Готовый перевод Комната Историй / The Room of the Stories: Глава 4

Act 1. Chapter 4

Author's Note:

Thirty-seven pages... Is that a lot or a little? Well, the way I see it, compared to the number of days to write this chapter, it's definitely not much. Ahem.

Anyway, as promised, the new chapter is out! Eh, I'm so proud of myself.... Whine. Although, if you remember my promise to write two chapters before the new year..... Well, ha ha, I've written the first chapter. There's one more to go! And New Year's Eve is still a long way off....

Eh, but still, I'm really glad I finally finished this chapter. There will probably be an inordinate number of errors and typos, but as they say... No risk - no champagne!

Onward to the adventure! And don't forget, the sequel after the commercials!!!

The incomparable Light_Jester was with you, adios amigos!
* * *

Almost twenty minutes had passed since the end of the last chapter, but it was during this time that students and professors were able to satisfy their needs and prepare themselves once again for the subsequent reading of the book. Of course, the preparation included various snacks and, this time, drinks, such as sodas, tea, or, as in the case of the esteemed headmaster, a cup of freshly made coffee.

Besides the preparation itself, the students were also discussing the third chapter, which although it was funny and entertaining at some points was still not up to the level of the second chapter. There was no "High Priest Russell" in chapter three, which made some students, the silver-haired boy sneered, and then, cursing at whoever began to prepare his seat for the next reading, a little disappointed, to say the least.

Even so, the atmosphere in the room made everyone instinctively anticipate and prepare for more ridiculous and absurd moments. And even Pyrrha, the unrivaled Champion of Mistral, felt her fingers trembling at the mere thought of reading the adventures and exploits of her leader.

Ren's words from the first chapter came to mind, causing Pyrrha to blush even more.

And while everyone was busy preparing for the reading, one blond guy sat quietly in his place and silently gnawed on a cookie - which Ruby had given him for some unknown reason and even apologized for it - while his thoughts were occupied with bad thoughts about his future.

What was the reason for this? It's simple.

Chapter 4 begins with Pyrrha, his loyal friend and partner, starting to read a book. What was so special about that? That someone like Pyrrha would start reading. Pyrrha was kind, loyal, and the best partner in the world - no offense to bookish Ren - but even so, she was still Jaune's age and his friend. Reading yourself or listening to adults read was one thing, but having someone your age start reading a book about your "great" and "incredible" feats was another.

And okay Pyrrha, Jaune knew she wouldn't say or do anything like that, but what would come next... Nora, and then Yang, and finally Mercury! Oh, thank the Gods, have mercy on the poor, desperate boy, and take him out of this room! Why was he locked in with everyone else in the first place?

Jaune had a nagging feeling that somewhere in parallel universes he definitely wasn't with his friends and professors. And for some reason, the boy actually believed these thoughts. Because let's be honest, who would want to lock him up with a book - please, let it be just one book! - about an ordinary guy and a simple man whose name is Jaune Arc, right?

...

Back to the main point. Namely, how Jaune thought about his death before the next chapter of bullying and embarrassment began. Ah, but who would let him do that?

//"I wish I were dead..." flashed through the blond's mind as he ate the last cookie and, crumpling the empty pack, stood up to throw it in the trash can in the kitchen. "I wonder if I can pretend to be sick? Or say I feel sick..."

This could work…

But even thoughts that might otherwise have shaken the boy's self-esteem or desires, this time did not have the same power as before. And it was ridiculously simple. No matter how embarrassed or ashamed Jaune was by the things that happened in the book, he, for the first time in his life, felt like the main character.

As funny as it may sound.

And, let's face it, he liked it. Sure, he could have removed all those embarrassing moments and generally made him taller and more muscular, but that's not so important. What's important is that even if Jaune were given a chance to refuse to read the book, he, to his shame, would not be able to do so. The story of the book was too ingrained in him. That's why even now, throwing out the trash, he was still thinking about what would happen next. What else would the book version of him face and what would he cope with?

Fortunately or unfortunately, Jaune will soon learn the answer first-hand.

Like many others.

* * *

"Well," the headmaster's voice sounded in the room, causing all the students and Glynda to stare at him, although up until this point, to be honest, everyone's attention had been focused on him. But anyway, Ozpin, taking a small sip from his mug, looked around the room again. Seeing the expectant and interested faces, the man smiled slightly, adjusted his glasses, and continued. "I see you are all eagerly awaiting the continuation of the story. I think I shouldn't oppose your desires, but still, I would like to clarify."

Everyone was silent, waiting for the headmaster's words.

"Is there anything else anyone wants to do before we start reading the book?" Silence. Ozpin lifted the corners of his lips a little higher. "Oh, great…"

The headmaster's gaze stopped on Pyrrha, who was already holding in her hands - as if it were something incredible and sacred - a book about the War Games.

"Miss Nikos," Ozpin raised his mug, as if giving her freedom to do whatever she wanted, "you may begin reading at any time."

"Thank you," said the champion, lightly squeezing the cover of the book and instinctively licking her lips, dry from anticipation. The champion's gaze first looked around the room, and seeing many impatient faces, she, without realizing it, began to feel how she too was overcome by the general impatience. Even Jaune looked at her with his blue…

//"Stop!" Pyrrha shouted to herself mentally, and then, taking a few breaths, stared at the book. Now was not the time to think and dream about those sky-blue eyes. Weakly shaking her head, the champion swallowed the lump in her throat and, finally opening the book to the right page, stared at one line. "Chapter Four - The First Strike."

There was silence for a while.

"Ahem," Blake's cough brought Pyrrha back to reality, realizing that she had only read a few lines in her mind, causing her to blush slightly. Clearing her throat, Pyrrha looked around at everyone with an apologetic look. "Sorry… ahem. I'm starting."

And as if everyone had been waiting for this moment, every person in the room showed their reaction to her words in one way or another. Many simply approached with interest, while others leaned back in their chairs, and still others demonstratively showed disdain for the book.

But Pyrrha no longer paid attention to anyone, as she had already started reading the fourth chapter, but this time out loud.

<…> Chapter 4 – The First Blow, - Pyrrha's soft voice instantly made everyone in the room immerse themselves in the story, forgetting about the rest of the world. - <…> No one seeks conflict. Sometimes it sneaks up on you, and strikes before you notice. Kind of like women, really. - Many girls blinked in confusion at the words spoken. And only true men could understand the entire sacred meaning in these lines of text. Even Jaune, sadly sighing, turned away while remembering his entire family. More precisely, the female side of his family. And Pyrrha, meanwhile, continued reading the book. - <…>One second you're single, the next – bam – jumped by both your teammates. - This time even the boys joined in the puzzled staring at each other. What was all this about? Only Glynda glanced at Ozpin, slightly raising her left eyebrow and one name was spoken, but even this made the headmaster of Beacon smile slightly and shrug. Frowning, the deputy headmaster listened to the story again, knowing that her guess would soon be confirmed. - <…> Dunno why Qrow always gives me that luck, though. - Ruby and Yang's eyes widened, realizing who the unknown writer of these lines was. - <…> Doesn't it happen that way for everyone?

Pyrrha blinked, then coughed quietly and blushed slightly as she said the last line from the book.

<…> Taiyang Xiao-Long, Blonde Bastard... There was silence. And the next moment a quiet sigh was heard from Miss Goodwitch, who, lifting her glasses, began to massage her eyes from fatigue.

"Miss Nikos, I ask you to continue reading the story before the room starts to fight again," the gaze of green eyes finally met the same green eyes, and the champion, after a pause, nodded and again directed her gaze to the book. And a moment later the melodic voice of the girl began to spread through the room again.

However many were still processing the information from the book.

<…> Medical supplies or food, - Everyone's attention was instantly focused on the book again, as if a switch had been flipped, although the two sisters still felt awkward about their father appearing in the book and being called a blonde bastard. But Pyrrha's reading still managed to get Ruby and Yang to focus on the story again, rather than their own thoughts. - <…> That was our quest. A quest which I've been unfairly saddled with, mind – but a quest nonetheless. I could remember playing video games like that when I was younger, albeit the enemies were usually far weaker and more grotesque in nature. Naturally, the beautiful women of Beacon were neither of those. - Jaune found himself under the attention of many female gazes, but fortunately, this attention did not last long, thanks to which he was able to breathe easily. It was over... <…> Still, between the choice of the two assets, one seemed easier than the other, and it was that fact which kept me from truly panicking, and was honestly the only reason I was willing to give this a go in the first place.

And Pyrrha, enchanted by the story, imagined it all in her mind, as Jaune, calm and collected, silently pondered it all while his loyal knights stood by him and awaited his orders. The girl's thoughts formed a whole new world with each new word from the book.

<…> "This seems unusually easy," Sky commented as we walked through the corridors. "I mean, can we really just walk up to the infirmary and ask for medicine?" - Almost everyone blinked in confusion, and then there were understanding sighs and smiles. After all, even in the War Games, there had to be a working infirmary! Only a few students, including Weiss, frowned, wondering why Yatsuhashi's team hadn't gotten the medicine themselves if it was so easy. A small idea popped into the heiress's mind, but she needed at least some clues to confirm it, and not just point guessing randomly. That's why, having sat down more comfortably, she concentrated all her attention on reading the book. At the same time, Pyrrha managed to take a sip of tea from her cup and mentally decide whether she should change her voice to better understand who was speaking or not, like Headmaster Ozpin did, but, deciding not to bother with it, the girl simply continued reading the story where she stopped.

<…> "I don't see why not," I replied. "It's not like this is a real war. No one's going to prevent us from getting supplies if we're injured." - Pyrrha turned another page and continued reading the story, under everyone's attention. But unlike Jaune, she didn't even notice it, probably used to it. She just focused all her attention on the book. - <…> Not to us, anyway. Had it been CRDL on their own, and had it been Blake in the way, she might have.

Hearing these words, Blake blushed slightly, quickly turning away, trying to hide her embarrassment from everyone's attention. Unfortunately for her, almost every person in the room could see how her bow slightly shrank down to her hair, as if trying to hide. But at the same time, no one said anything to her, since more than half of the students could understand where these lines of text came from. After all, even Glynda could not blame Blake for this. So many simply went back to the book.

Only Yang gave her her signature smirk, while Weiss sighed heavily until her thoughts momentarily lost their focus. And how could she not notice how Blake's bow had a life of its own in moments like these? Or those moments when Blake walked out of the bath with her bow, even though her hair was still wet. Or…

//"Ugh," Weiss turned away from Blake, focusing on the book again. It was better to just ignore all of this and get back to the story than to remember the past and the embarrassing moments in their lives.

So, in just a few moments, everyone except Blake, who was still looking away, was listening to Pyrrha's soft voice again. However, the trembling bow of the black-haired girl could show that even in this state, Blake was definitely listening to the story, not wanting to miss a single line of the book.

<…> "Jaune has a point," Ren said. "From what I recall, there are rules surrounding the medical facility and it's exempt from the war. - Weiss's attention focused on those lines. //"My guess is wrong?" the heiress thought with a frown. If only they were given those rules to confirm her thoughts... she sighed heavily as Pyrrha continued speaking. - <…> Even with this being sprung on us so randomly, I imagine the faculty had time to plan and organise it. They'd have something in place to make sure no one was badly hurt."

Sitting in his seat, Ren nodded thoughtfully at his book counterpart's words, as he had been thinking about the same thing. However, even so, something was bothering him. Perhaps it was due to the difficulty of the task at hand. After all, in stories like this, there was always something that could stop the protagonist and make him work on the mission. The guy slightly shifted his gaze from the book to the right, stopping at Jaune, who, like many others, was listening to the story without interrupting.

//"Maybe I'm just overthinking this?" thoughts flashed through Ren's mind as he looked back at Pyrrha.

<…> Ren scanned the corridor ahead, and only when it was clear did he continue. "If people felt afraid to visit the infirmary, then the smallest cut could become an infection that costs someone a leg." - After these words, the room fell silent for a moment, and only Ozpin, as usual, took another sip from his endless mug of coffee. Perhaps it was this indifference - although many considered this attitude calm - that allowed the oppressive atmosphere in the room to subside and return to reading again. Only Ozpin lowered his gaze to his mug, right at the black liquid in it, remembering some moments from his past.

<…> I nodded and flicked open my scroll, reading through the handy list of rules Ozpin had thought to send to us. - Weiss listened to Pyrrha's speech. - <…> To every student, of course. There were instructions on how to win the war – most of which I skimmed over as being utterly unnecessary – but among them were the rules. Some were on how you had to treat prisoners, ensuring a minimum level of meals, freedom and care, along with rules that stated prisoners couldn't take advantage of that humanitarianism to escape. More importantly, however, were the strict guidelines surrounding the medical facilities.

After finishing reading, Pyrrha reached for her cup and took a long sip to clear her dry throat. After a moment, she cleared her throat and returned to her book, feeling like everyone's attention in the room was on her again.

<…> "No one faction can take command of or limit, inhibit or control access to the medical facilities for any student," I read. "Should wounded from one side approach under the banner of seeking medical aid, they must be allowed to enter the facility without interruption. Failure to comply, or seeking to use such caveats for your own advantage, will lead to harsh punishment." - As soon as Pyrrha finished reading this, Weiss, Emerald, Cinder, and Blake almost immediately figured out how they could use this rule to their advantage. Weiss leaned back in her chair and smirked. Her guess, based on words alone, was correct. Now she understood what the problem was. After all, the rules only said that students could not be blocked from entering. No one said anything about leaving. As if they heard her thoughts, Cinder and Emerald mirrored her smirk, and only Blake, forgetting about her embarrassment, came closer and pricked up her ears in interest to hear how the "Great General" would solve this problem. Meanwhile, Pyrrha continued reading. - <…> "What do you imagine harsh punishment means?" Dove asked.

