This story has been beta by TheMischieviousPuppyDog.
"This is so exciting!" grinned Nora as she pushed her flatbed cart, "Ooh, I see pancake mixes! Can we get those please, please, please?"
"Nora, we're here to help Jaune shop for his stuff," scolded Pyrrha, "Please don't make Professor Goodwitch regret letting us come help Jaune."
Nora pouted but obeyed, not wanting to get into more trouble.
"Alright, first things first, I need to buy several water softener salts," stated Jaune, "To the back!"
"Water Softener?" asked Pyrrha, unfamiliar with this term. She had heard of it back home and at several other places, but never delved into that subject as she was mainly focused on training.
"Used to 'soften' the water, so to speak," replied Jaune, "Despite the Dust based water filters in the Vale water system, there are still some ions in the water that make the water to be considered 'hard'. To make it a simple, it removes those ions."
"Sounds weird, water is water," piped in Nora, "It's not hard unless it's ice."
"I don't think that's what Jaune was going for," giggled Pyrrha, "But what's the benefits of it?"
"Well it extends the life of almost all my water-based appliances," explained Jaune, "Saves me some Lien on having to buy a new shower head or anything else. Saves money on soap and detergent, too. Cleaning clothes, especially the towels and robes I supply, make them last longer. It's also better for showering, too. Gives the patient a softer and clean skin for me to massage with. Plus, not sure if you noticed, it feels better too. With soft water, you might notice that when you're cleaning yourself, the water feels smoother."
Pyrrha blinked, comparing the showers from Jaune's place to the Beacon showers before nodding in agreement. She had felt something was different, that Jaune's felt better, but couldn't place it until now.
"Then why doesn't Vale put that into their water system?" asked Nora.
"Well because with it, you can't water plants," chuckled Jaune, "Soapy/salty water isn't good for plants. Not to mention that it falls under extra expense to the Vale government. Nobody wants to spend more Lien than they have to. It's also unfavorable if you're running a really big place, like Beacon. The expenses would rack up, as people do tend to use more water if it's softened as it takes more to wash away soap or shampoo. But for a clinic like mine, it's more cost-effective in the long run."
Nora then became distracted when she saw some of the workers offering free samples. It took the combined effort of both Pyrrha and Jaune to drag Nora away from a sample offering some sweets.
"Let's see, Nora, could you help me get... ten of these 40 lb salt bags?" asked Jaune as they reached the back where the water softener salts were.
"You got it!" cheered Nora as she easily picked up all ten and carried them to the moving cart.
"... I was expecting 3-4 trips, not just one, and that's together," admitted Jaune.
"Well, Nora can bench five times her own weight," shrugged Pyrrha, "Not to mention the hammer she always carries with her. I admit I would've taken three trips by myself."
"... I have a long way to go," sighed Jaune, looking at his own muscles and feeling rather down.
"You'll catch up easily," said Pyrrha with a warm tone, "You're already improving quite a bit."
"Right, no time to get depressed," cheered Jaune, slapping his face to focus, "Least with you two, shopping for this stuff will be faster."
Indeed, with Nora and Pyrrha able to lift some of the heavier items with Jaune, they had the moving cart full of salts and cleaning supplies while the shopping cart mostly contained food, towels, and the rest of the cleaning supplies. Jaune and Pyrrha also had a hard time pulling Nora away from even more sample carts, especially one that was offering a free sip of coffee. That one, Pyrrha almost exposed herself when she started using her Semblance to help pull Nora back, wrapping a metal wire around Nora that she had somehow procured.
Still, they were slowly making their way to the checkout line when...
"Guess who?" said a voice as hands suddenly covered Jaune's eyes.
Jaune faltered for a second before getting a whiff of perfume.
"Is it Militia and Melanie?" asked Jaune.
"Aww, how'd you guess?" asked the girls as they let go. Militia had covered the left eye while Melanie covered the right. Both were wearing street clothes in their colors instead of the usual dress. A simple short-sleeved shirt and mini skirts.
