| IF | Crossover Halloween Special 2/2

 "Al, what will you wear?" 

 Suddenly, Amethely had asked him that out of the blue. Alum planned to sneak out for a while but was caught by Amethely. Her head was slightly tilted to the side as she pulled on the hem of his shirt. 

 Alum quietly watched her cute gesture while glancing in the direction where the delinquent boys dragged a girl. He could've told Amethely, but he didn't want her to see stuff like that. 

 "Ame, will you pick for me?" 

 A beaming smile appeared on her face. "Sure!" she excitedly expressed and dashed off. Using this sudden impulse of hers, Alum disappeared from her sight. "Huh? Al?" 

*Buzz*

| —💖 Alum 💖: I'll look for something I dropped a while ago. I'll be right back. | 

 '…dummy, you could've just told me…' Amethely uttered under her breath 

 …..

 …

 Meanwhile, as Alum looked for the girl, he stumbled upon another girl running while frantically looking around. 

 (…Luna? No…she just looks like her…) 

 Alum continued to look for the girl until he heard a commotion from a place not so occupied by people. He sighed and walked over to see what was going on. 

 (Just as I thought…) 

 Looking over at the crowd of guys surrounding two girls, passersby watched but were chased away by the intimidating guys. 

 "Let go—" the girl that looked like Luna yelled. She was shaking and, at this point, had closed her eyes while clinging to her friend. 

 "—what are you doing?" Alum calmly asked while he slowly approached them. 

 The boys turned around, and their faces showed disdain. "What're looking at, asshole?" they scoffed. 

 Alum shrugged. "What do you think? At you, of course," Alum replied. His eyes turned so cold that chills were sent down their spines. 

 The men gulped, got excited, and fired up for a fight. It seemed like they'd forgotten about the girls and had fully turned their attention to him. But the girls got caught as they tried to make their way out. 

 Alum sighed. "Let them go. I'll give you money." 

 "Oh? What do we have here? A rich kid? Tch… It's not always about the money, kid! But…I'll gladly take that and the girls! Boys!" 

 "For your hospital bills, that is," Alum provocatively said. 

 Their faces turned completely red, and the delinquent rushed toward him. One threw a fist, but Alum dodged it, kneeled him in the stomach and grabbed his arm. He threw the man toward his accomplices. Another one came flying towards him with a kick. Alum dodged downwards and kicked his other leg, which made him fall flat on his back. 

 Alum had no mercy as he stomped on the man's hand. He screamed in pain. Alum wouldn't have been so harsh had he tried not to take out a knife from his pocket. Alum crouched down and took the knife from his hands as the others halted in astonishment. But amidst that, one of them had thrown a knife his way—which he caught.

 Glancing at the man who seemed to be the leader, Alum said, "So?" as he scoffed at the weaklings. 

 "Shit! Attack him! What are you doing standing still!?" the leader cried. 

 They rushed at him with knives in their hands but were disarmed one after the other. Alum had grabbed them and used their members as a shield, which made them hesitate. He threw the man he'd used as a shield and rushed toward them. As they caught their comrade, Alum kicked his previous meat shield, making them all fall. 

 Angered by the whole ordeal, the leader tried to take something out of his pocket, but Alum had accurately thrown the knife he'd 'borrowed'. The object that the leader tried to pull out was a Taser. 

 Surprised, Alum chuckled. "Really? A Taser?" he curiously remarked. 

 It reminded him of a time when he was trained by his mentor. He was basically drowned and Tased and isolated for an extended period. Heck…that one time he was kidnapped was probably also set up. 

 Suppose the Taser hit him; he'd still get stunned, but he wouldn't pass out or panic. Remembering those harsh days, he thought this was nothing but a child's play. 

 "What the fuck are you!?" the leader asked. 

 Hearing those specific words, Alum let out an evil and sadistic smile. In the eyes of the delinquent boss, Alum was a monster who enjoyed toying with them, crushing them like bugs. 

 Shivers were sent down his spine as Alum slowly walked toward him. He fell back on his bum and was shaking. But… However afraid he was, he reached for the Taser. And even so. Alum kicked him in the face, which led him to lose consciousness. 

 "Hmph," he scoffed, and his face turned expressionless again. 

 Turning to the girls, he asked why they hadn't run. Still, he didn't want this to become too big of a mess and suggested they keep it quiet. He didn't want to ruin this day for himself and his friends after all since it was rare that they all hung out together. 

 He later called his guards, and the delinquents were taken away. Even though the mall had video footage, they were quite easily bribed. As for the passerby and police… Alum didn't have to think about any of that since his hitman mentor covered for him. 

 …to Amethely and the others. He was just gone for a few minutes. 

 …

 …..

 …

 When Alum got back, he was surprised when Amethely put on a pair of cat ears on him. 

 "…Ame, didn't I just wear these?" he asked. 

 Amethely giggled and made a peace sign with her hands. "Look, I'm wearing them as well! We're me-mewtching!" 

