Vic raised two fingers, his eyes gleaming as if they held two stars, a sly grin spreading across his lips. "First," he wagged his first finger.
"Bianca, our beloved siren, is also participating in this race. I've heard she's been the champion for several years in a row. You must be tired of seeing her arrogant face by now?" He leaned in closer to Wednesday, lowering his voice to a teasing tone: "Don't you want to personally drag her down from that ridiculous throne and make her feel the mud?
Just imagine the look on her face, perfectly shattered... how delightful." Wednesday's lips twitched almost imperceptibly.
The image of Bianca being humiliated formed a somewhat aesthetic piece of dark art in her mind. Vic seized the moment, wagging his second finger: "Second, and more importantly— I know that the winning team of the Poe Cup not only gets a year's worth of bragging rights and the highest 'glory'..." He deliberately drew out his words, observing Wednesday's reaction.
"... but more importantly, they also get a very practical privilege: the privilege of being off-campus. Think about it, Miss Wednesday Addams, this means a softer leave policy, more free time for investigations..." He gazed at Wednesday with a fox-like grin, as if he had just stolen a chicken, knowing he had accurately thrown the most enticing bait.
Wednesday remained silent. Her gaze swept across Vic's triumphant smile, Enid's tear-filled eyes, and Venom's large, white eyes that seemed to be enjoying the chaos.
Cold logic told her that this was a very bad idea. Participating in a primitive competition, devoid of destined aesthetics, filled with mud and stupid rivalry, alongside a group of loud and unpredictable maniacs?
Absurd. But...
crushing Bianca underfoot... and the key was named 'off-campus privilege' that led to a broader investigation space...
her fingertips curled involuntarily. "Fabricating numbers?" she finally spoke, her voice colder than winter wind in an ice warehouse, dripping with unmasked sarcasm.
"Sitting in that... wooden coffin, garish and aesthetically bankrupt, like an idiot waiting to be sacrificed?" Her sharp gaze shot towards Enid: "If I'm forced to participate in this joke, then everything must be done my way.
Including, but not limited to, modifications to the boat, route selection, and... methods for dealing with competitors." She paused, finally delivering the verdict Vic had been waiting for and Enid had been desperately hoping for: "I'm in.
" Vic immediately let out a victorious whoop, almost rushing to give Wednesday a hug, but stopped under her deadly gaze, instead enthusiastically hugging Enid beside her.
Enid, as if overwhelmed with excitement, tears still clinging to her eyelashes, but a brilliant smile had already bloomed on her face: "Great! Wednesday! Thank you! You're the best!" Wednesday added expressionlessly: "Don't get it wrong.
This is merely the optimal solution based on cost-benefit analysis. And, if any of you slow down my progress, or get a single speck of mud on my clothes, I won't hesitate to throw you into the lake to feed the mutant fish."
"Of course, of course!" Enid hastily nodded, willing to agree to anything Wednesday said at this moment, "You're the captain! We'll all listen to you!" Vic chimed in with a grin: "Exactly! Our Gothic captain! Our target is the stars and the sea... and Bianca's tear-stained, messy face!" Venom added lazily: "And turning the other teams into our chocolate reserve." Wednesday ignored the last comment.
She took a deep breath, as if she had already predicted the chaos and misery that would unfold in the coming days. But strangely, aside from the usual annoyance, deep down, it seemed there was something very faint, forcibly suppressed...
a desire? She turned and walked to her desk, pulling out paper and pen, her voice regaining its usual coldness and efficiency: "Then, first, we need to redesign the 'pitiful black thing.' In its current state, aside from its overly bright color, it's completely useless.
" The tip of her pen touched the paper, beginning to sketch lines.
"We need to strengthen its structure, add hidden attack points, maybe even install a retractable ram... because there are no rules." She lifted her eyes, gazing at Vic and Enid, a cold, icy smile curving at the corner of her mouth.
"Then, let's make our own rules." Outside the window, the night was very deep.
Inside the dorm, a bizarre armada consisting of a Gothic girl, a crazy boy, a rainbow werewolf girl, and a greedy symbiote was about to set sail. Their goal: to win the race, humiliate their opponents, and gain freedom of access.
And in the process, they might inadvertently unleash a bloodbath. This was very Nevermore.
The lingering warmth of the Harvest Festival revelry had not yet fully faded, but Nevermore Academy's Black Lake dock was already shrouded in a more tumultuous atmosphere. The annual "Poe Cup" canoe race was about to begin here.
The air was a mix of the lake's fishy aroma, the pungent smell of fresh paint, dry heat of adrenaline, and... a faint, hard-to-understand scent of blood?
Perhaps leftovers from some teams from previous years. Colorfully painted canoes were randomly docked at the shore, resembling a group of stranded deep-sea monsters.
Competitors, wearing their respective team uniforms, were loudly shouting, taunting each other, doing their final warm-ups, or... making threats.
Amidst the chaos, one boat drew all the attention like a magnet—curious, mocking, wary. It was the "completely remodeled black cat." The former gaudy rainbow layer had been entirely covered by Wednesday Addams with matte black paint.
Large, fierce cat claw marks were painted in white on both sides of the hull, torn from the bow to the stern, as if the boat had just escaped from the claws of a giant dark creature. The crew of the "black cat" stood near their boat, making their final clothing preparations...?
Or more accurately, enduring torture. "Oh my, you look so adorable! Why not stick some cat whiskers on too?" Enid said to Wednesday, who had just stepped out of a temporary changing tent, exuding low pressure.
Enid was wearing a tight black uniform, a cat ear headband on her head swaying slightly with her movements. She already had cute whiskers painted on her face with oil paint, looking just like an over-energetic cat-eared girl.
Wednesday wore a black uniform in the same style, perfectly outlining her slender yet explosive figure. However, in contrast to her physique was the black cat headband on her head, completely clashing with her Gothic temperament, and the expression on her face that seemed to wish the world would end right then and there.
Her eyes were hollow, the cold air emanating from her body dropping the temperature of the surrounding noisy air by several degrees. "If you make one more comment about my outfit," Wednesday's voice sounded as if it came from the depths of a frozen lake, each word carrying shards of ice, "I will let you personally experience why nine lives are not enough for a cat."
"Hey! Not fair!" a deep voice complained.
Venom separated from Victor's body, merging into a muscular and massive form, pointing at Wednesday and Enid, "Why don't I have a uniform? I want cat ears too!" Enid gazed at the black symbiote like a mountain, apologizing sincerely: "Sorry, Venom.
We really... really couldn't find a uniform that fits your... uh... magnificent physique." She gestured with her hand, her tone filled with genuine regret.
Venom looked down at its own muscular chest and powerful physique, grumbling gloomily, "Maybe I really should try to reduce my chocolate intake..." At that moment, the other end of the black line connected to Venom trembled, and Vic finally crawled out of another tent.
As he stepped out, the air in this small area near the dock seemed to freeze for a moment.