Super RWBY Gaiden Chapter 275: Extracurricular, a Mario + RWBY Crossover fanfic

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the material appearing in this story. The OC's belong to their respective owners.

Fair Warning: This chapter's a bit long... apologies in advance!

The Following Morning After Oran and Anya's First Day of School…

The sun slowly rose over the Rose/Xiao Long/Branwen home, and in Anya and Oran's bedroom, the morning rays hit Oran's face, causing him to stir and wake up. He stretched while yawning, rubbing his eyes.

He turned his eyes to Anya, who was still sleeping soundly in her bed. He started to remember what happened yesterday after they got back home on the first day of school.

"You what?!" Loid exclaimed in surprise as everyone was shocked to hear that Anya punched a classmate on her first day. "You punched a classmate? Not to mention it was the younger son of a Vale Councilwoman?!"

"Eh, it's politics. What can ya do. They all suck." Qrow shrugged nonchalantly, which earned an elbow to the gut by Bereto. "Mmmph! What?"

"Read the room."

"Why would you punch him in the face like that?" Loid scolded.

"Because he was being a jerk and he was being mean to Atlesians… he was being mean to Weiss so I had to stand up for her!"

Loid's posture relaxed a little. "I understand… if I were in your shoes, I probably would have done the same."

"I think we all would…" Raven agreed.

Loid knelt down, meeting eye to eye with her. "Anya, listen to me. It's normal to feel angry and upset, but how you choose to deal with that anger is what matters the most."

"Right…" Anya looked down sadly.

"Still, I'm glad you were able to make some friends."

"Heck, I am too. I'm proud of you both!" Byleth smiled.

"So am I. Way to go." Qrow said while Raven grinned and gave them the thumbs up.

Tai cleared his throat. "Now… as for the other thing?"

Oran stiffened, looking down in guilt as he knew what the "other thing" had meant. "You… you guys already know about that?"

"The school called us after the Grimm attack was taken care of." Qrow responded. "You really need to be less reckless."

"Rrrgh… I know!" Oran shouted in frustration before his face softened in guilt. "I know… I was already told that by the rest in the infirmary."

"Hey, now. No need to shout like that." Tai said, giving him a reassuring look. "Look, I get that you want to protect others, but don't do it to the point that it nearly destroys your health. Okay?"

["I didn't spend all that time making sure we survived in the wild over the last five years, just to have you get reckless."] Kala said.

Oran sighed sadly. "I know… sorry, guys."

"Aww, cheer up, Oran! It's not all bad! Despite the ending, we both made some great friends along the way, both new and old." Anya smiled.

Raven noticed the conflicted look on Oran's face. "Look, kiddo. We get it. It sucks that he sent a bunch of Grimm after the school just to spite the both of you, on your first day no less, but you're in a position to not have to deal with it alone, don't forget that."

"I know… Laura, Damian, and the others made that quite clear."

Tai smiled while nodding. "Good." He walked into the kitchen and returned with two large key lime and strawberry milkshakes. The duo's eyes sparkled in excitement over it. "This was originally to celebrate your first day, but I think this can also serve as a way to not focus on the bad too much and instead focus on the good."

"Thanks dad/uncle Tai!"

Oran smiled before he jumped off the bunk bed, landing next to Anya. "Pssst. Anya. It's time to get up."

"Mmm… five more minutes…"

"No, we have to get up now. We don't want to miss out on our second day, do we?"

Anya opened one eye. "Ugh… five more minutes… you can go ahead without me… I'll catch up with you." She closed her eye and turned the other way.

Oran put his hands on his hips and gave her a stern look. "Do you want me to call Uncle Loid instead?"

Anya opened her eyes in shock as she quickly jumped out of bed. "Gah! I'm up! I'M UP!" She puffed her cheeks in annoyance after she noticed the shit eating grin Oran was giving her. "Mmmph… you're the worst!"

"Heh." He said smugly.

Later…

BGM: Respite and Sunlight (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)

At the dining area, Oran and Anya were eating breakfast together with Loid, Byleth, Dorothea, Bereto, Qrow, Raven and Tai.

"So, kiddo… any exciting plans for your second day of school?" Qrow asked.