"Your perfume gave it away," replied Jaune, "You two are the only girls I know that use that brand. Actually, you two are the only girls I know outside of Beacon that I know personally ever since arriving here.. aside from Neo, but she never puts on perfume. And the fact she never talks either."
"Hmm, are you implying something?" asked Militia coyly as her hands traced Jaune's jaw.
"Perhaps you should go out more," suggested Melanie before raising her leg, touching Jaune with her legs, sliding it up and down his legs, "Or perhaps you prefer just having us?"
Pyrrha felt something roaring in her chest, wanting to tear the girls off Jaune. She paused at this, wondering where that emotion came from. Before she could contemplate more about it, Jaune had already managed to break free of the twin's grip.
"Hey, who are these girls?" asked Melanie, noticing Pyrrha and Nora.
"And where were you on Tuesday? We came over to visit, knowing your shop would be closed, but you were gone the whole day," added Militia.
"That's a long story that involves my two friends," chuckled Jaune, "Let me introduce you two to each other. Pyrrha, Nora, this is Melanie and Militia. Their uncle helped me start up my clinic. Melanie, Militia, meet Pyrrha and Nora. They go to Beacon."
Melanie and Melanie both seized up Pyrrha while she did the same. Nora... was off to another sample table, with Jaune trying his best to control her.
"Pyrrha... It's not Pyrrha Nikos, is it?" asked Militia, "You look so different with the hat, glasses, and a scarf covering half your face."
"I am," admitted Pyrrha, "But please don't make a scene."
"Oh, we won't," nodded Melanie, "If we exposed you now, it would just cause more trouble for Jaune. We don't want our favorite masseur injured over a rabid crowd. Speaking of which... does he know?"
"Only a little," whispered Pyrrha, "All he knows is I'm good at fighting."
"That's sad and yet hilarious," chuckled Militia, "And it's soo like him to do so."
"What do you mean?" asked Pyrrha.
"Don't worry about it," waved off Melanie, "Come, it looks like Jaune's almost at the end of his rope there."
The trio looked back to see Nora now trying to purchase a dozen pancake batters while Jaune was apologizing to a shocked employee with an empty sample table. With a nod, the trio managed to pull Nora back. Melanie and Militia decided to accompany Jaune to help him while also asking for the next available time for a massage for the both of them. Jaune promised to pencil them in for the next available appointment when he got back to the clinic.
Everything was going swimmingly well when they reached the checkout line. The checkout clerk was suspicious when Jaune handed over Ozpin's signature for a discount, even to go as far as to call the general manager over to help verify the signature. The whole situation was easily smoothed over when the general manager made a quick call to Beacon to verify the authenticity of it.
It was after the checkout that the situation escalated. They had been heading toward the exit when Jaune noticed a ridiculous blown up poster of Pyrrha posing for Pumpkin Pete cereal.
"Hey, isn't that you?" asked Jaune, pointing to the poster.
Pyrrha whirled around and slightly paled at the sight of the poster before quickly pushing Jaune forward, "Yea that's me. We should get going, lots of stuff to do."
"But don't they do that for only famous movie stars or athletes only?" asked Jaune.
"I'll explain more later," rushed Pyrrha.
However, in her rush, she failed to notice her hat starting to fall off as well as her scarf starting to drop.
"Mommy, I want that scarf," said a child with a rather pompous attitude.
"Mommy will get you a scarf like that later," replied the mother in a rather tired voice, "Just be patient dear."
"No, I want that one!" shouted the child, starting raise his voice.
"That one is somebody else's," explained the mother, "I'll get you a new scarf later."
The mother turned back to finish up paying for her items, too distracted to put her son on a leash. The boy ran off before the mother could react, and with a swift tug, pulled Pyrrha's scarf off her neck. The scarf whipped up and snapped Pyrrha's glasses off her face. She was quite lucky that the scarf hadn't been tied around Pyrrha's neck in a way that could have choked her.
