After announcing everyone's results, Padilla revealed the upcoming competition schedule.
"The fixed-topic practical competition will begin in four days. Please prepare well. Additionally, submit the materials required for your free-topic potions—the school will provide them!"
With the arrangements announced, the contestants were dismissed from the classroom.
Phineas Samuel kept his head lowered throughout, not daring to even glance at Wayne, and was the first to bolt out.
This left the other two Beauxbatons students utterly baffled.
Why had he been acting so strangely since yesterday afternoon?
Hadn't he been saying he'd teach that boy who's always with Delacour a lesson?
But since it didn't concern them, they didn't pry, merely giving Wayne a glance before losing interest.
By then, Wayne had already arranged a time with Sakura—she would demonstrate Clow Card magic for him tomorrow afternoon.
"Where should we go?" Sakura suddenly realised a crucial issue. "Can we cast magic freely at Beauxbatons?"
"As long as it's not inside the palace buildings, no one minds outdoors," Wayne considered. "Let's go to the Giant's Garden—it's spacious, and I can show you around Beauxbatons too."
"That sounds wonderful." Sakura smiled until her eyes crinkled.
Truthfully, her curiosity about Beauxbatons had been overwhelming—hence her post-match wandering that led to getting lost.
"If you don't mind, could I invite another student from here? She knows the place well."
"Of course, no problem."
"May I join you too?" Cassandra suddenly interjected.
Though she didn't understand Japanese, enough words resembled English for her to grasp the gist through context.
Sakura looked bewildered at Cassandra, then turned to Wayne for help.
The boy had no choice but to play translator, relaying messages between them until everything was clarified.
Sakura's accommodating nature meant she readily agreed to Cassandra's request. The trio arranged to meet at the main palace gates after classes the next afternoon.
"Don't get lost," Wayne couldn't resist warning.
"I won't!" Sakura stuck out her tongue playfully, then waved at him. "See you tomorrow!"
With that, she skipped away light-footedly.
"Are you interested in Clow Magic, or in that girl?" Cassandra suddenly asked, watching Sakura's retreating figure.
"Definitely Clow Magic," Wayne answered without hesitation.
Although he'd obtained considerable information from the school's lead professor last night, without having witnessed the true power of Clow Cards firsthand, he still felt uncertain deep down.
However, Cassandra clearly didn't believe Wayne's explanation; her eyes filled with deep suspicion.
Wayne couldn't be bothered with her and simply returned to his dormitory.
Taking some materials from his pocket, he prepared to craft a few small devices.
The language barrier made communication far too troublesome, so Wayne wanted to see if he could create an instant translator.
The magical world doesn't possess spells that directly enable someone to learn a language.
Wayne couldn't create such spells either, but he could craft small enchanted items with language capabilities, much like Nicolas's refrigerator, kettle and television.
This task kept him busy until late at night, when he finally produced three earmuffs.
"Say something," Wayne fiddled with them.
The three earmuffs immediately began chattering simultaneously in three different languages: French, Japanese and English.
After listening for a while, Wayne found no issues.
These earmuffs would last at most half a month – they were hastily made with limited materials – but they would suffice.
Storing the earmuffs away, Wayne took out his communication book and flipped to the fifth page, channelling magical power into it.
After about two minutes, an image appeared on the page.
Penelope sat in the suitcase's living room, smiling as she greeted the boy.
"Wayne, how have you been recently?"
"Gardevoir!" The Pokémon leaned in, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons upon seeing her trainer.
"Senior," Wayne smiled back. "Everything's fine here – got a single room, see?"
He lifted the book to show Penelope his living quarters.
"Looks far more luxurious than our dormitories."
"Yeah, that's Beauxbatons' style. I can show you around other places when I have time."
"That'd be lovely."
After some casual conversation, Wayne quickly got to the point: "Senior, how are things at school?"
"Everything's normal," Penelope replied. "With Professor Snape gone, the castle air feels fresher."
Wayne's mouth twitched.
Snape really ought to hear that – let him understand his standing among students.
"What about Lockhart? Any changes there?"
Penelope's eyes narrowed momentarily before she shook her head. "No, Lockhart's still his usual self. His lessons are utterly pointless – worse than self-study."
