01x04 - A Creeping Madness

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Impossible. They still had this much mana left?

After casting all those spells?

Golden mana and a human familiar...

How very interesting!

GO!

But the same trick won't work on me twice!

They're gone?!

Impossible, where did they-

They used the crystals to get up here?!

A-are you sure you don't want to watch?

Why would I wanna watch?

I already know how it's gonna turn out. No way the underclassman's winning.

Yeah, I know, but what if they do?!

They're not gonna b*at her. You know how tough she is.

They...

They...

They WON?!

Black or white? Tangled up, they turn gray

Everything always seems so ambiguous

I walk by your side as you smile, helpless

Admiration clear as day

Shining out across the endless distance

Cast a spell on this pitiful situation with an Abracada-Boo

There's a loneliness hidden beneath the darkness in your eyes

I wish I could embrace it with a gentle song

Even the whole world starts to shout it's all a lie,

As long as you are as you are

I'll sweep through with a glimmering wind and scream out the truth

Even if the whole world yells out that it's a sin,

Even if I'm all on my own

I want to keep learning to understand you

I'm on your side, I'll protect you

A CREEPING MADNESS

Hey, Alto!

Is it true you won a duel against a member of the student council?!

You went after the Dragonriders, too, right?!

Wooow!

No, you've got the wrong idea...

Wha... Wha...

What the hell is THAT?!

I don't know why you're surprised. He defeated a Gold Square member of the student council.

Th-those harlots... Those brazen tramps!

Just DAYS ago they were making fun of Alto for being a "boring nerd"!

Down, girl.

No, do NOT tell me to stand down, Cheryl! I'll k*ll them! I'll put an end to them, here and now!

Put the rock down, please.

Alto Goldfield.

Professor Obsidian!

Could I borrow you for a moment?

Sir, Alto's incredible! He b*at a student council member in a duel!

Yes, I know. I saw the duel.

Taking out Chris was quite the impressive feat.

Oh, no, well...

However...

You shouldn't challenge others to duels on a whim.

You won this time, but if you'd have lost, who knows what you would have been made to do?

Sir, Alto didn't do it on a whim!

I know. He had a reason.

And that reason was important enough, yes?

Yes, sir!

Good.

But do try not to overdo it, now. Understood?

Y-yes, sir! Thank you!

I was scared for a sec there...

But wow, Professor Obsidian is so cool!

I can see why all the girls fawn over him.

Is Professor Obsidian your type too, Lilia?

What?

Of course not! How dare you imply that?!

The hell you doing that for?

If you lose, you do chores.

Those are the rules, and as Captain, you better believe I'm gonna follow them.

Also...

I'm sorry.

What?

Don't give me that scowl.

You should treasure this rare little gift from an admiring underclassman.

Gimme that.

You gotta start over from the bottom, right? Great. We're finally on the same level.

Don't push yourself too hard. You're gonna reopen those cuts.

Remind me who cut me in the first place!

Vermeil...

Seriously, though, I mean it! Do NOT kiss me while I'm sleeping!

Aww, but I wanted one.

No "but"s! And put some clothes on, too!

Why're you so uptight?

Who do you think helped you defeat, uh... Chris, from the student council?

So you should let me take what I want when I can.

Or is it something else? Do you hate kissing me that much?

No, it's not that... I just...

A-anyway, I think you should only k-kiss someone you're in love with!

Well, then, you don't have to worry.

Huh?

Because...

I love you a whole lot.

With that settled, gimme more!

HEY!

I swear... Vermeil doesn't know when to stop.

She should've when she said she wanted a taste of SOMETHING ELSE, too...

You're positively glowing this morning.

You think so?

I love you a whole lot.

N-no, no, no! That's not what she meant!

Besides, Vermeil is...

Alto?

Sorry, I'm coming!

What am I even thinking?

Still...

Can a demon really fall in love with a human?

Can a demon fall in love with a human?

Yes, sir. I thought you might know the answer.

It's true that the demons play a vital role in the history of magic.

Demon-human romance, though...

I didn't take you for the romantic type.

O-oh, no, I'm not! I just...

Let me think.

There are folk stories about women bearing the children of demons,

and lust-craving incubi and succubi are said to exist as well.

Succubi...

However...

it's difficult to say if their actions are motivated by love.

S-so, uh!

Could a succubus be interested in a human man?

Yes.

But it would be because she desires his mana.

Did something happen to you today?

Huh?

Oh, no... Not really. Is something wrong?

No, I just noticed...

you've been moving your food around but not eating.

Not sure why you're not hungry, but I'll eat it if you won't!

Vermeil!

Look, I-I-I... Gosh, how to put it...

You ARE acting strange today.

Do you only like me because you want my mana?

What kind of question is that?

Are you only staying here...

...because you want to drain my mana?

What a silly boy you are.

Is this why you were acting strange? Because you worried that's all I'm after?

I, ah...

I'm... I'm sorry.

You don't need to apologize.

But I'm curious. Why did you even start to think that?

Because you always try to drain my mana.

Well, only because I have to! I need mana to live.

I know, but...

Alto.

See, you're doing it again!

Wait, what? You didn't touch my mana...

I should only kiss someone I love, right?

Besides! Why are you giving ME a hard time?!

What about YOU then, huh?!

Huh?! {\rSubtitle}What about YOU then, huh?!{\r}

C'mon. You could kiss ME sometimes, you know.

I...

I can't today!

Demons are so mean!

You're glowing even brighter than usual.

You think so?

Professor Obsidian!

Hey, uh! Sorry about that random question yesterday!

Don't mention it. I'm a teacher. Answering your questions is part of my job.

But I'm curious as to why you asked me that.

O-oh...

I, uh! I was just kinda curious!

Well, I'm glad everything seems to have worked out. You seemed worried.

