Author's Notes
One year ago, I posted the first chapter of The KVKC Chronicles.
That means I've been publishing fanfic for an entire year, during which I've posted over fifty chapters to this fic, began RCRDL, and branched out to the OMORI fandom with several oneshots and a multi-chapter fic. It was a tumultuous year, to say the least, but after everything, I'm still here. It was an eventful one, too. I graduated from my Master's, shattered my elbow to the point I required a replacement, and many smaller details.
I just want to say thanks for the support of all my readers. In particular, thanks to those who have left reviews and have engaged with the writing process. A number is merely a statistic, but words give a voice to those numbers. It's always a joy to read what people have to say about the fic, for better or for worse.
Here's to another year! Hopefully better one overall.
Chapter 41: Something to Prove, Part 2
"Kohi!"
Throughout the entire battle, Mytyl had kept to herself, silently rooting for her teammate but not comfortable openly cheering on the girl that so obviously resented her. Not even now, as everyone was throwing their congratulations into the ring. And none as loudly as Nora, who picked the brunette off the ground with a mighty hug and into an ill-advised spin that, if they weren't Huntresses, promised a disastrous accident involving tumbling down the bleaches. More than a few students in the lower seats were eyeing the event warily, ready to jump out of the way if Nora proved any less capable.
Yang took the lost with remarkable grace. More grace that Mytyl herself would be able to muster if she was being honest. Beyond a "Congrats" to Kohaku and words of reassurance that there were no hard feelings – more directed to the rest of Team Rupee than Kohaku herself – the brawler remained quiet, letting the legitimate winner of the spar bask in her well-earned victory.
That didn't mean she couldn't harass the one who enabled her defeat.
"Hey there, Tiger, I keep hearing about you equipping your team with all the cool toys. No love for your beloved big sister?"
"I can offer my services," he smirked, "for a price."
"You're rich!" Yang called him out.
Copen didn't respond. He didn't need to, since Weiss came to his defense. "Not by gifting his services and leaving money on the table. Where is your business acumen, Xiao Long?"
"He was born into riches!"
"Oh Yang," Ruby condescendingly lamented, as if talking to a child that had irreversibly disappointed her. "Mister Xiong was right. No business acumen whatsoever. Forever Yang 'Burn Lemonade Stand' Xiao Long."
Yang huffed and weathered the snickers around her. "You all can go and fall off a ditch," she muttered petulantly.
"Quiet down, children." Down in the arena, Miss Goodwitch finished fixing the last few scuffs of Kohaku's and Yang's fight. In true Goodwitch fashion, her word left little room for dissent. Conversation simmered down to a few whispers among the students. "We have time for one more match. Any takers?"
After Kohaku's battle and performance, it became clear to Mytyl that if they failed to convince the teachers about their aptitude, it was entirely her own fault. She was the reason they were in the predicament in the first place. But Kohaku just went and proved, without any shadow of a doubt, that she was ready and willing to carry both her and Mytyl's weight. Myty wasn't 100% back on her feet, but she couldn't afford to delay and wait for a full recovery. Not when the arrival of the remaining foreign students, only a few days away, would make it even hard for her to stand out.
It was for this reason that Mytyl was quick to stand up and raise her hand, ignoring the slight quiver of her legs as they protested at the sudden move. It wasn't enough to keep her from fighting.
"Ms. Kamizono," Goodwitch acknowledged, her eyes critically assessing the girl. "Are you sure you're well enough to fight?"
Pushing her hesitation to the backseat, Mytyl nodded. Well enough to fight at full capacity? No. But she is well enough to hold her ground and prove her shortcoming could be worked around.
"Very well. Do you want to issue a challenge?".
Mytyl shook her head. She highly doubted any member of Team Rupee, Juneberry, or her own team would want to fight her. And she didn't particularly care about who she fought from the other students.
"Any challengers?" Goodwitch asked the assembled students.
