The first thing Reiji did a soon as he woke up was head to the infirmary so he could finally get rid of the annoying stinging bandages that had limited his movements and his sleep, thus causing him to be a bit sore on the mid-side.

Despite her affable bedside manner, he realized that the nurse was mildly annoyed at him for coming in as soon as she had opened the door, not even giving her enough time to settle down. Still, as soon as he quietly apologized for bothering her, her demeanor changed again and this time he could really believe she wasn't (as) annoyed with him as before.

"Very well, this should only take a few minutes. Please remove your sweater honey," she instructed and Reiji tried to focus on the window behind her rather than her mildly cold hands on his skin.

"And…it's done! And it doesn't look like it will leave any marks, which is very good news. When you showed me the size of the injury, I wasn't sure how you kept on walking normally. Those Spinners are a real nightmare if you ask me."

"That's what they are called?" he asked, perking up and returning his attention to the nurse; it sounded a bit strange. 'Spinners,' he repeated in his head.

"Sorry sweetie, can't tell. I'm no huntress, just a medical aide, but that's what Miss Glynda calls them some times," she replied, scribbling down some things in a notebook.

"Thank you," he said after putting back his clothes.

"You should ask Professor Port or maybe Dr. Oobleck though. They're the Grimm experts around here," she said as a manner of goodbye. "Oh, and please remind your team to remove the compresses before showering."

He just nodded and went back to the dorm.

...

Coming back from doing some morning warm up always made Gongenzaka feel refreshed and relaxed, and it also gave him a good chance to give the campus another look, just in case. He had allowed himself to sleep in until six this time. Given that Beacon's location was on a higher spot than Patch along with the more tempered weather from Vale it made the sunlight dimmer, and even then the clouds and fog would play a part, making the visibility and in turn safety lower considerably.

He wasn't about to catch a cold or have injuries due to easily preventable issues.

On the way back, he made a mental note of the infirmary and the dining hall being already open, and he even caught some professors fumbling around with notes in the hallway. He absent-mindedly wondered if they would have living quarters in the school for them as well, or if they had to catch some really early cable cars.

Finally reaching their room he looked at the hour. Seven o'clock. According to their schedule, that left a whole two hour window which was far too long for him to use. His friends on the other hand…

As he opened the door, he found Yuya sprawled on his bed, snoring with the bedsheets covering only one of his legs. The only thing still in its original place? The pillow. Yuzu, on the other hand, was simply tucked into her own sheets, sort of like a shrimp or a cinnamon roll. As usual her pillow was right on top of her face, covering her eyes.

Just as he noticed the empty bed, a soft click behind his back was heard and came face to face with Reiji.

"Good morning," he said without sparing a look and went to pick up his uniform and some towels.

"If you're taking a shower you should remove those bandages first." After all, it wouldn't do them if their team leader were to get an infection.

"That's already taken care off," he responded, turning around and finally catching onto the two soundly sleeping people in the room. Checking his scroll, he asked, "Are those two going to wake up anytime soon?"

Before Gongenzaka could answer a vibration started:

now, catch the dreams dancing in your heart…

"Mmph …Morning," mumbled Yuzu, stretching out from under her covers, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. Once she finally looked fully awake, she looked around, first at them then at Yuya and went into her panic mode. "Oh God! Did we sleep in? Gongenzaka what time is it? I need to take a shower, then breakfast! No wait, should I have breakfast first? Or do I skip the shower? Gah!-"

…I want to see that miraculous field and take a fabulous one step…

And just like that the music and her tirade ended, with Yuzu thumping on the carpeted floor face first, the pillow, sheets and scroll falling on top of her, followed instantly by a giggle turned into full blown laughter from Yuya's side.

Gongenzaka could feel Reiji's questioning stare: Is it always like this? This is what I have to expect for years to come? Well not the last one, but he got the idea.

"At least they're up now," he remarked with an accompanying shrug.

...