<…> "Nothing we want to see," Cardin grunted. "Whether it's Miss Goodwitch or that Doctor giving it, neither is a good option."

After these words, most of the Beacon students shrank in their seats, fearing an unnamed punishment, some, like Yang and Nora, even had their eyes dim, losing the spark of life and self-awareness. And although none of them knew about that Doctor, for some reason, everyone felt an inexplicable fear, which was not inferior to the fear of being punished by Miss Goodwitch.

Glynda, who was sitting in her place and quietly sipping her tea, slightly narrowed her eyes, instantly making the room fall into silence. And only Ozpin's quiet cough made everyone come to their senses. And a slight nod, which was intended for Nikos, made the champion grip the book's cover even tighter as if it was her only lifeline, and continue reading the book.

Only the CNEM team with Jaune did not understand what was so special about it.

<…> It was interesting how Cardin didn't show any of his usual racism towards Miss Tsune. - After these words, the room fell silent again. And this time, it was because of surprise and misunderstanding. But even so, many unconsciously looked at the black-haired girl with golden, cat-like eyes.

Blake's eyes widened as she stared at the book in surprise, trying to comprehend what she had just heard. The idea of ​​a faunus working at Beacon was unrealistic, but at the same time, she could accept it if she was given the choice. Plus, the idea that Cardin hadn't shown his temper to the faunus was equally shocking. It left her somewhere between shock and disbelief.

Meanwhile, Ruby turned to Emerald with a puzzled expression and asked quietly.

"Did we really have a nurse like that in our infirmary?"

Emerald, who had been sitting silently until that moment, blinked, and then stared at the reaper in bewilderment, as if she had said something stupid. Although, why as if? That was exactly how it had been.

"How would I know? I don't study here," realizing her mistake, Ruby blushed slightly, and then quickly switched to Weiss, asking the same question. She only frowned, answering with just two words. "I don't know."

Seeing this, Emerald looked away from the reaper and frowned.

//"Strange, there was no Miss Tsuna in the information… maybe they just missed her?" Emerald tilted her head thoughtfully to look at Cinder, who showed no reaction to the words spoken. Although the glint in her eyes made it clear that someone might be in trouble.

And only two people in the room knew for sure that there was no faun with that last name working at Beacon. Glynda turned to Ozpin and raised her eyebrow slightly as if asking what was going on. Ozpin, remembering his previous thoughts, simply shook his head. He had an idea, and most likely it was correct. But the headmaster did not want to tell everyone about it.

Because what would happen if everyone found out that Miss Tsune was just a created character? Maybe it was nothing, but whoever wrote this story only used real people up until now, so why did this Miss Tsune appear?

Until Ozpin understood the reason why the Author did this, he did not want to announce it to the public. Therefore, he looked at Glynda and shook his head slightly again, as if giving a command not to talk about it. She frowned even more, but still nodded adjusted her glasses, and looked around the room.

"Miss Nikos, I understand that you are giving your friends and others a moment to think, but still, I ask you to continue reading, otherwise if this continues, we will never reach the end of this book."

"B-but!" Blake suddenly caught herself in her place, but when she came under the attention of green eyes, she suddenly fell silent.

"No buts, Miss Belladonna. You can talk about that next time, not now," Glynda's eyes focused on Pyrrha again. "Miss Nikos? Didn't I say you could continue reading?"

"Oh, o-of course!" Pyrrha tried to smile, but it didn't come out very well. Swallowing the lump in her throat and turning away from that look, she stared at the lines of text. For some reason, that calmed her down. "Um... I'm starting."

Although many were still wondering who this mysterious Miss Tsune was, only a few crazy people could think of asking directly. Like Mercury. Fortunately, at least one of his team had the instinct of self-preservation, so Emerald noticed his desire the fastest and shut him up with her Semblance.

After all, the illusion of burning alive is sometimes much better than any words. But even so, Mercury only pressed his lips together for a few moments and turned slightly pale, but after a moment he was able to come to his senses and turn to the thief.

"Ha, ha," Mercury said in an irritated tone, and then turned to Pyrrha, finally getting the hint. Emerald only smirked smugly at this action, feeling an indescribable sense of happiness. After all, Mercury was a real pain in the ass. But even so, she still shouldn't abuse her Semblance. After all, they were still surrounded by the enemy.

Yes... enemy.

Emerald's gaze briefly stopped on Ruby and her interested and curious expression, which showed all her emotions. It was even surprising to see so many emotions, which made Emerald feel uncomfortable. Perhaps it was because all the reaper's emotions were real, and hers were just a mask, a fake?

Emerald didn't know. And frankly, she didn't need to. She was, after all, a thief, a murderer, and, after all their goals had been accomplished, a worldwide villain. Not that that was a bad thing, just another title to add to the already awful titles on her list.

The red eyes closed for a moment, and then, as if nothing had happened, the thief turned to Pyrrha, who continued reading the book and the story about the Great Jaune Arc.

<…> It was interesting how Cardin didn't show any of his usual racism towards Miss Tsune. Maybe he knew better than to annoy the person who might be responsible for putting you back together again if you were hurt, or maybe he was just afraid of her. Neither was a particularly bad reason.

Jaune blinked in confusion. While he could understand the reasons, why would he be afraid of the nurse? She could actually bring them back from the brink of death… Jaune felt goosebumps on his body and suddenly didn't want to hear the answer to his question.

<…> "Still, this is a free win for us," I said, putting the scroll away. "We walk in, ask for some supplies and walk out. No problems." - Hearing these words, Jaune felt a current run through his entire body. Quietly groaning, he realized with horror that nothing good would happen. //"Why did I say these words?!" - several thoughts flashed through the guy's head when he heard the next lines of the text. - <…> I wish I'd kept my mouth shut. It took less than ten minutes for a problem to occur. - Jaune hit his forehead with his palm with a distinct sound, and feeling the gaze of his friends and team on him, he only groaned louder. - <…> and it appeared as Ren slamming out an arm into my chest, pushing me back and preventing the others from crossing around the corner.

But fortunately, Pyrrha continued reading the story, causing the others to instinctively avert their gazes from the blonde, giving him freedom. Looking up, Jaune once again thanked his partner in his thoughts, as his mind was drawn into the story written by the unknown Author.

And Pyrrha's voice, echoing throughout the room, was like a melody that touched the emotions of everyone in the room.

<…> "Wait," he hissed. "Enemies." - everyone listened to the champion with interest. - <…> "Girls?" Russel asked.

<…> "If it were Grimm I wouldn't sound so worried." - Pyrrha smiled slightly, as did many other acquaintances and friends of the young guy. Ren did not react to the words of his double, he only changed his position with interest and began to listen further. - <…> He gestured for us to stay back and crouched low. Of all of us, Ren was the quietest. And the fastest. And probably the strongest too, now that I thought about it. There really was no reason why he wasn't in charge other than my utterly undeserved reputation. - Pyrrha instinctively looked up at Jaune, as did the other people in the room, but he was able to withstand the onslaught and look at Pyrrha with a pleading look. The girl said nothing, continuing to silently look at him. After a short silence, and then sighing quietly, Jaune finally said:

"Well, technically, those words are true, right, Ren?" Jaune looked at his friend, trying to find support in him. But the pink eyes only stared at the blond with his usual calm, and then he said.

"We both know that strength doesn't always matter, Jaune," Ren replied, looking straight into the boy's blue eyes. "I'm not really cut out for leadership," he said simply. "You, on the other hand, are perfect for that role, so technically, you're the one in the wrong."

"Renny's right!" Nora confirmed, jumping slightly in her seat and apparently already back to her usual mood. Most likely, it was because of those few plates of pancakes, which were now empty. "Our fearless leader is afraid of nothing! He's a tactical genius and a born leader!"

"W-what?!" Jaune shook his head, blushing slightly as he heard the laughter and saw the small smiles on his friends' faces. "I'm not like that! Nora! What are you saying?!"

Jaune had already begun to get used to such quirks of his friend, but still, how could he not be embarrassed when Nora shouted such words in front of new acquaintances?!

"What?" Nora blinked her eyelashes a few times, like some kind of blonde - no offense to blondes and blondes - and then smiled a wide smile. "You really are our fearless leader!"

"Nora!" Jaune groaned as another cheer went up. This time, Ruby, jumping up in her seat despite Weiss trying to grab her and push her back down, began to speak.

"Nora's right!" Ruby exclaimed, still ignoring Weiss's attempts to calm the team leader, that is, her. "Jaune, no matter what you face, no matter what obstacles await you, you can definitely handle it! After all, you are the Leader of All Men!"

And to be more convincing, Ruby even raised her thumb and also tried to smile the widest smile she could make.

It seemed like the entire world froze, focusing on just two people, Jaune of the Arc family and Ruby of the Rose family. However, with each passing second of silence, the atmosphere became more and more awkward, until Ruby finally cleared her throat, and then, after quietly apologizing, sat down in her seat. A slight blush covered her cheeks, as she silently pulled her hood up, covering her entire face. And the giggles from Emerald and Mercury, as well as Yang, who was still acting quietly, but slowly starting to regain her previous attitude towards their situation, only made her cover her face even more with the hood.

Jaune, who seemed to be in the astral plane, was still able to return to reality, and then look at Ruby with his usual gaze, in which such simple words were read - and you, Ruby?

However, the giggles and snickers from the students, as well as Nora's speech about being a fearless leader, brought Jaune back to his main goal. Namely, Ren, who was watching him with a slight smile. He did nothing but shrug and shifted his gaze to Nora, who, although she was not shouting across the room, still attracted the attention of the students and professors with her speeches.

Jaune didn't know if he was glad for the respite or not. After all, even so, people were still talking about him, and worse, they were definitely saying the wrong things. But he'd heard those words too many times today, from both Pyrrha and Professor Ozpin, so he just sighed softly, feeling a little tired.

//"It's been a really long day today..." the boy thought before listening to Nora's ramblings. "And it's definitely going to be that long until the very end."

Meanwhile, Glynda looked with displeasure at the students, who gradually regained their usual disposition. They were so relaxed by Nora and Ruby's actions that they stopped sitting silently in their seats and began to communicate with each other.

"Hmm, they've gotten too excited," Glynda said with displeasure, looking at the dispersed students, especially Nora, who was once again standing on her chair and continuing to praise her leader.

"Oh, come on," Ozpin took a sip from his mug before looking around the room. "They need to react somehow, and not bottle up their emotions. Otherwise, we'd just sit there in silence for the rest of the book, not reacting to the contents of the book in any way."

"Why should this be bad?"

"Hah," Ozpin adjusted his framed glasses and then looked at his second-in-command with a serious look. "Right now, we are in a locked room that we can't get out of. We don't even know what's going on outside of this room. The only thing we know is that we were locked in with these books, and other than reading them, I don't see any other reason for such an action."

Glynda raised one eyebrow as if asking what was obvious, but even so, she still asked:

"But still, why can't we read a book in silence?"

"It's simple," the gaze of brown eyes passed over the students, as well as their reactions. The fleeting rest gave them time to return their lost emotions from the last chapter. And also, apparently, to forget Glynda's warning. Although, it was rather for the better. "Why lock us in a room and give us books if they do not want to see our reaction to the events in the book?"

There was a silence between them, and then Ozpin continued.

"Whoever locked us here could have given us books outside these rooms. Let us read, so to speak. But instead, somehow he was able to lock us in this place, manipulating not only our minds but Beacon itself. And these books," the headmaster stared at the bookcase near the wall for a moment. The first book that caught his eye was White Sheep, but the man only returned his gaze to Glynda. "They were written with the participation of all of us. Our emotions, our thoughts, our goals... It's all in this book."

Glynda Goodwitch winced slightly, frowning even more deeply as she glanced briefly at the open book in Pyrrha's hands.

"Where does he get such powers and such information?" the headmaster's brown eyes stopped on the green eyes of the deputy.

"Two professors, eight students, and four transfer students," he listed. "Fourteen people in all. Why were such different people brought into this room? Why were we given these books? Why were we given the first means of survival? Why would an all-powerful being do all this? The answer is simple."

Ozpin narrowed his eyes as he looked around the room again.

"The answer is literally before our eyes," the man said simply, watching his students. Glynda also turned her gaze towards the children. Her eyebrows slightly twitched, she instinctively adjusted her glasses and then asked quietly.

"Because he wanted to see the students' reaction? The reaction of these kids?"

"Perhaps," Ozpin simply replied, "I don't know. Maybe he, or she, was bored, so he did all this."

A tense silence hung between them.

"What... what should we do?" Glynda asked, her voice shaking. The brown eyes returned to his deputy, and then the man took a small sip from his mug.

"What to do? What can we do, being under the attention of such a mysterious entity?" the headmaster unconsciously squeezed the mug a little tighter. "Only fulfill his will..."

The students' conversations began to die down little by little, and the boisterous people like Nora and Mercury, who joined Nora's conversation to attract her back to the Church of Jaune, were stopped by their partners, for which they must be thanked. After all, if this continued, one of them would definitely turn into embers.

Either way, everyone's attention was again focused on the professors, who sat silently and watched them. For some reason, their attention made most students, including Weiss, Jaune, Blake, and Ruby, feel uneasy. But instead of the expected scolding and possible punishment, they were met with only a slight smile from Ozpin and a frown from Glynda.

"That's it?" Ozpin raised his eyebrow as if asking them. Though why as if? That was all it was. Because of that, Ruby, who was one of the reasons for the reading to stop, Jaune, who was the culprit of everything that was happening, as well as Weiss, who was trying unsuccessfully to stop this whole mess, blushed slightly. But the owner of the brown eyes didn't say anything, instead, he continued in a light tone. "Then, Miss Nikos, could you be kind?"