Pyrrha quickly whirled around to the boy in slight shock and anger at the audacity of the boy's behavior. As she did so, the hat she had been wearing whipped off her head, flying right into Jaune's face. It didn't help that she was now standing right in front of the poster now.
"Holy crap is that Pyrrha Nikos!?"
"It is! She's actually here!"
"Miss Nikos, can I get an autograph!?"
Soon, Pyrrha was swarmed by adoring fans, all wanting to get an autograph, to touch her, etc etc. Militia and Melanie reacted quickly, pushing Jaune away from the ravenous crowd, threatening to storm over him. Nora quickly pushed the carts full of items to the side to avoid having them damaged.
"Whoa, what the heck is happening?" questioned Jaune as Melanie and Militia managed to push him against the wall to avoid being trampled.
"You didn't know just how famous Pyrrha is, did you?" asked Melanie.
"Well, I mean Ren told me she's a good fighter, but that's about it," admitted Jaune, "Though they did suggest I post a photo of her with me online, along with a quote from her that'll go on this Friday after the workday. Is it that big of a deal?"
Militia and Melanie glanced at each other, then to Pyrrha, who was busy dealing with the swarm of fans, then back at Jaune.
"We'll talk more about that later. For now, let's get your stuff away from the trampling horde," suggested Melanie.
"But.. Pyrrha," pointed Jaune.
"She'll be fine, she has Nora with her right now, see?" said Militia, waving her hand at the general direction.
Jaune looked to see Nora was indeed was helping Pyrrha, pushing away a few of the more eager fans.
"We already called a truck over to help out with all this stuff," added Melanie, "So let's go put the stuff away first. We rescue Pyrrha later."
Jaune gazed back at Pyrrha, who seemed to notice Jaune was looking at him despite trying to hold off the crowd. With a tilt of her head, she gestured for Jaune to go forward without her, that they would catch up.
With that, Jaune, Militia, and Melanie quickly pushed the carts out of PriceCo into an awaiting pickup truck, driven by one of Junior's men. With some help, all the items were loaded into the truck, ready to be sent back to the clinic.
"I expect the items to be delivered safely, alright?" Melanie ordered/threatened her subordinate.
The man eagerly nodded before carefully but hastily driving off to Jaune's clinic.
"Well, that's done, what do you say we have some fun?" suggested Militia as she pressed her body against Jaune, as did Melanie.
Jaune blushed for a second before shaking his head, "Unfortunately, I still have a lot to do back at the clinic. Stuff to restock, reorganize, and bills to finalize."
"A pity," pouted Melanie, "Perhaps when you have a break, we'll have some fun. We can go clubbing... though not at ours. We're still under construction thanks to that blonde bimbo."
"But first, we demand another massage," added Militia, "Book us for the next available time when you get back. 2 hours each."
"Fine with me," nodded Jaune, "Let's get Pyrrha and Nora out of there, though."
"Yea, let me call the car in," suggested Melanie, pulling up her Scroll, "I had another one waiting for us already. We'll need to make a quick getaway."
Jaune walked back in just in time to see Pyrrha and Nora slowly dragging themselves away from the persistent crowd.
"C'mon, one more photo, please?" asked a fan.
"I'm sorry, but I must really go," said Pyrrha politely with a fake smile.
"We'll be cheering you on during the Vytal Festival!" shouted another fan, "Show them why you're the Invincible Girl!"
Both Nora and Pyrrha flinched at that statement. It wasn't public news that Pyrrha and her team wouldn't be participating in the Vytal Festival Tournament this year, after all. Seeing Jaune wave at them, they quickly began to power walk towards them, but the fans still persisted in chasing after them. That was when Militia and Melanie's ride came swerving in, opening the doors as it came to a stop.
"Get in," motioned Militia.
