'Why do I feel like I've seen that guy before?' Yuuma thought in her head, narrowing her blue eyes at him. The blue and the orange feathers. The way he spoke. It reminded her of someone, but where?

As everyone directed their gaze to the old man, his brown eyes carefully examined the situation and centered on the unconscious wolf.

"Now I understand. Allow me to examine him." He offered, approaching the wolf and kneeling down beside Leona, who finally turned his widened eyes away from him and back to his classmate.

The rest of the group stood back, allowing an actual adult to handle this. His fingers moved to feel Jack's pulse and noted his condition based on the lack of movement from his ears and tail. The wolf groaned as he slowly regained consciousness. The man dressed in blue nodded, coming to the conclusion on what the problem was as he adjusted his glasses.

"Hmm... as you suspected, Prince Leona. I believe this is heatstroke. Let us move him into the shade, and there I shall administer first aid." he instructed as Leona and Vil helped Jack up, putting one arm over their shoulders as they took him to a bench beneath a tree with plenty of shade shade.

The prefect had kept her eyes on the man for a while, and as her head turned gears, trying to find memory lane. 'Wait....is he that....' She thought, eyes widening as the memory she was searching was finally found like a needle in haystack. 'The orange feathers...the blue clothing and the way he speaks. Wasn't it that bird that served the royal family years ago?'

"Oi! Herbivore! Hurry up!"

She got woken up by her thoughts once she heard Leona bark at her. That final conclusion would have to wait. Picking up Grim in her arms, she ran to catch up. Problems were already rising, so she did not want to add to that.

Once Jack was on the bench and the old man continued examining him, Vil leaned closer to Leona and whispered in his ear. "Leona, who is this? You seem to know each other." he inquired, finding their interactions interesting. The lion sighed, not too thrill to run into one of the last people he thought to encounter on this trip.

"This guy's the grand chamberlain of Sunset Savanna, and he serves the royal family." Leona explained as everyone turned to this new face. At that point, the old man turned around to face the rest of the students, and he offered a polite smile.

"My name is Kifaji, and I'm pleased to make the acquaintance of Lord Leona's school companions." he greeted them all politely.

"A pleasure to meet you. I'm Vil Schoenheit." The pomefiore housewarden introduced himself as Kifaji looked at him. "Ah, yes. I recognize you. And might I say, we are truly honored to have a distinguished model, such as yourself, come visit us." Kifaji responded respectfully, making Vil pleased at hearing that.

"I'm Lilia, hailing from the Briar Valley. Nice to meet you. " Lilia greeted him with his pomegranate pink eyes.

"I'm the great Grim!" The cat jumped out of the prefect's arms, pumping his chest out proudly with his ears up high as he addressed himself.

"I'm Yuuma! It's nice meeting you!" The prefect kindly greeted him.

"My, what a lively bunch. Thank you all for coming." Kifaji told them politely.

"Anyways, your timing was impeccable."

Leona spoke out, more relaxed than he was earlier. For once, the prince was glad to see the old man arrive just when things were going downhill.

"I noticed it was about time for you to arrive, and I came here to welcome you, Lord Leona." Kifaji calmly explained, making the lion chuckle at him. "Hah. Don't make me laugh. I bet you swung by just to check whether or not I even showed up. You seriously don't trust me, huh." he pointed out casually. His white fangs showed as he smiled knowingly.

"What a terrible thing to say. I wonder who's the one that doesn't trust the other the most." Kifaji sighed, shaking his head. The prefect had been watching them and leaned down to Grim's ear. "Looks like Kifaji is another person on Leona's hitlist." She said in a hushed tone. Grim nodded in agreement until his ears perked at someone groaning. Leona's ears tilted as well, and everyone turned their heads to see Jack slowly regaining consciousness.

"Snapped out of it, Jack?" Leona asked, approaching his friend with his green eyes wandering to examine the wolf. His tan skin wasn't pale anymore, and his breathing resumed a normal pace. Despite the lion, the lion frowned to see the wolf's ears and tail still hanging low, which was an indication of exhaustion for beastman.

"I-I'm sorry...I suddenly felt dizzy, and I passed out." Jack spoke in apologetic tone as he kept his gaze down, shamefully. He felt embarrassed to be caught in a moment of weakness like that.

Yuuma's eyebrows rose when she remembered the water bottles she packed and hurriedly took one out of her backpack. She tapped Kifaji's shoulder to get his attention and handed it to him. He smiled at her kindly, nodded a silent thank you as he passed the bottle to the wolf.

