DAILY ACTIVITY
The sun slowly falls from the peaks of the sky, signaling to me I have enough time to sleep. I have been sleeping all day since there is no class I need to attend or rather I left them be. I felt burnt out from attending those classes and listening to the other teachers rumbling about their topic, especially Oobleck, that man is a menace.
I open the window that faces the inner garden of Beacon, bright light enters the room, blinding me in the process. When I scanned the surroundings, I caught the sight of yellow and red hair on the corner of my eyes.
Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos are doing their own exercise or to be more precise, the latter is helping the former through a series of sit-ups, with him lying on the ground and her kneeling in front of him, holding his feet to give him more leverage. Their expression is different from that they had several days before. Jaune who has been desperate and hopeless, now only determination can be seen. His friends are around him, and the awkward atmosphere that they have before is gone. Good.
It has been a few weeks since I watched them made up and every morning ever since, they practice and practice. But since today are free session for them, they maximize the chance they have and practice to their heart's content. His training is also more meaningful now. Instead of swinging his sword around without any purpose besides tiring himself, now his teammates give a pointer of what he should do instead.
Jaune test will be held in a few days by me so I see that they are working harder than before. Approaching them right now would only bother them, so let them have their moment. I also have things I need to do, just like a promise I made with Roses, today we have another practice session.
I yawn and start walking toward the door and left to the corridor. We promised to train in the gym today since they want some pointers in their basic performance and do physical training. I guess they got influenced, mostly Roses, from watching Team JNPR train every morning for the last few weeks. While I stroll the corridor, I can hear some girls' voices from the direction of the gym.
"Come on, Weiss! You need to keep moving those legs! Just three minutes more!" Roses' voice can be heard from far away.
"How….how are you… how are you not tired!?" Weiss complains while panting heavily, trying to keep up with her partner.
I walk inside the gym and am first welcomed by Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee, running on the treadmills. Both of them are running at 'normal' running speeds, with the younger girl faring much better than the exhausted-looking heiress. She is suffering, to say the least.
"Running at high speed is my thing after all!" Ruby replied to the earlier question with her breath letting out steady huffs, her feet and frame were moving within the same rhythm during her run. Her partner, on the other hand, is barely holding herself together as her hands are gripping the treadmill's bar to keep herself from falling. "Besides, Yussuf said you can improve your endurance, so working on your stamina is a good start."
Weiss only groans without talking back as she keeps running, barely keeping up.
Meanwhile, in the other section of the gym, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long are doing their own exercise, yoga. Both of them lying on their front on top of the mat on the floor.
They try doing several stretching movements with their backs. Blake is faring well enough, arching her back easily enough as she pushes her torso up with both hands. On the other hand, Yang looks struggling. Really struggling.
It's good that they actually use our input in their training, Their performance in combat class has been stoic for the last few weeks, that's why I decided to give them some harsh lessons and push their limit, they can't always be dependent on their semblance and brute strength. They are excellent enough in their strong points but still lack in several aspects.
It is fair to say that Ruby and Weiss' fighting styles are opposite of each other, in a sense. The latter has accepted the fact that endurance was not her strong suit, while the former relies too much on her Semblance, despite her talent.
Ruby always runs first and thinks second, in contrast to Weiss' way of calculating her move and planning ahead a bit. That's why The Heiress lacks in stamina and endurance while Ruby is moving too much instead of utilizing her stamina correctly. Hence why the youngest has forced the heiress to do some running, thinking that to be a good start to instill a sense of liberty in her 'too rigid' style, as well as improving her stamina. While Ruby tries harder to maintain a proper stance during combat, which she believes is capable of instilling a sense of discipline, which I fully agree with.
The same also goes for Blake and Yang; the former's build was focused on agility and precision, while strength and brute force for the latter. Looks like Blake took it upon herself to accept Yang's idea to build some muscles on her lither figure, while Yang accepted Blake's idea to do yoga to instill some 'flexibility' in her person. It's good that they rely on each other more instead of relying on class and lessons to improve their performance.
"You didn't do bad for a first-timer," Blake said with a small, yet genuine smile to her partner who looked exhausted, before finally looking at me. "How long are you gonna stand and watch, sir?"