Jaune quickly entered in the car, prompting Pyrrha and Nora to dive in too. With the two inside, the drive mashed the gas, causing the wheels to squeal a bit before driving them off.
"So... you're a lot more famous than I thought?" asked Jaune.
"That's an understatement," snorted Militia, "She's one of the biggest stars when it comes to fighting. Four-time Mistral Regional Champion, all in a row. Graduated top of her class at Sanctum Academy by a long shot, from what I've heard."
"Doesn't help she's also hot and beautiful with a rocking body," added Melanie bluntly, "With that package, she has fans from all corners of Remnant. There are not many people who haven't heard of her."
Pyrrha blushed at this statement, crossing her legs together. All she had done really was focus on her academics and train to fight. The rest was her mother's genes and makeup from various makeup artists that her sponsors hired for photo shoots. The only thing she really did makeup was put on the green eyeliner and lipstick every now and then.
"Oh wow," blinked Jaune in surprise, "I've been having a star teaching me how to fight all this time."
"Wait, what!?" exclaimed the twins, looking at Pyrrha and Jaune.
Pyrrha wasn't sure what to say now. Now that Jaune knew her fame, it was bound to make some changes in their relationship. Would he become one of the many admiring fans now? She had gotten so used to being at Jaune's to relax, to be free of the burdens of being famous for a little bit.
Nora seemed to catch what Pyrrha wanted to say, and so blurted it out, "It makes no difference, right? Pyrrha is still Pyrrha! Just with more fame."
Jaune chuckled, "Well that's true. She's helped me with so much already. Unlocking my Aura, teaching me to fight and study, introducing me to my first employee, and now, bringing customers in. To be honest, there's so much I need to thank her for that I'm not sure how to."
Pyrrha blushed before coughing to clear her throat, "It's no worries. You helped me bridge the gap to my team, and helped relieve me of my stress the day I came in. It's more than I can repay you too."
She gave once more a brilliant smile that far outshone her photos... until Militia interrupted, "Wait, your Aura's unlocked?"
"Yea, been testing it out," nodded Jaune, "I'm even thinking of putting a new menu choice, Aura massage. I've only tried it on two people, but they seemed to react well to it. No problems that I've heard of, at least."
"We're getting that," said the twins simultaneously.
Soon enough, they made it back Elysium Oasis, where everything Jaune ordered online had been organized by Velvet, Sky, Dove, and a few of Junior's men. A few more hours of hard work had Jaune's shop sparkling clean with supplies all properly stored, the towels all washed, and the paperwork organized.
"Whew, don't know how you can manage all this yourself," said Dove as he wiped off some sweat, "Feels like managing a clinic is harder work than being at Beacon."
"It's only because there was a lot of stuff to do," admitted Jaune, "Still, appreciate all the help. It's starting to get late, but let me at least prepare a meal for you all before you go."
"You don't have to," started Pyrrha, but Jaune shook his head.
"You guys all helped me a lot today. Even without that trip, I don't think I would've had time to clean and organize everything. Least I can do is send you home with a full stomach. Not to mention with Ozpin's signature, I saved a lot of Lien today. Now, I can't make anything fancy, but I can at least make it filling."
With that, he got to work. Pyrrha, Velvet, and Sky immediately volunteered to at least help out. Nora was firmly kept out of the kitchen in fear that she might take it too far and blow up the kitchen. Melanie and Militia had no real idea how to work in a kitchen, having served as bouncers for most of their life. They did, at least, know how to make some good drinks, thanks to working with their uncle Junior.
"Alright, Velvet, any limitations on what you can eat? No? How about the others... Ok no fish, I can easily work with that. Pyrrha cut the chicken into bite size pieces. Velvet cut the bacon into small pieces. Sky, focus on the noodles for me. I'm going to make the sauce."