"Huh? Oh, yes, of course!" the champion caught herself and then blushed slightly when she felt many eyes on her. Coughing slightly, Pyrrha, under the surprised looks, as well as one accusatory one - from Blake, turned a few pages back and then began to read. - <…> "There are six, no, eight. Wait, there's another patrol. That's sixteen, and-"

Pyrrha smiled slightly, already knowing what was going to happen, causing many students, as well as professors, to feel a lingering interest. - <…> His voice trailed off in a muffle of curses.

Ren blinked, then narrowed his pink eyes, curious about what he would say next, as there were only a few situations that would make him start cursing. As the boy thought, Team RWBY, as well as Nora and Jaune stared at the silent boy in surprise. After all, they all knew how bulletproof Ren was when it came to emotions. And if he cursed…

Jaune paled and instinctively stared at Pyrrha, who continued without changing her expression.

<…> "What is it?" I asked, voice low. Ren's eyes were haunted. - the real prototype widened his eyes sharply, guessing what would happen next. - <…> "Yang."

One word and the room fell silent again. Only the owner of that name shuddered, and then, as if her lost strength had returned to her, she sharply leaned towards Pyrrha - startling Jaune, who was sitting next to the champion - and then Yang asked a question.

"Is it really my name there?" asked the dragon horn... oh, that's not the story, asked the brawler. "So it's me?!"

Pyrrha smiled and nodded slightly, then turned the book towards the blonde and showed her where the line was. Seeing her name in the book, Yang sat up abruptly and laughed slightly.

"That's it! Vomit-boy! Prepare to fall by my hand! Haha," Yang stared at the pale boy. "This really will be a great battle!"

And the next moment, Yang burst into laughter, causing many to snap out of it. One of them was Ruby, who remembered her words before they stopped reading for a while, causing her to blush slightly.

//"What kind of day is this today?!" the girl screamed in her mind, covering her face with the hood again. Weiss sitting to her right, only sighed heavily, and looked at Miss Goodwitch with some hopelessness, as if asking her to return silence to the room. But she, unlike when she read the third chapter, did not react in any way but simply sat quietly in her place. The Schnee heiress repeated her previous sigh and then used her powers to shut Yang up.

"Yang, don't you want to hear the rest?" Weiss feigned surprise on her face, causing Yang to pause for a moment before staring at her. "What? Pyrrha only said one name, and you already interrupted us. Are you afraid that Arc will defeat you?"

"What?!" several people cried out at once, including Yang and Jaune himself. Yang frowned. "Me and Vomit-boy? Ha, I'll never lose to him!"

Weiss bared her teeth in a smile.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!!!"

"Then let's find out?" Weiss turned to Pyrrha and smiled a sincere smile. "Pyrrha, could you continue? Someone is afraid of losing to Arc."

"I'm not afraid!" Only after saying these words does Yang realize what she said. "That is, I will not lose."

Weiss just smiled, still looking at Pyrrha.

"Okay," the champion's surprised expression quickly turned into a smile, and then she continued, "But you'll be disappointed."

And without waiting for a reaction to these words, she began to read.

<…> The name along was enough to send a rush of fear through me. I fell back, despite that I was completely out of sight already. My back bumped into Cardin's, but far from push me away, he seemed rooted to the spot as well. - Pyrrha cleared her throat, and then looked around the room. "The following lines of text are Ren's note."

It's been quite a while since the last note from the book Ren, which is why many listened with interest to Pyrrha's words.

<…> (Cardin's previous run-ins with Yang hadn't exactly been favourable. Much like Pyrrha, Yang had once or twice thrashed all of CRDL in one against four spars.) - After some silence, Pyrrha cleared her throat. "That's all."

And again the room fell silent.

"Well, that was strange,” Weiss said, slightly changing her position. "I mean, why mention something that everyone already knows?"

"Maybe not everyone," Ren said, looking at the four students who were listening to them with interest. As soon as the words left the guy's lips, everyone in the room looked at the CNEM team. It seemed that after hearing the guy's guess, most of the students relaxed, as if they realized the real reason for the words in the book, and only Nora, tapping her spoon on the table, looked at the book with distrust.

"Um, Nora?" Jaune asked, feeling weird watching his friend so focused. "What happened?"

"You see, my dear Ark,” Nora leaned back in her chair and bit the tip of her spoon, her eyes looking into the distance. “Something doesn’t add up with this whole picture of what’s happening…"

"A picture?" Mercury spoke up, asking Nora in bewilderment, and immediately attracting her attention. Many looked at this suicide bomber with some sadness. Indeed, Mercury's character was as iron as some parts of his body. And it certainly had nothing to do with his legs.

"Exactly, Black!" Nora grabbed her spoon and pointed it at the boy, standing up from her chair. "Renny would never write something without a purpose! Every word he says has a double - no! - triple bottom! Even if Renny is in a book, he's still Renny, so what he just told us all must mean something!"

Nora's glowing eyes instantly scared half of the students, while the other half blinked in confusion, causing the deputy to sigh heavily as well and causing the Headmaster of Beacon to smirk.

"Nora," Ren sighed weakly, trying to calm his friend down. "I'm sure the Author wrote this so everyone could understand why Cardin stopped the moment he heard Yang's name.

"That's right!" Nora poked Ren in the nose with a spoon, causing a funny sound. "But what if there's something global behind this? Something that could change all of Remnant! What if..."

Nora's voice dropped to a whisper, but in that silence, they echoed like thunder.

"What if we're not the only ones reading this book? What if the whole world is reading with us!!!" After saying that, Nora sat up abruptly, causing everyone to flinch. Even Ozpin, who was taking a sip of his coffee at that moment, paused for a moment, imagining a rather humorous picture in his mind of how James, Qrow, Tayang, and Raven, were also in the same room, but instead of reading, one part of the room was fighting, the other was screaming, trying to take control, and the third - as in Tayang's case - was making unfunny puns.

Yes...

Ozpin barely suppressed a smile as he thought about it.

Meanwhile, Cinder, who was sitting to his right, was also thinking about it, only in her mind, the main characters were world-famous criminals, thieves, murderers, or, in the case of one woman, Grimm herself. Yeah, just the thought of Watts, Tyrian, Roman, Hazel, Adam, and Salem sitting in a room trying to read books related to teenagers and completely absurd humor made her not just laugh, but horrified!

Feeling a shudder run through her body, Cinder tried to erase the idea from her mind, knowing full well that such an idea could never be realized in reality.

Only Jaune sitting in his place, was as pale as Weiss's hair, which made him look more like a ghost than a living person.

//"The… whole world?" Jaune couldn't even imagine such a picture, it was not just insane - it was unreal! No one - damn it! - would ever - not even after millions of years! - want to force the whole world to read this stupid book! But the thought that came after that made Jaune shudder and tremble. "But we were still locked in here..."

Jaune sat silently for a while, staring at the book, while Nora, joined by Mercury and Yang, came up with an idea of ​​how the whole world could read this book.

"I'm talking about hidden cameras!" Mercury protested, holding up a finger. "All of Remnant is watching and listening to the story along with us, just like those weird shows."

"Hah, sorry, but where would there be hidden cameras? There's not even a place to hide them! This is a bad idea, I tell you," Yang said, looking at Mercury. "Instead of hidden cameras, Remnant definitely suffered a global catastrophe, which now forces people to stay in rooms like this and read books to survive the zombies that appeared! This idea is much better."

"Hmm, hmm," Nora nodded, like some kind of judge deciding whose idea was plausible. And the look she sent Yang definitely told everyone whose idea she thought was better. Even Mercury couldn't believe it... such favoritism, and in front of everyone! Horrible! We should sue them!

"Nora,” Ren’s quiet voice distracted Nora from her thoughts, causing her to turn sharply towards the guy.

"Yes, Renny?" the Valkyrie asked. "Do you want to propose an idea?"

"Yes," the guy smiled slightly. "Maybe we should just continue reading the book? Either way, we won't be able to get out of the rooms now, so why waste such precious time? I'm sure they'll start looking for us as soon as they find out that we're missing," his gaze swept over all the people in the room. "And if they find out that the headmaster and his deputy have disappeared along with us, it won't be funny anymore. Worried parents might even come and start sorting things out.

After hearing these words, Jaune, Ruby, Yang, Weiss, Blake, and Pyrrha's expressions changed. Jaune was seriously afraid that his parents would come to Beacon, and along with them his sisters, who would definitely eventually take him home somehow. Ruby and Yang exchanged glances at the same time, feeling a sense of uneasiness. Their Uncle Qrow is okay, they could forgive him for being in Beacon, but their dad… they both paled at the same time. Weiss really couldn't believe that her father would come to Beacon. Well, no, he could, or rather, he would once he found out, but it would definitely not be because of the relationship between father and daughter. He might even try to raise his reputation as a result of her disappearance. As for their mother… Weiss decided not to think about it. At this time, Blake felt her pulse quicken, and she suddenly paled. Because until that very moment, she had never thought about what might happen if they stayed here for long. And it wasn't even about sending a missing person's message to her parents - no, that worried Blake, of course - but not so much that the press might find out about it. And once the press found out, all of Vale would find out. And after that, the faunus who worked for the White Fang, and along with them... Adam.

And only Pyrrha was worried that she might disturb her mother.

Ren looked at everyone again and then said: “So, let’s just continue reading the book, otherwise if this continues, not only will we not finish reading it until tomorrow, but we might also end up here until the weekend,” the pink eyes stopped at the sky-blue eyes. “Besides, Nora, do you remember that there was supposed to be a special promotion on Saturday?”

The girl's eyes literally shone, blinding everyone.

"Eat fifty pancakes and get free pancakes for the rest of the year?!"

Ren smiled weakly, nodding in agreement. And the next moment, Nora abruptly turned to Pyrrha and began shaking her.

"Then what are you waiting for Pyrrha?!" Nora shook the poor girl harder, causing her to widen her eyes and stare at the orange's head in surprise. "Do you want us to stay here for the rest of our days?! We'll die of hunger!"

Everyone unconsciously looked at the table, which not only had various snacks, but also fruits from Pyrrha, Weiss, and Glynda's side. Everyone else had various snacks. So, they definitely won't die of hunger, at least this week.

"I-I'm ready to continue!" the champion managed to blurt out when she felt her Aura begin to rapidly fall, and a sharp pain began to appear on her shoulders. "B-but you discussed..."

"Alright then," Nora interrupted, and then turned around, scanning the room with her piercing gaze. Only the teachers, Cinder, Mercury, Neo, and Ren were able to withstand it, while the rest quietly trembled. Emerald could only pray to everyone in a row not to be squeezed by hugs again. She still remembered how the darkness began to descend on her consciousness, apparently due to the lack of air, while an unknown and distant light appeared in her eyes... And so, Emerald could only sit quietly under this gaze, while Mercury only looked at her perplexedly, slightly raising one eyebrow.

//"If only you could experience her 'embrace', then we would exchange glances," Emerald mentally cursed the guy until Nora's gaze left her.

The rest... well, let's just say they know Nora.

"So," Nora clapped her hands, causing many to jump in their seats. "Does anyone want to go somewhere? Get something? Or do you want to say something?"

No one said anything, causing Nora's smile to widen.

"Excellent~!" the girl sang and then turned to Pyrrha, who was clutching a book like a bible... oh, it does not exist here. There was a mistake. Well, let it be that she took this book like broccoli, and pointed it towards Nora. "Oh, Pyrrha, you're wrong. You're reading now, not me."

"Y-yes..." Pyrrha nodded weakly as she moved the book back towards her with trembling hands. Feeling Valkyrie's gaze on her, the champion unconsciously swallowed the lump in her throat before turning back to the last page. "Should I start?"

"Of course, silly, you have a book!"

Pyrrha swallowed again, then stared at the book.

Meanwhile, Ozpin and Glynda exchanged glances. The man smiled slightly, and then mouthed, "See, there was no need to interfere. Certainly, this boy, Lie Ren, should be sent a letter for one of the positions in the future, and with him, Miss Valkyrie, this duo would definitely earn their honor in Beacon." How it was possible to read only lips was unknown, but Glynda managed it, and only sighed heavily, moving her gaze to Pyrrha, who began to read.

Ozpin merely took a thoughtful sip of his coffee, mentally running through roles that might suit the young man. After all, what was a few years to an immortal?

Meanwhile, Pyrrha had already begun to read:

<…>What was Yang doing here? Hell, what were so many girls doing here at all? The medical facility was off-limits, and even if it wasn't, why would they send one of their hardest hitters there? - Weiss had a rough idea why the girls were standing there, but as soon as she wanted to tell the others about it, she met blue eyes. Nora was smiling, looking at her. And, of course, Weiss wisely decided to remain silent. - <…> "Maybe she's ill," Dove whispered.

<…> It was an idea.

//"That's probably not true," Jaune thought gloomily, listening to himself in the book.

<…> "She doesn't look it," Ren replied with a shake of his head. - Jaune sighed heavily. - <…> "She was scanning the corridors, not to mention she had her weapons out and there were sixteen of them alongside her. Unless they've come down with a plague, I think they intend to fight."

<…> "They can't," I said, referring to the rules. "They can't impede us if we go in."

<…> "But what about when we come out?"

After these words, everyone finally realized the meaning of why Yang was standing near the infirmary, as well as why Yatsuhashi's team couldn't get the medicine.

"Well, that was obvious," Weiss said, folding her arms across her chest.

"Definitely," Emerald nodded, ignoring Ruby's surprised look as she looked from Weiss to her. The green-haired girl wanted to add a few more words not very pleasant for some but meeting silver eyes she decided not to say them.

"Yes?" Ruby asked, surprised and a little awkward. "But... isn't that against the rules?"

Emerald was the first to answer, "It doesn't say anything about that, which means it's not against the rules."

“I absolutely agree,” Weiss nodded, smiling slightly.

"B-but..." Ruby repeated, quickly moving her gaze from her new friend to her first friend. "Is that right?"

Weiss blinked and then sighed.