A wave of murmurs washed among the students. Friends asking their teammates if they want to fight, if they should fight themselves, or just making educated guesses on who might accept and how the fight will go. Being the last spar of the last class on a Friday, most students were more interested in starting their weekend than getting on the ring.
"Sure, I'll take her on."
All eyes focused on the auburn-haired boy confidently standing up and sending her neutral look.
"Very well. Ms. Kamizono. Mr. Winchester. Please make your way to the arena."
Cardin wasted no time leisurely walking down the bleachers. Mytyl made to follow, but a sudden grip of her forearm stopped her.
"Mytyl," Copen said, catching her attention and conveying this wasn't idle talk. "Are you sure about this? You still haven't recovered."
She nodded. It wasn't a matter of whether she was fully healed or not. She was well enough to fight, so she needed to fight.
"You cannot fight as usual," Copen warned. "Megante Leon cannot absorb the kinetic impact of your usual fighting style enough to compensate for your current weakness."
Mytyl hesitated, then nodded. "Thanks" she whispered, Lumen relaying her words for Copen's benefit. "I'll keep that in mind." With no more time to waste, she walked down the seats and jumped onto the arena, allowing her boots to softly slow her descent.
"Megante Leon?" Ruby asked with naked curiosity, having never heard the term before.
"That's the name of Mytyl's armor and boots."
"They have a name?" The red-haired reaper asked with a hint of excitement. If they had a name, that means they are weapons!
"Of course they do," Copen said. "It's tradition for Hunters to name their weapons."
Ruby squealed. She was right!
"They are weapons?" Yang asked.
"…Yang...The first thing I did when we met was kick your ass. Literally."
"Oh yeah," Yang mused out loud. "I had forgotten about that. You two are trained in a kick-based fighting style?"
Copen nodded. "Not primarily, but it was the obvious backup given our weapons. Our teacher focused primarily on helping us develop our signature style, but our maid made sure we weren't left defenseless in case we found ourselves devoid of them. Apparently, she has vast experience with kickboxing, so she helped us adjust to using our boots offensively."
"Not a bad idea, honestly." Yang pointed her gauntlets up and made a click sound as a shot failed to fire. "I am proud of Ember Celica, but I sure was not expecting Koh to just slam it so hard they jammed. I'm lucky a punch is a punch with or without my babies. You could use some hand-to-hand practice, Rubes."
Ruby stuck out her tongue in disgust at the idea. It wasn't the first time someone criticized her overreliance on Crescent Rose. But her darling could take on any situation!
"Ruby would probably benefit more from learning how to kick," Copen commented offhandedly. It caught everyone by surprise. "Her fighting style and speed already gives her considerable lower body strength. And while her size helps said fighting style, it really doesn't help at all in boxing or any other similar discipline."
The focus on her and the assessment lighted up Ruby like a holiday tree with too much red. She quickly brought the topic back on track. "So, if Mytyl's armor is Megante Leon… what's the name of yours?"
"It's…" Copen froze mid sentence. Then slumped in utter defeat and resignation. "…White Tiger."
"You. Are. Shitting me. Tiger." The Cheshire grin on Yang's face could not be understated.
This was just another thing to pile up on the list of things the blonde used to annoy him. Copen just knew that'll be the case.
-o-
She gave a few experimental hops while Cardin stretched his mace arm. Her legs, and her entire body if she was being honest, weren't happy about the upcoming battle. But it was the kind of pain she would have to push through sooner or later if this was going to be her career.
Standing by, Goodwitch kept looking at her, carefully searching for any slipup that would disqualify her. It has been tiresome throughout the entire week and it was downright infuriating now. She knew her body better than anyone.
"Are both of you ready?"
Doing a quick last minute check on Divider, Megante Leon, and Lumen, Mytyl nodded. Opposite to her, Cardin emulated her gesture.
"I trust I don't need to repeat the rules," Goodwitch announced loudly. Then her voice lowered to conversational volume, making sure her words didn't reach the audience. "Miss Kamizono, a reminder that there is a time and place for everything. Surrendering is a completely valid tactic."