"Hmm… maybe just the regular stuff? Y'know, a bit of studying, playing with friends… and maybe play some Mario Kart later when Anya and I get home later." Oran shrugged.

"That's it?" Byleth chuckled. "Come now, Oran. You need to add more excitement to your life! Spice things up a bit, ya know?"

Oran raised an eyebrow at that. "Excitement? Really, big sis? The world either nearly ends weekly or some being shows up that can destroy the world on a nearly weekly basis… and let's not forget the bi-weekly invasions that Bowser throws into the mix."

"It's not that often…" Qrow said.

"Remember when Mom and Dad went on honeymoon into space and Bowser invaded Toad Town the day after with that giant Mecha-Goomba because he wanted to test it out? That thing nearly squished the park because of your luck knocking it over in that direction."

Pause BGM

"HAAAAAAH!" Qrow yelled, slashing at the Mecha Goomba.

"Malfunction! Malfunction!"

"Ugh… typical!" Bowser grumbled as the Mecha Goomba fell over, nearly landing on top of the park as it exploded immediately after. The shockwave was enough to knock down some trees in the park.

"Ooops…" Qrow grimaced while Mario and Daisy facepalmed, Luigi and Pit grimaced, RWBY and JINXY sweatdropped and Ibuki and Chiaki slightly paled at the sight. Raven, meanwhile, smacked Qrow upside the head.

"Okay, you can't blame me for this!" Nora said.

"Tinka!" Magnhild agreed.

"I'm okay!" Bowser called out.

Resume BGM

"I wondered why Viridi looked a bit annoyed when we came back…" Tai mused. "Not to mention why the flowers and some of the grass looked burnt up…"

Qrow, meanwhile, gave Oran an annoyed look. "Hey, come on, kiddo. We agreed not to talk about that. Accidents happen after all."

"Ignoring that, I still think you should spice things up some more, and I remember the note your mother left that told you to make the most of life." Byleth reminded.

Oran furrowed his brow at the reminder. "And I'm sure your father wouldn't have wanted you to bring something like that up to make a point."

Tai noticed Oran and Byleth starting to glare at each other. "Ahem. Kids? Remember the first rule on the chalkboard?" He sternly pointed his thumb toward it.

"Don't bring up someone's dead relatives to make a point."

"Now please don't escalate this any further."

Both blushed in embarrassment, Byleth scratching her head guilty.

"I… right… my bad…" Oran said apologetically.

"Yeah, sorry… that was a bit too far." Byleth apologized and then looked at Oran. "Although, I still think you should keep an open mind."

"Okay, so… you want me to spice things up? How do I go about that?"

"Maybe make more friends at school or join an afterschool club." Bereto suggested. "You know, finding something more productive for yourself if you have too much free time and you don't know what else you want to do."

Oran perked his head up at the mention of afterschool clubs. He thought about the two ads he saw earlier in the paper yesterday.

"Well, I did see two advertisements yesterday something about the Theater Club and Light Music Club looking for new members. So I might consider checking them out later, or maybe the other afterschool clubs available."

He looked at Anya with a smile. "And since Anya recently developed an interest in playing the guitar no thanks to Mom, I'm sure she would be interested in the latter."

Anya nodded. "Yup, yup~! Learning the guitar may take a long while, but it's really fun~!" Her face fell briefly. "Although papa and I are still looking for a guitar I could have on my own." She sighed. "I can't always keep relying on Big Sis Yang to borrow hers whenever I take lessons with Aunt Rosie..."

Loid gently patted Anya on the head. "Don't worry about it, Anya. I'm sure we'll find you a guitar you'll like someday."

"And as for friends... I think I already have enough. Me being friends with the entirety of Team LAFF, DBEE, and also Logue?" Oran chuckled. "Yeah, I think that should be enough excitement for me."

Qrow smiled. "If that's how you wish things could be for you, then I won't argue about it. You do you, kiddo." He gently ruffled his head.

Oran playfully rolled his eyes, but appreciated the gesture nonetheless.

Qrow chuckled before turning his attention to Anya. "What about you, Ms. One-Punch Woman? Got any exciting plans of your own?"

