[5/29 (Thursday) - After Classes]
[Beacon Academy — Library]
"I-I don't wanna!"
"Ruby, it's barely a few pages. Sit down and finish it."
"But the deadline's next week! I wanna do something else! Why aren't you asking Yang to do the same? She hasn't touched it yet!"
"Listen, Rubes, I have better things to do, like primping my hair. Besides, I'll finish the work tomorrow. Blake can vouch for me."
"Mn."
"Not fair!"
Clerval glanced up from his notes, watching the familiar back-and-forth between Team Ruby unfold. It didn't take long before his attention drifted to the other table.
Team Juniper wasn't faring much better.
"Can't we do this another day, Renny?" Nora leaned forward, eyes wide in an exaggerated plea.
"Those puppy eyes lost their effectiveness a long time ago, Nora," Ren replied calmly as he read through the page of his book. "And please keep your voice down—we're in a library."
"Oh, pooey."
Beside her, Jaune lazily flipped a page in his comic before looking up.
"Hey, think of it this way—if you finish it now, we can go do something fun later tonight."
"Jauney, you don't get a say in this, you traitor!" Nora snapped, pointing accusingly at him. He pointed at himself in confusion.
"What? Me? But I already finished mine—with Pyrrha!"
"That's the problem! We should be doing this together as a team! Pyrrha, how could you!"
All three turned toward her. Pyrrha looked back and forth before offering a sheepish smile. "Um... sorry!"
"... Ahem, we've talked about this, Pyrrha. You don't have to say "sorry" for something like this."
"Oh, sorry!"
"You just said it again! Renny, where's the "sorry" jar?!"
Clerval exhaled softly and returned his attention to his book. Since he had already finished his assignments during yesterday's rooftop study session, the entire afternoon was his to use as he pleased.
It took some time to find something worthwhile, but eventually, one title caught his eye—recommended by Blake, no less.
"The Divine Messenger, huh?"
The synopsis alone was interesting. It explored an ancient religion that predated the widespread worship of the Two Brother Gods nearly a thousand years ago, with a particular focus on an order known as the Watchers of Humanity.
The book itself was thick, nearly two hundred pages. By the time the others finally decided to call it a day, he had only made it through about a third of it.
Still, while he was one-third of the way through, as he read about the guidance they offered, the sacrifices they made, and the consequences that followed their teachings, he could feel his Kindness gradually improving.
Time well spent, he thought to himself as he borrowed the book from the library.
"Please return the book by the 26th of June."
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[5/29 (Thursday) - Evening]
[Beacon Academy — Cafeteria]
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"Come on! It's not like they'd serve something bad, right?" Yang grinned as she grabbed a tray piled high with a strange, rainbow-colored goop from the lunch lady.
Apparently, some seniors she knew had told her it was a special dish served only once a month, packed with nutrients that boosted the body, mind, and even spirit. Supposedly, it was also rich in protein and could be dehydrated into emergency rations for long missions.
Hearing all that, she'd dragged the entire team along to try it.
"My palate is far too refined for such… slop." Weiss didn't even hesitate, turning on her heel with a look of pure disgust as she headed off to grab something more balanced. Carbohydrates, protein, fiber, and healthy fats, all neatly portioned like how a Hunter's diet was supposed to look.
Clerval watched the exchange before glancing back at the tray in his own hands.
Just by staring at the rainbow goop within his hands that smelled odorless, he gulped instinctively. He could feel his Courage rise drastically at the thought of eating the object seemingly categorized as edible food.
Ultimately, only he and Yang were brave enough to take a seat with it.
"Cheers!"
Channeling every ounce of guts he had, Clerval matched his teammate's actions by raising a spoonful of the rainbow sludge toward Yang before shoving it into his mouth.
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[5/29 (Thursday) - Midnight]
[Beacon Academy — Dorm Room]
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He woke up in the middle of the night in his dorm, completely naked.
…
Deciding not to think too hard about it, he quietly wrapped himself in his blanket and went back to sleep.
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NEXT UPDATE: 20 May, Wednesday
A/N: Tell you what, next week (CHAPTER 31 + 32) if we get 50 Power Stones total by the end of the week, I'll post a bonus chapter on the following week.
:)
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