 Alum chuckled and patted her on the head, which in turn left Amethely stunned. She was frozen on the spot. "A-Al… it's embarrassing ~! I-I'm not a kid anymore! Geez!" 

 Even with that said, she looked happy, Alum thought. 

 "Hmm? Is that so? The cats always seem to enjoy it when I pat them?" he replied. He placed his palms on her face and had her look him in the eyes. "Cute…" he said with a soft and warm smile. 

 "!@!$!?!#?" 

 Amethely turned completely red. "B-But I'm not a cat!" she retorted while she shut her eyes close. 

 Alum smiled and let her go. As he did, Amethely opened her eyes again and saw him holding an audio recorder. "We're me-mewtching!" the recorder played. 

 "..." 

 The insides of Amethely's head had become chaos; her eyes seemed to spin a little, and she tried to get the recorder out of Alum's hand. However, Alum would side-step.

 "W-Why did you dodge!" she cried while puffing her cheeks. 

 "Because?" Alum replied. 

 "…dummy! Dummy! Dummy!" Amethely pestered him and did all kinds of things to get the recorder. Alum just held it up in the sky and thought it was cute when she tried to jump and get it from him. 

 Luna and Miu were glaring at the two while being held back both emotionally and physically by Noel and Chely. 

 Later, when they bought decorations and costumes, they walked around a little after sending them home through express delivery. 

 "We bought a lot, didn't we?" Noel asked as he put his arms around Alum. 

 "Mm, this Halloween, too." 

 Alum glanced at the girls who were doing some window shopping. Alum wondered why they didn't go in, but he wasn't going to ask. 

 "Hey, Al…" Noel suddenly called his name in a serious manner. 

 "…what is it?" 

 "How are things going with Ame?" 

 "…it's going well, I suppose?" Alum replied. He glanced at Amethely and asked, "Why are you asking?" 

 Noel briefly snuck a peek at Miu, not thinking Alum noticed. He shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I was just curious since it's your first girlfriend." 

 "Hmph. Said you who hasn't had one." 

 Noel chuckled at his response. "Ahahaha…that's true. Still, to think you, out of anyone, figured that Miu and I weren't actually dating." 

 "Well…it wasn't that difficult to tell, especially when she kept glancing at me, blushing and shyly… I'm not dense, you know? Besides, I once overheard you tease her about it." 

 "…you were aware before we made it clear?" 

 Alum chuckled. "Who do you think I am?" 

 Noel's eyes widened slightly. Letting out a sigh, he lightly tapped his fist on Alum's shoulder. "Arrogant bastard," he said with a grin. 

 Alum shrugged it off, and a little while later, they saw some familiar faces. Not only was it Noel's sister and Isak, but the whole of Aska's friend group. 

 "Look, isn't that Aska and his friends?" Noel commented. 

 They were a little further away, but Aska was easily recognisable… so he wasn't difficult to spot. 

 "So it appears," Alum replied. 

 Noel walked closer to them and called out to Aska and his friends in a careful manner. "Oh! Isn't it Aska and the gang?" 

 Noticing their approach, Aska swiftly turned his head. Sort of like a puppy… "Noel!? What are you—Al! You too?!" 

 Noel chuckled. "Why so surprised? We're only here to get some stuff for the Halloween party," Noel replied. "I mean… Otherwise, Al and Luna would order everything online. I figured it'd be more fun this way." 

 "Hmm, that's why?" Luna remarked. But as soon as she saw a girl that looked like her—one of the girls Alum just saved. She shuddered and hid behind Alum. 

 Noel noticed the similarities, too and began to laugh uncontrollably. "Ahahaha, wooow! I didn't think that would happen!" he exclaimed. "I mean… she looks exac—" But before he could finish, Luna pulled on his shirt. And not in a cute way, mind you. But by the neck and intimidating way, despite her smaller stature. 

 "N-Noel you!?" she exclaimed with teary eyes. "I-If you hadn't made me watch those movies, I'd be fi-fine!" 

 In response to her aggressive behaviour, he just cheerfully laughed, "Ahahaah," while patting her on the head. 

 Unexpectedly, Luna lifted him off the floor and began to shake him. "Why youuu!?!" 

 …..

 …Anyhow, as they all met up, Noel's sister, Freja, said, "Well, isn't that exciting?" Ignoring the fact, her brother was lifted into the air by a girl who was the height of his chest. 

 Noel smugly smiled. "Hmh-hm-hmm, well of, of course, sister of mine! You can always rely on this, your brother, to make it more sparkly!" 

 "You've become an idiot by the day…" Freja remarked. 

 As a follow-up, Alum said, "I can attest to that." 

 Sulking, Noel looked disheartened. "You two are mean…" he said while sulking. 

 Chely approached him and patted him on the shoulder. She was a bit shy, but… she wanted to comfort him. Despite her not being honest most of the time, at times like this, it was as if a switch had been flipped, and she'd become sisterly and caring… 

 "There, there…" Chely said. 

 Noel hugged her. "Cheeely~you're the only one that's kind to me these days…" 

 Albeit embarrassed, Chely embraced him and comforted him, too. She giggled at seeing this childish side of him. 

