[6/3 (Tuesday) - Evening]
[Beacon Academy — Classroom]
Today happened to be one of the rare days where classes were held in the evening, mostly due to Professor Oobleck's conflicting schedule with something he refused to elaborate on.
"Prior to the Faunus Rights Revolution nearly seventy years ago—more commonly referred to as the Faunus War—humankind was quite, quite adamant about centralizing the Faunus population within Menagerie, now recognized as the homeland of the Faunus!"
He took a quick sip from his ever-present mug of coffee before immediately noticing the growing lack of attention within the classroom.
"Now!" he suddenly exclaimed, jolting several students upright.
Except for Jaune, who sat right in front of the lecturer. Clerval had tried waking the blond by tapping his side, but it was no use.
"While this may feel like ancient history to many of you, it is imperative to remember that these events are relatively recent! Due to the many factors surrounding the conflict, the repercussions of the uprising can still be observed to this very day!"
Behind the reflection of his glasses, his eyes briefly swept toward the Faunuskind scattered throughout the lecture hall.
"Have any among you been subjugated or discriminated against because of your Faunus heritage?"
It took a few seconds before several Faunus students slowly raised their hands.
"Dreadful," Professor Oobleck sighed. "Simply dreadful. Students, it is precisely this kind of ignorance that gives rise to hatred and violence! Which is exactly why history remains an essential part of your curriculum!"
"Look at the White Fang for example!"
That statement caused an unusual expression to flicker across Blake's face—something Clerval caught while glancing up briefly from his notes.
Ever since the incident earlier that afternoon, he'd started to suspect Blake was hiding something connected to the Faunus.
[Definitely, nya! I can sense something—it's super fishy, nya~]
[The Young One speaks the truth. Your fellow teammate has something that's troubling her mind.]
Neko Shogun and Omiokane gave their two cents just as Oobleck moved up closer to his students.
"Now then! Which one of you can tell me what many historians consider to be the turning point during the third year of the Great War?"
A hand dressed in white was raised, catching his attention.
"The battle at Fort Castle, professor!"
"It's 'doctor'! And yes, a precise answer, Miss Schnee!" Adjusting his glasses, he gazed upon his seated students. "And who can tell me the advantages that the Faunus had over General Lagune's forces that turned the entire battle around?"
A strange choking noise suddenly echoed beside him. Tilting his head back, he stared back at Cardin, who seemingly threw a piece of paper at Jaune.
"Hrk-huh?"
Snapping awake, Jaune blinked blearily at the sight of Professor Oobleck standing directly in front of him. Clerval sighed silently.
"Mr. Arc!" Oobleck exclaimed. "I am glad to see you finally making an effort to contribute! Now then—what is the answer?"
Now fully panicking, Jaune's eyes darted wildly around the room.
"Uhhhhhh... the answer tooooooo that question..."
Across from him, Pyrrha subtly tried gesturing the answer behind Oobleck's back.
"The advantage... the Faunus... had over that guy's stuff..." Jaune stalled desperately.
Just to be safe, Clerval quietly whispered the answer under his breath.
Thankfully, Jaune managed to catch it in time.
"Vision?" he answered uncertainly.
Oobleck stared at him for a brief moment before suddenly zooming back toward the blackboard.
"Night vision, correct! Though I believe the answer came from Mr. Grayson," he declared, noticing the attempt. "Mr. Arc, please focus during class! It is important that you learn from the mistakes of previous generations!"
That immediately drew laughter from parts of the classroom, much to Jaune's embarrassment as he awkwardly sank lower into his seat. A few students even began whispering among themselves while glancing in his direction.
It seemed helping Jaune had caused Clerval's Reputation to rise slightly as well.
Cardin, especially, was laughing far louder than anyone else. Naturally, Professor Oobleck singled him out almost immediately.
"Mr. Winchester! Perhaps you would like to share your thoughts on the subject."
Still snickering, Cardin leaned back in his chair and planted his boots against the desk with a smirk.
"Well, I know it's a lot easier to train an animal than a soldier, right guys?"
His teammates burst into laughter at the remark.
Pyrrha's frown narrowed as she voiced out. "You are not the most open-minded individual, are you, Cardin?" she said mockingly.
"What did you say?"
"No, but I do have the answer," She continued, ignoring both him and the hostile looks from his teammates as she addressed Professor Oobleck instead. "Many Faunus possess near-perfect night vision."
And Clerval's surprise, Blake spoke up immediately after her.
"General Lagune lacked experience fighting against the Faunus. That became his downfall when he attempted to ambush them in their sleep."
"Despite outnumbering the Faunus forces five-to-one, his army was completely overwhelmed. The General himself was captured and later used as leverage, which allowed the Faunus to gain the upper hand in the battles that followed."
After finishing, Blake glanced toward Cardin. "Perhaps if he had paid more attention in class, he wouldn't be remembered as such a failure."
Cardin pushed his chair back with an angry scrape, only for Professor Oobleck to cut him off before he could rise. "Mr. Winchester, sit down this instant!"
In the next moment, the professor blurred across the classroom and stopped in front of Jaune, who was snickering.
"And you, Mr. Arc, may see me after class for additional reading assignments."