"Just got here." I simply reply as I walk closer to them. "But nice work, kids. You really take this training seriously now."
"Thanks... I guess..." Yang slumped down on the floor, feeling all her muscles being sore from the strain. "I mean, after we saw Team JNPR did, it's just... I can't help but think that we can't fall behind either."
"That's the spirit." I nod in approval, a smile forming on my lips before looking at Ruby and Weiss who walk toward us. The heiress looks like she can fall over anytime hence why her partner supports her as she walks. "How are you doing Princess? Still alive?"
"Huff, Huff... Don't talk to me right now." She is barely able to keep her composure as she sits down on the bench nearby. Her white hair is in disarray, her shirt drenched in sweat as Blake hands her a towel and a bottle of water like she did to Yang.
"I think we are making a good start, Yussuf!" Ruby smiled, feeling proud as she watched her teammate try their best to recover from their exhaustion.
"Just wait until our next combat class, Teach." Yang put in her own two cents with a challenging grin. "I'm sooo gonna beat you up next time...!"
"Sure, sure, kid. Let's see what you got." I shrug off but still smile at her challenging statement. "Welp, that's good then. I hope you're not too tired for our practice, Roses."
"Of course, I'm ready. I've been waiting for it, after all." Ruby nodded excitedly, her silver eyes sparkling at the thought of sparring, leaving her still-looking winded partner while Yang and Blake simply looked at her, amused.
"I don't get where all that energy comes from," Blake comments while giving her a look.
"Neither do I," Weiss added with a groan, her body still weakly lying on the bench.
"Well, I have to congrats you first, because you are ready for the next step." I smile at Roses as we walk to the small arena the gym has, taking the dull scythe the school's provided.
"Really?!" She exclaimed, looking so happy to finally continue her training.
"Yeah, instead of making sure you have the right move, I'll beat you up nicely now," I smirk as I swing my weapon around, getting used to the feeling and weight.
"Wh-what?" Ruby blinked, her body froze on the spot with the same dull scythe in her hand. "...Eh? W-wait, what are you-"
"Ready!" I shout and her body automatically gets into stance. I charge forward and hit her on the side, using the blunt part of my weapon. She quickly blocked the attack with her own scythe and swung upward, making me lose balance. "Nice one, Roses. You should realize this is the same as our training before. But instead of telling you where I'll attack, you have to decide yourself. Now, let's do it again."
"O-okay!"
I swing my weapon downward and she parries the attack, pushing my weapon upward. Her feet move forward and I step back. She follows me, swinging her weapon to my left side and I duck, hitting her stomach with the blunt part.
"Not good enough! Think and react faster!" I order and she grits her teeth, nodding. She swings her weapon at my feet, and I step backward, causing her to miss the mark. Then she jumps and swings her weapon down, aiming at my head. I angle my scythe and make her attack slide to the side, leaving quite the opening for me to attack. "Your movement is too hasty and risky! Don't take the risk that won't pay off!"
I kick her legs, making her lose her balance and fall to the ground.
"Guh!" She gasped in pain, but she immediately rolled back and dodged my follow-up attack. "Ack...!"
"That's right, Roses. Stay focus! Keep your mind clear and focused!" I shout while giving her some space to get back up.
"Ugh...!" Ruby groaned as she stood up, her breathing labored. She is covered in scratches and bruises, but her silver eyes are shining brightly, looking determined.
"Good, you learn quickly. Your speed is something to be proud of, but you have to know when and how to utilize it." I said as I swung my weapon and she quickly responded by blocking the attack. "Use your speed correctly and you can win the fight!"
"Y-yes...!" Ruby nods and I can feel her aura flared up indicating her activating her semblance. She dashes forward and I quickly move aside, dodging her attack. But instead of attacking her, I swing my weapon on the floor and trip her. She let out a yelp when she fell face-first on the ground.
"Like I said, correctly," I smirk, watching her getting up again with a nosebleed. "And remember, you can't always be reckless. There are many different ways you can use your semblance and weapons. You just need to learn, practice and try, kid. Now, let's keep going."
At least two hours later, we stopped the lesson entirely, leaving Roses lying on the ground, soaked in sweat. Her breathing is heavy and short, exhausted from all the training we have done. She is bruised and beaten, her aura almost depleted far the yellow bar almost gets to the red, hence why I stop the training.