"Look who finally decided to join the world of the living." Yuya heard as soon as he sat down next to Yuzu with a plate full of pancakes and a cup of juice.

"Good morning to you too, Sawatari," he answered. Looking over at the rest of the table, he saw the rest of MSST too.

"We had a couple of mishaps," said Reiji sitting down as well, with nothing but a couple biscuits and coffee. Really, who could go until lunch with just that?

"I can imagine," said Hokuto, eyeing with a frown some paper in his hand. "Hey Masumi, did you see this? The only class we have all together is Combat with Miss Glynda." He didn't sound pleased.

"What are you talking about? You have the first class with…" she said before munching on a sausage, her plate was unbelievable: sausages, steak, and meatloaf, with just a little side of fruits. Yuya liked meat as much as anyone, but Masumi gave a whole new meaning to it. "…Yuya, Reiji and Sawatari," she finished.

Now Hokuto really looked so-not-pleased.

"I have History with Oobleck," mentioned Yaiba, sipping some tea. "Two hours actually," he added.

"Me too," piped up Yuzu and Masumi together.

"I have Field Studies with Professor Peach," contributed Gongenzaka.

"Not so bad. At least we don't have to suffer through math and science lessons anymore," commented Yuya.

"That's new. I've never seen you so excited for going to class," answered Gongenzaka, raising his eyebrows.

"How could I not be? This isn't just school anymore, we are here to learn to fight monsters and do missions and all types of cool stuff! There no way that can be boring."

...

"Monsters! Deeeemons... Prowlers of the night! Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names, but I merely refer to them as prey! Ha-ha!"

Nobody in the lecture hall reacted to it, and some of them (including Yuya Sakaki) looked bored out of their minds, but that made no sense.

Peter Port was an exceptional huntsman both in profession and in sport, stories about his exploits had been going around since his childhood, he still remembered the first time he met him. It had been one of those galas his parents threw around whenever it was election season. He had appeared as a surprise guest and presented himself as a good friend of the Mayor. He had delighted everyone with the story of his most recent hunting trip and Sawatari, being the only twelve year old at the party, had been listening to his every word.

The cherry on top was that Port noticed him, he called for him to help with some demonstration and had actually let him hold his weapon: a beautiful blunderbuss with an axe integrated.

That had been the night Sawatari decided he wanted to be a huntsman.

"Uhhhh... And you shall too, upon graduating from this prestigious academy! Now, as I was saying: Vale, as well as the other three kingdoms, are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world! Our planet is absolutely teeming with creatures that would love nothing more than to tear you to pieces! And that's where we come in. Huntsmen! Huntresses! Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves! From what, you ask? Why, the very world!"

"Ugh, I take back my words," grumbled Yuya from beside him, looking like he was about to doze off.

"Shhh, I'm trying to listen," spat Sawatari, which earned a muffled laugh not only from the red-head but from Hokuto too.

"Why am I not surprised the only people you want to listen to are those who love the sound of their voice more than you?" said Hokuto, earning yet another laugh from Yuya who was struggling to keep it down.

Before he could retort, his attention was taken back by the Professor talking:

"That is what you are training to become. But first: A story. A tale of a young, handsome man... Me! When I was a boy..."

"…I was already telling my very first boring story, which my grandfather congratulated me for," quipped Yuya in a deeper voice.

Giggles were heard from the front to the middle row, but the Professor seemed too engulfed in his story to notice the lack of attention.

"If you're not going to listen you could at least keep quiet for those who actually came to study," said a voice behind them. It was Reiji.

"…Sorry," said Hokuto, hanging his head a bit lower.

"Mind your own business, will you? Or are you enjoying the story of how Professor Pork killed the big scary Beowolf?" Yuya said in a slightly louder but still muffled voice. "Big deal, do you know what we can see in Patch's forests on a quiet evening? Whole packs of them." He was clearly exasperated by the time he finished his mini-rant.