Mytyl held her temper and nodded. She wasn't in a position to argue with Miss Goodwitch that she knew what she was doing. She took her fighting stance; Divider raised in front of her covering her face, her body in a side stance with her left hand in front, feet grounded on the floor. It mimicked Copen's stance minus the tower shield on her left arm. While she preferred a more light-footed stance that allowed her to quickly use her boosters and get on the air, that wasn't an option in this fight. Ricocheting across the ground was a deceivingly intense maneuver that would end up with her legs crumpling under the force in her current state.
If either Cardin or her closed the distance, she would have to rely on rocket-powered kicks and single boost evasions. She wasn't not looking forward to her new limited options.
"You can surrender now if you're really not up to it," Cardin offered, a confident smirk on his face. Despite the words, he was also in a stance ready to fight, rather than the more lackadaisical lack of proper form he favored early in the year.
"Cat got your tongue?"
Mytyl rolled her eyes and pointed at her throat. Then whispered at her mic, allowing Lumen to relay the message. "Really?"
"Hey, you're the one with the flying speaker."
…Fair point.
"Ready. Set. Go!"
Mytyl aimed Divider at Cardin and fired relentlessly. The armored boy had attempted to charge her but stopped on his track as bullets pinged off his armor and mace, a scant few getting a direct hit on his Aura.
'…four, three, two, now!'
Counting down the bullets left in the magazine, Mytyl shot forward with both bullits currently in Megante Leon's chamber.
'2-2'
The distance between her and her opponent was relatively small, allowing her to cover it in the blink of an eye. Skidding to a stop, she fired the bullit in her right boot, bringing it forward in a kick that had Cardin recoiling despite catching it with his bare hands.
'2-1'
With the booster of her right legs still firing and keeping Cardin occupied, she fired her left leg upward, using Cardin's insistence of holding her right leg to leverage herself up and aim the kick to his face.
'1-1'
With his left hand occupied, Cardin blocked with his mace. The force rattled him and weakened his grip on her right left. Wrestling it free, she hooked her feet on the side of the mace closer to Cardin, drawing herself towards the boy, her legs bent. In a position to put all the force she could safely muster into it, she kicked Cardin with both legs on his chest, firing the last bullits and dashing away before the boy could retaliate. With a somersault, she landed on her feet, the dying embers of her propulsion mitigating the shock of the landing.
"Mytyl! Ahead!" Lumen shouted.
An explosive column of fire made its way towards her. Quickly activating the reload of her boots, she dashed out of the way at the last second. It was a sloppy dodge that resulted in losing her footing, sliding across the floor on her shoulder as she came to a stop. She could see Cardin rushing to follow up his long distance attack.
But he wasn't particularly fast. Mytyl had enough time to raise Divider and fire, buying herself a few seconds to get into a more comfortable kneeling position. Her legs were beginning to protest the unwanted strain of the fight, but she ignored them.
"Lumen. Glyphs. Earth." she whispered to her headpiece. A small, brown glyph appeared at the end of her pistol's barrel. The bullets that pinged off Cardin now erupted into slabs of stone that one by one slowed his unstoppable march more and more.
But if Cardin was anything, it was strong. Ridiculously so. He ignored the earth Dust slowing him down and continued his indomitable march, prepping his mace to bring it down upon Mytyl with a massive downward blow. Mytyl dodged, but was caught unprepared when Cardin pivoted his swing from downward to sideways, catching her before she could get out of reach.
Despite moving with the attack and the clumsy pivot lacking proper form, Cardin's sheer strength made up for the sloppy maneuver, sending her rolling and skipping across the ground. A carefully placed boost from Megante Leon brought her to her feet. Her right hand reached below her left ribs, where Cardin's attack connected, and winced. It was easy to forget how hard people like Cardin hit when you normally could fly circles around them, literally.
She looked at Lumen, hovering diligently next to her with Weiss's white colors. Could she overwhelm Cardin?