Anya pouted. "Mmmph… don't call me that, Drunkle Qrow."

Qrow raised his hands in defense. "Hey, I wouldn't be calling you that if you didn't punch the son of Councilwoman Melinda in the face yesterday."

"I may not agree with what you did, but to be fair… he did kinda deserve that for being such a bratty prejudiced blowhard." Raven snickered.

Anya snickered. "Totally…"

"Hey, don't encourage her! Even if it was understandable, she can't just always yell or punch people to get her point across!" Tai scolded.

Loid playfully rolled his eyes at the Branwen twins before looking at Anya. "Anya?"

"Oh, you know me, Papa. Life is always exciting when I'm around!" Anya winked as Loid couldn't help but chuckle at his adoptive daughter's playfulness.

"Just don't let that excitement lead you into trouble, okay?"

Anya giggled. "No promises, papa."

End BGM

Half an hour later, at Hathaway…

BGM: Ride (The Vines)

The kids walked toward the campus entrance and entered the building, where they were greeted by a sight of various students going about their business in the hallways.

The social scenery, to put it in a major understatement, was a mixture of order and chaos. Students were hanging around in the form of mixed cliques, either casually chatting with each other, walking around carrying various things such as art materials, musical instruments, or stacks of books.

Trying to open their lockers, reaching inside a snack vending machine, or knocking down trash cans like a bunch of rowdy juvenile delinquents, or decorating the interior of their lockers with things like stickers, mini posters and other trinkets.

…And then there was one kid who decorated the interior of his locker with a rainbow assortment of chewed up gum, and then he looked both ways before picking one off and popping it in his mouth.

"Gross." Both kids grimaced at the sight.

As they continued to walk along, they caught sight of Albedo surrounded by a small group of girls, humans and Faunus alike, from the first and second grades, all of whom were swooning over the white haired casanova. Some of them were even handing love letters to him. Albedo, meanwhile, was loving every second of it.

"Kyaa~! I love you, Al~!"

"Please go out with me~!"

Albedo chuckled. "Hehe~ One at a time, girls." He said in a suave tone. "Perhaps I can give every one of you a chance if you promise to behave nicely in an orderly fashion~" He then flashed a charming smile.

His fangirls squealed with hearts over their eyes. "SO HANDSOME~!"

Anya and Oran sweatdropped, recalling how just yesterday, he was a troublemaker alongside Damian and Nick, and seeing him with girls surrounding him was a sight to behold for him.

"They must like bad boys." Anya whispered, causing Oran to snicker as they walked off to leave him alone, not noticing that Nick, Logue and Magnolia were watching this unfold.

Logue blinked. "Huh… you weren't kidding when you told me Al has a lot of admirers."

Nick chuckled. "Eh, what can you do about it? Albedo's one of the most popular boys in our school after Damian. If it weren't for his good looks and natural charisma, he wouldn't have earned himself a lot of fangirls in our grade by now."

Logue sweatdropped. "I guess that kinda explains a lot why I always see him receive a couple of love letters from different girls in the hallways almost everyday during recess and after school back then during my first week here..."

She turned to see Magnolia looking on in jealousy. "Maggie…? A-Are you okay…?"

Magnolia was burning with envy, both figuratively and literally. "Those girls… they're being too touchy-feely over him… again." She growled as even the floor beneath her was slowly starting to burn up.

Nick noticed his twin sister's jealousy. "Hmm? What's this? My dear little sister is so jealous that she still can't bring herself to spit out her feelings to the boy whom she had a crush on since the first grade?"

Magnolia stiffened, causing Nick to smirk teasingly.

"Ooh, this is bad~! It's so bad like this~..." His smirk morphed into a mischievous grin. "That said, I do hope you're still working up on that courage to confess, sis. Otherwise, one of those girls over these might steal him from you if you're not fast enough to tell Eraserhead how you really feel~!"

Magnolia blushed intensely. "H-huh…?! Sh-shut up, you idiot! I-it's not that I like that white-haired casanova dolt o-or anything...!"

She stormed off in annoyance and embarrassment, leaving behind a path of scorched footprint marks, causing a lot of people to wisely/nervously steer clear of her.