"Of course not," the heiress frowned slightly. "It is never right to use a flaw in the rules to your advantage. But think about it, what would happen if everyone could freely enter and take medicine? Then there simply wouldn't be enough for everyone, or, even worse, there wouldn't be enough for the one who really needed it."

"But what if the person who really needs it can't get the medicine because of such actions?!" Ruby raised her voice slightly.

"They can surrender," Cinder said, drawing everyone's attention to herself. Almost everyone's gaze instantly shifted to her. The brunette had barely said a few words in the last few chapters, and everyone's attention simply couldn't be drawn to her. She merely flashed her eyes and then continued. "If he really needs it, he can surrender and get the medicine he needs in captivity instead of living without it. After all, this is just an event for the festival."

After these words, the atmosphere calmed down slightly, becoming slightly peaceful again.

"It's still wrong," Ruby sighed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"And who says that it's right?" Weiss raised an eyebrow in confusion. Ruby blushed slightly at these words. The others, those who didn't think there was anything wrong with it, only mentally scoffed in their thoughts.

//"If your enemy is sleeping, do you have to wait until he wakes up for it to be 'right'?" Mercury thought with his sarcasm, staring at Ruby with a slightly arrogant look.

//"A child," Emerald thought as she resisted the urge to shake her head.

“…” Neo just smiled as she watched everyone, as if she was not trapped, but at some kind of performance with various actors.

"Ahem, haven't you forgotten anything?" Nora said, drawing attention to herself again. Her eyes were glowing with a ghostly fire... "Have you forgotten what exactly is at stake?!"

Jaune, like many others, blinked.

"Freedom?" he suggested.

"Wrong!" Valkyrie slammed the table, causing the cups and mugs to shake slightly. "Free pancakes for the rest of the year are at stake!"

After these words there was silence. And only after a few moments, a quiet sigh was heard.

"You're right," Pyrrha sighed, drawing attention to herself by lifting her book. "Let's just continue?"

A few hesitant nods were her answer.

"Well... okay... ahem." <…> "But what about when we come out?" - Pyrrha decided to mention again the last lines on which they all stopped. - <…> I had no answer. The scroll came back out and a quick flip through the rules found the relevant section. Ren, Cardin, and the rest of his team huddled around behind me to read it.

<…> "While none can inhibit teams or individuals from entering the medical facility, it is also expressly forbidden to use hide in the facility until the War Games have concluded. Patients will be dismissed with immediate effect once they are deemed fit and healthy by Beacon's medical practitioner." - Those who had figured out the trick felt a slight sense of satisfaction. Even Weiss smirked. Ruby, on the other hand, frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. - <…> "And not a line about what happens afterward," Cardin hissed. "Damn it. They're not there to stop people getting in; they're standing guard to arrest those who come out. The second a guy is healed, they're rounded up and marched off as a prisoner."

//"A good way to catch outcasts," Cinder nodded to herself. "But if you look deeper, you could use this tactic more effectively. After all, just one person can lead to the death of everyone. And, as we know, many simply may not notice the surveillance..."

The woman hummed thoughtfully, her gaze returning to Pyrrha Nikos as her mind continued to work.

<…> "That's despicable," Russel said. - Ruby quietly hummed to show her opinion. - <…> "It's genius," Ren countered. - Ruby's gaze, like that of many other people in the room, stopped on the young guy. He only nodded weakly, as if agreeing with the words of the book double. - <…> "This level of organisation espouses what we're up against. It's not just the propaganda messages encouraging to trade food for freedom, but now also guards about the medical facility. I wouldn't be surprised if they have checkpoints at strategic locations, too."

"Important points?" Ruby couldn't help but ask again. "Which ones exactly?"

"The infirmary, the cafeteria," Blake said, drawing attention to herself. "Maybe the library, the passages from campus to campus, well, there's also a chance that they've closed off the open areas of the territory."

"Don't forget the flags," Weiss joined in.

"Exactly," Blake nodded to her friend.

"But that would require a lot of people!" Ruby blinked in confusion. "There are also patrols, Valkyries, and Love Ninjas!"

At the latter, Blake shuddered with her entire body and blushed slightly. Meanwhile, Weiss nodded thoughtfully. "Indeed, if you look at it from this side, then our forces simply disintegrated throughout the territory of Beacon. If someone wanted to, they could easily defeat a small group of girls."

"Like Jaune did," Pyrrha said with a small smile. Weiss grimaced but nodded nonetheless. "Still, I think this tactic is perfect for this situation."

"Yeah?" This time Jaune was interested in the question. After all, it was about his double. "But isn't that bad?"

"If you look at it that way, then yes - this tactic simply disperses the girls' forces across the entire territory," Pyrrha nodded. "But if you put strong people at the right points, like the same Infirmary with Yang, then you can easily secure key places from the enemy."

"But can't we catch enemies one by one?" Ruby asked.

"It's really simple," Emerald spoke up this time, causing many to turn to look at her. "From the start, the girls' powers are in a better position than the men's. Remember the cafeteria?" Emerald asked Ruby. She nodded. "Then you understand that most of the men were captured then. And without a leader and powerful allies, the men simply won't be able to fight back."

"Oh," Ruby frowned but nodded. Jaune's expression darkened as well, as soon as he heard the girls' words. Not that it was bad, it was just... ah, as they say, with much knowledge comes much sorrow. And the young man found that saying to be true. "I see."

"Anyway," Blake said again, staring at Pyrrha, "let's continue reading the book. Pyrrha?"

“Yeah,” the red-haired warrior nodded. <…> Neither would I, really, and I could imagine a few people with the nuance to suggest such things. Weiss and Blake were obvious choices, but Pyrrha was no slouch, and Velvet was damn intelligent when she had reason to be. - Jaune winced as the named girls - minus Velvet - stared straight at him. Thankfully, it didn't last long, causing him to sigh in relief. - <…> I'd thought it suspiciously fortunate that we hadn't run into anyone before now, and the reason was clear. They wanted men to feel safe coming here. If we approached, Yang would smile, give us a wave, and let us pass. Then, once we were immediately kicked out for not being sick, she'd capture us and take what supplies we'd managed to sneak out.

Feeling the tremors all over his body again, Jaune looked away from Pyrrha, meeting purple eyes that seemed unnaturally friendly. Yang smiled sweetly, waving at the blonde, clearly hinting at something. And seeing how pale he turned, the blonde smirked and then returned to Pyrrha.

Jaune simply cursed his double and his thoughts.

<…> This was the kind of organization we were up against. This was what we had to deal with. Compared to this, how were the six of us (seven with Zwei) - Hearing about Zwei, Ruby immediately reacted, starting to listen with double attention. Even Weiss slightly changed her posture. - <…> ever supposed to achieve victory? The answer was obvious. We weren't.

After these words, there was an oppressive silence. But, as it happens in legends, in dark times the path was illuminated by faith. And so Mercury, having overcome his inner instinct for survival, stood up and gave his voice.

"But as it happens in stories," Mercury's voice drew everyone's attention to him. Cinder, like the others, also stared at him, narrowing her eyes slightly. "A hero always needs difficulties to reach the top. And if Jaune Arc, our Supreme Lord, took on this matter then only he could achieve victory."

"..." - Jaune, as before, didn't know how to respond to that. In fact, many other people also couldn't figure out whether Mercury was joking about it or not, because his eyes seemed to be burning with an unknown fire that made people's hearts burn with the desire to believe in... ahem. Let's just say that Mercury once again made a fool of himself. And a few chuckles - from Yang and Nora - as well as an unnatural silence - Cinder, without taking her eyes off, staring straight at the silver-haired guy - made Mercury believe that his goal was partially fulfilled.

"Mr. Black," but, as in many stories, after the light there is darkness, ready to destroy the light. And that darkness was - Miss Goodwitch. Adjusting her glasses, she glanced at Mercury, who stared back at her with a slight smirk. Such an action did not go unnoticed, causing Glynda to frown slightly. "We all understand that you need time and space to curb your feelings, but still, could you please save your thoughts for the end of the chapter? Otherwise, if this continues, I will have to punish you."

At these words, teams _NPR and RWBY shuddered in horror. This was especially evident on the faces of Nora and Yang, who were awaiting their own punishments after they got out of the rooms while Mercury, clearly noticing the strange reaction of the Beacon students to the word - Punishment, thoughtfully tilted his head to the side, staring with an interested look at Glynda.

A second passed, then another.

But as a result of all this, Mercury still nodded, smiling slightly: “Of course, why not?”

Mercury Black turned and looked at the silent boys, or more precisely at Pyrrha Nikos, who was holding in her hands a sacred treatise on the stories of the Great and Incredible Jaune from the Arc family.

"Sorry for distracting everyone," the guy sighed sadly. "But this whole story," the guy waved his hands, lifting the corners of his lips a little higher. "It's just incredible! The way Jaune acts and how he tries to save everyone from death makes my heart beat wildly, while my soul soars with the desire to join his adventure."

As Mercury spoke, Jaune, frozen in his place once again, couldn't understand what he was talking about. Save everyone? Make your heart pound? Join the adventure? Jaune winced, feeling his eye twitching non-stop.

//"You... you..." - even in his thoughts the blond did not know how to react to such a speech of a madman, and Mercury could not be called anything else, because the further this speech went, the brighter the eyes of the third-year student burned, and the deeper people plunged into the abyss of madness. Only a minute had passed since the beginning of the speech, but Pyrrha, like the others, had already plunged into this speech with all their souls. "You..."

Jaune simply sighed. A few moments later, luckily, Miss Goodwitch's coughing brought everyone back to their senses, and Mercury stopped his heated speech about faith, justice, dreams, and the beautiful hair of a certain blond man.

"Oh," Mercury blinked, then said sheepishly, clearly pretending. "Sorry, just thinking about our Benefactor makes my heart burn! Um, sorry again," this time, the guy actually fell silent, while his gaze swept over everyone, clearly memorizing people's reactions to his speech: slightly distant and embarrassed faces from Ruby and Blake; amused eyes from Yang, Neo,, and, to his surprise, Ozpin; blank expressions from Weiss and Emerald; embarrassment from Ren and amusement from Nora. And also the most memorable faces: Jaune, who looked ready to end his life with an ice cream spoon; a red face from embarrassment Pyrrha; and also an emotionless look from Cinder.

And it was the latter that made Mercury shudder and sink back into his seat, allowing silence to reign in the room once again.

"Ahem," Ozpin coughed, breaking the silence in the room. "That was… interesting.

//"Interesting?" - flashed through many people's minds. "Where was that interesting?!"

"But, no matter how funny or interesting it may sound," the headmaster looked around at everyone and stopped at the still-red Pyrrha. "We should continue reading. After all, time is passing, and we continue to stand there."

"Maybe sit?" Yang said, causing Weiss to shush her and get Glynda's attention. But Ozpin, clearly not angry at the blonde's behavior, simply smiled.

"Of course you're right. Anyway, Miss Nikos?"

"Y-yes?" Still confused, Pyrrha turned to the principal. Clearing her throat, she asked, "Should I continue reading?"

Ozpin only raised the corners of his lips.

"Okay," Pyrrha sighed, the redness slowly fading from her face as she finally calmed down and stared down at the book. "I'll start."

And this time, no one interrupted her.

<…> This was the kind of organization we were up against. This was what we had to deal with. Compared to this, how were the six of us (seven with Zwei) ever supposed to achieve victory? The answer was obvious. We weren't. - Pyrrha quickly found the right place and read again the place where they all stopped. And then she continued: - <…> Our goal, my goal, was only to survive.

<…> "Let's back out," I whispered. "We're done here. There's nothing to gain from staying." - After these words, Pyrrha fell silent. And as if on command, Nora and Yang howled at the same time.

"Boo! Who's being such a hero?! Where's the fight, where's the extreme, where are the broken knees?!"

"Exactly!" Yang nodded, folding her arms across her ample chest. "Where's the battle where I can beat Jaune and his crew? Where's the action? Where's Vomit-boy's screams?"

"Um," Pyrrha shrugged sheepishly as many eyes landed on her. "I, um, I didn't read past that. Perhaps you two can meet later?" the champion suggested, causing her leader to cross his fingers and Yang's eyes to glow excitedly. "Anyway, there's a line break after that."

"Boo!" Nora continued to boo as Pyrrha ran her eyes over the lines of text.

"So, I'll begin," Pyrrha shifted her position, sitting up a little more comfortably, and then began to speak, continuing to ignore Nora's fading sound. - <…> With the medical facility out of the bargain, we quickly found ourselves skulking back to the quiet and confined corner of the Academy Yatsuhashi's base was located in. There wasn't much point going back empty-handed, but it wasn't like we could go where the food actually was, since the cafeteria was a hotspot of enemy activity. In fact, it was probably their headquarters.

<…> "What do we do?" Dove asked. "How are we even meant to find more food? The first was a miracle."

<…> "Jaune will find a solution," Russel said. The look he gave me was filled with a worrying amount of awe and belief. I didn't deserve it and didn't know how to deal with it. - Jaune just sighed, covering his eyes with his hand. In the book, it was Russell, in reality, it was Mercury, did the universe just like to make fun of him? The guy didn't know the answer to that question. - <…> I nodded and refused to acknowledge it any further. Sadly, the others were less willing to do so, and all nodded in agreement, dumping the responsibility on me again.

And another quiet sigh from Jaune.

<…> "We'll figure something out," I said, more to allay their concerns than from any actual confidence. I made sure to use the plural `we`, however. My eyes scanned over the rooms beside the corridor, many of which had doors ajar and already open. That was intentional, I felt, though whether it was a move on the guys or girls part, I had no idea. It was a way of showing the room had been searched, of advertising that there was no point wasting time on it. If a door was closed, it either meant it hadn't been rooted, or that someone had taken to hiding inside. - everyone silently listened to Pyrrha's voice, eating various snacks or ice cream while she was telling the story. -
<…> None of them in the corridor were closed. No food by scavenging, it seemed, and even if there was, it wouldn't be enough to impress Yatsuhashi and his little group. Beacon was a school where food was provided freely in the cafeteria. With that in mind, there wasn't much need for students to stockpile more in their dorms, and what little there was usually consisted of sweets or alcohol. Right now, a little of the latter would have been nice.