"Wow, really? I didn't know they hanged around in packs too. Isn't that an Ursa thing?" asked Hokuto, interested but went unsurprisingly ignored, watching them sizing each other up Sawatari got a mental image of two antelopes crashing horns.

"I don't doubt you, but if you were listening you would know that Professor Port defeated the Beowolf practically still a boy with his bare hands. No weapons, no Dust," commented Reiji, practically asking – daring - Yuya if he could say the same for himself.

But he just sank down further in his seat, fuming and with grumbling noises.

"Ah-heh-hem!" Port waited patiently until he had everyone's attention again. "In the end, the Beowolf was no match for my sheer tenacity, and I returned to my village with the beast in captivity and my head held high, celebrated as a hero!"

He bowed and then he went to grab his weapon as if to let everyone take a good look at it. Sawatari, on the other hand, remembered fondly what it felt like to have it in his hands.

"The moral of this story? A true Huntsman must be honorable!"

He looked over at Yuya, still not paying attention and still grumbling, most definitely not worthy of being called a huntsman.

"A true Huntsman must be dependable!"

From the corner of his eye, he saw Hokuto completely uninterested demeanor and to boost was doodling stars in his desk.

"A true Huntsman must be strategic, well-educated, and wise!"

Reiji Akaba was the only person in the room who could ever compare to that description. How he wished he could do so too, to be listened and respected, not having his opinion mocked or looked over.

"So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?"

He clenched his fists at the question. He wanted to raise his hand, and he wanted to show everyone that he could be that person.

"I-I do sir," he said almost biting his tongue; obviously his body had a mind of his own.

Everyone went silent, and it was the heaviest, longest pause he had to endure. Yuya finally perked up and looked at him surprised, while Hokuto looked at him as if asking if he had gone insane.

"Well, then, let's find out! Step forward, and face your opponent!" said the Professor, stepping aside and letting everyone see a cage that had been overlooked by everyone until they all heard the growling noises.

Sawatari gulped down, almost regretting his decision already. Almost.

...

Maybe Yuya had been wrong all along, both about Professor Port and Sawatari.

After all, of all the things someone could have told him would happen on his first day (and first class no less!) a Professor letting loose a Grimm in the middle of a class, and Sawatari bravely facing the challenge had to be the most unlikely one.

If this is what Port's class was going to consist of, Yuya would gladly take on as many reports and sleep-inducing talks as it took to get to be in Sawatari's place.

Once Sawatari had changed back from his uniform, and seemed to be adjusting his gloves, the show was ready to begin.

The Professor let the door of the cage lift and a Boarbatusk came from it, looking incredibly pissed and hungry.

"Come on Sawatari, go for it!" exclaimed Yuya when he noticed him taking a step back. "This is pretty cool eh?" he asked Hokuto.

"As long as he doesn't embarrass the team, it will be enough," said Hokuto with his arms behind his head.

"Uh, ok…" said Yuya, pulling his attention back to the fight.

Right now, Sawatari was evading the Boar thrusts from side to side while the Grimm continued to deflect his wire attacks.

No, there was something off. The wires kept on wrapping themselves into some places and then continued to expand along with Sawatari's steps.

'What on earth is he doing?' He was basically running away, and predictably everyone including Port looked unimpressed.

"Ugh, that idiot doesn't know what he's doing," snorted Hokuto.

"I say we wait and see," commented Reiji from behind, his eyes ever so cold and calculating.

A thumping noise called their attention again, and they witnessed how Sawatari was on the floor with the Boar creeping on top of him.

"Oh my, how are you going to get out of this one, young man?" asked Port, but otherwise making no motion to help whatsoever.

Suddenly, he raised his left arm and fired his wires to the ceiling. Once they were secured, Sawatari was lifted in a flash, not without hitting his head against one of the Boar's tusks but otherwise avoiding a frontal assault.

And that's when it clicked.