"Huff... Huff... Huff...!" Ruby heaved a heavy sigh, lying down on the mat in the gym. Her face is drenched in sweat, while her friends only watch from the side, feeling a little sorry for their leader. "Oww..."
"Sheesh, you really weren't holding back, Teach," Yang commented as she looked at me, then glanced down at her sister's battered form.
"That was a little excessive," Weiss added, not hiding her concern and worries. "I mean, her aura is close to red."
"Hey, there is no meaning if I hold back,"
"But to think the energetic Ruby become like that..." Blake also gives her sympathy, looking at her team leader still lying on the ground. Weiss walks toward Ruby and gives her a bottle of water. The youngest accepts happily and devours the water completely.
"You okay?" Princess asked when her partner tried to sit up and lean on her.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Just... exhausted..." Ruby said between gasps, still trying to catch her breath. "But... but, this is... really great! Yussuf... can we practice more... often? Like... I don't know... haa... 2 times a week...maybe..."
"Wow, you are crazy, Sis. To ask something like that." The blonde commented, surprised to hear her sister's words before her usual playful grin appeared on her face. "Or are you into that kink?"
But her word doesn't reach her little sister and instead toward her other teammates. Weiss' face reddens while Blake just coughs into her hand. Roses, on the other hand, just looking around completely misses the meaning.
"What does that mean?" Roses asked innocently.
"Your joke is too advanced for her; I think you should keep that to yourself for now." I take another sip of water in my hand as I glare at the blonde, ignoring Roses' question entirely. Yang laughs awkwardly at my remark while Ruby asks me what I mean. Of course, I ignore her and take another sip of my water. "Sorry Roses, but if we spent more time in this practice, you won't be able to focus on the academics. I don't want you guys to end up neglecting your duties. I'm pretty sure you girls have received assignments from Port and Oobleck…. Which are due in another two days."
"Oh yeah, we do have one from Dr. Oobleck..." Blake suddenly said, recalling their current assignment.
"Noooooo..." Roses groans and whines loudly from the thought of the paperwork they need to do. "Is there no way we can have an extension or something...?"
"No can do, kid. That's the way it is, you better finish your assignment in time or else." I warn, and the girl quickly stops their protest, fearing the idea of me adding more exercise in the future.
"How about you help us instead, handsome?" Yang started her joke and winked at me, trying to act far beyond her age. "You'll get to own a favor from such man four beautiful maidens here."
"Gross, sorry to disappoint, but I am more attracted to mature women. Not some undeveloped girls." I shoot her down immediately causing the three to groan at my comment, leaving Roses who doesn't seem to care.
"Please! Please! Please! Can you talk to Professor Port and Oobleck to extend the deadline…. Or cancel the assignment altogether?" She whined as she sent her best puppy eyes at me. Weiss rolled her eyes, Blake sighed while having a small smile, and Yang giggled at the young leader's antics. Like mother like daughter, I guess but I simply turn my face away.
"I'm afraid I can't do that, Roses," I replied formally, but can't hide my amusement. "In fact, considering that the semester hasn't gone too far yet, you all should be able to finish all papers in one hour or two…. If you paid attention to their lectures, that is."
"Uuuuuu..." She groans and falls back on the ground, defeated.
"Come on, Ruby. Get a grip!" Weiss said as she tried to wake the girl, only to have the young huntress swat her hand away.
"Why does anybody do this? Can they teach at least…... Y'know, in an interesting way!?" Ruby retorts back with a frown before she sighs in frustration.
"Because you need to suffer to grow, kids." I shrug off her protest and she simply pout at me, knowing full well that I can't be moved on this matter.
"Hey, now that I think about it, why aren't you the one teaching us instead?" Yang asked nonchalantly. "You only always become an assistant teacher, never have your own class. Even though you are our guardian for this year."
"Yeah! I bet it is more fun!" Roses agreed enthusiastically as she sat back up, her fatigue seemed to have evaporated at the thought.
"You get them next semester. I teach more specific topics of history compared with what you get now. I'll also teach you kids martial arts and self-defense." I shrug and put the empty bottle in the trash bin. "I know it's hard for you guys, but keep it up alright? If you successfully complete those assignments, I might consider your request just now."
