This chapter has been brought to you by the anniversary of my other story, Jaune Ryu-Long. Please enjoy and do try to review!
Coco was busy with all her new clothes she had just bought. Being a fashionista took so much time along with being a Huntress, something her teammates just didn't seem to understand. So currently, she was shopping alone. She would've dragged Velvet and the boys with her, but each of them was busy. Velvet had her duties as Oobleck's teaching assistant, and the boys opted for a men's day.
"Oh well. I'll get them to come sooner or later, They all need some new clothes soon anyway, with second-year forcing us to visit some high-end places," shrugged Coco as she went into the next clothing store, "Oum knows what type of fashion Yatsu would have without me."
As Coco finished her shopping spree, she had all her bags of clothes shipped over to Beacon so she wouldn't have to carry it. Just a few perks that she had due to the fact she was a loyal customer. It also didn't help that her mother was also a well-known fashionista and designer. Coco decided to become a Huntress, saying she wanted to help people both in a physical/spiritual sense and in a fashion sense. Saving people while spreading trends was the path she wanted to go.
As she was walking, she noticed a new massage parlor that she was certain hadn't been here before. She looked at the sign and said out the name out loud.
"Elysium Oasis. Huh, not a bad name. Sound's catchy. Perhaps named by a fashionable person," commented Coco.
Somewhere else in Vale, Roman sneezed before getting back to work on Dust robberies.
Coco debated about getting a massage before deciding to treat herself to a well-deserved massage for being such an awesome leader.
Jaune was trying to understand some of the textbooks that he bought and had a reference book as well as several of the For Dummies books, such as Dust for Dummies or History for Dummies when he heard the door open. He quickly pushed the books to the side and looked up to see a rather suave girl with a beret enter in.
"Hmm, not a bad place," commented Coco as she looked around, taking in the design, "You take walk-ins?"
"I do, but I need to check the schedule to make sure nobody's reservation overlaps," replied Jaune, pulling out the scheduler, "Feel free to check the prices to decide which one you want."
"A girl wants to spoil herself sometimes. Got enough time for a 90-minute massage?"
"Sorry, but a patient with a reservation will have arrived. The most I can do is an hour."
"Mmm, nothing I can do to change that?" pouted Coco as she lowered her shades down while leaning forward, putting her arms on the counter and closing them together to emphasize her bust a bit.
"Err nope!" blushed Jaune, quickly looking back down to the scheduler, "Unless the patient cancels, there's nothing I can do."
"Are you sure?" asked Coco as she leaned forward, even more, causing Jaune to lean back before Coco laughed, "Relax kid, I was kidding. I'll take the full body massage for the hour with oil."
"Okay just fill this out and follow me later," squeaked Jaune as he passed over the Scroll tablet.
'Too easy to tease', laughed Coco inside her mind, 'Just like Velvet. I should introduce the two of them together. It'd be cute.'
Velvet suddenly felt a chill up her spine as she was organizing paperwork.
"Something wrong, Miss Scarletina?" asked Doctor Oobleck.
"No, nothing. Just thought someone just hatched a plan involving me no reason," replied Velvet.
"That's oddly specific," commented Oobleck," Does that happen often?"
"No! Just felt like it was something like that," said Velvet hastily before getting back to work. Her hands clenched into a fist when she saw the next paper she was grading was a certain bully and was sorely tempted to just write an F. She wasn't far off as she graded it as he got a D-.
Coco hummed as she took a shower to wipe off any sweat she may have built during her shopping spree. As she finished and toweled off herself, she looked around the place for a bit.
"These slippers are so not stylish," said Coco, "Nor are these hangers or coat racks."
Still, she took them to use as she wrapped a towel around her chest, leaving the changing room with her clothes and handbag. Jaune quickly led her to the single room where he began to prep up. Coco raised an eyebrow, surprised that Jaune was doing the massage before figuring out he ran the whole place himself.
"Not bad, but those clothes could use some more stylin'," commented Coco as she looked at Jaune, scanning his whole body.
"Err thanks?" mumbled Jaune as he rubbed his hands together, "Any preference in massage oil?"
"Surprise me...," started Coco before waving her hand for him to give him a name.
"Jaune."
"Jaune. Just go with what you think suits me."
As she laid out on the bed, Jaune was going through his stock of oils before deciding to use one of the less popular ones, green coffee.
"So, you do massage spices too?" asked Coco as she laid on the bed.
"No, not yet," replied Jaune as he put the oil on his hands, "My business hasn't gotten that far that I can get those yet."
"Why not? I've seen them in the supermarket."
"The best ones are from Mistral. The ones in the supermarket are the mass-produced products of Atlas with their quality cut down so much it's not even funny."
"Hmm, so you have done some research ooooh~"
Jaune had started to press down on her back, causing Coco to moan in relief as she felt one knot start to unravel. Carrying a handbag that doubled as a Gatling gun did force her to use her shoulder a lot, especially when she swung it as a blunt weapon or dealing with the recoil.
"Mmmm not bad~" Jaune was slowly starting from the base of her neck, rolling his fingers around to relieve the pressure built up in there.