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[6/3 (Tuesday) - Evening]
[Beacon Academy — Rooftops]
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For how boring and difficult it was to stay awake during Professor Port's lectures—no offense to the man—the professor certainly knew how to assign an absurd amount of homework.
Professor Goodwitch was not much better. She had tasked every student with writing a detailed essay analyzing their own fighting style, its effectiveness against specific Grimm species, and the most efficient methods to eliminate them in combat scenarios.
Since Team Ruby had gone into Vale to restock on ammunition and Dust in preparation for an upcoming trip the following week, he used the quiet evening to work through the pile of assignments that had been given out weeks before their actual deadlines.
Sitting with one side of his headphones on, the music from his player softly filling his ear, he was midway through his research when he caught the faint sound of voices below, belonging to Pyrrha and Jaune.
He paused the audio and quietly stood, moving toward the edge of the rooftop. Below him was the lower-maintenance section of the building, where it housed reservoirs, cooling units, and various miscellaneous systems that kept the dorms running.
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"—Pyrrha, I know I'm going through a rough time right now, but I'm not THAT depressed," Jaune muttered, staring down from several stories up. "I could always just become a farmer or something."
Pyrrha's eyes widened in alarm as she quickly stepped in, pulling him back from the edge.
"N-No! Not like that!" she said frantically before coughing into her fist. "That's not why I brought you here!"
Regaining her composure, she confronted Jaune with a serious face.
"Jaune, I know you're having a difficult time in class. And that you're still not the strongest of fighters, so—" She hesitated for a brief moment before pushing through it. "I want to help you!"
"... What?"
"We can train up here after class where no one can bother us!" she continued, spinning around. "This place is spacious enough for some intensive training."
"You..." Jaune, however, had a different thought in mind as his expression tightened. "You think I need help?"
Confused, she tried retracting her statement. "No! I mean, yes? But that's not what I meant!"
"But you just said it."
"Jaune. Everyone needs a little push from time to time." She explained with a comforting tone. "It doesn't make you any different from the rest of us."
"You made it to Beacon Academy; that speaks volumes of what you're capable of!"
A heavy silence settled between them as Jaune then turned. "You're wrong... I-I don't belong here."
"That's a terrible thing to say; of course you do—!"
"No, I don't!" he snapped, raising his voice and cutting Pyrrha off.
His breathing faltered as the words finally came spilling out.
"I... I wasn't really accepted into Beacon."
Pyrrha blinked, taken aback. "W-What do you mean?"
"I mean, I didn't go to combat school like the rest of you. I didn't pass any tests! I didn't earn my spot in this Academy!"
He forced himself to look at her.
"I lied. I got my hands on some fake transcripts, and I lied."
Realizing the implications, her expression shifted, shock, disbelief, and concern flashing across her face at once.
"What?" she breathed, gasping. "But why?"
"Because that's what I've always wanted to be!" Years worth of frustration bleeds out of his voice. "My father, my grandfather, and his father before him—they were all warriors. They were all heroes!"
His hands clenched at his sides.
"I wanted to be one too. But I was never good enough. That's what my father always told me growing up."
"Then let me help you," she said gently, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder.
He immediately shoved it away.
"I don't want help! I don't want to be the damsel in distress! I want to be a hero! Since when does a hero get help?"
"Jaune, I—"
"I'm tired of it!" His voice cracked slightly as he continued. "I'm tired of being the lovable, clumsy idiot stuck in the tree while everyone else fights for their lives with one man down! Don't you understand?"
"If I can't do this on my own..." he said, his voice somber.
"... Then what good am I?"
Pyrrha reached out again, slower this time—but Jaune stepped back before she could make contact.
For a long moment, she simply stood there.
Then, quietly, with a heavy breath, Pyrrha lowered her hand and turned away.
"If that's what you think is best."
Without another word, she walked off the lower rooftop, leaving Jaune alone in the silence.
Staring at the door long after she was gone, his friend dragged a hand down his face and took a shaky step back.
"Oh Jaune..."
"Cardin?!"
Just to meet Cardin, who pulled himself up from the side of the building.
"I couldn't help but overhear you two from my dorm room," he said with a grin, crossing his arms. "Lucky for me, I'm just a floor down."
His smirk widened.
"So you snuck into Beacon, huh? That's a federal crime right there. Not even counting the felonies you just admitted to. Never expected you to be such a rebel."
"P-Please, Cardin! Please don't tell anyone!"
"Jaune..." He gave a laugh as he took a step forward to Jaune. "Come on! I'd never rat out a friend like that!"
"F-Friend?" Jaune barely managed to whisper before Cardin hooked an arm around his neck, choking him slightly.
"Of course," he said cheerfully. "We're friends now, Jauney boy! And the way I see it, so long as you're there when I need you, we'll be friends for a long, long time."
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As Cardin started to drag his new friend out of the door, Clerval, who watched everything unfold, simply stared at where they previously were standing before exhaling quietly, turning away with a faint sigh—deciding to confront Jaune another day.
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NEXT UPDATE: 4 June, Thursday
A/N: I probably will have to take a one-week hiatus next week, I have an assignment due that needs quite a bit of work. I'll do my best to not take one, but we'll have to see.
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