Nick snickered. "Hehe~ Never gets old." He followed after Magnolia. "See you later at recess, Logue!" He waved goodbye to her.

Logue waved back, albeit awkwardly. "Yeah… see you later." She sweatdropped while sighing softly. "Sometimes, those two worry me…"

She walked off to class… until an image of Nick and that smile of his from earlier flashed in her mind. "Mmm…" She blushed as she cupped her cheeks with both of her hands. It's that same feeling again ever since Splatsville… Oooh, why do I like to keep thinking about that goofball so much more than before…? A small dorky smitten smile formed on her face.

Back with the duo, they would also run into Sayo, Blanche and Ieyasu, the latter two who were helping Sayo carry a bunch of art supplies such as blank canvases, paint tubes, paintbrushes and a couple of easels with Sayo's Lunatone (named Chandra) helped out by using Psychic.

Anya waved at the trio with a smile… and bumped into someone, not looking where she was going. "Ooof!"

"Hey, watch where you're-... oh!"

Turns out, she accidentally bumped into Becky, where she paused the music on her scroll.

She removed her headphones after that. "Oran, Anya, lovely morning to you two~!"

Oran smiled. "Likewise, Beck."

"Same here, bestie~!" Anya smiled before noticing a tall, large black bag hanging from her back. "Hey, is that a guitar bag?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes! Well, more of a bag for my bass guitar… Anyway, I'm meeting up with my friends at the Light Music Club later after school. We're gonna be practicing again for Portfolio Fes next month."

"Portfolio Fes?" Anya tilted her head.

Becky grinned. "It's a grand and super fun open-house school festival Hathaway hosts yearly. You know, it is a time for us students to showcase our artistic talents to everyone. Family, friends… you can invite anyone to come there!" She winked.

"Oh wow!" Oran said with intrigue.

Anya's eyes sparkled. "That sounds so cool~!"

Becky chuckled. "Trust me, you two. You're gonna love your first ever Portfolio Fes." She winked before turning her back. "Anyway, let's go! We don't want to keep our friends waiting."

"Okay~!"

They continued to walk through the hallways, seeing the students going about their business and up to their usual shenanigans like earlier. Becky paid them no mind as this happened daily and she was used to it.

As they walked, they passed by a kid with a triangle shaped head, short black hair, dark "goth" style casual clothing and a frown that seemed to never leave his face. His whole appearance screamed "Frankenstein". The trio knew this kid, as Oran and Anya had seen him during their orientation tour.

"Hey, Blackbell."

"Hey… fella." Becky greeted awkwardly, wordlessly prompting Oran and Anya to follow her as they picked up the pace to avoid the kid.

"So um… what's his name?" Oran asked.

"George Glooman, a student from Class 2-C and the local outcast of the entire second grade. Due to his doom and gloom appearance, a lot of people avoid him. Though, we can take comfort in knowing he would never intentionally harm a fly unless they really deserve it, and he even has an odd appreciation for horror fiction… like that one novelist. L R Swine or whatever his name was. He also has a great talent for making creepy looking but eye catching macabre artworks."

She sighed. "There's also a rumor that he once served detention for a whole semester back in the first grade."

"Whoa. What did he do?" Oran asked in surprise as Anya looked just as equally surprised.

"Nobody knows for sure what he really did. He keeps changing the story every time anyone tries to ask him."

"Story?" Anya wondered.

Becky chuckled wryly. "Well…"

First instance…

George was reading a Swanbumps novel outside on a bench. "I hired a guy to rig Damian's midterm test scores out of misplaced revenge when I mistakenly thought that his old man tried to bankrupt my family's pharmacy company."

Second instance…

George was cleaning a bunch of paintbrushes at a sink. "I hassled a bunch of my classmates for some premium macarons at the school cafeteria when I heard a rumor that those treats can help boost a student's intelligence and test scores."

Third instance…

George was working on a painting in the art room. "I blew up a big hole in the wall of my classroom when I first developed my Semblance."

Fourth instance…

George narrowed his eyes dangerously. "I electrocuted then beat up a bully…" He showed his right thumb. "With this thumb!"