"Harder on the right shoulder, just jab that in deep." Jaune used his elbows to dig in deeper right under the shoulder blades.
"Aaaaahhhh~~" Jaune had started on her shoulders and arms, slowly dragging his hands down each arm, forcing Coco to relax.
Jaune was pressing a bit harder than normal, trying to hit those deep knots he could feel on her back and slowly unraveling them. He had to admit, he was slowly getting exhausted. He had been doing this for roughly a month now. He had just received the monthly bills for the shop, and though he had enough to pay for it and still save Lien for his own personal purchases, it was less than the projected amount. He had to admit, it could've just been because he had to buy a few more items for his shop and studies, but it was still frightening. He was thankful that the initial cost wasn't too much, and that he had a lot of time balancing budgets thanks to his family. He had already sent the monthly Lien he owed Junior.
'Mmm, this kid is good. I should bring my team here sometime,' though Coco as she yawned, 'As long as he's not discriminatory against Faunus. Otherwise, he's going to meet my little gun.'
Jaune finished it up with a foot massage and told her she was done as he walked out of the room to the sink to wash his hands.
"He certainly knows what he's doing," commented Coco as she stretched her back, "I'll definitely have to come back for a full 90 minute one. Especially with that option of fire cupping. Seems interesting."
She finished dressing up and exited the room just in time to see Jaune dealing with another customer, this one wearing a rather thick and dark cloak.
'Who wears that?' thought Coco, 'Unless... this is really a secret hideout for suspicious activities? I've heard from others from Mistral that there were some rather unreputable places that disguise themselves as massage parlors. This might an actual massage parlor that also doubles up and disguises itself as a brothel! I can't out right now, though, I have no proof. I need to overhear what they say and hope they slip up!'
Meanwhile, Jaune was conversing with the said 'suspicious' person.
"Here for the appointment for Rachel?" asked Jaune
"Yes, that's me," replied the patient named Rachel.
"Why are you wearing such a big cloak? It must be hot in that!"
"Droy said this was a good place."
"A referral? Glad Droy liked my services, but still, take off that cloak. There's no need to wear such thick clothing."
"... I like it?"
"Bull crap. You're already sweating. Just take it off. Nobody here is going to judge you."
'Got you now!' thought Coco as she readied her weapon.
Rachel glanced around and took off her cloak, causing Coco to almost anime fall when she saw her. It was just a Faunus with a horse mane trailing down her back. Rachel had black hair that flowed wildly but didn't look like any bad person.
'Wait, no this might be something else. White Fang?' thought Coco as she got back up quickly without making a sound.
"Hmm, how far does your mane extend to?" asked Jaune unperturbed.
"You're... really not bothered by it?" asked Rachel with a hint of excitement in her voice.
"Why would I be?" questioned Jaune, "Droy said the same thing."
"No, it's nothing," said Rachel hastily, happy that this place was fair, "As for my mane, the growth goes down to my shoulder blades."
"Hmm, I've never done it on a horse Faunus before, so I might be a bit clumsy. You'll have to bear with me."
"It's no problem! I can tie up my hair to the best of my abilities!"
"Haha, that be helpful. Well just fill out this information and then I'll have you enter the changing room."
Rachel happily took the Scroll tablet and began filling out her information. Meanwhile Coco was facepalming herself.
'Really? I thought this place was a secret base for something serious, like a drug base or something else. Jaune's like Velvet, way too innocent to be like that. Too many movie nights involving spy movies with my team. Next movie, I'm making sure it's not one.'
Coco stepped out to the front, taking out her wallet from her chest, and paid Jaune his fee.
"You know, I'm surprised you're working all by yourself, and so young too," commented Coco.
"It's hard, but it is fulfilling," nodded Jaune as he got change for Coco.
"I'll definitely have to bring my team here to get a massage," smiled Coco.
'Especially since you don't discriminate,' thought Coco as an aftermath.
"That'd be nice. They'll always be welcomed, but I would suggest an appointment. If you want, I have a business card that'll give you the web page to make appointments here."
Jaune handed her a business card that he had recently gotten, happy to be handing it out.
"You know, since you gave such a good massage, I'mma give you some advice," said Coco as she took the card, "You need to look more stylish. Same with some of your stuff here."
"Errr what?"
"Your uniform. It looks boring. You gotta style it up a little."
"... This is the usual uniform for a masseur."
"Yea but you gotta add some sort of touch. Make it something that people will remember you and come back for more than just a massage. I've got something in mind."
With that, Coco opened her own Scroll tablet, not the phone one, opened an app, took a photo of a startled Jaune, and started sketching. She took a seat, focusing entirely on her work.
"Err okay. Rachel, go ahead and just come in to the changing room," sweat dropped Jaune as he led her inside.
Jaune admitted that massaging Rachel was a bit of a challenge with her hair growth down to her shoulder blades. Some of the pressure points were near the spine, but with the hair in the way and his hands oiled, it made it difficult to hit without causing her hair to be oily. He grabbed a small bucket and some water to wash off the oil and massaged the place, finishing it up before reapplying the oil to finish with the rest of the body. Luckily, Rachel had chosen only the 30-minute option, so it wasn't terribly long.