Because now it was completely visible how from Sawatari's right arm the wires were all wrapped in a circular shape surrounding the Grimm.

With a couple of finger motions, snaps were heard all over the hall as some tables and chairs fell down.

But nobody paid attention to them.

They were all staring at the now trapped Boarbatusk trying to wriggle its way out of the wire trap.

From above, Sawatari released the wires from his left hand, landing in front of the beast, and, while smirking, made a couple more gestures with his hand.

The force of the wires increased, cracking the plates and the Boar was now wailing until with one last forceful pull, it fell into black smoking pieces on the floor.

Disbelieving gasps could be heard all over the room, and Yuya felt like cheering. Sure, Sawatari had still fallen on his butt once the weight of the beast went away, but what he did still deserved applause at least.

"Bravo! Bra-vo! It appears we are indeed in the presence of a true Huntsman-in-training! Even if I have to replace some furniture, that was quite an unusual display. I like it." He clapped as Sawatari looked relieved beyond belief still on the floor. "I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Be sure to cover the assigned readings, and... Stay vigilant! Class dismissed!"

Yuya made his way to see if Sawatari was indeed alright, but before he could he had already stood up.

"Good job there," he told him.

"It was quite a show," mentioned Reiji from behind him, gathering his notes.

"Wha- Well of course I the great Sawatari had everything under control! That beast was no match for my abilities," he started.

'Aaand there it is,' thought Yuya but he supposed that for today he earned it.

"Lucky shot," snapped Hokuto, storming out of the hall.

"Eh, don't worry about him. You should hurry. You have five minutes to change and go to Peach's class," said Yuya.

...

"Why would I lie for Sawatari? I'm telling you that's exactly what happened!" commented a purple haired guy on the lockers; Isao was it, right?

"Must've been a lucky shot if you ask me," answered the taller bulky one. Yuzu was reminded of Gongenzaka whenever he looked at him, just much less nicer.

"Oi, Yuzu wait!" she heard Yuya coming out from the lockers too. "How was your day?" he asked.

"Pretty uneventful. Mostly some introduction by the faculty," she started. "But Oobleck's class was really interesting! He talked about the Great War and some of the traditions established by the first huntsman's generation. It was hard to keep track of him though, so don't even think about sleeping during his class," she warned.

"Noted. Ready for the best class ever?" asked Yuya.

"That's a matter of who you ask, Yuya," said Gongenzaka who had been waiting for them outside of the Port's class hallway.

"Fine, but still don't pretend you're not looking forward to it," he said. "Not only will there be action, but I finally got out of that uniform," Yuya said in relief.

"It's not so bad," said Yuzu. She liked the colors anyway, and the frills of the skirt eliminated worries of accidentally showing anyone her undergarments.

"Hey, guys," greeted Yaiba, joining along with Hokuto. "Yuya, help me solve a huge injustice here," he said.

"No, please don't," retorted Hokuto.

"Anyway, I have been hearing stories all day long about some great feat of Sawatari in Grimm Studies class, and Hokuto here…"

"I hate you," he said, crossing his arms.

"…won't say a word to me about it, even though he had front row seats." he continued, ignoring Hokuto.

"Agh! Would you let it go?" Hokuto said face palming.

"Now tell me if that's not unfair. So much for a trustworthy partner I got," finalized Yaiba with feigned indignation.

They all laughed, minus Hokuto, and Yuya seemed more than happy filling in the details, which admittedly Yuzu was curious about too.

Once they reached the arena for the Combat class with Miss Glynda, she noticed that both Reiji and Masumi had already taken their seats at the front.

"About time," mumbled Masumi, only at Yaiba and Hokuto though, to the rest she gave a tiny smile and a nod.

"Hey Masumi, guess who deserves a cookie today?" said Yaiba.

"I'm aware of Sawatari's demonstration earlier today. Reiji filled me in about it," responded Masumi, flicking her hair.

