Victor held up two fingers, his eyes shining as if they held stars, his lips curling into a sly arc.
"First," he shook the first finger.
"Bianca, our dear Siren Queen, is also participating. I hear she's won several championships in a row. You must be tired of that arrogant face, right?"
He leaned closer to Wednesday, lowering his voice with a tantalizing tone:
"Don't you want to personally drag her off that ridiculous throne and let her taste what it's like to roll in the mud? Just imagine her flawless expression shattering... how delightful that would be."
Wednesday's eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly.
The image of a humbled Bianca did indeed form a rather aesthetically pleasing piece of dark art in her mind.
Victor struck while the iron was hot, shaking his second finger:
"Second, and more importantly—I heard that the champion team of the Poe Cup not only gets bragging rights for a whole year and supreme 'glory'..."
He dragged out the word, observing Wednesday's reaction.
"...but more crucially, they also gain a very practical privilege: off-campus rights. Think about it, Miss De la Muerte. This means looser leave permissions, freer investigation time..."
He looked at Wednesday with a foxy grin, knowing he had precisely cast the most irresistible bait.
Wednesday fell silent.
Her gaze swept between Victor's smug grin, Enid's tearfully hopeful eyes, and Venom's giant white eyes that clearly just wanted to watch the world burn.
Cold rationality told her this was an absolutely terrible idea.
Joining this group of noisy, unpredictable lunatics in a primitive competition that lacked aesthetic beauty and was destined to be filled with mud and stupid rivalry?
Ridiculous.
But...
Trampling Bianca underfoot...
And that key to a broader investigation space called "off-campus privileges"...
Her fingertips curled unconsciously.
"Fill a spot?" She finally spoke, her voice colder than the wind in an ice cellar, carrying undisguised sarcasm.
"Sit in that... garishly colored wooden coffin that lacks any aesthetic sense, like a fool waiting to be sacrificed?"
Her sharp gaze shot toward Enid:
"If I am forced to participate in this farce, then everything must be done my way. Including, but not limited to, the modification of the vessel, the choice of route, and... the methods used to deal with competitors."
She paused, finally delivering the verdict Victor had long anticipated and Enid had been desperately waiting for:
"I'm in."
Victor immediately let out a cheer of victory, almost pouncing to give Wednesday a hug, but braked just in time under her murderous glare, turning instead to excitedly hug Enid next to him.
Enid looked stunned by the huge surprise. Tears still clung to her eyelashes, but a brilliant smile was already blooming:
"That's great! Wednesday! Thank you! You're the best!"
Wednesday added expressionlessly:
"Do not misunderstand. This is merely the optimal solution after weighing the benefits. Also, if any of you slow down my progress or let mud splatter on my clothes, I will not hesitate to throw you into the lake to feed the mutant fish."
"Of course, of course!" Enid nodded frantically. At this moment, she would agree to anything Wednesday said. "You're the captain! We'll listen to you!"
Victor chimed in with a grin: "Exactly! Our Goth Captain! Our goal is the stars and the sea... and Bianca's tear-streaked face!"
Venom added slowly: "And turning the other teams into our chocolate reserve rations."
Wednesday ignored the last sentence. She took a deep breath, as if foreseeing the chaos and indignity of the coming days.
But strangely, aside from the usual annoyance, somewhere at the bottom of her heart, there seemed to be a faint trace of... eagerness she was forcefully ignoring?
She turned and walked to her desk, taking out paper and pen, her voice returning to its usual cold efficiency:
"So, first, we need to redesign that pathetic Black Cat. As it stands, apart from its stupid bright colors, it is worthless."
Her pen tip touched the paper , beginning to outline shapes.
"We need to reinforce the structure, add concealed attack points, and perhaps install a retractable ram... Since there are no rules."
She looked up at Victor and Enid, the corner of her mouth lifting in a cold, chilling arc.
"Then let us make the rules."
Outside the window, the night was deep.
Inside the dorm, a bizarre fleet composed of a goth girl, a manic boy, a rainbow werewolf, and a greedy symbiote was about to set sail.
Their goal: Win a competition, humiliate a rival, and gain freedom.
And in the process, perhaps stir up a storm of blood.
This is very Nevermore.
---
The lingering warmth of the Harvest Festival hadn't fully dissipated when the Black Lake docks of Nevermore Academy were enveloped by a more frenzied atmosphere.
The annual, adrenaline-pumping Poe Cup canoe race was about to kick off here.
The air was a mix of lake water, the pungent smell of drying paint, the heat of soaring adrenaline, and... a faint scent of blood?
Perhaps a souvenir left by a team from last year.
Several gaudily painted canoes were docked haphazardly along the shore, looking like a school of beached deep-sea monsters.
The contestants, dressed in their respective team uniforms, were shouting, provoking each other, doing final warm-ups, or... making threats.
Amidst this chaos, one boat attracted gazes filled with curiosity, disdain, or wariness like a magnet.
It was the revitalized Black Cat.
The once garish rainbow coating had been completely covered by Wednesday Addams with matte black paint.
Huge, jagged feline claw marks were outlined in white paint along the sides of the hull, tearing from bow to stern, as if the ship had just escaped the claws of some dark behemoth.
The crew of the Black Cat stood by the boat, undergoing their final... costume preparation? Or rather, torture.
"Oh my god, you are just too cute! Why not stick on the cat whiskers too?"
Enid said to Wednesday, who had just walked out of the makeshift changing tent radiating low pressure.
At this moment, Enid was wearing a tight black uniform, cat ear headband bobbing gently with her movements.
She had painted playful whiskers on her face with greasepaint, looking every bit the energetic cat girl.
Wednesday wore the same style of tight black uniform, perfectly outlining her slender yet explosive figure.
However, forming a fatal contrast with her figure was the black cat ear headband atop her head—completely out of place with her goth vibe—and the expression on her face that suggested the world might as well end right now.
Her eyes were hollow, and the chill radiating from her caused the noisy air around her to drop several degrees.
"If you make one more comment about my attire," Wednesday's voice sounded like it came from the bottom of a frozen lake, every word laced with ice shards, "I will let you personally experience why nine lives are not enough for a cat."
"Hey! Not fair!" A deep voice complained.
Venom separated from Victor, condensing into his muscular, massive form, pointing at Wednesday and Enid. "Why don't I get a uniform? I want cat ears too!"
Enid looked up at this mountain of black symbiote and apologized sincerely:
"Sorry, Venom. We really... really couldn't find a uniform that fits your... um... magnificent physique."
She gestured with her hands, her tone full of genuine regret.
Venom looked down at his massive pecs and powerful body, muttering gloomily: "Maybe I really should try cutting down on chocolate intake..."
Just then, the black tendril connecting Venom trembled, and Victor finally emerged from the other tent.
The moment he walked out, the air in this small area of the dock seemed to stagnate for a second.