Huh?

When you left yesterday, you looked like you were on the verge of death.

I'm glad you're feeling better today.

Demon or human, romance is not easy on the heart.

Do you have a special someone?

U-uh, I think I'm still not ready for that just yet.

Is that so? Regardless, do be careful.

Every woman is a fiesty little demon.

Agree, make fun of me, just say something. Don't leave me hanging here!

Professor? You wanted to see me?

Yes, there you are.

You see, I need you to do something for me.

Do... what?

Yes.

Something very important that only you can do for me.

Um, Professor!

I-I really, really like you...

I know.

I love you, too.

Hey, did you hear the rumor?

They found one of the fourth-years' rooms frozen over with ice!

No way!

What's that all about?

The student inside's still alive, but she's still in a coma.

That's so scary!

STUDENT COUNCIL

OFFICE

STUDENT COUNCIL

VICE PRESIDENT

A student in a coma?

RYUGA SHINOUJI

Not again.

That makes the fourth one this year.

Who was it this time?

Emma Abelein, a fourth-year Silver Square specializing in ice magic.

It took five people, including the dorm prefect, to break down the door using hammers.

DUELING COMMITTEE

CHAIR

JESSICA SCHWARTZ

The walls of the room were coated in thick ice. It took two hours to extract the student.

How curious. Ice magic is extremely mana-inefficient.

A Silver Square would not possess the mana to create ice that thick.

This makes the third Silver Square that's fallen into a coma. It cannot be by coincidence.

Which means someone must be behind it.

Our President is especially troubled by this news.

With how empathetic she is, she must be in great pain from her shattered heart.

Without knowing the cause or culprit, there is little we can do.

For the time being...

Shinouji.

The President is in great pain.

Understood. I can't promise anything, but I will do what I can.

She's obsessed with her.

Surely the Silver Square's power merely ran amok.

All right! Hold still, please!

I meant to ask this before,

but why do you own one of these?

Huh? Oh.

So I can measure my height every day.

Oh, Alto.

Wh-what?! It makes sense! I'm getting a little taller every day!

Uh-huh, sure you are.

So, how much taller am I?

Do you want me to curl up and cry?

This is turning into a real downer. Why are they making me write this stupid report?

All right, class, are you getting to be friends with your familiars?

Today, we talked about lots of different types of familiars and their main features.

I'm sure many of you learned something new about your own familiars!

I wish... Not like they'd talk about demons in this class.

On that note, I'd like you all to write a report about your familiars!

Huh?!

Be sure to follow the guide on your handout.

A... a report?!

Start with their height and weight,

then list their features, their daily activities, and their favorite foods.

Go into as much depth as you possibly can!

Well, there are plenty of non-demon parts of you I can measure, so let's get that done...

Why are you getting naked?!

Why? You have to measure me, don't you?

We wouldn't want my clothes to get in the way.

W-w-w-well, sure, but...

Please, why are you so flustered?

You need to for your homework, right?

Hey!

Make sure you measure every last nook and cranny.

S-stop it! Don't! Please, don't!

Um, maybe we shouldn't be doing this...

Shh! Quiet!

You heard what kind of report we have to write! My Alto is in danger! Don't you care?!

H-honestly, no, not really.

Besides, something is off about her!

I'm not going to let her pull the wool over my eyes with her "human familiar" drivel!

Oh, how'd it go?!

Uh-huh. Uh-huh.

WHAT?!

That conniving whore!

Just you watch! Today's the day I expose that harlot for who she really is!

Sure, but this is the boy's dorm. How are you getting in there?

Oh, Cheryl. Whoever do you think I am?

With this invisibility potion, I've nothing to fear!

Then I can use this copied key to get straight to Alto!

Wh-why do you have one of those?

Cheryl, you stay out here and watch my clothes.

All right.

Down the hatch!

C'mon, you have to pull it tight, or the numbers will be off.

I-I know! Raise your arms for me, all right?!

All right.

Do I even need to put her bust size down?

Could you NOT make weird noises?!

I swear...

Right, now I just need to do your legs, so please put your clothes back on!

Aww...

Don't 'aww' me!

You're going to have to write what "type" I am. What will you put?

I don't really have a choice. I'll just put that you're a human.

No way I could get away with putting down the truth.

Oh, I also need your head size, so could you get rid of everything?

You got it.

You need to be more careful, Vermeil.

What if someone found out what you really were?

Please try a little harder to hide it.

H-hold on!

Not that one...

Let's see, it was around here...

Wait...

No!

Yep, this is the one!

You know, you've grown quite a bit recently.

How so?

Well, you took out that Gold girl and moved one step closer to your goal.

I hope so.

They don't give out Gold Squares just for sheer power alone.

It's awarded for accomplishments in magical research.

Chris was strong, though.

The whole time we were dueling, I felt like she was going easy on us.

If she'd come at us with everything she had, we probably wouldn't have won.

You may have a point there.

But don't worry, I'll always try to win any duel.

With you by my side, I don't ever want to taste defeat!

I-is that so?

Yep!

Oh, for "Things It Likes," can I just write "sweets"?

Huh? Oh, sure.

It's that late already?!

Vermeil, we need to go shopping!

Right!

Vermeil!

Coming!

Things It Likes: Sweets

AND ALTO

I-impossible. How?!

Does it get easier with time for the immortal?

If I was born normal, if I become normal, can I stay close?

With the children, we link our arms

Make a circle and sing a song

Knowing there was no chair for me all along

You locked me into the dark, I'm your preserved flower

The world is too slow to understand

Not all blossoms spark, And spikes may be sharp

They only want to see the beautiful parts

Sitting in a shower of scarlet rain

It all used to be ours, I'm counting the hours

Hours that stood between us like a river

Once I crawled through the water

All I ever knew have become distant past