Back in the present…

Oran sweatdropped while glancing back at George, not knowing if he actually committed those "crimes" or he was just exaggerating. "Sounds to me like a future first two instances sounded rather oddly specific too…"

Anya, meanwhile, tilted her head in confusion. "Electrocute…?"

"Long story short, his Semblance sorta gives him the ability to absorb or generate large amounts of electricity then discharge them." She tried to stifle a giggle. "Pfft… Although I heard that he becomes a bumbling idiot for a long while if ever he discharges way too much electrical wattage that's enough to short-circuit his brain."

During the Red Sky Incident…

The Grimm attacked the school, and like usual, students and teachers were busy fending them off no thanks to the sky becoming red. George had found himself surrounded by five Beowolves.

He looked at his enemies with a disinterested expression, not even scared in the slightest. "Five against one, huh…?" He sighed softly before smirking. "Well… how 'bout THIS?!" He charged up his semblance. "Static Discharge: INDISCRIMINATE SHOCK!"

He unleashed one million volts of electricity at the surrounding Grimm.

Bill turned to George after blasting a Nevermore out of the sky with his optic beams. "Great work, George! Now we need to-" His eyes widened a bit in shock seeing George after the Grimm disappeared, where he walked around aimlessly with a dopey expression on his face while holding a double thumbs up.

"Yaaaaaaaaay…"

Bill sweatdropped. "Here we go again…" He quickly grabbed the stunned George as he hauled him over his shoulder. "Sorry, bud. Looks like we're gonna have to put you on the bench again."

"Yeehaaaay~"

Becky briefly caught a glimpse of George after blasting away some Creeps with her supersonic scream. "Pffft… what a total moron…!"

"Becky, focus! We got a couple more Creeps heading our way!" Magnolia warned.

Becky snapped out of her thoughts. "Oh! Right, sorry about that." She returned her focus… before the memory of George's dopey looking mug returned to her mind. "Oh, that'll never get old…" She giggled to herself before rushing toward the Creeps with Magnolia.

Back in the present…

Becky continued to stifle her giggles by covering her mouth with her hands… with little to no effort. "Pffft… oh man… th-there's… no way in Oum I'll ever let that… that dopey-looking mug leave my b-brain!" She burst out laughing. "BAHAHAHAHA!"

Anya sweatdropped. "I think you're enjoying this a little too much…"

End BGM

At Class 2-B…

"I dunno about you, but I think Team Guitar's got this." Anya said.

"No way, Shiver being on Team Drums is simply the best of the three options." Becky said matter of factly.

"I think the keyboard might be a good option…" Emile said.

Nearby, Damian overheard the trio's conversation as he frowned to himself, reminiscing what happened last night after school.

Last night…

Damian returned to his luxurious two story mansion. The first thing he saw was Yasuke reading a manga book.

"I'm home."

Yasuke looked up from his manga. "Hmm? Oh, Damian. Welcome ho-" He saw the bandage on his cheek. "Whoa… what happened to you?"

Damian frowned while looking to the side. "Some girl punched me really hard in the face after I was acting like a total prejudiced blowhard..."

It didn't take long for Yasuke to put two and two together after a brief moment of silence. "...You went too far in one of your typical anti-Atlesian garbage again, didn't you?"

Damian remained silent, feeling too uncomfortable to answer.

Yasuke sighed. "I'll take that as a yes." He turned his attention back to the manga. "If you didn't want to get punched in the face, especially by a girl, then you should have learned to watch your mouth and keep most of your shit to yourself."

Damian snorted. "Gee, thanks for the reminder…"

"Young master Damian, welcome home."

Damian turned to see his family butler approach him. "Ah, Jeeves. Good evening."

Jeeves bowed while smiling a bit. "Likewise, young master." He cleared his throat as he adopted a more serious expression. "If you may please follow me to the terrace area. Your mother wishes to see you."

Damian looked surprised. "M-mom's here?!"

"Yeah… she decided to come home early from work after she got a call from school." Yasuke said before frowning. "The woman looked hella pissed the moment I saw her enter the house. But, eh… I'm pretty sure you can handle it. There's a high chance that she's not as mad as she was earlier."