Feeling Miss Goodwitch's gaze on him, Jaune began to shake slightly, mentally cursing everyone and everything - especially the Author of this work.

//"For what?" the guy thought, swallowing the lump in his throat. "For what exactly me?"

There was no response, but Pyrrha, who continued reading, distracted Ms. Goodwitch from him, allowing him to breathe a sigh of relief. Jaune looked up and stared at Pyrrha. At that moment, he was truly happy he had such an incredible partner, ready to save him in a difficult moment.

Meanwhile, Pyrrha continued reading:

<…> "We could attack another female patrol," Cardin suggested. "It's what worked the first time."

<…> "I'd like to avoid that," I said. Cardin shot me a suspicious look. - Pyrrha paused for a moment to wet her throat with water and continued. - <…> "Why?"

<…> It was the first sign of suspicion I'd received from him in a while, and was probably a sign the effects of my bullshittery were fading. To be fair, we'd not had a single success to our name since the first feeding, and the heady results of that had probably departed. I wracked my mind for an answer that would please him, while also maintaining the image of control on my part.

Weiss chuckled softly, but Jaune, like many others, heard it, causing him to blush slightly. The Champion frowned for a moment but continued reading.

<…> "The girls have already been alerted to our presence," I eventually said. "By now, the Girl Scouts will have reported back on what happened, but they'll expect us to have fled the area. If we attack another set now, we as good as scream our location over the PA system."

After these words, Pyrrha smiled slightly when she noticed the heiress's face quickly changing. And although it was more of an excuse than an idea, it was still a good blow.

And the giggles from Yang and Nora only made Weiss blush.

<…> "Hm," Cardin nodded. "Makes sense."

"Once we're bigger, we can do that," Russel added. "Jaune needs to be at the head of a real tribe if we want to have a chance of winning, though." - Hearing this statement, Jaune wanted to strangle Russell right then and there. Who the hell made him say that?! The blonde felt a sharp sympathy for his double from the book. - <…> Yeah, sure…" I sighed. "That's exactly my reason. We should-"

Pyrrha stopped as if to indicate that the text would abruptly end. Everyone listened to her with interest.

<…> A distant thrum filled our ears and I came to a stop automatically, the others following suit. It sounded like it was above, and I raised my head towards the ceiling.

"Bullhead?" Blake suggested, surprised.

“Perhaps,” Ren nodded, tilting his head thoughtfully as Pyrrha continued reading the chapter.

<…> "What's that noise?" - as if reading someone else's thoughts, the champion said. - <…> "Sounds like a Bullhead," Ren said.

Ruby blinked, then quietly asked Weiss, "What's wrong with that?"

The heiress's eyebrow twitched, but she still said, "Usually in stories every detail is important. If it wasn't necessary, it would simply be ignored. And since Bullhead was mentioned, it means the Author added that detail for some reason."

"Yes?"

"Um, just listen," Weiss rolled her eyes, listening to Pyrrha. And as if on cue, Pyrrha said, - <…> "It's just a supply drop," Cardin said, waving one hand as though it were an everyday occurrence. "It's part of the War Games, apparently. A Bullhead flies over every eight hours or so and drops a crate of goods at a random location. First come, first served."

"Oh-oh-oh," Ruby said, then slammed her fist into her palm. "Like in the hunger games?!"

Weiss just shrugged, starting to ignore her leader.

<…> Now that he'd pointed it out, I could recognize the familiar hum of a Bullhead's engines.

<…> "What's in them?" - Many listened with interest, although most people already had guesses about the contents of the box. Pyrrha could also guess what was hidden inside the cargo. - <…>
"No idea. Not like I've ever opened one. You and Ren didn't know about them?"

<…> "We stuck to the far interior of Beacon," Ren answered for us. "I guess we never noticed, or just assumed it was a normal Bullhead for the school. They must still be shuttling food in and out. You say it'll be dropped in a random location?"

<…> "That's the gist. Why?" - Pyrrha, like many others who were beginning to realize where this was all going, began to smile. Only Jaune and Ren felt a shiver run down their spines. They both exchanged glances. Something bad was definitely going to happen soon. - <…> Ren pointed out the nearby window, and our faces pressed against the glass as we saw the Bullhead come to a stop maybe a hundred meters out, and two hundred in the air. It started to hover over a flat area of grass between this wing and the one next to it. Something fired from the vehicle, slamming into the ground, and a bright red plume of smoke started to rise.

"It's just like the hunger games!" Ruby said excitedly, her eyes sparkling.

<…> Paradoxically, my stomach fell. I knew before looking what the expressions on everyone's faces would be, but I still turned around anyway, just on the off-chance I'd be wrong. Obviously, there was no such luck. Everyone was staring at me, Russel with stars in his eyes, the others expectantly. Even Zwei had his forelegs on my shin, head tilted upwards. I let out a long, beleaguered sigh.

Jaune followed his doppelganger's example.

<…> "We've found our supplies." - Pyrrha looked up. - "There's another line break coming up."

"So fast?" Blake asked, surprised, frowning slightly. "Why so little?"

"Maybe," Ren said, shifting his position slightly, "it's because while Pyrrha was reading this passage, no one interrupted her?"

After these words, there was silence. Each of them still remembered that the previous passage took them a little more than half an hour, while this one, they finished in a little less than ten minutes. The difference was really big.

Clearing her throat, Pyrrha lifted the book.

"I... um, let's just continue?" Almost everyone nodded awkwardly, even Mercury felt a bit awkward when he realized how much of a difference there was between the reading times. Only Cinder, Glynda, and Ozpin didn't react too strongly to it. "So..."

Pyrrha cleared her throat again and then began to read the next passage.

<…> "You want us to go in alone?" Cardin hissed. His eyes were wide and afraid; as well as they ought to be since I was asking him to wander out with just his teammates into what was essentially a huge expanse of zero cover. He scanned the buildings on either side, but there was no telling how many faces watched from the windows.- Pyrrha paused reading for a moment to turn the page and then continued. - <…> "Four or six, it doesn't really matter," I said. "We'll be outnumbered either way if the girls come for this. You four are the strongest, so you can carry the most stuff when we get it."

After hearing these lines, some people were able to guess what kind of plan the book Jaune had. Even the original Jaune Arc, sipping fruit juice, couldn't help but think about what fate awaited the CRDL team. Bait. And apparently, he wasn't the only one who thought of it, as the blonde noticed Blake, Weiss, Ren, and also his new friend Emerald looking at him.

//"God, so embarrassing!" flashed through the knight's mind as he nearly choked on the sight. His cheeks flushed slightly as Pyrrha continued telling her story, seemingly oblivious to everything around her.

<…> He didn't seem entirely enthused with my impeccable logic, - Weiss chuckled. - <…> and once again rewarded me with a suspicious expression. It seemed Cardin wasn't quite so naïve. Either that or the fear was breaking through any goodwill I'd earned.

<…> "And what will you and Ren be doing while we risk our lives like this?"

<…> I tried for my most heroic smile, even as I have a very un-heroic answer. "We'll be keeping watch, of course."

Sitting in his seat, the headmaster took the nth sip from his mug, while his brown eyes twinkled merrily from what he heard.

<…> "Keeping watch…" His eyes narrowed. "From the safety of the main building, I presume?" - After these words, the other people who still didn't understand the fate of the hooligan team were finally able to understand that Cardin and the others were just bait. And while it certainly wasn't heroic, even Ruby, although she felt embarrassed by her first friend's action, couldn't help but feel satisfied. After all, these horrible monsters wanted to eat a small and defenseless corgi! The Reaper's eyes flashed furiously. - <…> "Someone has to do it, and we're faster than you guys. Look, it's all fairly simple. Ren and I will stay on the outskirts keeping an eye out for the girls. If we see anything, we'll give you the sign to run, and you get out while you can." I laughed in what I hoped was a confident manner. "Honestly, you'll be the safest of us all. You'll get advance warning as soon as any girls are spotted. Ren and I are the ones in real danger."

Weiss chuckled again, but again said nothing, only taking a sip of tea from her cup. Meanwhile, Pyrrha also stepped away from reading for a few seconds to cool her throat and returned, her eyes still burning with desire. At this moment, she probably looked a lot like Blake when she managed to get the limited edition of Ninja Love.

Although…

The look in the green eyes was much more frightening than that of a cat.

<…> Or Ren was, to be honest. I was to guard the building we'd just come from, the quiet and abandoned wing where there were no war objectives. Ren, on the other hand, was going to keep watch from the other side, the wing that not only had a single capture point but was also closer to both the infirmary and the cafeteria. I'd done that on purpose, of course, even if I did feel bad throwing Ren into such danger.

Jaune blinked. Ren blinked as well. Their gazes met. The blonde cleared his throat in embarrassment and looked away, blushing slightly, while the other young man could only sigh silently.

"Ren's note," Pyrrha said without stopping, - <…> (And I'm sure that was a sign of trust in my abilities on Jaune's part, and nothing more.)

There were chuckles, and Jaune - for the umpteenth time in... an hour? - blushed again as he looked apologetically at his friend. And though the blond had expected anything, he couldn't help but feel relieved when he saw Ren's small smile.

"This is the only way it's going to work," I said, pushing Cardin from behind. "Now go, quick. When that crate drops, you need to be on it fast." - everyone's attention, including Ren and Jaune, who were exchanging silent glances, returned to the book. - <…> "I'll be watching you," Cardin called ominously. Nonetheless, he took his team and stalked out into the open garden.

<…> I breathed a sigh of relief once he was gone. If all went well, we'd come out of this rich in supplies and I'd have yet again proved I could be relied on. If it didn't go well, Team CRDL would be captured and Ren and I could go back to what we had been before, albeit now with all the other supplies from the Girl Scouts. Either way, I'd come out fine. As long as I was far away from the action, everything would be okay. Did I feel bad for Cardin and his team? It's hard to say, really. This wasn't the kind of thing that would end with their deaths even if they did fail, so it wasn't like I was callously throwing their lives away. Besides, Cardin had smacked me around at Forever Fall and bullied me before. Maybe it was only fair I got my own back in some way.

Ruby flinched as her gaze quickly darted to the blond man who was calmly watching Pyrrha. The thought struck the young team leader like lightning, causing her to tremble slightly in fear. After all, about an hour ago, she had literally thrown Jaune into the mouth of a wild beast… er, I mean, Weiss. And while the girl had tried to make amends with a pack of cookies, in that moment, Ruby couldn't help but wonder, what if Jaune hadn't forgiven her? What if he was currently thinking about what kind of revenge he could come up with for her? What if he had already come up with it? What if this revenge was tied to Ruby's deepest fears?

Just look at him! Sitting there like he doesn't think anything of it, drinking his undoubtedly insidious juice, while he's probably already come up with hundreds if not thousands! of plans against her!

Meanwhile, Jaune was peacefully sipping his drink, his thoughts focused on the book.

That was only if it all went bad. If I saw some girls approaching, I would alert Cardin and his friends, as long as it didn't put me in danger to do so, of course. While I didn't much like the unusual faith they seemed determined to have in me, I liked the idea of not having four expendable meat shields even less. - Jaune coughed in embarrassment when he noticed several eyes aimed directly at him. Luckily, Pyrrha didn't slow down for a second, continuing to tell the epic tale of the Great Hero and Lord of All Men, so Jaune didn't have to do anything other than listen to the story. - <…> As far as I was concerned, there were only two people that mattered in this war. Myself and Ren, and in that order. Maybe Zwei, too, but only because I dreaded to imagine what Ruby and Yang might say if he got hurt on my watch. I glanced down at him and he yipped happily at my feet. At least someone was having fun.

<…> "Ha ha, it looks like we have some brave recipients," a familiar voice cried from the Bullhead. Peter Port leaned dangerously out the side, one hand on the vehicle's railing, the other inside it. "Hold the line, my boys. As always, I come bearing gifts!"

"Professor Port?" Ruby asked, surprised, clutching the empty packet of cookies. Noticing Emerald's puzzled look, she tried to explain. "It's just. It's so weird when someone from the professors is mentioned…"

"Yeah?" Emerald looked at the reaper with an even stranger look. "So you think being stuck with the headmaster and his deputy, reading books about ourselves, is less weird than some professor on Bullhead?"

Ruby blinked silently, then blushed slightly. Emerald continued to stare at her, waiting for an answer, but the longer it went on, the more Ruby blushed. A few more seconds passed, and only then, with a heavy sigh, did the thief turn away from her and face Pyrrha.

"Although you know what? Forget it," the girl shook her head. "Professor Fatso on Bullhead is definitely stranger than our situation."

"I..."

"Shh," Emerald put a finger to her lips, then whispered. "The story continues. Something is definitely going to happen now."

“I… yes,” Ruby just coughed awkwardly, then turned away to Pyrrha, still feeling the blush on her cheeks.

//"So embarrassing!!!" flashed through her mind before she tried to forget it all, continuing to listen to Pyrrha's voice.

<…> He dragged something out and let it fall, the tall, black-cased crate spinning through the air. Cardin and his team spread out lest it hit them, but the action proved pointless for a large parachute quickly spring out the back of the crate, arresting its fall. It started to drift down slowly. Very slowly…

"Wonderful," I hissed. "I thought this looked too easy. That's going to take at least two or three minutes to land, and that smoke will be seen all around the academy." - Ozpin only chuckled quietly. His chuckling was heard only by Cinder and Glynda, and while the latter simply ignored it, the former glanced at him. The girl's eyes flashed with an unkind light. - <…> The girls would have passed the information along via whatever grapevine they had in place, and I could easily imagine them sending out people right now. I gave the area another nervous scan, but there was no movement. Had we pulled a quick one over them? Maybe they were busy putting down some guys on the other part of school. Maybe they just didn't need the supplies and figured it wasn't worth risking their time on.