Her opponent began his bull rush once more. Seems like she was going to find out.
"Aquakinesis," she whispered.
Her Aura dipped as jets of water rushed to meet Cardin with the strength of a fire hose. The boy met Lumen's attack head on, but she wasn't done.
"Glyphs. Ice."
Divider sang, the glyphs Aura infusing its bullets with Ice Dust and hitting their mark. Combined with the water from Marina's Semblance, Cardin slowed to a crawl as his body superficially froze. But the boy wasn't out, his mace surging to live as it ignited and, with what movement remained, swung at her, throwing a fireball.
"Aura Burst."
In a flurry of butterflies, she slithered above the fiery missile and reappeared in front of Cardin, landing with a heavy thud as Megante Leon reloaded. "Burn." With her right leg, she kicked Cardin's abdomen, right where he hit her before. The impact shattered the frozen patches dotting Cardin's body and slightly charged the imitation of Yang's Semblance Lumen was currently mimicking. Without stopping, she pivoted into a kick with her left heel, on the same spot.
With a quick burst from her feet, she hopped backward, dodging Cardin's retaliation. Without missing a beat, she fired both boosters in her boots, rising up before bringing an axe kick down on Cardin. The sound of the ceramic of her boots meeting the metal of his mace echoed around the room.
And in her muscles and bones. She gritted her teeth, her body screaming bloody murder at the abuse. She fired the last two remaining rounds in her boots to create some distance.
"Percentage?" She asked Lumen.
"Forty-one percent"
Not ideal, but it will have to do. She couldn't keep this pace. When Cardin rushed once more, rather than dodging she stood her ground, body tensing and preemptively cursing her as she prepared to meet his attack heads on. She could see the wariness in Cardin's eyes, but his options were limited. The auburn-haired boy excelled in overpowering his opponents. It was a valid tactic when dealing with simpleminded Grimm and most human opponents, but could backfire against more skillful enemies.
So when faced against a dainty girl that focused on acrobatics, the last thing he expected was Mytyl meeting his attack head on. He wasn't prepared to have it blocked. That was one point in Mytyl's favor.
The second point was that she was not fighting back with just her own strength.
"Release."
Her lavender hair ignited in a blue, fiery shroud, Aura flames flicking from every strand and her eyes… they were already red, so no major change there. She was hitting with whatever she could muster from their previous exchanges. Her leg shot up into a kick, meeting Cardin's Executioner mid-swing.
The collision rattled her, her leg rebelling as pain shot up through it and made her lose her footing when she brought it down and tried to stand on it, forcing her to kneel. She wasn't the only one kneeling. A few meters away, Cardin was standing up. Unprepared for her attack, he was sent flying back. But that was it, that was the extent of the damage.
She looked up at their Aura levels. 58 to 46, in her favor. But…
She raised both arms in the universal sign of surrendering. With great difficulty, she managed to also stand, pointedly ignoring the flaring pain in her leg.
"Match! Winner is… Cardin Winchester."
Applauses erupted across the audience. Cardin approached her.
"Can you stand, Kamizono?"
"I'm doing it," Mytyl muttered. Realizing her words weren't being delivered by Lumen, she signaled at the bot to do so.
"Barely," Cardin scoffed.
"Miss Kamizono." Miss Goodwitch's voice commanded attention, as per usual. "I wasn't aware you were versed in kickboxing… or a Huntress's approximation of it, at any rate."
"Hehe, yeah. In case my armor is damaged, I can switch to it in a pinch."
"Very well. As for my appraisal… you underestimated your injuries. However, I must admit, your ability to work around your limitations is commendable, as well as your decision to lean on the tools available to you. There is a time to be conservative and you correctly judged this wasn't it.
"Mister Winchester, I'm happy with your progress so far, especially adding ranged options to your arsenal and properly reacting to your opponent. You should work on not depending so heavily on your Aura to tank damage. But overall, good job."