 "That's not true. Ame is always kind as well, isn't she?" 

 "Yeah, but that's to everyone…" 

 Surprised, Amethely replied, "Huh? I-I think I'm being extra nice to you too, Noel… don't you think so too, Al?" 

 Alum warmly smiled. "You're always kind, Ame." 

 Hearing those words, Amethely latched onto him with a melted expression. The others watched with blank eyes as it was sweet yet irritating… 

 "By the way," Aska suddenly said. He tilted his head in a cute way and observed Luna and the girl Alum had saved. "Luke, I think your girlfriend multiplied…" 

 Hearing that, both Luna and the girl sent Aska a death glare. "L-Luna, it was a joke… as for Lilly… I really thought you were Luna at first… so it did catch me off guard when you suddenly grabbed Luke's hand, hahaha!" 

 Luna examined the girl named Lilly and commented, "It's like looking into a mirror…" 

 "Ah!" Miu exclaimed. "I wanted to say that!" 

 Everyone then made Luna and Lilly stand side by side, and they all uttered… "Wow… you two really look alike…" 

 A little while later, they all found themselves in Alum's place and began to decorate the place. It was soon Halloween, and they planned to host the party here like last year. Except this time, they've made four new friends. 

 It was Aska who suggested they'd all bake together, and to be frank, Alum didn't know how that came to be, as Aska said himself that he had just met Luke today… 

 Regardless, they were at his place now…

Note: This storyline is spread across my different series. In chronological order, Saint is the first, Cold is the second, Another World is the third, and Fanfic is fourth and last. 

| Bonus 1 | 

 'Hey, Noel,' Miu whispered. 

 'Hm? What's up?'

 'Wasn't it nice to hug Chely? I mean, they did all the 'pretend' tactics, after all. Worked like a charm, riiight~?' Miu teased with a grin. 

 Noel's ears became bright red as he turned away. 'T-That's right…' 

 'Well, too bad, I saw through you. You were actually quite down and not pretending, weren't you…' 

 '…..' 

 'Your sister complex is always…' 

 "That's not…true…' Noel replied hesitantly. 

 Chely brightly smiled. 'Then we're in the same boat!' she cheerfully smiled at him. 

 It wasn't her intention to eavesdrop, but Chely always felt jealous whenever Miu and Noel whispered among themselves. 

 Noel felt a little embarrassed, and this time, Chely wasn't alone in feeling like her heart had jumped out of her chest. 

 She grabbed his hand this time but inevitably self-destructed as she got dizzy with the increased heart rate… 

 Miu could only watch with a blank expression. 

 (…these two siscons sure get along…) 

 Luna, who'd also been paying attention to them, grabbed the hem of Miu's shirt. She was a little shorter than her and looked adorable… And Miu found her heart skip a beat due to the cute gesture. 

 (…even though she's a rivel… she's so cute!) 

 Miu hugged Luna as she didn't seem to mind. After all, she'd been looking at Amethely and Alum, who happily chatted. Thus…she liked the comfort Miu brought. 

 "…Miu, if only you were a boy…" she commented. 

 However…

 "No, no, no, Luna. If only you were a boy…" 

 The two friends started to giggle and glanced at Alum and Amethely at the same time. "Well… Ame is a good girl…and Al is happy…" Luna said. 

 Miu agreed and nodded. "That's for sure," she warmly replied while her gaze was still fixed on them. 

| Bonus 2 | 

 "Hey, Boss…where are we?" one of the delinquent boys asked. 

 "I-I don't know. But this seems to be a warehouse…" the delinquent boss replied. 

 He was sweating and looked around. He never imagined getting into this situation just from hitting on some random girls. 

 (We really messed up this time…) he thought. 

 A man with a black suit came into the warehouse. He looked strong and not someone you'd want to deal with. 

 "My Master has ordered me to take care of you guys," the man said in a cold voice. 

 Shivers were sent down their spines, and they all gulped. 

 "Your punishment will be to dress in these costumes and entertain the kids in this orphanage. If you have any objections, say so now." 

"….." 

 It was quiet, and no one had any objections. However, one of the delinquents did ask. "W-What? O-Orphanages? Why? It might be strange for me to say this, but we're bad guys, you know?" 

 The leader delinquent watched his subordinate and let out a sigh. He himself had grown up in one, and it wasn't too bad. He had a steady life and…

 (—how did my life even come to this?) 

 Even though he knew the answer, it wasn't an excuse to fall like this. His sister, who was from the same orphanage, died three years ago. He was so depressed he started to use drugs and became an addict. He began associating himself with bad people and lost the once stable place he had. 

 And only now… Now that he was beaten by a spoiled rich kid who seemingly had everything, did he realise… 

 (There really are more dangerous people out there, huh? I almost led these kids to their demise…) 

 He stood up and looked at the man in a black suit. He wondered, (Is it too late to lead a decent life after this?) 

 …..

 …a few months later, the delinquent group dissolved and did charity work. They became decent human beings but remembered not to repeat their past mistakes.