Within half an hour, Jaune was putting the final touches to the dish, sprinkling some rosemary, parsley, and pine nuts onto the dish. After mixing the sauce one more time for an even spread, he quickly served it up on a few plates and several trays.
"Dinner's ready!" shouted Jaune as he began to place them one by one.
Pyrrha and the other Beacon students, unfortunately, had to head back to Beacon as it was still a school day. They, instead, took several containers back to eat at Beacon. Leaving Jaune alone with Melanie and Militia.
"So... ambitious, aren't you?" asked Melanie as she twirled her noodles onto her fork.
"Hmm?" asked Jaune in confusion.
"Having twins on a dinner date," teased Militia, "Hoping to have a girl in each arm in bed tonight?"
Jaune flushed red as he stuttered to try to defend himself, saying that that wasn't the idea. This merely caused the twins to laugh at his expense before telling him to relax.
"You make really good food, though," complemented Militia as she took a bite, "Keep this up, and you might just get that double date with us."
That caused Jaune to stutter once more, causing the twins to laugh once more. They really loved to teased Jaune.
"We're back!" saluted Nora as she and Pyrrha arrived back to their dorms, having said their goodbyes to Velvet, Sky, and Dove.
"How was your day helping Jaune?" asked Ren, lifting up one eyelid while never changing his meditation stance.
"Eventful," replied Pyrrha as she placed the containers down.
"I could tell," nodded Ren, pointing to his Scroll for Pyrrha to pick up.
Pyrrha did so to see an article reporting about her sighting at PriceCo. There was even a tab where Dustybay was selling Pyrrha's hat and scarf that she had worn for the day. The fake glasses had been crushed in the stampede, though.
"Well that's a surprise," said Nora sarcastically before turning to the containers, "Ren, did you eat yet?"
"I had no desire to eat today's cafeteria dinner," answered Ren.
"Well, you missed out on a decent grub today then," piped up Yang from their dorm room door, "Decent being used rather loosely."
"Today's dinner was Fettuccine Alfredo," added Ruby.
"It was palatable," commented Blake.
"Barely," said Weiss with a voice of disgust, "The sauce was too watery and bland, probably bought. There was no seasoning, no protein or vegetable, just carbs and cheese."
"What did you eat?" asked Yang.
"We just got back from Jaune's," smiled Pyrrha, "He was kind enough to make us some food for the three of us."
With that statement, Nora gleefully flipped open the container to reveal Jaune had also made the same food as the cafeteria, except this Fettuccine Alfredo had chicken, bacon bits, pine nuts, and a sauce that stuck to the fettuccine. It was night and day when comparing the two dishes.
"That's... so not fair," whined Ruby, "When does team RWBY get to eat a full meal made by Jaune. Raise your hand if you haven't had one before!"
Weiss, Yang, and Ruby raised their hands high up... before turning to see Blake had not done so.
"Blake?" asked Yang in suspicion.
"I... ummm... I should go," said Blake rather nervously, "I need to... umm... go to the library to study!"
"You can't just leave!" shouted Ruby as she tried to tackle Blake, only to miss as Blake used her Semblance to dodge and run away.
"Come back here, you must face the tribunal!" ordered Weiss as she and the others began to chase after Blake.
"Whew, that was a long day," said Jaune to himself as he finished cleaning up the dishes. As he sat down to rest, he couldn't help but notice his sword lying on the side once more. He calmly picked it up once more, closely observing the blade. Jaune couldn't help but remember that Pyrrha had not only helped unlock his Aura, but also helped train him during her spare time. Considering she was a celebrity, she must not have a lot of spare time to relax, and she was using it to help him.
"Can't let her down if she's doing so much to help me," said Jaune as he got up once more, "Least I can do is show her I can handle myself a little."
Jaune went up the roof to practice his sword swings once more. Tomorrow would be a busy day.
Whew. Hope you've enjoyed this chapter. What will happen next muahaha!
Reminder, I have a pat reon, look up azndrgn making fanfic. Donators get perks!