Both her and Cardin nodded. She tried to take a step towards the bleachers, only to catch herself in time before she was sent sprawling to the floor. To her surprise, Cardin was quick to offer help, lending a hand to stabilize herself and make it back in one piece.
-o-
Glynda eyed Mytyl critically. She wasn't blind to what both her and Miss Mino had pulled today. If nothing else, at least they were actively trying to put in the work to prove they had what it takes to be Huntresses. Unlike a certain faunus girl that looked like she hadn't slept weeks.
Once both Cardin and Mytyl made it to the bleachers, she cleared her throat. "This is all the time we have for this class. However, I ask for all first year Beacon students to stay behind. Everyone else is dismissed."
She waited for the foreign students – and those of older years with nothing better to do – to clear the room. "I won't keep you waiting with baited breath. Today I'll announce the four first year teams that will represent Beacon at the Vytal Festival tournament."
Excited murmurs exploded from the crowd. Her eyes laser focused on Team Kaleidoscope. Volt and Copen were as taciturn as ever, but there was palpable tension emanating from both Kohaku and Mytyl.
"Before I announce the teams, I want to make some rules clear. This decision is not final. If you fail to meet our expectations between today and the tournament, you will be replaced. Participating in the tournament is an honor, not a right. We expect you to behave splendidly as representatives of Beacon Academy and Vale. Failure to do so will be punished.
"Do note that the tournament is divided into two categories: first and second years, and third and fourth. If you participate this year, you will be given less priority for the festival two years from now. If one of the teams chosen decides not to participate, the next team in line will be given the offer."
A hand shot up. "Professor, are there any benefits to participating in one year or another?"
"Excellent question, Mister Tide. Anyone who knows cares to answer." Glynda looked at each student. Nobody answered, but she was pretty sure one of them knew. "Mister Kamizono?"
He sighed. The boy should take more pride in his intelligence and knowledge. Flaunt it a bit. "The first/second year division draws more spectators," Copen explained. "Older students are more technical in their fight, so their matches fare more poorly as a spectator sport. Interesting to other Hunters that can appreciate these nuances, but not as much to companies and sponsors; those details flying over their head."
"Excellent answer, Mister Kamizono. That's basically it. Want fame or to catch the attention of a specific company? Compete in this tournament. Want to catch the eyes of either other Hunters or the military? Compete in the next. Ultimately, it matters little. Having a good performance on either looks good on your resume. Additionally, the Grimm don't rest because we have a tournament running. During your last two years at Beacon, you are expected to go to missions regularly. While we try to send teams not participating in the tournament to these missions, there is no guarantee. Any other question?"
Seeing no other hands up, Glynda tapped at her scroll tablet. "Very well. The teams representing Beacon are, in alphabetical order…"
Four letters popped up on the auditorium's display
"Team Cardinal." The team of boys howled in celebration.
"Team Juneberry."
"YES!" Nora shouted, lifting Ren and Jaune into a crushing hug. Blake seemed like she didn't notice. Another mark against the girl.
"Team Kaleidoscope." The team's reaction was uncharacteristically subdued. Kohaku pumped her fist, but beyond that nothing more. Expected from Copen and Gun, but not from Mytyl.
'Guess her injuries are keeping her tame,' Glynda mused.
"And last but not least, Team Rupee."
"Ah yes! Lumen, theme song!"
"Sorry, Yang. But I detect a conflict of interest in my programming."
"Booo!"
Glynda cleared her throat. "I expect all four members to personally confirm to me their participation by Monday's end. Failure to do so will be taken as your team forfeiting your position. You are dismissed."
The students began to collect their belongings.
"Oh, and Team Kaleidoscope? Team Juneberry?" Glynda spoke over the students. "Stay. I need a word with both of you."
That was quite the ominous directive, and both teams' expression showed that.
-o-
Saturday
-o-
She wasn't proud of it, but Mytyl was currently hiding in the team leader's recreational room. RWPY were celebrating their qualification to the tournament at Vale and GV decided to rope in Jaune into a war meeting in their room. She had no desire to deal with either GV or Jaune at the time, so she hid in the one place no one would find her. Or at least no one she cared about.
