On the day of Outreach Day, the sunlight was so bright it was somewhat glaring, completely out of place with the usual gloomy atmosphere of Nevermore Academy.
Students gathered at the academy gates, chattering as they waited for their community service assignments.
Victor looked at the volunteer service slip he had just received, his eyebrows twitching.
"Ulias Emporium?" He scratched his messy black hair that always seemed to stick up. "Oh, I remember that place... a dark corner filled with moldy antiques and suspicious artifacts. My luck has never been particularly good."
He tilted his head, glancing at the gothic girl nearby who radiated an aura of'stay away.'
When he saw the same volunteer slip in Wednesday's hand, a gloating smirk spread across his lips.
"Wow, it looks like our Miss Wednesday is equally lacking the favor of Lady Luck today." He shook his slip, his tone carrying undisguised mockery.
Wednesday didn't even lift her eyelids, her voice as cold as ice: "I never rely on illusory luck. Thing just told me that Enid Sinclair was assigned to 'Pilgrim World'."
She looked up, her dark pupils devoid of any emotional fluctuation, as if merely stating a fact. "I'm going to swap with her."
Hearing this, Victor shook his head exaggeratedly, his face written with an expression of 'you just don't get it.'
"I don't think Enid will be willing. She's been talking about the Rainbow Swirl Gummies at 'Pilgrim World' for an entire week. Supposedly, you can taste 'happiness' in those candies."
Victor shrugged, "But, good luck. I'll also go see if some poor soul is willing to swap this 'good' chore of 'antique appreciation' with me."
Just as he turned around, making a move toward the crowd, a hand suddenly grabbed his wrist. The force wasn't great, but the icy coldness and determination of the fingertips were clearly transmitted through the fabric.
Wednesday had somehow appeared before him, looking up, her icy gaze like two poisoned daggers pinned straight into his playful, mocking eyes.
"Don't follow me." Her voice was very low, every word squeezed out from between her teeth, "I don't need protection. Put away your clever little tricks, Victor."
After speaking, she abruptly shook off his hand, her black hemline drawing a resolute arc as she walked toward Enid without looking back, leaving Victor standing there alone.
Victor watched her back, let out an exaggerated "Wow," and rubbed the wrist she had just grabbed, where a trace of icy sensation seemed to linger.
"So mean, isn't she?" He seemed to be speaking to the air, or perhaps to himself, "Alright, alright, independent Goth Queen."
The cynical smile on his face slowly faded, and a fleeting, complex emotion flashed deep in his eyes, only to be quickly covered by an even thicker grin.
"But I believe," he muttered softly, his tone carrying a strange certainty, "one day, Snow White will remember her dear Prince... even if the Prince is a maniac with a terrifying pet."
"Prince?" Venom's voice rang out in his mind, filled with merciless ridicule.
"Oh, come on, Victor! Wake up! In this kind of fairy tale, the role you usually play is the Demon King who gets his head chopped off by the hero! And honestly, I think that Goth girl is more suited for the 'Evil Queen'—she doesn't even need a poisoned apple, just look at how she usually poisons you with her eyes!"
Victor: "..."
He decided to temporarily block out this non-romantic commentator inside him.
On the other side, Wednesday precisely located Enid in the crowd, who was excitedly discussing rainbow gummies with her friends.
"Enid." Wednesday's voice was like a cold stream, instantly extinguishing the cheerful atmosphere around Enid.
"Swap with me." She concisely handed over the volunteer slip printed with "Ulias Emporium," leaving no room for negotiation, as if merely issuing a natural command.
The smile on Enid's face froze instantly. She looked at the volunteer slip that seemed to reek of mold, shaking her head like a rattle: "No swap, no swap! Wednesday! Ulias Emporium is dark, old, and has a weird smell! I'm going to Pilgrim World to buy rainbow gummies!"
Wednesday remained expressionless, as if she had expected this answer. She naturally took back the volunteer slip and dropped a bombshell in a flat tone:
"Fine. Then I can only stay at Ulias Emporium with Victor. I heard there are many corners there, and it's quite quiet."
The word "quiet" was spoken by her with a meaningful inflection.
The air froze instantly.
The expression on Enid's face changed at a visible rate from resistance to shock, then to a strong sense of crisis, and finally settled into a desperate determination!
"Wait!" She almost screamed, snatching the "Ulias Emporium" slip from Wednesday's hand and, with lightning speed, stuffed her own brightly colored "Pilgrim World" slip into Wednesday's hand!
The movement was so fast she almost tore the slip.
"Oh! Wednesday! I suddenly feel that an ancient and mysterious antique shop is also very attractive! Full of historical atmosphere!" Enid babbled incoherently, her cheeks flushed red with excitement.
"Thinking about it, rainbow gummies are too sweet! Bad for the teeth! I... I'd better go experience the historical and cultural atmosphere!"
She tightly clutched the swapped volunteer slip as if holding a ticket to a happy future, her eyes shining brilliantly.
"Oh, Wednesday!" She was even so excited she wanted to give Wednesday a hug, but was pinned in place by a cold gaze, "I love you so much! Today! Just today! I feel like I can definitely win him over!"
After speaking, she skipped away quickly like a happy little bird, as if afraid Wednesday would change her mind.
Wednesday stood in place, looking down at the "Pilgrim World" volunteer slip in her hand, which was stuffed with cartoon fonts and rainbow patterns.
Objective achieved.
Perfect.
However, for some reason, looking at Enid's excited and hopeful back and recalling her phrase "definitely win him over," an extremely faint, inexplicable... annoyance surged in Wednesday's heart.
This emotion was foreign and illogical.
She quickly and crudely attributed this inexplicable unpleasantness to her usual disgust for Enid's love-brained stupidity and her own disdain for having to use such low-level means to achieve her goal.
Yes, it must be that.
She gathered her thoughts, carefully folded the gaudy volunteer slip, and placed it in her dress pocket.
When she cast her gaze toward "Pilgrim World" again, she had already regained her absolute calmness and focus.
The clues to Joseph Crackstone were right there.