub had either been replaced or wasted as the colors were much brighter and clear now. All of the paintings that were either on the floor, or just barely still hanging on the walls had been properly put back up. The fire-place no longer had random coal or fuel lying out of it and had properly cleaned with a fire guard now up as well. There was a tall dresser for any clothing they or rather Yuu may gain. The large armchair finally had the sheet taken off of it, and most likely cleaned. The chair was forest green with a blue piece of cloth over the top bit and a matching footrest on the floor next to it. There was also a side table to go along with the armchair. Then back over to the other side of the room with Yuu's bed. The rug is now properly laid out underneath the bed, which the main bed structure had a solid cleaning as well and there was a proper bed set and pillow now laid on the bed. Although still just plain white. There was also a small bedside table that also had its deep clean as well.

Grim is then seen on the armchair looking intently at an open book on the side table. Grim is half asleep as he students and sleepily says "Mrrrghrow… The trick to tests…is if there're two choices…it's a trick question…" Before his head falls down and snoring is heard.

Yuu walks up to him and shakes him lightly asking "Coming off an all-night cram session?" Grim shoots up as he shouts at her "MYAH! Don't surprise me like that! You'll make me forget everything I memorized! Today's the last day of mid-term exams, y'know."

He then starts to float off as he tells her "You and I are still technically one student put together, so you better not tank my grades, Yuu." He then bumps into the wall and shouts at it. Yuu face-palms as she says "This, from the last-minute crammer…"

It then switches to later in class as a bell rings before Crewel is heard telling the students "The test is over, whelps. Put your pens away and hand over your answer sheets like good little dogs." The students all walk up and give Crewel their papers, and as he arranges them nicely he finishes off telling them "And with that, I do believe exams have come to a close."

The students or some more specific ones being Deuce, Grim, and Ace cheer out "YEAAAH!" at Crewel's statement. He yells at them "Down! SIT!"

They embarrassedly sit back down as Crewel continues telling them "Don't start celebrating yet. Any bad boys who fare poorly in their exams…"

He pauses as he hits his cane thing against his hand and finishes telling them "...will be given mandatory remedial lessons over the winter holidays. Consider yourselves warned."

Before sitting back down at the desk satisfied as he tells them "Class dismissed."

All the students then happily walk out. Yuu, Grim, Ace, and Deuce all walk out together as Ace happily says "Whew, FINALLY. It's over!" Deuce tells them rather proudly "I gave it my absolute best. All that's left now is to wait for our scores to come back." Grim laughs as he proudly states "No lousy test is a match for my brilliant mind."

Ace then teases them "Really? You guys usually look like your lives just flashed before your eyes after written exams. Now you're changing your tune?" Grim chuckles as he boasts "You bet your bottom thaumark I am. Today marks the dawn of a new and improved me! You better be ready, 'cause soon you'll all be callin' me "Galaxy Brain Grim'' and beggin' for scraps of my knowledge." Deuce smiles as he challenges back "That's a bold claim, but I'm pretty confident in my performance this time myself. No offense, but I'm definitely gonna outscore you."

Ace then teases Deuce "Says the guy who's perpetually biting his lip and barely staying above a failing grade."

Ace then boasts himself "Oh course, this test was a piece of cake for me, so I'm pretty sure I'm gonna come out on top."

Yuu rolls her eyes as she outs Grim telling them all "Grim, you did ONE last-minute cram session."

Grim defends saying "What can I say? Geniuses like me can breeze through class without havin' to slave away at their desk like you do."

Which only gets another eye roll in return from Yuu.

Deuce tells them "Anyway, exams are done and dusted. I'm gonna hit up the Track Club." Ace says "Y'know, I could stand to get in some exercise at the Basketball Club myself. Let's break this huddle for today, guys." Grim agrees telling Yuu "Let's head back to the dorm, Yuu. I'm dead on my feet after that all-nighter."

It then switches to an entirely different place as they separate from each other. The first major thing is another giant window that shows the ocean behind it. There seemed to be some lights lined along the bottom to make viewing of the under the sea easier. Which made sense because it seemed to be a bar or restaurant of some kind, as there were big leather couches around tables with a lighting piece on each of the tables. The couches were a deep brown but with the much darker mood lighting they had a purple tint to them. The lighting pieces were at the base of what looked like a gold hand holding onto a purple/pink or rather magenta glowing orb. There was a drink counter with a bunch of different large bottles in cubbies, with glasses and mixing/pouring tools arranged on the actual counter. There were also seats around the counter. Although they were more like bar stools than anything. With the main metal body of the seat being an unclear silver or gold and the cushion or main seat part being seashell shaped in a dark purple with the same silver/gold working as a border. There were also some more unique chandeliers, or rather some more of those squid chandeliers. Except these ones were black instead of the blue, and the white circular spots used to represent suction cups weren't the glowing bits. Instead there were glowing jellyfish hanging off of them that produced a cool blue light.