"Both of your teams' qualifications are preliminary, pending your behavior in the upcoming weeks. I will pull you out of the finals themselves if you cross me."
Ms. Goodwitch's warning echoed in her head. It was one thing after another. She felt overwhelmed, wanting nothing else than going to sleep and be forgotten for a solid week. She ignored the coming and going of team leaders as she rested on the sofa afforded to them. They were polite enough to return the courtesy and ignore her. It wasn't hard. It was Saturday, right in the middle of the festivities as far as businesses cared, so very few students were willing to spend it inside Beacon.
"~And the ice goes swhoop~"
In a moment of weakness, Mytyl shot to a sitting position as the unpleasant feeling of ice against skin brought her out of her stupor. She glared at the perpetrator.
"Revenge is sweet!"
Marine gloated triumphantly while Cardin stood by the sidelines looking at the altercation with boredom.
"What do you two want?" Mytyl groaned shifting to properly sit on the sofa. Her throat still bothered her, but she had recovered enough to at the very least rasped her annoyance at the girl.
"So much anger," Marina muttered. "We are meeting some second years here. We're celebrating CRDL, CFVY, and PPPR making it into the tourney. You look like you can use a distraction. Wanna call your team and come with? We don't mind."
"I mind," Cardin spoke up.
"Coco doesn't mind and she's the only one that matters," Marina corrected.
Mytyl casted her eyes down. "I… my team is not…" She sighed and snapped her fingers. Lumen came to life beside her.
"What my Lady is saying is that her and her team are not meeting eye to eye." That was one way to put it. But it should be enough to get the message through.
"Then what about JNBR?" Marina asked.
Mytyl remained sullen and silent.
"Trouble in paradise?" Cardin scoffed. "Leave it to Arc to mess up his one shot at a girlfriend."
Mytyl became even more depressed. It wasn't Jaune's fault, after all…
"Jaune is not that bad. He's funny and not bad looking," Marina defended the dorky boy.
"But would you date him?" Cardin asked.
"Er…"
"I rest my case, your honor." Cardin looked at Mytyl. "That said, you look like you need fun and I don't detest you, so you can tag along."
Mytyl's face flattened. She signaled at Lumen to echo her "…Thanks for your heartwarming encouragement, Cardin. I'm drowning in your unending support."
"You're welcomed."
Cardin's phenomenal people's skills aside, the boy had a point. She could use the distraction. Maybe she needed some distance.
"I know a place…"
-o-
It was a refreshing night; one Blake was happy to spend lazing around under a tree in Beacon's campus. She would have preferred to do something about the Fang… but that was not happening. Not after Miss Goodwitch made it crystal clear how thin the ice she stood on actually was.
Blake didn't fear many things. But that woman… that woman terrified her.
That and she wasn't as much of a bitch as to see a friend in need and ignore him. She wasn't netting any progress on the Fang, so she might as well focus on something she could do. She sent Jaune a side-glance from her resting spot. Her partner was completely committed to organizing the "raid" for his "MMO". She wasn't sure what any of that meant, but it involved a bunch of team management and planning. That focus reminded her of the times when Jaune got his head in the game during team practice. Suddenly it made sense the boy had a good head on his shoulder for strategizing.
'Guess skills can come from the weirdest of places.'
A cold can was gently pressed against her temple. Looking up, GV offered her the beverage he procured. His face was… at peace? If Jaune was focused with his game, GV was content. It was odd seeing the blond boy like that, but Blake wasn't about to complain. She just wished she hadn't been dragged into it.
Accepting the drink, sat up and opened it while GV sat next to her on the grass.
"Everything set for tomorrow?" GV asked Jaune, who grunted an affirmative.
"You are awfully giddy about this," Blake pointed out.
"Do I?"
"For you? You're practically glowing."
