Book 3 - The Merchant from the Depths: Chapter 29; Lounge Confusion

The screen turns on as the chapter title plays "Chapter - 29; Lounge Confusion".

The first-year group are still playing keep-away with the tweels when Floyd suddenly complains "Okay, I'm tired of chasing 'em around." But Jade tells him "There's not long to go now. Let's just enjoy it."

Jack is getting concerned as he shouts "Hey, Yuu! The sun's close to setting!" Even Grim is concerned as he asks her "Yuu, are you SURE you know what you're doin'?" Yuu nods as she tells them "They'll come through for us! I'm positive."

It then switches over to Azul in his VIP room, apparently watching what's going down in Coral Sea as he chuckles before stating "It seems Jade and Floyd have matters well in hand. Now Ramshackle Dorm and the photo are as good as mine." He hums for a couple of seconds before breaking out into evil laughter.

But he's interrupted by knocking on his door, as a Octavinelle student bursts in shouting "Pardon me, Mr. Manager!" as he bows.

Azul stands up asking him "What is it, and where's your indoor voice?"

The student answers, still bowing "Sorry, sir. The Mostro Lounge is dealing with a problem right now…" Azul pushes his glasses up as he asks "Of what nature?"

The student stops bowing as he tells Azul "Some customers are arguing and getting rowdy, and Jade and Floyd are out right now…"

Azul sighs and shakes his head as he says "Really, now. What kind of unmannerly lout starts a scene in a dining establishment? Very well. I'll be right there."

The student then hurries out to help with the already chaotic place.

Azul looks at where he was watching how things were going in Coral Sea as he states "I'm sure Jade and Floyd will handle things well enough on their own." He then walks out as he quietly says "Dear me…"

It then switches over to Mostro Lounge, which is crammed with Savanaclaw students.

Azul is shocked as he shouts "What is the meaning of this? We've barely opened our doors for the day. How is everything already in such disarray?!"

A Savanaclaw student shouts at one of the waiters "HEY! I want my drink and I want it NOW!" Another shouts, chanting "Meat! Meat!" before bursting out laughing. Then another student shouts at the previous one "Hey, that's MY meat! I ordered that!"

Azul pushes his way through the Savanaclaw students shouting "Clear the way, coming through!"

He then bumps into Ruggie accidentally, but as Azul's still trying to get a handle on the situation he ignores who he bumps into shouting "Excuse me!" before just walking away.

Ruggie says back "It's cool, you're excused." before laughing his signature laugh as he now puts his hand that was out, into his pocket, but wasn't noticed due to the chaos.

A Savanaclaw student is then seen standing up shouting "Hey, waiter! I need a refill!" Mostro Lounge is so packed that even the regular Octavinelle students are having to work as much as the anemones, as an Octavinelle student shouts "Yessir! Be right there, sir!"

Two Octavinelle students spot Azul and rush over to him as one shouts in a panic about the situation "Housewarden! We've been so flooded with orders that our stock of food for the day has run out!" The other shouts "We're running low on beverages, too!" Azul shouts "Already?!"

But he quickly recollects himself as he makes a plan and tells them "Fine. So be it. I'll get some cash from the vault. You make a quick run to the school store and…"

But then as he reaches down to grab the vault key he feels nothing there. He makes a "Hm?" noise as he looks down to see why.

But then gasps as he sees the key is no longer there.

He shouts "I-it's gone! The vault key is gone! Oh, no… Oh, no!"

He then remembers who exactly he had bumped into, Ruggie Bucchi, expert pick-pocketer.

So he rushes back to the VIP room, in a panic now that his vault key is gone, and he had just bumped into Ruggie Bucchi.

He shoves the door open and sees Leona sitting on one of the sofas, feet up on the mini table and arms stretched out across back. Leona greets him "Hey there, cephalo-punk."

Azul states "Leona Kingscholar…!"

Leona then stands up and asks him "What's a calm, collected guy like you doing in such a tizzy?" clearly only sarcastically caring.

Azul calms himself as he tells Leona "It's none of your business. What are you doing in here, anyway?" Leona answers "Funny you should ask."

He then starts to swing a key around his finger as he tells Azul "Y'see, I've got this key here. Yours, I believe? I found it on the floor and had a feeling it was yours. So I'm bringing it back." with a smirk.

Azul, of course, recognizes it as his vault key and shouts "H-hey! That's–"

Seeing him panic, even if only slightly, makes Leona say "I knew it. Bingo."

Azul shouts "Give that back this instant. Theft is a serious crime!"

But Leona only laughs at this as he sarcastically asks "Here I'm playing nice and bringing it right to you, and you're treating me like a common thief?"

But Azul isn't amused, Leona rolls his eyes as he tosses the key to Azul telling him "Fine. Here, it's all yours."

Azul sighs in relief once he catches the key and it's back in his hands.

Leona tells Azul "That's all I'm here for. See you around cephalo-punk." before he walks out of Azul's VIP room.

Once Azul knows Leona is a safe distance away; he panics, running up to the vault shouting "The contracts… Are the contracts there?!"

He undoes all of the locking mechanisms.

But he only sucks in a quick breath as the contracts are no longer there before saying "They're…gone."

Not fully registering for a moment before it finally sinks in and he goes into a panic mode of sorts shouting "Gone, gone, gone! The contract scrolls are nowhere to be found!" as he frantically searches the safe even more to double check that ALL of them are gone.

He then looks back at the door as he shouts "Was it…him?!"

Azul then runs out of the VIP room, chasing Leona down to see if he was the one who took them.

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