Even Jaune himself couldn't help but shake his head at these lines. After all, against him - that is, his double - were people like Weiss, Blake, Pyrrha, and other tactical geniuses - and they couldn't even think of a plan for this? Book Jaune's thoughts weren't just naive, they were impossible. And that only made it worse, because if he turned out - and Jaune turned out to be right - then they'd probably already sent some sort of squad against his double.

And Jaune Arc had a bad feeling about all of this.

<…> Still, who knew Peter Port played popular video games. I was fairly sure this scenario had been used in at least ten games recently, and in almost the exact same way. It was nice to see someone was taking such pleasure at our expense. Seconds ticked by, turning into minutes, and each of those felt like an age in itself. Every rustle of a bush, or sound of the wind through the grass, had my nerves tingling. I kept my breath low, eyes focused around me. Cardin and his lot seemed very small and vulnerable out in the open, but there had yet to be a shot fired. Even if there was, that would be a far kinder fate than anything else. They could tank that with aura and flee. The real risk was someone coming out to challenge them.

At this point, the atmosphere became so tense that everyone held their breath. Even Ozpin, with his ever-present mug, put it down to listen.

And Pyrrha, also holding her breath, continued to read.

<…> The crate slowly drifted down. My mouth felt dry.

Pyrrha felt a dryness in her throat, but she still didn’t dare tear herself away from reading.

<…> "Jaune…?" - The real Jaune felt his heart sink into his heels. A thousand thoughts struck him like needles, forcing him to make assumptions about who the owner of this mysterious voice was. \\"Pyrrha? Blake? Yang? Ruby? Nora? Weiss? Although no, the last one is definitely not. And Blake would have hit without announcing herself. Yang? She should be at the infirmary, so she is not. Then... Ruby?" Jaune could only hope for this option, because otherwise... he would have to become a believer if only the Gods would save his double. Holding his breath, he continued to listen. However, every person in the room, one way or another, did the same as he did. And only the Champion's voice was heard inside the room. - My stomach sank. The voice was familiar – which was all kinds of bad. I turned, praying to whatever deity existed that my senses had betrayed me. None of them answered. - The real blond turned pale. It wasn't Ruby. - <…> Little wonder I was an atheist.

The atmosphere in the room was ready to explode when Pyrrha, after a moment of silence, finally said the following lines:

<…> "Jaune!" Nora happily cheered, stood at the head of six girls. - and at that moment, the room exploded. Not literally, of course, but symbolically. The tension disappeared almost instantly, replaced by something else. But even so, all the people who knew Nora and were her friends could not help but look at the blond with sympathy. Even Emerald, who had only known the orange head for half a day, looked at the guy with pity.

Pale, almost the color of a corpse, Jaune stared into space silently when he felt a warm palm. Turning his head, he met green eyes. Sympathy was clearly visible in them.

"Don't worry, I'm sure Nora won't do anything to you," Pyrrha said.

"Exactly!" Nora giggled. "Why would I need a fearless leader when I have Renny?" And only after saying that did Jaune finally turn his gaze to his male friend. He looked even paler than Arc himself, and it seemed that he was trying to keep his expression straight on instinct alone.

"I..." Jaune licked his dry lips. "I... it's not that it's bad, um," the guy cleared his throat. "Let's just get on with it."

"Are you sure?" asked Pyrrha.

\\"You shouldn't ask me, but Ren," flashed through the blond's head as he nodded silently. Pyrrha looked at him for a few more moments, then sighed, stared at the book, and continued reading. Meanwhile, Nora continued to giggle and nudge the motionless Ren with her elbow.

<…> I ran. - //"A perfect plan," thought those who knew Nora. - <…> She gave chase. My shoulder impacted the door and it slammed open, me stumbling through it. Even while half-falling, I grabbed the edge and flung it shut behind me – only to whimper as I heard it crash open half-a-second later. I didn't dare look back. I knew what I'd see. Death and destruction.

Nora giggled, but to Ren, who was sitting next to her, it was like a bolt from the blue. Luckily, his own double was safe, as Jaune had managed to focus Nora's attention on himself. And that was good news.

<…> "Oh, Jauuune!" Nora sang, her heavy footfalls hammering behind. "It's so good to see you. Pyrrha will be so pleased. It's not the same, you know? The team needs to get back together." - Having read these words, Pyrrha smiled slightly. - <…> I gasped for breath as I took the stairs three at a time, one hand on the railing to help drag me up. My lungs burned by the time I reached the fourth floor. I glanced over the edge in time to see Nora skipping up without a care in the world. Her eyes locked onto mine and she smiled happily. - Jaune shuddered, picturing this picture in his mind. If this were real, then... the guy suddenly paled when he realized that Ozpin could very well agree to implement this idea in life. It couldn't help but be frightening. - <…> How she could do that with whatever she had in mind, I had no idea. With a startled cry, I staggered down the corridor. //I've got to hide. I've got to hide.// There was no way I could outrun her. I wasn't unfit, but Nora was ridiculous – she could run for days. I'd attended one of her fitness sessions before. I knew what she was like!

"It's all because of the pancakes!" Nora smiled, flashing her white teeth. To Jaune, Ren, and everyone else who knew Nora in life, this smile seemed like a shark's.

<…> "Oh, Jaune~" she called. "You can run, but you can't hide~" - Pyrrha turned the page. - <…> Really? I'd take my chances. The fourth floor classrooms were on either side of the corridor and I ducked into one, drawing the wooden door shut behind me. Zwei squeezed through my legs to get in, and we ducked into a cupboard. I held the corgi against my chest and squashed my hand over his snout.

The real Jaune, unknowingly even to himself, held his own breath. Ruby followed suit, covering her mouth with her hands, worried about Zwai. He could escape, couldn't he?

<…> A second later, the door to the classroom slid open.

<…> "Are you sure he went in here?" someone asked. "It looks deserted."

At that moment, the only sound in the room was Pyrrha's voice, accompanied by the crunch of chips and popcorn.

<…> "He's here," Nora replied confidently. "I know Jauney. He's hiding."

Jaune swallowed the lump in his throat. His heart was pounding as his mind compared the situation in the book with a scene in a horror movie. Biting his fingernail, the boy waited cautiously. And although he knew that his double would most likely be able to leave unhindered, since there were still ten more chapters in the book, but still, logic could not overcome feelings.

<…> "Didn't you say he couldn't hide?"

<…> "Yep. That's why he's hiding. He's smart enough to know it's his only chance." She giggled and stepped into the classroom. "That's why he's our beloved team leader."

The champion licked her dry lips.

<…> At any other time I might have melted a little at that, but right now the ice running through my veins prevented that. These must be the Valkyries I'd heard so much about, Nora's group of enforcers and warriors. - Beacon's team, minus Nora plus Emerald, simultaneously flinched. - <…> If they were anything like her, then I didn't want to deal with them. I could only hope the others outside had noticed and taken appropriate action. If I was lucky, reinforcements would already be on the way.

Hearing this, Ren, who had been sitting quietly in his seat until now, looked away in embarrassment. Fortunately, neither Jaune nor anyone else noticed this moment of emotion on the brunette's face.

<…> "Maybe I was wrong," Nora said. "He isn't here."

Nora giggled, sending shivers down the spines of the students. At the same time, Ozpin took another sip, his eyes twinkling in the light of the bulbs. The girls sitting to the right, Neo and Cinder, smirked at the same time. Almost everyone who had watched a horror movie could already imagine what was coming next.

<…> I held my breath, even as I sagged back against the wall. She'd missed me. I was safe. - Pyrrha's voice became quieter and quieter as she read until it finally dropped to almost a whisper. - <…> "Or maybe…" Nora giggled. There was a mighty slam before the door in front of my face was torn off its hinges. Magnhild swung back over her shoulder. "-he's in here! Hi Jaune!"

Almost all the students felt their hearts skip a beat.

<…> I let out a manly scream. - Pyrrha smiled, and after her, all those who were at the initiation smiled, and even Glynda could not hold back a sigh. The culprit of all this, blushing, coughed dryly, under the puzzled looks of the students from Haven. - <…> Zwei leapt from my hands, propelled either from fear or my voice. The corgi sailed through the air and struck Nora in the face. She fell back with a startled yelp, and I took the chance for what it was, ducking past her.

Ruby, as Nora continued to laugh, jumped up in her seat and almost shouted: "Forward, Zwei! Run, boy, run!!!"

<…> "Good boy!" I yelled, even as Zwei pushed off her face, ran for the door, and scurried out, abandoning me. "Bad boy! Damn it, Zwei!" - Ruby sat back down in her seat, feeling happy for the corgi. He had escaped, and now, away from Nora, Zwei would definitely be safe. - <…>Nora roared angrily behind me, and it was instinct alone which had me ducking as a desk sailed by overhead, slamming into the wall behind me and shattering into pieces. - Hearing this, Glynda frowned but still remained silent. - <…> I doubt she'd thrown it so much as knocked it aside in a furious charge. I kept my head low and crashed through a door, into another classroom. Eyes wide, and now trapped, I rushed over to put several desks between me and the entrance.

Pyrrha was silent for a moment then, after a pause, continued:

<…> The door shook. The wood splintered. - Glynda's brows drew together even more. First the desk, now the door... Luckily, all of this was happening in a book, not in reality. The woman took a sip of tea as she thought about it. - <…> An eye appeared through the crack.

<…> "Here's NORA! Oh wait, it's unlocked." - Pyrrha giggled, and noticing Valkyrie's embarrassment, many giggled along with her. But even that couldn't stop the champion from reading the book. - <…> She coughed and slid inside, closing the damaged door behind her. "If anyone asks…"

<…> "It was like that when we found it," I responded automatically.

Hearing this, Glynda's eyes sparkled as a suspicious gaze was directed at Team JNPR. Several broken items from the beginning of the semester were recalled, which only increased her suspicion.

<…> "Aw, Jauney," my teammate cooed. "You always understand me. I knew you'd be an awesome teammate when we first met, even if Ren said you looked a little weedy and weak."

"What?" Pyrrha and Jaune said almost simultaneously. Surprised glances almost immediately turned to the silent guy. He, in turn, still managed to withstand the pressure and not change his expression, although the guy's slightly pink cheeks spoke volumes. Having coughed, Ren was already ready to apologize and say something in response, but Pyrrha interrupted him.

<…> (In my defence, you did seem it at first.) - After these words, the champion again attracted everyone's attention, as well as puzzled looks. Slightly embarrassed, Pyrrha said: - Ahem, these are Ren's words. Book Ren, - Pyrrha picked up the book and showed everyone the lines that she read again: "In my defence, you did seem it at first"

There was silence in the room for a second.

"Oh-oh-oh..." Ruby, Jaune, Yang, and Nora all let out a knowing sound almost simultaneously. Just a moment later, their gazes, minus Jaune, abruptly moved to the blond, and then the girls let out another understanding gurgle, causing him to blush slightly.

Jaune cleared his throat.

"In my defense, I'll say," the blond began, raising his index finger upwards. "It's all the pajamas. They're the ones that make me look too thin!"

The giggles and snickers that followed didn't help matters, making the guy even more embarrassed. And his cry: "I'm serious!" - made some people laugh. And only Pyrrha and Jaune himself understood why it was. Back then, before the initiation - Jaune hadn't yet opened Aura, and after - it took several lessons with the champion herself, just for him to develop at least some muscles...

Remembering this, Pyrrha felt her cheeks turn slightly red.

Meanwhile, Glynda, taking the last sip from her cup of tea, looked tiredly at the students. Each of them was either laughing at Mr. Arc's inept excuses, or giggling at the memory of what had happened at the initiation, and some were simply smiling silently, as Miss Politan had done. Not that it was surprising, after all, she was mute, but still...

Shaking her head, the professor thoughtfully twirled her empty cup, while her thoughts wandered somewhere else. In Beacon, to be more precise. No matter how much Ozpin tried to calm her down, Glynda understood how much worse things could get if they stayed in this place for a little more than a day.

The thought of the students finding out about the headmaster and her missing made her shudder. They could do anything, like another Food Battle Royale, or destroy the entire battle hall, just because of their inexperience, or, worst of all, they could somehow harm themselves.

Green eyes narrowed warily as the woman remembered - or rather pulled from her mind - another problem. James. As skilled and powerful as he was, she, like any sane person, could see that his actions would only lead to more chaos. Beacon was not Atlas, and Atlas was not Beacon. Culture, knowledge, technology - all of these things affect the kind of students at any given Academy.

Beacon was also far more... chaotic than Atlas. James might have realized that, but still, if he was the one to become the interim headmaster while they were missing... Glynda couldn't help but wonder if when they got out, what would they find - a ruined Academy and a furious James, or a student revolution that had seized control of the Academy?

A sigh of relief came of its own accord.

Luckily, Teams RWBY and JNPR were with her and the Headmaster right now. If they had been free… Glynda wasn’t sure what would have happened to her if the room hadn’t been occupied by two of the loudest teams that had joined this year. After all, it was because of them that the cafeteria had almost been destroyed…

Either way, they were now together with her and other people, and this, in all honesty, Glynda could admit, could not help but please her.

"Ha-ha-ha! Vomit-boy, you really are a hero, ha-ha."

"Hey! I'm telling the truth!"

"In the name of all the gods, what is going on here?"

"Anyway, guys, let's all... Weiss, what are you doing?! Let go of Jaune!"

"Ruby beware! Argh!!!"

"The Great Lord will protect us all..."