"But..." The senior seemed to recall something and hastily added, "Lockhart's been assigning twice as much homework recently."
"And if he's unsatisfied with the work, he makes students revise or even rewrite it entirely."
"What's he playing at?" Wayne was genuinely puzzled by this behaviour.
Wait!
The boy froze.
Could this be... Tom's revenge?
"What's wrong?" Penelope noticed his change in expression and asked softly.
"Nothing, just feeling sympathetic towards you all," Wayne shook his head, somewhat gleefully adding, "After all, I don't have to write those tedious, lengthy 'essays'."
"Hmm," the senior chuckled.
"Forgot to mention – Lockhart said all tournament participants will need to catch up on the 'learning progress' when they return."
Wayne's smile stiffened.
This statement revealed much.
Most importantly... Tom had likely discovered his true identity.
Remarkably fast – the diary hadn't even been in Lockhart's possession for a month, yet already exerted such influence.
This business about making up missed work... was undoubtedly targeted specifically at him.
The current question was whether Tom was aware that Wayne was aware of the diary being in Lockhart's possession.
He'd need to probe this when he returned.
"It seems I'll have to ask Professor Dumbledore about this," Wayne thought swiftly, though outwardly he said, "I've brought honour to the school—surely I shouldn't be bothered with homework."
Penelope chuckled. "Well, good luck with that. One month, that workload... tsk tsk."
"Oh, should I call Madam Nagini over?"
At the mention of Nagini, Penelope's expression turned peculiar.
Heaven knew how she'd nearly died of fright the first time she saw a woman emerge from Wayne's trunk, immediately drawing her wand in alarm and pointing it at Nagini.
Fortunately, Gardevoir appeared just in time to clear up the misunderstanding.
It was only then that Penelope realised what Wayne had meant by his so-called 'surprise.'
"What has Nagini been busy with lately?" Wayne asked.
"Mostly reading, I think?" Penelope pondered. "She also helps Gardevoir with odd jobs sometimes."
"Gardevoir!" Gardevoir nodded in agreement.
"It's too late to disturb her now." Wayne checked the time—it was past midnight.
"You should rest early, too, senior. There are classes tomorrow."
"Alright, don't stay up too late either."
Penelope nodded, and after exchanging goodnights, Wayne put away his address book, washed up, and went to bed.
...
The next day, after attending classes with Fleur, the two arrived at the meeting point previously agreed upon with Sakura and Cassandra.
Hearing Wayne's explanation about card magic, Fleur grew very interested.
They didn't have to wait long before Cassandra arrived, having changed her clothes in her room.
"Why did you change?" Wayne asked, puzzled.
The three of them could have come straight from class together, but Cassandra had insisted on returning first.
"No particular reason. I just felt like it," Cassandra replied lightly, hands clasped before her.
Fleur smirked coldly. As if it wasn't obvious—she'd changed into a dress to compete with her.
Cassandra knew her little scheme had been seen through, but she didn't bother denying it, merely feeling irritated.
Ilvermorny's robes were loose and shapeless, failing to showcase her perfect figure.
Wayne's repeated indifference made the girl doubt her own charm, especially with Sakura as a comparison, which only deepened her insecurity.
That was why she'd deliberately changed into casual clothes after class and even dressed up a bit—though it seemed to have no effect whatsoever.
Wayne's attention wasn't on her at all.
"Sorry for making you wait! I almost got lost again," Sakura panted as she hurried over, bowing repeatedly in apology.
"It's fine, we haven't waited long," Wayne said, handing her a pair of earmuffs.
"What's this?" Sakura examined them curiously. The pink earmuffs had two bunny ears attached, looking rather cute.
"A translator. Try them on."
Wayne then produced a white pair for Fleur and a red one for Cassandra.
"Do I have to wear these too?" Cassandra resisted. The bunny ears didn't suit her cool-girl image at all.
"Then no one will translate Japanese for you."
"Ugh." However unwilling, Cassandra had no choice but to relent.
"Can you understand me now?" Sakura asked tentatively as translated French and English reached Fleur and Cassandra through their ear coverings.
Though it sounded slightly odd, they could finally comprehend it.