"Wow, one class with him and now power and stuffiness already got to her head," said Yuya with rolled eyes. Yuzu repressed a sigh, if only because Masumi sent him an amused grin.

"After all of this, where's the celebrity of the day anyway?" asked Masumi.

"He was in our History class," said Gongenzaka, referring to both Yaiba and Hokuto, both of whom just shrugged, and redirected their attention to the approaching figure of Glynda.

"Since this is your last class of the day, I assume all of you are already familiar with your classmates?" She started eyeing them all. "So let us skip the formalities and-"

She stopped at the sound of hurried footsteps and a body slamming against the entrance door.

"So-sorry I'm late Professor," apologized a winded Sawatari. "I had the wrong schedule," he added holding a crumbled sheet of paper. Yuzu didn't miss the shared giggles coming from Hokuto and Yaiba.

"Spare me the explanation young man and take a seat," she answered after another scrutinizing glare. "As I was saying, I'm sure you are all eager to show off your abilities, but first allow me to explain what the Combat class will consist of. The first fifteen minutes will be dedicated to a light sparring session, meant to both warm up and record your regular stats of battle prowess. Once we are done with that, you will find that your scrolls will display the results and you will be able to schedule a match with a classmate of your choosing. The feature, however, is no guarantee that you will get to fight said match, since they are all approved by me according to the areas you need development," she finished looking up from her scroll again. "Any questions?"

Nobody said anything. The rules were simple enough, thought Yuzu. Warm up (which meant no weapons, but semblances were free game), get stats, settle a challenge, and get Glynda's approval; a slice of pie really.

"Very well. What are you waiting for then? Come down here and start, time is running…" She looked over at the wall where a timer ringed and started the countdown. "...Now."

"Feel like sparring a little bit?" said Masumi behind her while coming down the stairs.

"You're on," answered Yuzu.

As it turned out, Masumi was quite a resilient opponent. Once it became apparent that Yuzu had the upper hand in speed and technique, and after the third time she had blocked her punches and the fourth she landed a flying kick to her back, she went her way into using evasions, defensive moves and was not afraid of playing dirty tricks with her illusions.

At the moment, she had her immobilized with her arms locked behind her back.

"Ready to call it off?" Masumi questioned.

"You wish," she responded. Concentrating all the force on her footing, she spun her middle to the front and once Masumi was off her, she went to kick Masumi's knees but she blocked the attack.

Still mid-spin, she was slammed on the floor with Masumi's hand on her neck.

*HRRRNNNNGGGG*

"Time's up. I won," stated Masumi, helping Yuzu to her feet.

"...Two best out of five is not bad," she said shrugging. They both turned around in time to see the results of the sparring sessions. Hokuto got served a finishing blow on the back by a tall boy in a red and black suit – Hikage. Yaiba on the other hand had enough time to both landing a punch and receiving a kick from Isao. Gongenzaka was locked in a mano-a-mano with the bulky guy from KGSU (Anko something was it?).

On the other side of the arena, Sawatari was quite literally biting the dust with a short girl stepping on his back, calling him a pervert for some reason. Yuya was not really good at sparring itself, but his semblance made up for it in most cases…which was not this one as he was dealt a blow to the head by Tsukikage, and while Reiji was chatting amiably with his opponent – Michio; he still looked kinda trashed around.

"Everyone, time is up. Please check your scrolls," said Glynda. "Now before you schedule your matches, remember to consider the things you need to work on the most and go from there."

Yuzu looked down at her stats: Defense – 95, Offense – 93, Strength – 75 and Speed – 85. Not bad at all, she thought, but she needed to work on her physical prowess. Maybe she could schedule a match with one of the KGSU guys; they looked as tough as they come.

But before she could decide, the Professor spoke again.

"I have the first match for the day." And then the screen showed both Reiji's and Yuya's profiles next to each other. "Mr. Sakaki and Mr. Akaba, please grab your weapons. The rest may go back to your seats."