"Master Jack, please have a sip of water." Kifaji offered him as Jack gladly took it and gulped it down. The prefect was glad that she helped out from her end. Still, she wasn't completely at ease with what just happened. His current state made her think of a dog trapped in a car on a hot day as she stared at him symphatically.

"How's he gonna play like this?" Yuu whispered to Leona, keeping her voice low as possible. The lion glanced back at the wolf. Being from a snowy habitat, Jack was more built for the cold, not heat. And that was a weakness that Leona overlooked.

"I feel better now." Jack assured them all, already finishing half the water bottle. The feeling of the cool liquid flowing down his throat was such a refreshing relief for him from the heat.

"You gave me quite a fright when you collapse." Vil pointed, feeling some ease to see the wolf no longer pale nor panting anymore. Leona, however, held a stern gaze down at his classmate. The wolf averted his eyes away, and his ears low like a dog being scolded. Which looked like that would be the case.

"You idiot. If it's hot, you could wear anything you want, and yet you still decide to wear a uniform.Who're you trying to impress?" Leona narrowed his gaze furiously. Though Yuu could see he and Vil too came in their uniforms. But she decided to keep that comment to herself to avoid angering the lion.

"I'm sorry. I...I don't do good in hot weather." Jack scratched the back of his head sheepishly, keeping his eyes down the whole time. He felt he had let down his housewarden right now.

"I know. I should have noticed beforehand."

The wolf's ears shot up in surprise when Leona himself said that in a more softer tone.

The whole group looked at the lion with dumbfounded looks. Even the royal chamberlain looked at his master with raised eyebrows. It wasn't rare for him to see the young prince admit a mistake so easily.

"D-Did Leona just admit his mistake?!" Grim asked, bewildered, as Yuu had her jaw hanging. Never did she think she would see the day Leona would openly admit he was wrong.

"Why are you so surprised?" Leona looked at them with a casual look. puzzled on their expressions. While he hated admitting he was wrong, he was willing to accept it if it hurt someone. 'Is this the same Leona that threatened to knock my teeth out the first time we met?' She wondered in her head astonished. Then again, she had noticed after his overblot that he had improved bit by bit, showing at least a somewhat friendlier side.

Jack started to sit up slowly, using the bench to support him up. The prefect approached him to provide any further help as Kifaji spoke.

"Now don't go overexerting yourself. We don't want your condition to worsen any further. I advise you to rest today." The chamberlain informed him. "For sure." Leona nodded in agreement, but the wolf's golden eyes widened in disbelief.

"WHAT?! I don't have time to rest!" Jack denied, pointing erect ears forward as he shot up to his feet.

"The Catch the Tail tournament is tomorrow. I have to practice ford it today!" He insisted strongly, determined to get the task done for his housewarden. Yuuma knew the wolf looked up to Leona a lot. Regardless, his admiration shouldn't demand the cost of his own wellbeing.

"Jack, come on. You just had a heat stroke! If you try to compete in Catch the Tail in this heat, you could really get hurt!" Yuu stated firmly, putting her hands on her hips as the wolf narrowed his gaze in determination as if to challenge the prefect.

"Heat stroke is not a big deal. I'm comin' with you to trainin'!"

Everyone else narrowed their gazes at the stubborn freshmen, completely in disapproval.

"It is a big deal. You mustn't push yourself so much." Lilia chastised. Even he knew when his limits were reached when it involved the heat.

"Yes. Your enthusiasm is an advantage but also a disadvantage. And this is a foreign country. So, you need to stop being unreasonable." Vil berating firmly, not approving how the wolf disregarded his health.

The wolf's determination faded, finding himself losing this argument. He swerved his head to Leona, the one who picked him for the game. "But....Leona, you picked me because you saw potential. I can’t let this heatstroke keep me out of the tournament…I’d be letting you down!"

"If you really don’t wanna let me down, then zip it and listen to us already. You need rest." Leona stood his ground, somehow keeping his cool with the stubborn wolf. "B-But..." Jack's ears fell, about to argue back when Leona beat him to it, deciding to make a final decision.

"You'll just end up dragging us down with the condition you're in. I'm kicking you off the team."

"What!"

"Enough."

Compared to the wolf's angry responses and the growl, Leona still maintained composure and simply stared back at the wolf firmly. Yuuma glanced back and forth between the two, amazed to see how cool the lion beastman remained.

