Probably to cater to the taste of their long-distance guests, most of the dishes on the table were Western-style. The few Japanese dishes chosen were the classic kind. If there was any regret, it was that the al wasn't particularly exquisite.
But that was understandable. With so many people, there was no way to pursue refinent. The saying "half-grown kids eat you out of house and ho" applied everywhere, just supplying enough food for this sudden flood of students was already a huge challenge.
Although the food wasn't fancy, everyone still ate joyfully, mainly because they were hungry.
So even though Allen secretly caused a little mischief, nobody noticed, as if.
Putting aside the fact that Hogwarts had half-blood students like Aki from Ravenclaw and Miss Selma from Hufflepuff, not to ntion the number of wizards of Chinese descent at Ilvermorny in the U.S., just based on the location, there were plenty of people who could read Chinese.
But since the double happiness character wasn't commonly used, and Japanese weddings don't typically hang it, very few noticed anything amiss. Those who did, however, were quietly snickering, because the setup looked eerily convincing.
But laughing aside, no one revealed the prank. Even if soone tried, it would be difficult to replicate the floral arrangent so perfectly. First, it wasn't a major issue; second, who even did this anyway?
The key to a successful prank isn't originality, it's knowing how to remove yourself from the ss afterward. That's the most important lesson before courting disaster.
Allen was quietly laughing while enjoying his lunch, assuming the day's events would end on such a spectacular note, when a sudden twist occurred.
Mischief wasn't a one-person monopoly, even if you didn't cause trouble, others would.
Just as Allen snatched the last, most popular tempura-fried "heavenly" prawn with his chopsticks, a male wizard stood up at the head table, yes, the very one Allen had been most curious about.
Instantly, Allen's interest spiked, and he even let the next dish go without a fight.
Though far away and unable to read lips, Allen felt it was crucial to watch what happened next, he sensed a show was about to unfold.
Sure enough, the professor stepped forward, bowed to the three headmasters, and pulled a wand from his robe. A bouquet of pristine white flowers blossod above it, shaped like a funnel.
Allen's eyes went wide, this was no ordinary flower. It was a lily.
While the word "lily" was often used taphorically, in this context, its aning was crystal clear: a hundred years of harmony in marriage.
"Today is a truly morable day," the professor declared. "Mahoutokoro welcos friends from afar. Though I am a humble man of few words, I wish to offer my heartfelt blessing for this beautiful mont. May the friendship among our three schools endure, like the aning of this flower, eternal and unchanging." He carefully wrapped the bouquet and handed it over.
Mahoutokoro's principal accepted it with a pleased expression and placed it on the table.
However, he made no move to introduce the professor to Dumbledore and company. While unorthodox behavior like this could be understood, it was natural to not enjoy it.
anwhile, anyone who could read the double happiness character froze in astonishnt, wait, what kind of move is this?
Even Allen had to admire the professor's improvisation skills, to co up with this on the spot? Incredible.
At the sa ti, Allen scribbled a note in his ntal notebook: hope he's not a teacher in one of my core classes… if he is, I'll need twelve tis the focus in class. After all, if he can play gas like this with the headmaster, his students probably aren't safe either!
In any case, the first al together passed quickly in this strange atmosphere.
Next, everyone went back to their respective campsites.
Normally, Hogwarts students could stay in the miniature castle, it had enough space for the visiting students.
But this ti, that wouldn't work. After all, it was a castle for children, and fitting the entire Hogwarts student body inside simply wasn't feasible.
Luckily, plans were in place. The castle had a large number of tents, and Mahoutokoro allocated enough space for them.
Third-year girls and below were led by Professor McGonagall into the castle, Dumbledore and the male professors took care of the remaining boys, and the other girls were arranged in a separate area by the remaining female professors.
Once the zones were set, Allen's group began lining up for their tents. These were magical tents, one per dormitory. After receiving a tent, each group had to set it up themselves.
Perhaps due to the rushed nature of the plan, no detailed instructions were given. Boys shared a common area, but no specific zones for each house were assigned. As long as you were happy and stayed in the area, you could pitch your tent however you wanted.
This led to a curious situation: the first area to be set up, including Dumbledore's tent, had no other tents, or even students, nearby. A 111-year-old retired heartthrob like Dumbledore naturally had no fanboys daring to approach; instead, students scrambled for the tents farthest from him.
No surprise, though this was officially an exchange, it was essentially a group outing. Nobody wanted to stay under a professor's nose, not even Dumbledore. With limited campsite space, farther was better.
Even without school rules, the professors' inherent intimidation worked. Students were willing to fight for space.
They really fought. No injuries, but knocking soone down was the minimum. Allen and his friends shook their heads while setting up tents.
"Tsk, tsk… Allen, this year's first-year students aren't impressive. They didn't dominate Slytherin even with Gryffindor together. Honestly, if it weren't for established rules, I'd help them out."
Allen held a rope with magic, securing a tent corner. "Relax. If we interfered, it'd be worse. You need to handle your own grade matters. Don't embarrass yourselves by dragging other schools into it. What's all this fighting and chaos about?"
Several eyes turned toward Allen at once, the ssage was clear: and you, you dare?
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