Looking at Yuya's eager expression and Reiji's questioning one, it wasn't hard to guess who had challenged whom.

Once everyone had taken their seats, Yuzu felt Gongenzaka's hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry too much Yuzu. It will be fine," he reassured her. She knew he was right, it was just a school match, and Professor Glynda could always intervene if things got out of hand.

The arena was awfully quiet even with both contenders on either side of it. They just stared at each other, then Yuya charged full blow with his staff at Reiji, which he deflected with his dagger by mere inches.

Then he disappeared again to the other side of the arena, bow in hand and fired at Yuya.

Yuya deflected most of them, but when the shots ended, Yuzu observed his arms with frost on it and his anger when he realized it.

He dashed, appearing again mid-air in front of Reiji kicking him right in the face, which he hadn't predicted if the few drops of blood on the arena were any sign.

Taking advantage of Reiji's low guard, Yuya went to use the blunt side of his staff to hit him right in the stomach, making him fall to the ground.

But where Yuya and the class expected to see Reiji's body there was nothing again, and Yuya had barely any time to use the chained blade mode to deflect the barrage of flechettes from Reiji's.

Some people in the row were beginning to cheer for either one of them and clearly pleased at this, Yuya stopped managing to deflect the fire and ice attack by running on all fours, and moved to make a frontal assault.

When he was within his range attack of him, Reiji had an arrow ready to fire but using a Lightning Dust blow to his wrist from where sparks were seen. He disarmed Reiji before he could fire.

Good, now this could end once one of the opponents was either disarmed or Aura depleted, as per the rules.

And people cheered for Yuya's victory, but rather than take in the compliments with open arms and a bow as usual, he didn't stop there.

To Yuzu's awe, Yuya was now dealing blow after blow on Reiji, each time using the same Lightning Dust he used for his final attacks.

'Not again...'

She turned her attention to the stats screen and realized that Reiji's Aura was getting dangerously low.

She sat upright immediately, preparing to yell, jump over the benches so he would stop, but before that, Yuya had been stopped mid-air and expelled onto the ground through some force with his weapon out of reach. From the corner of her eye, she saw the Professor with her wand pointing in Yuya's direction.

But rather than stopping right there as he should, he tried to get up and went in Reiji's direction with a ferocious look in his eyes, clearly with violent intent, until he was forcefully grabbed by both arms.

It was Glynda that stopped him yet again. Yuya tried to wriggle his way out of the hold but he couldn't not until the Professor saw that Reiji was still conscious and trying to stand up.

"I didn't think I needed to remind anyone that we are not trying to kill anyone here, Mr. Sakaki. I assume, after all, you know the basic rules for training matches," she said in a low, controlled voice which Yuya finally seemed to be responding to, stopping his movements.

The moment he did, Glynda released him.

Silence reigned with the rest of the class, and then some whispers, but Yuzu's only worry right now was focused on Yuya and Reiji. Glynda started to sort through her scroll and called for the rest of the team to the arena. Once they got into walking distance, she noticed Yuya was avoiding eye contact with both of them.

"Yuya…" she attempted.

"Ms. Hiragi, please go and help your partner back to his feet and take him to the infirmary," ordered Glynda. "Yuya Sakaki, on the other hand, is now required to go the Headmaster's office immediately. Mr. Gongenzaka, if you would be so kind to escort him."

"Y-yes," responded both with a bow.

When she motioned to Reiji, he was already on his feet but was obviously in need of assistance to walk. She felt like owing an apology in Yuya's place, but she knew that wasn't the correct reason. She wanted to say sorry because she saw the signs and did nothing about it. The fiery growl, his contracting pupils which sometimes looked like they could shine in the dark, his beastly gait and bloodlust...

Because this wasn't the first time it happened.


Welp Yuya is in actual trouble now, wait next chapter for an early cameo of Ozpin's pristine office and thickening of the plot, and even more drama.