"Oh my god, somebody stop her, she's gonna kill him! Blake! Blake? Oh my god, where's Blake?! Wait, where's Pyr... argh!"

"No, Ruby!"

"Karamba! Save yourself if you can!!! The dragon is in the sky, I repeat, the dragon is in the sky!!!"

"Nora, sto…"

Glinda sighed heavily.

Who was she kidding? She wasn't happy at all, being with hormonal teenagers who had powers, abilities, and an overly absurd attitude towards their entire situation. Luckily, there were still sane people in this room who were now… Oh, no. Miss Sustrei had been kidnapped by Miss Valkyrie. Hmm? When did Miss Politan join the fight? Even Mr. Black, who was talking nonsense, was fighting. How did this happen? Feeling fatigue creeping up on her, Glynda, without realizing it, began to massage the bridge of her nose. And with every second that passed in this room, her gaze grew darker and darker.

Is there really no one but her who can stop this... this madness?

"Heh, be careful with the chair, Miss Valkyrie!" Ozpin's voice sounded nearby, and then he clearly took another sip of his coffee. "It's better to use it with Aura."

"Oh, I see! Thank you, Mr. Headmaster!" the cheerful voice of the Valkyrie answered the man. And then a loud scream from some students was heard.

Yes. Certainly, no one but her could stop this madness.

* * *

"So," Ozpin took a sip from his mug and then spoke. "Now that we've all finally calmed down, we might as well continue…"

"Ahem, ahem," Glynda's cough made him stop. "Ozpin, haven't you forgotten anything?"

"Huh?" the headmaster thoughtfully tilted his head to the left and then asked slightly thoughtfully. "What are you talking about?"

"What am I talking about?!" Glinda's right eye began to twitch. "Are you really not going to tell them anything about the mess they made? Not even punish them?!"

"Glynda," Ozpin looked at the students with some sympathy. "You've already punished them, do I really need to deal the final blow?"

"Punished?!"

"Glinda, Glinda," shaking his head and sighing quietly, he waved his hand at the students. "Just look at them."

The professor clicked her tongue and looked at her students. Five minutes had passed since the madness had ended, but some of the students were still in a dazed and unconscious state. Some were still shaking in terror, while others were silently staring at one spot. Only a few, including people like Ruby Rose, Jaune Arc, as well as Emerald Sustrei, and Cinder Fall, were in better condition than the rest.

"Hmm," Glinda chuckled, then turned to the man. "They still need punishment."

"Glinda," Ozpin looked at her like she was the devil. "You already gave them punishment at your place, why finish them off?"

"So that they know how to behave decently!"

"Eh,” Ozpin shook his head and then looked around the room again. Almost all of the students had been punished by Glynda, and only a few students like Ruby, Jaune, Emerald, and Cinder had escaped the same fate. How? Well, Jaune had been knocked out early on, Ruby had been knocked out cold by someone's chair, and Emerald had been captured by Nora, and tied up for the rest of the fight. Cinder? Well, she was the only one who just sat there and watched the whole mess. Which was a little weird…

As for everyone else...

Let's just say they were more dead than alive.

"Still, I think we should hold off on the punishments." After his words, the punished students' faces showed hope as almost all of them, except Mercury and Neo, looked at him with adoration. Ozpin coughed in embarrassment when he noticed his deputy's gaze. "After all, until we get out of these rooms, it would be best to just stop punishing the students."

"Stop it?" Glynda's eyes widened in horror. "Ozpin, I respect you as a person and a Hunter, but don't you think you've gone mad?"

"I don't think so," Ozpin took a sip of coffee. "After all, I don't hear voices in my head anymore."

There was silence in the room. The man smiled:

"I'm kidding."

Someone sighed with relief, but the headmaster had already looked at Goodwitch again, then quietly whispered.

"Glynda, this is only a temporary measure. If the students continue to cause trouble and fight for no reason, then you, after we leave, can assign them punishment at your place. Until then," his gaze quickly ran over the students, while a smile played on his lips. He spoke his next words louder so that everyone could hear. "We are canceling any punishments until the very moment we get out of these rooms."

And again the room fell silent for a few moments, and then joyful cries and sighs of relief began to be heard.

"Of course," Ozpin said, drawing attention to himself. "Let's keep it within the norm, okay?"

"Of course!" Weiss was the first to answer, a relieved expression on her face. Blake also breathed a sigh of relief, as did Pyrrha and Ren. Even Nora, falling to her knees, raised her hands high, and began to praise Ozpin for his kindness. Of course, there were those who, after a moment of relief, began to look around the room with a thoughtful grin.

For example, the gray eyes met the purple ones, and both of them were burning with joy and anticipation of new adventures on their backsides.

But as they say, all good things must come to an end, and their break also ends.

"Okay," Goodwitch's voice rang out, causing many to flinch. "If that's what you want, Headmaster, then why don't we continue reading?"

Ozpin felt a chill run down his spine, especially when he noticed the woman's furrowed brows and pursed lips. Clearly, Glynda Goodwitch was furious. The headmaster coughed weakly and glanced at the slightly battle-worn Miss Nikos, who was still clutching the book in her arms. A few nail marks, definitely from a cat, could still be seen on the girl's clothing.

"Miss Nikos?" the girl shuddered then looked at the headmaster in shock. "Are you all right?"

"I... I," the champion nodded, shaking her head sharply. Licking her lips, she continued. "Yes, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Pyrrha said as she felt Jaune's hand on her shoulder. Green eyes quickly darted to her leader who was next to her, as if to say that he was there and could be relied upon. Pyrrha smiled at him before turning back to Ozpin. This time, she spoke much more firmly. "Yes, I am ready to start reading at any moment."

"Okay," Ozpin nodded and raised his coffee mug to his lips. Taking a sip, the man smacked his lips several times and then said. "Then let's take a break so everyone can rest and prepare for the next reading again. Okay?"

Hesitant nods were his answer.

* * *

"Oh," Ozpin inhaled the wonderful scent of coffee, made from rare beans that could only be found in Vacuo, and which were very expensive. Even the headmaster himself, with all his means, could not afford to drink this fine coffee. Well, at least not every day. As he was about to take a sip, someone poked his leg under the table. "Oh…"

This time, the sigh was sad. Taking one last look at his coffee, Ozpin stood up turned to the students, and began to speak:

"So now we are ready to continue reading again." Ozpin unconsciously remembered that he had already given this speech... how many times? Even he couldn't say for sure, but if he thought back to all the breaks, there were definitely more than five. In the end, he decided to just say, "Let's begin. Miss Nikos?"

"Already ready," the Champion said, her hair smoothed out and no marks on her clothes. Ozpin smiled, then sat in his seat, pulling his coffee towards him. "Ahem, then I'll begin."

Everyone's attention - except Ozpin, who continued to fondle his coffee mug - was once again directed to the champion. Sighing, Pyrrha opened the book to the correct page.

<…> (In my defence, you did seem it at first.) - It was this line that almost got them punished. Even Pyrrha couldn't help but feel a shudder run through her body when she recalled that moment. Luckily, the punishment was canceled, so she could continue reading without fear. - <…> "D-Did I say that? Oh, you know me. I say things." She laughed it off, and her expression was soon replaced with a far hungrier one. - Nora coughed into her fist as she felt embarrassed. Was this what Jaune felt, every time? Pyrrha continued reading, meanwhile: - <…> "Where's Ren, Jaune? Where is he? He's always with you, so I know you know where he is."

Ren felt himself turn pale with horror. Of course, how could he forget, he had always been the original target of the book Nora. Sighing softly, the young man could only wish his doppelganger luck.

<…> It wasn't a surprise what she was focused on. Ren had always been the main goal, with me just a means to getting him. If I ratted him out, he'd be in trouble – the kind of which he might never recover from. - Jaune and Ren both flinched at the same time. - <…> Ren was my best friend, my only male friend in Beacon. The Bro Code dictated I carry his whereabouts to my grave.

At that moment, the two friends met eyes.

//"The Bro Code," they both thought before...

<…> "He's out getting supplies from the airdrop," I said. Sure, it was ratting Cardin out, but at least Ren would have a chance to run. - their dreams were shattered by Pyrrha's merciless words.

"Ren," the blond whispered quietly. "I...

"No need," Ren turned away and stared at the table. "Just... no need."

"But I..."

"Jaune," Ren met his gaze, a faint smile playing on his lips. "I understand. Don't speak."

"But."

"If I were in your place," the brunette continued, "I would do the same."

"Ren..."

"Jaune..."

"Ren..."

"Jaune..."

They met eyes and smiled weakly.

"Sniff," Nora cried as she watched this beautiful scene. "T-that was beautiful, sniff... a handkerchief! I need a handkerchief!"

Noticing the looks on them, the two guys coughed in embarrassment and then turned away in opposite directions. They were so engrossed in each other that they forgot that there were twelve other people in the room.

"The Bro Code," Ruby whispered in amazement, feeling an unknown feeling in her soul. "So that's what it's like..."

"What?" Weiss stared at her team leader in shock. "Are you kidding? Arc just betrayed Ren!"

"That's the Bro Code!" Ruby said, tears of admiration welling up in her eyes.

"But!." Weiss didn't know what to answer. "They were just repeating their names! Where did this code come from?!"

"Shh," Yang put her finger to Weiss's lips, causing her to freeze in shock at such impudence. The blonde smirked. "Don't envy someone else's Code, Weiss Cream. We have our own Code, no worse than theirs!"

"I... what?" the heiress blinked stupidly. "Our... code?"

At that moment, Weiss felt like she had missed something as if she had jumped from one part of a book to the end, and was unable to understand the entire situation. Was there really something she didn't understand? The heiress's gaze stopped at the people's reactions. But noticing the same puzzled looks from the third years and Ms. Goodwitch, Weiss's eyebrow twitched.

Oh...

No... it was much simpler. She was just on a team with psychos. Yes, it was so easy to understand...

"I… let's continue," Pyrrha wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye before smiling at her partner. Her smile was happy and incredibly beautiful.

"Um, yeah, sure," Jaune nodded, coughing sheepishly into his fist. "Why not?"

"Then I will continue,” the champion’s smile only grew. - <…> "Do you think I'm that silly?" Nora asked, settling her hands on one of the desks keeping us apart. As usual, she wore a huge smile on her face, but there was a certain edge to it now. "You'd not be running around on your own, Jaune. Ren is nearby. He must be. Ah, I can't wait to find him. We can be together."

Nora froze in her place, with a nervous smile.

<…> She froze, hands clapped before her.

<…> "Not together-together, of course. I mean, we've been together for ages, but that's different." - Nora's smile returned to its cheerful character, while the others paid attention only to Pyrrha. - <…> "Yeah, well, I told you he's outside," I said, pointing out the window. "You can probably see him from here if you take a look. I'm being honest, I promise!"

Ren sighed quietly.

<…> "You're trying to trick me into looking so you can run."

<…> "I'm not!"

<…> "You don't normally lie, but this must be to protect Ren, so I'll forgive you." - The young blond felt his eye twitch. Could book Nora really not believe book Jaune's words? It seemed... Jaune's eyes widened, suddenly realizing that this was indeed typical of Nora. But somehow, that didn't make things any easier. - <…> "You and he are like best male-friends like me and Pyrrha. Well, except the male part. At least I think. Pyrrha has nice, - Pyrrha stumbled when she saw the next lines of text. Blushing, she didn't know what to say. Noticing such a reaction, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. Nora even tried to peek at the book, but the champion jerked sharply and moved away. And again, bewildered looks. Clearing her throat, Pyrrha tried to continue but didn't know how to say it. Licking her lips, she nevertheless continued: - <…> At least I think. Pyrrha has nice boobs, but I've never seen her fully naked. Huh, I should check. - With each word, Pyrrha blushed more and more. Even Nora, who was sitting next to her, blushed slightly, as did many other Beacon students when she heard all this. "I... um, let's just forget about it, okay?"

"I... oh, heh-heh," Nora, slightly red, giggled stupidly, starting to rub the back of her head when she and Pyrrha met her eyes.

The champion turned sharply and looked at the other man.

Jaune nodded sheepishly, but his gaze still ran over Pyrrha's body, and the champion noticed this glance thrown at her body, which only made her blush even more.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Weiss said, keeping her icy mask on, but her slightly flushed cheeks clearly showed her embarrassment. Ruby, who was sitting next to her, nodded silently.

"Ha-ha," Yang chuckled weakly but nodded nonetheless. Blake's expression didn't change at all. She was a veteran Ninja of Love, she had long since lost her shame for mere words.

Others also nodded their agreement, and even the CNEM team nodded several times. Although you could see mockery in their eyes.

"Thank you," Pyrrha whispered, then sighed and continued reading, although her cheeks were still red from embarrassment. "Ahem..." <…> "Anyway, you're lying to try and protect Ren. I like that, Jaune. I really do. You're a really loyal friend and every one of Ren's friends should be loyal to him."

<…> "You're really reading too much into this," I said frantically. "I'm not that good a friend. Seriously, I'm selling him out to save my skin right now. You can go catch him if you let me get away. I won't even try to stop you." - With each new line, Pyrrha's voice returned to normal, as did her face, which began to lose the redness on her cheeks. Her attention was once again focused on the book and its story. - <…> "Nope!" Nora giggled and swept three desks aside with her bare hands. "I won't let you trick me. If you're willing to risk your life to protect Ren's, that's fine with me. Pyrrha will be happier if I capture you both anyway."

<…> "I'm not risking anything!"

<…> "You're so brave, Jaune." - Ruby giggled softly at the humor of the situation. - <…> "Oh my God, you're worse than Cardin and his whole bloody team!" - Nora's expression darkened as she gave Jaune a murderous look. Jaune felt a shudder.

"Worse than Cardin?" the Valkyrie asked. Jaune coughed and then turned away.