"Housewarden's orders." The lion stated, knowing without a doubt he had won this argument. Jack's health conditions were a concern, and there would be no way he would play in the game with that condition.

Jack's ears slumped down in defeat, with his tail pointed downwards. As his growls ceased, he sat back down, defeated. For once, his housewarden made an order that was reasonable and could not be ignored.

"Ugh...I'm sorry." he apologized, feeling awful to let down his team. That, however, made Leona roll his eyes, getting more and more annoyed with him. "I already said it was my mistake. Don't make me say it again. You wanna wreck my reputation?" The lion retorted, ignoring the glare the prefect sent at his response.

"Catch the Tail, did you say?"

Kifaji's voice returned, diverting Leona's attention back to him. "Might I presume you are all members of the Night Raven College team that will be competing in the tournament?" He inquired them all.

"Yeah, that's right. Remember when I asked ya to keep a spot for one team in the tournament?" Leona reminded him as his hands settled on his hips.

"Yes, and I've made the proper preparations. However, you never revealed your reasons for doing all this." the chamberlain informed, suscpious about what the young lion was up to this time. Yuuma wouldn't be surprised about Leona trying to avoid some task given to him. She was sure he would do anything to get away from something assigned by his family.

"Could it be... you're attempting to shirk your responsibility of performing the lessons of the guardian?" Kifaji guessed, stroking his orange beaded beard. Leona smirked at him, rather amused than shocked at his correct assumption.

"You're quick to notice it. As expected from you, Kifaji." he remarked, not surprised as the chamberlain sighed. Yuu watched the two closely as Grim tugged her hand, asking to be held. She picked him up in her arms as she watched the two talking, wondering why it was so important to teach these guardian lessons.

"Good grief, your nature of being cunning is still the same. How disappointing. The guardian lessons are your duty, Prince Leona. Why, you ought to take pride in them." Kifaji retorted, but Leona couldn't care less about that. It was satisfying for the prince to see the chamberlain make a fuss about it.

"Please, have a little more appropriate attitude as a member of the royal family. First of all, you always..."

Leona's smirk dropped the moment Kifaji mentioned the words 'member of the royal family'. It's one of his least favorite things to hear. Yuu noticed his expression change to irritation, which concerned her.

"Tch. Here we go again with the lectures. No one will be troubled whether or not I'm aware of my position as a member of the royal family. It's not like anybody cares." he retaliated bitterly, not wanting to hear this discussion all over again. He wouldn't show it, but the prefect knew how sensitive he was to stuff related to his family.

"Prince Leona, you really shouldn't say something like that." Kifaji calmly stated as the prefect took note of his tone. He sounded sad.

However, then Kifaji's eyes shifted to her, which surprised her. The prefect quickly averted her blue eyes, hoping they didn't see her staring for too long. "I thought you were bringing three players. Could it be this young girl is the substitute?" Kifaji asked, earning a raised eyebrow from the prince.

"Substitute? She's just here because she wouldn't stop bothering me." He responded casually, earning an annoyed look from her. "Hey! With Jack off the team, you're gonna need me to step in! Whether you like it or not, Kingscholar!" She argued with Grim nodding.

Kifaji hummed in thought, earning a suspicious look from Leona. He knew his chamberlain wouldn't ask such a random question without reason.

"Well, then, I'll shall escort Jack to the hotel now." he announced, deciding best to avoid any further argument with the stubborn prince, as well avoiding his friends seeing this any further.

"Yeah, thanks." Leona crossed his arms, glad that he was finally leaving as he took Jack with him. Yuu walked up to Leona, watching them leave before glancing at him. "Well, looks like I'll be competing after all." She mumbled, just wishing it wasn't like this with Jack's condition. "You're not playing." Leona spoke firmly, earning a side glare from both her and Grim.

"Hey! My henchmen kicked your tail before, and she can definitely kick the rest of those losers in Catch the Tail!" Grim defended her. Yuu nodded her head in agreement, pleased to see the cat having her back. "And besides, where we gonna find another player in such short notice?" The prefect reminded him.

She expected him to turn and snap at her with an annoyed rejection. But she noticed he seemed deep in thought about something. His green eyes never left the chamberlain. "Leona?" She asked him, glancing to Kifaji and to him as he stayed silent. That's when his eyes brightened, and he called out to the chamberlain.

"Wait a sec, Kifaji. We'll go with ya."

Note: I tried to include some wolf behavior for both body and facial expression for Jack here