GV chuckled and even Jaune smiled. "I suppose I am," GV admitted. "I used to play this game a lot back in the Fang, when I wasn't needed or had to lay low."
"With Cyan?" Blake asked. The name of GV's past hadn't remained a secret for long after Moniqa all but broadcasted its existence to anyone willing to hear. GV had been initially reluctant to say much, but ultimately relented and gave her and Jaune enough information to get a clear picture.
"Yeah… she was the one who got me into gaming. She wasn't an operative like me, so she had more free time on her hands. We would always find some time to play together when I was off-duty. I guess… this raid reminds me of simpler times. Oh!" He reached into his pocket and retrieved a data stick, offering it to Blake. "For good behavior. Asked one of my contacts in the Fang to update me on the situation."
Blake was speechless as she numbly accepted the gift. GV sipped from his beverage. "It's not much, but the lack of information in itself is telling. Atlas and Mistral are acting normal, but there isn't much about Vale or Vacuo's factions."
"Which means they are acting independently," Blake concluded. "I thought you hated me going on and on about the Fang."
"We hate you hurting yourself doing so," Jaune added. "It's not your job to carry that kind of weight on your shoulders."
Blake sighed. "I know. Sorry for getting us all in trouble with Goodwitch."
"Don't worry about it," Jaune said. "You're not alone in that department…"
Blake and GV look at each other warily, then at Jaune. Blake ventured. "Want to talk about it?"
"There is nothing to talk about."
"You know… Mytyl does feel pretty bad about the whole ordeal," GV pointed out. "And I don't see you happy about it."
"So what?" Jaune snapped. "Should I just ignore… everything she put us through?"
"Or you could confront her about it," Blake said. "Like you confront me about the Fang. Talk it out. Ideally, she should be the one talking to you, but it's clear you're not happy leaving it as it is, so maybe you should take that first step."
"…I dunno," Jaune muttered unsurely.
Blake shrugged. "Think about it. I know a thing or two about keeping secrets, so I cannot really condemn Mytyl for keeping hers. But if she cares for you as much as she clearly does, she will tell you when the time comes."
"I-It's not like that! You misunderstand!"
Blake rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say, Jaune. So, what's your story for getting into gaming?"
"Nerd."
"Hey, you are as guilty as I am," Jaune pointed at GV. But he was grateful for the change in topic. "I don't know. I just picked it up as a kid. Got a bit serious about Autumn Records at some point and even became an officer in a guild. Made some friends in the game, even."
"As opposed to in real life?"
"…Doremy is not exactly drowning in children. There is one school where everyone knows everyone and I was the goofy, wimpy kid in class with seven sisters that jumped at the first chance to defend him. That didn't exactly do wonders for my popularity."
"Rough," GV muttered.
Blake snorted and agreed. She finished her drink and went back to lying down. She was still worried about the Fang.
But she could put that to rest for a bit. For the sake of her friends.
-o-
"So, you're back with your tail tuck between your legs."
"Shut up, Copen."
Kohaku wasn't in the mood of talking to her partner. She would have preferred to continue crashing at Sun's, but her childhood friend had been adamant about her returning to her room. Partly because she needed to make peace with her team. And partly because on Monday the last few transfer students would be arriving, including the remaining members of SSSN. Sun needed those beds.
"Where's everyone, anyways?" She asked, looking at the empty room.
"Volt is hanging out with Jaune and Blake. As for Mytyl… no idea, actually."
"And you're not worried?"
"She can take care of herself." Mostly. Copen wasn't entirely convinced, but it was something he forced himself to accept. His scroll beeped. Picking it up, he opened the message. And groaned.
"Never mind, she's making my life miserable," he threw the scroll at Kohaku, who caught it with ease. In it, an image of Mytyl giving two V-signs was on full displays, a pair of twins at each side grinning for the camera, the one dressed in red taking the selfie. A string of texts followed the photo.
'Wish you were here 3'
'To ****'
'MELANIE!'
'Shhhh, just admit it, sis. Let it be.'