"Oh…"

"Young master, please come. We do not wish to keep your mother waiting any longer."

Damian nodded reluctantly. "Y-yes, Jeeves…"

"Good luck, squirt."

BGM: Stillness (Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World)

At the terrace, they would see a beautiful and fairly tall woman in her early to mid-thirties standing near the railings of the terrace, overlooking the view of the city of Vale in front of her. The woman had dark brown hair with a greenish tint, hazel eyes, and fair skin with a beauty mark on the lower right side of her mouth. She looked somewhat similar to Damian as her eyes were narrowed and drooped slightly, with visibly long lower eyelashes and short, thin eyebrows above almost like her son.

This was Melinda Desmond.

"Jeeves."

"Yes, milady?"

"Please go ahead and have dinner prepared. In the meantime…" She slightly turned her head to shoot Damian a disappointed glare. "...I need to teach my youngest a lesson. And also…" She whispered something in his ear.

Jeeves nodded. "As you wish, milady." He turned to leave the terrace before stopping next to Damian. "Young master… good luck." He exited the terrace as Damian warily looked at his mother.

"Damian!" She called out to him with her back still turned.

Damian flinched as he reluctantly approached his mother's side.

Melinda had a pained expression on her face, clearly showing that what she was about to say to Damian would hurt her more than her son. She was very aware of her son's dream to become a Huntsman and was willing to support him all the way despite being often busy with Vale Council work, but she knew that he was still a young and inexperienced boy who didn't know any better and that as a parent, she had to discipline him by teaching him right from wrong while she still can.

"Damian Desmond… I am very disappointed in you."

"I know…"

"I got a phone call from Mr. Henderson about what happened. You just won't stop, will you? Your generalization of Atlesians is appalling. While it is true some of them are indeed snobbish, that does not excuse the fact you have to group them all together as horrible people, including the Schnees. Do you not realize they are still going through a difficult time after Atlas fell? Even the Mantleians have been misplaced after Atlas fell on top of them. To group them like this, even at their distress… it's despicable. There may come a time where someone will hurt you for your behavior. May I remind you of what happened when you mocked Yasuke's deceased birth mother and he threatened you as a result!"

Damian looked down in guilt, on the verge of tears. "I… I'm so sorry…"

Melinda softened her expression when she noticed the guilt in her son's face. "Forgive me… that was harsher than I had meant. It's just that the thought of my son growing up to be a prejudiced and spiteful man scares me… and… admittedly, I've failed as a mother, mostly since I've neglected to teach you about the importance of equity and empathy."

"It's not your fault. While you may have played a part in my irrational prejudice against Atlesians, including my former prejudice against Faunus, I'm the one who messed up by acting out on my choices and negative behavior. I believe that's what makes us human."

Melinda softly smiled. "Yes…"

"Still though… I guess even parents have sides in them that are really messed up too, huh?"

"Mhm." She nodded.

He then fidgeted as he started to remember Anya. "Hey, uh… mom? Can I also tell you something else?"

"Oh, sure thing. What is it?"

"About… my current situation with this girl that punched me that I'm still a bit miffed over… she mentioned earlier before we left school that while she's no longer mad at me anymore, she's not exactly ready to be friends with me just yet…"

"I see…"

Damian sighed. "Yeah… I know that I only met her just today, and I can tell that she's not the type of person who would hold a grudge against me that bad… but I'm not so sure if I can forgive myself for what I did to her."

"So not only you're mad at her for losing her temper at you, but you're also mad at yourself for provoking her into hitting you after you made fun of her past?"

"When you put it like that… yeah."

Melinda smiled. Despite being an arrogant and cocky eight year old born into a wealthy and privileged family, she knew that he can be quite mature and intelligent for his age. Yes, what he had said to Anya was wrong and cruel, but he's also taking responsibility for it. He may not be perfect, but she was still doing a good job on raising him right.

"What I would do is apologize to her and make things right with her. Show her a different side that she hasn't seen yet. Perhaps that might help with your situation."

"Okay-"

"Not to mention you might give flowers for your crush~"

Damian blushed in embarrassment. "M-Mom…!"