"You promise?" The youngest eyes sparkle at my word, already recovered and ready to go.
"Yes, yes, I promise." I pat her head and she smiles widely. "Only if you take your class seriously from now on."
"Yeayyyyyyy!" The youngest runs around the gym with excitement. Her teammate could only face palm looking at her reaction.
"I think you spoil her too much, sir," The heiress says her concern.
"Hey, helping her in academics and fighting proficiency is not wrong. That's technically my job. You could also do the same you know, I don't mind." I then looked at my watch and stood up. "Well, I gotta go now."
"So early? You just got here." Yang looks surprised and glances at the clock on the wall, noting the time is still around 6.30. That's all the time I have.
"Someone looks happy," Yang said with a teasing smile towards her younger sister. The blonde realizes that her little sister has been too happy ever since their teacher talks to them. At one point, Ruby even looks away sheepishly, the pale skin on her cheeks darkened, which did not go unnoticed by Yang. Of course, she does not waste any time as soon as she confirms that they are alone.
"Huh?" Ruby looks like a deer in headlights, before turning away nervously while playing with her fingers. "Um, I mean, I'm always happy, why wouldn't I? I can learn new techniques now."
Weiss and Blake raised their eyebrows at the odd behavior, while Yang's smile only grew, it's a jackpot, just one more push.
"Oh, y'know. You look a bit too hot when Teach smiled at you." The blonde playfully points out, using words she knows would affect her little sister. As she expected, Ruby's face turned almost as red as her cloak.
"W-w-what are you saying!? I didn't get hot when Yussuf smiled! I'm cool, always cool! I'm very, very cool, in fact!" Weiss and Blake's eyes widened in realization from their leader muttering, while Yang was grinning from ear to ear.
"Someone's got a crush~" Yang finally pressed the final button, sealing her little sister's fate as her skin could not get any redder.
"C-crush!? I have no crush! Yussuf is awesome, but I definitely don't see him that way!" Ruby quickly denied it, waving her hands frantically.
"Oh, my! Did I specify Yussuf?" Yang laughs at her sister's reaction. "D'aww, you and your first crush! Come here you, adorable creature!"
Yang quickly pulled Ruby into a hug, prompting the latter to flail around in the bone-crushing embrace while the blond hugged her tightly, pinching her cheeks with her hand, much to her protests. Looking at the two sisters' antics, Weiss is the first to chime in.
"Ruby, I don't think I need to tell you that an illicit relationship between teacher and student is inappropriate." The heiress warned, though her voice was soft, lacking its usual strict and sharpness. Ruby's face is steaming at Weiss' remarks, all while she is struggling to escape her sister's hug.
"I know that!" Ruby exclaimed, her voice muffled thanks to the blonde.
"Oh, chill out, Weiss-cream. Every girl deserves to have a first love." Yang retorted with an eye-roll, her arms still holding Ruby tightly, much to the latter's protests. "It is every girl's right and duty to experience their first love and all that! And it's better than let her glued to her weapon all the time."
"But-!" Ruby started to argue, but her sister immediately shushed her.
"Shhhh, let your big sis handle this." Yang grinned before glancing at the rest of her teammates, her expression softening. "And guys, I know Yussuf is a bit of an oddball, but he's a good guy."
"That might be, but before you proceed you better confirm his age. We don't know how old he is after all." Blake interjects, drawing a muffled protest from the youngest as they continue their discussion.
"I don't think he is that old, Blake." The heiress tells her opinion, but her expression is still wary.
"Maybe, but nevertheless before you date him and do anything else, please find out more about him," Blake advised, looking at the young girl in her team.
"Guys! I'm not gonna do that!" Ruby shouts as she escapes her sister's grip with her face steaming red, unable to take her friends' conversation anymore.
"Yeah, I think Blakey's opinion is just a little bit overboard, but it's not like I disagree," Yang said making the black-haired girl widen her eyes in surprise, realizing her comment beforehand.
"Yeah, I think you read too many novels, Blake," Weiss commented, her blue eyes sharpening and her arms crossed. "Crush doesn't equal to love. It's just a mere infatuation, a passing interest."