'They are fun :D – Mytyl'
Kohaku blinked. She placed the scroll on the table, inferring that Copen was too preoccupied looking hauntingly at the floor to pick it up.
"So… twins."
"Shut up, Kohaku."
-o-
Sunday
-o-
"I feel left out?"
"Want to join us? I'm sure Copen has a maxed out account lying somewhere."
"No. No. Is okay. I feel left out, but I rather feel that than… whatever Mytyl is feeling."
The three non-leaders of Team Kaleidoscope looked at their leader. Mytyl stood in front of the computer, frozen. They had severely underestimated just how much of a celebrity the first two accounts ever created for Autumn Records were. As soon as she and Copen joined the raid group, they had been bombarded with private messages and friend requests, while the entire world chat devolved into people talking about them or to them.
It was too much.
"Let them be for now," GV advised. "Don't be fooled, these are professionals?"
"Are they?" Kohaku wasn't sold.
"As soon as the event starts, they'll get their game on," GV insisted. "At any rate, I see my boy Xiao's character. I'm going to gloat for a bit."
Mytyl took a step back and sighed. Thankfully, ignoring the crowd was as simple as closing her eyes. The memories of yesterday came pouring back to her. It had been a fun night overall, but naturally the topic that occupied her mind came up.
-o-
"He sounds like a waste, wasting you."
"Don't listen to her. Talk it out. Use words!"
"Jaune has many faults, but from what I've seen, being a bad listener isn't one. Just try explaining things to him…"
"I will never understand what you see in Arc, but stop moping and do something about it!"
-o-
The consensus was clear. Speak to Jaune. She just had no idea about what.
"Oh, I think it's starting," Kohaku commented, looking over Copen's shoulder at his screen.
Mytyl's attention returned in full to the screen. In it, the avatars of what appeared to be guild's officers stood in a line. She scanned the line and the colorful medley of individuals that came through. From people taking this way too seriously to a pair of avatars named SlothBoy and SnekGirl throwing saccharine emotes at each other.
She entertained the idea of them being Ren and Nora if only for the reference to Sloth, but their apparent position as guild officers immediately dashed that.
She recognized Jaune's avatar in an instant. Even ignoring the use of the term 'Arc' in his username, the character itself was a Paladin. For some reason, that just screamed Jaune.
'Do something small. Show that you do care.'
'Sometimes all it takes is that little push.'
She bit her lips. Muting the endless outpour of messages she was receiving, she opened one single window.
CyberDiva#00000001: Hi
Mytyl didn't pay much attention as the raid was explained. Her focus squarely on the little chat window. After what felt like an eternity, she was about to give up hope, when…
ArkKnight#00713371: Hey…
Author's Notes
I really should stop these slice-of-life episodes and write the story
Oh well. Rundown!
Mytyl v. Cardin: It was nice writing Mytyl with a more grounded fighting style. And I mean grounded in a literal sense. Hope it worked out.
Jaune/Blake/GV: I really like these three. Thinking of them as friends gives me a fluffy feeling.
Autumn Records: Originally this part was going to be longer and more complicated, with GV conscripting the entire first and second year into the raid and showing the pre-game banter. Ultimately, I decided to streamline it and leave the end. I didn't cut it completely due to something that happens in the next chapter.
And… that's it. Not much else to say. Onward!
Reviews
mega-dark: Off by one chapter. No Nori yet, but Soon™
I saw the GV3 news. Still not much I can leverage to use in my fic, though. But we'll just have to give it time.
Honestly… the phoenix also kinda skipped my mind for a while. Sure, I knew about it for quite some time by the time I wrote last chapter, but at the beginning of the fic, when things were a bit more nebulous, it was something I didn't register.
Maybe you're right about people not noticing Kohaku's… penchant for making machines falter. To be fair to them, I would say the only really obvious example that would elicit a questioning look are the two in last chapters. I could argue that every other example has extenuating circumstances that would only make them obvious in hindsight.