"Thanks," smiled Rachel as she began to get dressed. She had opted to nipple covers as bras made her uncomfortable, especially since the bra straps easily tangled with her mane. She would have to order a custom bra to make it work, something she didn't want to spend Lien on. Instead, she went with binding
"N-No problem," blushed Jaune, seeing Rachel so brazenly dressing herself back up before Jaune could even leave.
"Aww that's cute," smiled Rachel, seeing him blush, "I should introduce you to one of my friends. She's single right now, and quite a looker."
"That's alright! I'll see you back in the front!" said Jaune as he hastily departed from the room. Unfortunately, he forgot he had closed the door and ran right into it. Slightly cursing himself, he opened it and walked out, closing the door as he did so.
When he got to the front, he saw Coco had already left, but not before leaving a piece of paper on his desk.
"Finished my design for your new uniform, sent the data to my online storage. Left my e-mail on the paper, just send me your e-mail, and I'll give you my drawings. Then we can set up a day where I can help you shop for the necessary stuff for your clinic. Ciao! -Coco"
Jaune chuckled as he saw her email address and quickly sent her a message with his. As soon as he finished up with Rachel, he got a reply back as well as all the drawings she had done. He opened it on his computer, but before he could take a look at it, another patient walked in.
"Whew, that's done," sighed Jaune as he put on the closed sign, "Better get to cleaning. Maybe I will call the special cleaning crew to do this at least once a month. I'm sure they do it much better than I can."
He began sweeping and mopping, never pausing until he reached the bathroom when Roman walked in.
"Hey Jaune! You still alive there? It's been a month since you've opened up!" called out Roman.
"In the changing room cleaning!" shouted Jaune.
Roman whistled as he entered, taking a peek at his front desk to see books and paper scattered. Grumbling about neatness, he helped Jaune organize some of his papers before his hand touched the mouse, opening up the desktop screen to reveal Coco's designs.
"Hey not bad," nodded Roman as he studied them, "Whoever drew these are definitely fashionable, like me."
"Oh that was one of my customers who did it," said Jaune as he entered the room, "Didn't get the chance to look at them."
"Whoever the person is, they got quite the eye," nodded Roman, "Though I think I can improve on it."
"Not like it matters," sighed Jaune, "It would cost extra Lien to buy another custom design uniform, Lien I can't afford to use."
Roman shrugged as Jaune walked off to take the used towels and fling them into the washer. He peeked around and quickly had the data sent to his own Scroll. It would be a nice gift for Jaune being able to open for a whole month. No, he wasn't going soft, or so he told himself.
Jaune found himself quite busy for the next few days as he had an influx of Faunus customers as well as a few students from the Academy, and even a full-time Huntsman. He had to admit, some customers were harder to massage than others, especially a few Faunus ones. Not because they were difficult patients, but because some of them had unique physiques that hindered him in some way. One of them had quills on his back that if Jaune wasn't careful, could stab him. The man had asked for a back massage, making it truly difficult for Jaune as he had no Aura to protect him. He opted for thick forearm guards to protect himself. Another one was a female Faunus with a prehensile tail tended to wrap around something while being massaged. Jaune had to stop it from wrapping around his neck every time he hit a sweet spot. The female, of course, apologized for the inconvenience and tipped heavily. Jaune mentally thought it wasn't worth it, as he saw his life flash several times.
Other times, he found they also had cute traits as well. A dog Faunus whimpered in comfort as Jaune pressed down on a point, and another one even started to purr.
"Not sure why I suddenly got busy," yawned Jaune as he started to clean. He had actually skipped a day because he had been too tired, just washing the changing room and towels. Jaune had been lucky and wise to purchase another salon uniform as he completely sweated through some of them. He was just about to leave the shop to go buy some food when a mailman entered.
"Package for Mr. Arc!" said the mailman, carrying a rather large box.
"That'll be me," answered Jaune quickly, taking the package and signing the Scroll, "Wonder what's in this."
He opened it to see three new blue salon clothes exactly like the ones Coco designed, along with new towels with designs on them and some extra items for his massage parlor. On top was a little note to which Jaune quickly read. It had been a group gift from Junior, Melanie, Miltia, Roman, and Neo, all wishing him luck and congratulating him for making it through a month. Melanie and Miltia added a little note saying that they were wishing he'd be their personal masseur, and was looking forward to making another appointment.
Jaune had to stop a teardrop from leaking from his eyes as he lifted up the new salon clothes. It was exactly like Coco had designed, fashionable and yet still professional. When he turned it around, he smiled as Roman had made an add-on. On the back in an Arc with gold stitching was his shop's name.
Bit short, but hoped you all enjoyed it. Promise the next chapter will be significantly longer, and someone will finally come in. Someone I'm sure we've all been waiting for. In fact, that character was actually supposed to show up in this chapter, but I decided to push it back a chapter.