"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply-" Blake started to say, her bow flattening down in shame.
"No, no, it's fine. I'm glad we have the same opinion, Weiss." Yang waved off with a smile, finding another object to tease about as she gave Blake a side glance. "But I'm also glad to find out I'm not the only one with such an adult and dirty mind, right Blake?"
"I-it only a misunderstanding-"
"Seriously, what kind of novel were you reading?" Weiss said with a raised eyebrow, while Yang simply giggled mischievously.
"S-sorry, I really didn't mean to... imply anything..." Blake muttered, her body slumped and her cheeks reddening.
"You okay, Rubes?" Yang looks at her little sister who also slumped down, hiding her face from view.
"You guys are the worst..." The youngest grumble. "I don't like Yussuf like that... I-I-I never think like what Blake said... I swear..."
"Don't worry, Ruby, we didn't either. It's just Blake's intrusive thought coming out." Weiss said with a reassuring smile, patting her shoulder before giving Blake a disappointed look.
"I'm really sorry, Ruby. I didn't mean anything like that." The black-haired girl said apologetically.
"Yeah... I never think anything like that... marriage and that kind of stuff is-"
"HAHAHAHA! Marriage?! Ruby, you little precious angel! Good thing she doesn't fully understand what you said, Blake. Hahaha!" Yang laughed out loud, doubling over and clutching her stomach.
"Yup, we can certify our leader is one innocent and pure soul." Weiss nodded, smiling gently. "Unlike you two."
"W-what does that mean!?" Ruby exclaimed, her face reddened once more.
"Oh come on, don't act like you don't understand as well, Weiss." Yang retorted and looked at her teammates.
"Yeah, we're in this together." Blake nodded and Weiss sighed heavily.
"What are you guys talking about?" Ruby asked innocently, her eyes looking around to find her teammates exchanging their glances.
"You'll understand when you're older." They answered in unison.
"Come on, guys! Don't treat me like a kid!" The young leader complained.
"Alright, enough of that. This conversation is only a step away from getting out of hand. Should we proceed to our next schedule?" Weiss asked, changing the topic before they went to the territory she'd rather not visit.
"Yeah, let's do that," Blake said with a sigh, relieved at the change of subject as they walked out of their dorm to attend their next class. "Oh yeah, have you finished the poem assignment from Prof. Oobleck's class?"
"Ugh, why do we have to do this again?" Yang groans in annoyance as they walk down the hallway. "It's so lame and pointless! And we're are not kids anymore!"
"We can't choose the class' assignment, Yang." Weiss chided, pulling out her notebook.
"Professor Oobleck said it will open our minds and increase our imagination," Blake explain, remembering the teacher's reasoning. "Not that I agree, at least it should be easy."
"Weiss... can I see yours?" Ruby plead shyly, walking closer to the heiress.
"No, we shouldn't copy others' work." The white-haired girl told her sternly.
"But I didn't have any inspiration at all." The youngest pouted. "I want to make a love poem, but I can't think of any."
"How about just copy it from somewhere? Like a book you read before or something." The heiress suggested, her blue eyes looking away.
"Yeah, that's exactly what I'll do later." The black-haired girl nodded, her bow twitched.
"Ugh, one trip to the library later, I guess." The blonde sighed as they entered their classroom.
"Oh, Yang, how if I use the poem mom used to read to us?" Ruby asked suddenly, making her sister stop.
"Eh? Did mom ever read any poem to us?" Yang blinked in confusion, tilting her head.
"She always reads it everytime before we sleep!" The younger sister pouted. "You said it's boring and never listen, though."
"Ah... that's explains it." The blonde said after a few moments, her violet eyes glinting. "But hey, that's a great idea, sis! But do you even remember all of its verses?"
"Not really... but I can ask Dad later!" Ruby grinned widely, bouncing happily at her discovery.
"Well, at least now we can get our homework done," Weiss said with a soft chuckle.
"So, Blakey, do you think you can write a good smut poem?" Yang asked in a teasing tone, grinning ear to ear as they took their seats, causing Weiss to facepalm while Ruby looked around in confusion.
"Please, just focus on your own poem." The girl with the cat-ear-like bow retorted, glaring at her partner.