"No problems here," Fleur replied, and Sakura could understand her too, breaking into a delighted smile.
"This is so convenient. I couldn't understand anything the professors said in class today."
"Then keep them," Wayne said casually. "They'll last at least ten days to a fortnight. When the effect wears off, come find me and I'll make you another set."
"Lawrence, did you make these yourself?" Sakura gazed at him in astonishment.
"Mhm. Being a translator was too troublesome, so I prepared these specially for you."
"You're amazing..." The girl's eyes sparkled. Due to the Clow Magic connection, Sakura was well-versed in Alchemy too, which made her appreciate the technical sophistication within these simple ear coverings.
Creating alchemical items that approximated living beings was something even her father would struggle to achieve.
The group walked towards the Giant's Garden.
The four hailed from different magic schools, all strikingly handsome or beautiful, drawing frequent glances from passersby.
As Sakura consulted Wayne on several Alchemy questions, she grew increasingly awed by his prowess.
"We're here," one of them announced as they reached a small garden.
At its centre stood an enormous marble statue of a giant poised to throw a discus – the namesake of Giant's Garden.
Wayne stepped back with Fleur and Cassandra, giving Sakura ample space.
At the crucial moment, nervousness gripped Sakura, but she still drew her wand.
"That wand..."
Fleur's expression turned peculiar, while Cassandra barely suppressed laughter. "It's... quite cute actually."
Wayne found it endearingly familiar – this was unmistakably Sakura's wand.
The pink shaft culminated in a large ruby flanked by a pair of wings.
"My... my friend helped design this," Sakura stammered, cheeks flushing as she hastily changed the subject. "Let me demonstrate Clow Magic first."
A glowing pink card floated from her pocket.
She tapped it with her wand.
"Wind!"
A golden wind spirit emerged, conjuring gales across the grounds.
"Old reliable Wind..." Wayne murmured. Fleur shot him a puzzled look.
"What?"
"Nothing. Just interesting how one word encapsulates multiple spells."
Where the wind spirit passed, snow scattered to reveal pathways, before coalescing into a miniature whirlwind that cleared the garden of all debris and snowdrifts.
Cassandra watched intently. "Remarkable magical control."
"That's likely because Sakura crafted the card herself," Wayne speculated.
"Exactly," Sakura nodded. "Magic channelled through Sakura Cards gains improved accuracy and power – the degree depends on each card's quality."
She added sheepishly, "Since I made them, I called them Sakura Cards..."
"Very fitting," Wayne praised before shifting the topic. "Then why were they originally called Clow Cards?"
"Well," Sakura recalled the Wind Spirit 1.6 and resealed it within the card.
"The ancestor who first discovered the magical book misread the English word, seeing it as 'clow' instead, so that became the name."
"It should have been 'colour card', symbolising magic cards of varied hues, but he'd already grown accustomed to the mistake, and the name stuck."
"I see." Wayne finally relaxed completely.
Next, Sakura demonstrated the Water Card and the Wood Card in succession. The spirits sealed within were both exceptionally beautiful—Wood manifested as a gentle older sister, while Water appeared as a young girl.
"That's all I can show you," Sakura said sheepishly, lowering her head. "The Fire Card and Dream Card are still being crafted, and I didn't bring them on this trip."
"That's already impressive," Cassandra offered rare praise. "At least regarding wind spells and wood spells, your card magic surpasses mine."
"Hehe." Sakura blushed deeper.
"Something still feels like it's missing," Wayne suddenly mused.
"Missing what?" The others looked at him in confusion.
Wayne examined the silver wizard robes enveloping Sakura's youthful frame, the loose fabric swallowing her vibrant physique whole.
Sakura couldn't even lift her head under his gaze.
'This was the third time!'
'Why does Lawrence always stare at me like this?'
"These robes don't quite match your movements earlier..." Wayne remarked regretfully. "A proper magical girl outfit would suit you better, don't you think?"
???
Instantly, the girl's ears and neck flushed crimson.
"Th-that's..." she stammered.
'Do people with Tomoyo's way of thinking actually exist?'
Sakura suddenly looked up, meeting the black-haired boy's dark eyes, and felt an impulsive urge to introduce him to Tomoyo immediately.