Azul is standing in the middle of this place in that same outfit he was wearing at the side street during the tournament. With Jade on his right and Floyd on his left, both also in the same outfits they were wearing at that time.

Jade has his hand together as he stands with a polite smile, while Floyd has one hand on his hip and the other down at his side with a more jokingly serious smile on, and then Azul has a business face on with his arms crossed.

Azul pushes his glasses up as he asks "Why did you ignore my summons yesterday? You clearly don't understand the position you're in."

An Octavinelle student with tan hair is then seen in front of them as they stutter out "L-look, I was dealing with some, uh, stomach problems…"

Azul moves the hand that was on his glasses to the side and has in open in an almost claw like way as he tells the student "Is that true? Because lying would not do you any favors, I assure you." The student tells him nearly yelling "Yes, it's true! I was sick to my stomach!"

Azul looked over to Jade as his eyes narrowed slightly with mischievousness before asking him "Jade, why don't you help our friend here to speak a bit more honestly?" Jade nods as he tells Azul "As you wish."

He then started walking closer to the student, who backed away in nervousness. Jade did his own kind of reassurance telling the student "Now, now, there's no need to flinch. This won't hurt one bit."

Noticing the slight change of aura as well as the knowledge that continuing to back away would do no one any good the student stopped backing away. Jade smiled also with mischievousness as he instructed the student "If you could look my way?"

The student actually followed the instructions, although still nervous and suspicious, as he looked Jade in the eye.

Jade's smile widened as he told the student "Yes, just like that, thank you." He then spoke a spell "Shock the Heart"

The student, noticing the spell, backs away as he exclaimed "Hrk! Wh-what was that?!"

But they ignore the student's question as Jade asks him again "Now, let's try this again. Why didn't you respond to Azul's summons yesterday?"

The student says "Because I was sick…" as their voice trails off before he shouts "...sick of running myself ragged doing the dirty work of a low-down, black-hearted cheater like Azul, that is! Of course I wasn't actually sick to my stomach! That's just an excuse!"

The student then immediately after that caps a hand over their mouth before shouting in a panic "Grk! What in the world?! My mouth started moving faster than my brain, and…" Taking a second look at their expression as his voice trails off before he screams "Oh, crud!"

Jade once again folds his hand in front of himself as he states "There we have it – your true feelings on the matter." He then walks back and takes his place back beside Azul.

Meanwhile Azul does a long drawn out shrug as he says "Oh, dear… Goodness gracious me. Why, I'm positively wounded." He then brings his hand back down to his side as he says, with some anger hidden within his voice "Here I granted you a wish out of benevolence rivaling that of our venerable Sea Witch herself… and you would turn around and call me – what was it again?" As he puts a hand over his heart for exaggeration purposes before he mimics what the student had called him "'A low-down, black-hearted cheater'?"

The student exclaims "I-I'm sorry! This is all a misunderstanding, I swear!" while deeply bowing in an attempt to show his 'extreme remorse'.

Azul does a doubtful hum before telling the student "Spare me your sniveling."

He doesn't drop his gaze from the student as he says "Floyd, you're up." Floyd happily asks "You finally done? Can I squeeze him now?" Azul holds one arm up by his elbow and he smiles mercilessly as he tells Floyd "Be my guest. Wring him out with all your heart." Floyd says with some excitement as he walks over to the student "Can do~"

The student had fallen to the ground as he tried to back away from Floyd, and continued to do so even after falling. He pleads "W-wait! Give me just one more chance! I promise I'll–" as he's doing a backwards crawl still trying to get further away from Floyd.

But after seeing their faces he knows that there's no chance that will work so he attempts to get up and run.

But is grabbed by Floyd and squeezed as the student screams "GYAAAGH!!!" In extreme pain.

The student passes out after a couple of seconds though so he's not in agony for too long, as after he passed out Floyd had just dropped him to the ground.

Azul rolls his eyes as he makes a 'Hmph' of disapproval.

Before rhetorically asking Jade and Floyd "These deadbeats just love skimping on their payments, don't they?" Azul holds his hands out and looks down as he states "When you buy something, you pay for it. When you incur a debt, you pay it back. That's just common sense." Jade tells him "I couldn't agree more, sir."

Azul puts his hands up exasperated as he says "I can only hope this year provides me with better clients than the last…" Jade chuckled as he states "I look forward to seeing those final exam scores come in."

The screen then fades to black as "To be continued" plays before it fully turns off.