"I," another cough, "I think my doppelganger got a little carried away about that," Jaune tried to smile, but Nora wasn't smiling. "Haha... P-Pyrrha?"

“Well, that was a bit rude,” the champion replied sheepishly.

"Oh... um," Jaune's gaze darted around before settling on Nora. "Either way, I'm sure book Jaune will definitely get punished for saying that!"

"Forgive me, different me," Jaune thought bitterly, trying to smile as sincerely as possible.

Nora was silent for a moment, and then a smile appeared on her face again. The way her expression changed so quickly made many of the students flinch.

"You're right!" Nora giggled. "Book Jaune will definitely be punished for saying that..."

//"Sorry," the blond thought again as he looked at Pyrrha pleadingly. As if reading his thoughts, she nodded and looked back at the book.

Everyone's attention turned to her as her voice began to echo throughout the room again.

<…> "Oh my God, you're worse than Cardin and his whole bloody team!" I broke right, hoping to get around her while she was busy with the desks. God only knew why she was so determined I was doing this to protect Ren, but maybe if I could reach him, she'd forget all about me. I made a dash for the door. If I could just- "Oof!"

Jaune flinched, feeling that this scream was definitely filled with pain...

<…> "That was rude," Nora said, having caught my stomach with the end of her hammer. I was folded over the top, struggling to breathe. "We were talking."

<…> "You… You hit me with a hammer," I pointed out, wheezing. - Jaune felt even more sympathy for his double. That blow was definitely terrible... - <…> "Also rude…"

<…> Nora's eyes narrowed. - Pyrrha paused for a moment and refreshed her throat with the tea she had poured herself during her break. After taking a sip, the girl was ready to continue reading the book again. - <…> "You compared me to Cardin. Ruder."

Several of the girls nodded. Even Jaune himself could admit that it was a truly nasty insult.

<…> "T-Touché…"

<…> "I'll let it go, though," she said, lifting me higher so that her weapon was pointed vertically upwards and I was balanced atop it like some kind of gangly effigy. "Now, come on. We need to find Ren and then we can get back to being a full team again. You'll be in prison, of course, but we'll look after you. Pyrrha's been going over all the different ways she'll keep you locked up ever since this whole thing began."

Having read up to this point, Pyrrha blushed again. And the look from Jaune and the other students only made her shrink in her seat. Deciding not to stop, the champion continued reading, hoping that this moment would end quickly. Unfortunately, it was only just beginning…

<…> She paused. "Honestly, it's kinda creepy. Even for me."

Nora pulled away slightly from Pyrrha, who blushed even more. Even Ozpin and Goodwitch looked at her in surprise, causing the girl's voice to become slightly hoarse.

<…> Yeah, that sounded about right. I still had no idea what Pyrrha had in store for me, but my instincts warned me finding out would be the worst choice available. - Everyone stared at Pyrrha in horror. She, who had decided to go to the end, continued reading: - <…> Even worse than taking a huge blow to my aura, which – coincidentally – I was prepared to do.

"Wait... what?" Yang asked, realizing something, but Pyrrha had already started reading further.

<…> "S-See you later, Nora," I said, grinning wildly.

At this point, everyone listened to Pyrrha with interest, trying to understand what would happen next.

<…> "Huh?" I slammed my foot into Magnhild's trigger, - At that moment, everyone finally realized what Jaune had done. Turning pale, the real Jaune felt sick. "Oh, this is going to hurt..." - <…> and the world erupted in agony.

Everyone shuddered, especially those who had to face Nora in battle at least once.

<…> There's nothing quite like a grenade going off on your stomach to make you appreciate how nice it is to not have a grenade go off on your stomach. - There were a few chuckles, and even Neo, saddened by the loss of her ice cream in the previous fight, sparkled with her green eyes when she imagined this picture. - <…> I'd been launched by Nora's weapon before, though mostly through my feet and when I'd been ready for it. My gut was less sturdy, and spittle and air flew from my lips as I was propelled horizontally across the classroom. My aura remained strong. The window I crashed into didn't. The cool touch of the air outside was sweet and soft.

"This..." Weiss didn't know what to say.

"Brilliant?" Blake suggested hesitantly.

"Extreme?" Ruby gave her two cents.

"Bombastic?" Nobody paid attention to Yang.

"No, this," the girl in white shook her head. "this is just crazy."

For a moment, the entire team RWBY was silent, then they all nodded simultaneously.

Meanwhile, Pyrrha continued reading the book.

<…> The ground wasn't. My body could barely move and my eyes were fixed on the blue sky, flickering to the side slightly as a black Bullhead shot away. Hands settled under my shoulders, and Cardin's face filled my vision. It wasn't quite as pretty a picture and I whimpered softly.

Everyone listened. Since Cardin was okay, didn't that mean they had succeeded? That was the thought everyone had.

<…> "We got the crate," he said, equal parts joy and awe on his face. - The real Jaune sighed with relief. Fortunately, all of his double's misadventures had not been in vain. - <…> "You kept them distracted while we took it. I… I can't believe I doubted you. I hope you'll forgive me."

//"Wait, what?" Cardin's words hit Jaune like cold water. "What did he just say?"

<…> He started to drag me away, my feet trailing across the grass.

<…> "You're a hero, Jaune. A damned hero!" - Jaune felt his eye start to twitch. For some reason, the blond remembered Mercury Black at that very moment. - <…> I didn't feel like a hero. I felt like pain.

Pyrrha let out a sigh as she placed the book on the table.

"Is this... is this the end?" Jaune asked with some hope. But Pyrrha, who was drinking tea in large gulps at that moment, did not answer him. And only after a few seconds, she sighed in relief and shake her head.

"No, there are still a few pages here," the girl said, grabbing the book again. "I just wanted to let you know Ren wrote the next lines."

And, without waiting for a reaction, she continued reading: - <…> While I would not normally seek to end one of Jaune's chapters with an excerpt, I feel one is necessary here, if only to highlight what happened outside of his sight - Everyone listened with interest. Ren slightly changed his position to make it easier to see Pyrrha. - <…>– a series of events Jaune himself would almost certainly make no mention of in his memoirs. While I was able to personally find a most poignant witness to interview, I feel I must prematurely apologise for what you will soon read. Although he is a great and loyal man, there is much to be said about General Cardin's style of writing, and his prose. None of it being particularly positive. - //"General?!" flashed through many people's minds. -- clearing her throat, Pyrrha finished: - <…> Lie Ren

"General?.." Blake's face twisted in surprise and confusion. "He?.. H-how?!"

"No idea," Ren shook her head. Then he suggested, "Maybe it's just one of his titles, like Jaune's?"

Blake thought about it and then nodded stiffly. It was… possible. Meanwhile, Pyrrha had already turned the page and began reading in a higher voice than before.

<…> Excerpt: The Road to Manhood, Chapter 2 Written by General Cardin Winchester, - Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. Could it be like Russell? Just thinking about it, many people's faces changed. - <…> I have a confession to make, dear readers. You see, I was not always the brave and loyal soldier I am today, nor quite as faithful and devout as I ought to have been.

Weiss blinked, as did many others.

"Autobiography?"

<…> Fear wracked me in those early days, and some of my Lord's actions spread the insidious seeds of doubt within me. - Jaune blinked, his expression stiffening. //"Please, not that..." In contrast, Mercury's eyes sparkled with anticipation. - <…> I realise now that I simply could not understand his greatness, but at that time I was young, untested, and so very, very foolish.It was with such fear that I led my unit close to the objective, scanning the nearby buildings more than we did the skies we'd been tasked to safeguard. Had any women descended upon us, our position would have left us open and exposed, a fact we all knew well. Morale was at an all-time low, and I doubt I was the only one to consider that our trust might have been misplaced.

<…> "Do you think this is fair?" I recall Dove asking. "Those two are busy sitting out the action while we risk ourselves with this. Why aren't they out here with us?"

<…> "He must have a plan," Russel replied. He was always the most devout of us, his faith worn as a badge of honour. - There were a few chuckles as everyone remembered the High Priest, Russell. - <…> Nowadays, I look back and thank him for what little strength I drew, but at the time it was with disdain that I regarded my fellow.

<…> "I'm not sure he does," I growled – and forgive me, my Lord – for I continued, "I'm starting to think we made a mistake trusting Jaune on something like this. If he was a true leader he'd be out here leading from the front, not skulking in the shadows like some kind of coward."

<…> My team muttered their agreements, all but Russel, who remained silent, knowing an argument would serve only the feminine cause. As the crate drew ever closer, we became increasingly aware of the tension in the air. Even though no one was within sight, it seemed obvious that eyes watched us. I nodded to Sky, and he took a position off to one side, prepared in case of ambush. Without instruction, Russel did the same to my left. While we were not, and had never been, the strongest team in Beacon, we made up for it with discipline and stiff determination. - Glynda nodded at their formation. Good tactics in the open, though not great. - <…> But even I knew that would not be enough when my eyes spied her. Not them, for the girls with her meant nothing – not compared to the threat she posed.

Everyone knew who she was.

And the culprit, who was now being discussed, began to giggle loudly.

<…> Nora Valkyrie. The Scourge of Beacon, Bane of Men, Slayer of Y-Chromosomes. - Nora's eyes began to glow more and more with each nickname. But one way or another, now the three girls had their own titles that one could only envy. Although... the pale faces of the guys said otherwise. Perhaps they didn't want to hear these titles?

...

No way.

Anyway, Pyrrha continued reading: - <…> Our journey – our freedom – was over. But harken reader, for in this desperate hour when all hope seemed lost, when my faith dwindled and my weapon-arm grew heavy, HE appeared. - Jaune felt sick. - <…> Like lightning he dashed from cover, drawing the gaze of the enemy almost instantly. While a terrifying force, Nora was well known for being more akin to a Berserker in mentality. - The orange-headed girl's cheerful look suddenly changed to a cold one. - <…> She gave chase without thinking, and he, the very man whose courage I had questioned, led her away. Better still, some of her companions followed – until instead of six and the most dangerous woman in Beacon, we faced only three.

//"Three?!" Weiss slapped her face with her palm. Who the hell leaves three people against four?! And the next second, she remembered who they were talking about. And at that very moment, the heiress could not help but admit that Cardin's words were... partly right. But Weiss was not going to say it out loud. She was a smart girl after all.

<…> The sun seemed to shine brighter that day. - Pyrrha's voice took on inspired notes, as if she were reading not a story, but some kind of confession. - <…> I tell you, reader, that you can never understand the feeling I felt – the transformation I went through. It felt as though I had been reborn. I wanted to sing, cry, and fall to my knees at the same time. My body, I know not how to describe the sensation but to say that nothing I have ever felt again has come close to comparing. - Everyone was silent, listening to Cardin's words. Even Ozpin thoughtfully took a sip of his coffee. - <…> My mace surged forward and my lungs filled with air.

Licking her lips, Pyrrha continued:

<…> "For Jaune! CHARGE!" I roared, with the voice of the heavens themselves. - Jaune's eye started twitching madly. This... this was madness. - <…> I suited action to my words, not once looking back to see if my companions followed me. I need not have. Their voices rose in adulation behind, and like a wave of righteous fury we fell upon the foe.

<…> Ren, too, he who had been blessed to be His companion attacked from behind – and the reduced enemy forces were caught in a pincer between us. - Blinking in surprise, Ren coughed in embarrassment when he noticed several glances. - <…> Like the hammer and anvil true, we smashed into and through them. My muscles sang a song of joy and glory as I swept from side to side, launching one girl high into the air before bringing her back down again in a cloud of dust. A second attacked me from behind but was kicked aside by Lie Ren – a man I had once considered my enemy. We shared a nod, and perhaps even more that went unsaid. As our backs touched, I felt that a bond had formed. - "The Bro Code!" Ruby said in awe, her voice barely audible. Weiss's eyes began to twitch along with Jaune's. - <…> In the distance, a high-pitched scream of panic sounded.

<…> "Listen!" I called, head held high. "Even now Jaune fights against them – even outnumbered and overpowered. Do you hear that woman's scream? He must have struck her down. Our leader, our Lord, our Saviour! Fight," I roared. "Fight like he fights!"

A few giggles couldn't stop Pyrrha from reading the book. She was trapped in her fantasy now and no one and nothing could stop her from reading.

<…> And we did. We fought. We fought until our bodies burned and a thousand cuts littered my frame, and still on, I fought. Through determination, grit and fervour, we cut down the foe and reduced them to groaning heaps on the grass. By the time the crate touched down, we stood victorious.

<…> The crate was quickly revealed to us, a collection of food, medical supplies, dust and ammunition – all in quantities I had never thought to discover. We took all that we could and left the rest for the carrion. Perhaps other men would come and supply here once they knew it was safe. Perhaps they would be inspired as we had, by the victory our Lord had granted us.

<…> Another victory granted by Him. An impossible victory snatched from the jaws of defeat. I knew then, dear reader, that this would be the man who would save us. I knew that he would take, shape and rebuild us. I was not prepared before, dear reader. Now, I was. On that bounty, I made an oath.

Pyrrha swallowed her saliva as she finally spoke the last line:

<…> I would follow Jaune Arc until the ends of Beacon – and beyond.

The book hit the table with a thud as Pyrrha, uncharacteristically, leaned back in her chair and let out a sigh of relief.

"End of chapter," Pyrrha said and smiled a weak smile. At that moment, the book was suddenly grabbed, and then a thunderous scream was heard, causing everyone to flinch and stare at Nora grabbing the book in one hand and standing on a chair with one foot, raising the book into the air like some kind of artifact. For some reason, many people heard a short melody accompanying this action.

"Onward to new adventures," Nora paused and then giggled. "But only after the commercials. Don't switch!"

Внимание! Этот перевод, возможно, ещё не готов.
Его статус: идёт перевод

Переведено на Нотабеноиде
http://notabenoid.org/book/87121/573496

Переводчики: Camrad_RIP