Melinda giggled. "Kidding, kidding~" She recomposed herself. "My point here, son, is that forgiveness itself is a tricky road to travel on. Indeed, there might be a lot of difficult twists and turns you might encounter along the way, but based on what you told me about Anya, I'm sure that this girl will soon come around to understand and forgive you one day."

Damian looked at his mother with an understanding expression. "I see…" He started to become unsure. "But still… how do you know if she and I can also really be friends even after all that I did to her?"

"Well, you'll never know unless you try giving her a chance if she does the same thing with you. At the very least, try to get to know her better as a person, and also give her a formal apology as well."

She turned around as she proceed towards the exit of the terrace. "Let's go, son. All this talk is already making me hungry for dinner right now." She turned her head to give her son a smile and a wink. "I even asked Jeeves to make your favorite."

Damian grinned. "Alright!" He followed after her, feeling a lot better.

Back in the present…

He felt pretty glad that his mother could help set him straight even if her lecture was a bit harsh. Though, despite the pep talk that he needed, he was still conflicted. Just how was he going to make it up to the smug owl faunus?

"You're still thinking about yesterday, aren't you?"

Damian snapped out of his thoughts, seeing Ewen standing next to his desk as he had just entered the classroom.

"Yeah…" He sighed softly.

Ewen noticed his distress as he sat down at his desk. "What's up, man?"

"You know you're one of the few I can lean on for support, right?"

"Yeah. Lay it on me."

"Well… after what happened yesterday, I returned home and mom gave me a stern lecture about it. And well… I'm honestly worried that Anya might never forgive me. Ugh… just what do I do?"

"Hmm… I wouldn't worry about it too much. Even if we had just met her yesterday, Anya doesn't seem like the type of girl who'd hold a massive grudge over something like that… even if you did cross the line a bit."

"Yeah."

"Don't worry about it, bud. It's nothing to fret over."

"You make it sound so easy."

At that moment, Henderson walked in, cutting their conversation short as everyone quieted down as everyone knew homeroom was about to begin.

"First things first, let me just do some attendance." He said, pulling up a list. "Ms. Blackbell?"

"Here!"

"Mr. Desmond?"

"Here."

Damian was lost in his thoughts again, staring at Anya in silence and recalled what Ewen had said to him. Mmmph… easy for you to say, how can I not let these thoughts out of my head? I feel like she's going to be resentful of me!

"Ms Forger?"

"Here!" Anya said while reading Damian's mind. She frowned at his thoughts as she also felt conflicted. As much as she wanted to forgive him for what he said to her and give him a second chance, she doesn't know how exactly to fully forgive him or find the will to become friends with him again as some resentment of him lingered within her.

Best to keep things civil with him. At least he's trying to work up the courage to make it up to me. The last thing I want is holding a grudge against him and make things ugly…

End BGM

Later, at recess…

Oran and Anya were reading a list of after-school clubs available at Hathaway posted on the bulletin board with Laura and Becky accompanying them.

Anya looked on in shock. "Theater Club… Light Music Club… Film Production Club… Fine Arts Club… Classic Literature Club…"

Oran just looked as surprised as Anya. "Those are a lot of clubs…"

Laura grinned. "Well, there's a reason why Hathaway is an art school, ya know? You wanna be a pro-level actor, musician, writer, florist, content creator, journalist, or illustrator in the future? The Hathaway School of Performing Arts is the best place to go to! Most of our school's extracurricular clubs are famously popular for every aspiring artist out there in Remnant. All in all, our school doesn't just exclusively accommodate artistic fields like drawing, painting, or sculpting, but also music, film, theater, broadcast media, and literature as well."

"Hmmm…" Anya rubbed her chin in thought, until she recalled something from yesterday's PE class. "Oh! I wanna try out for the Light Music Club!"

Becky gasped in surprise. "You wanna try out for the Light Music Club…?" Her eyes sparkled in joy. Oooh, looks like I found someone for us, guys~! "Great choice~! However, I heard that you gotta be good at playing a musical instrument and pass our "entrance audition" first if you wanna join us. Do you know how to play any particular musical instrument, Anya?"

"Well, uh... do castanets count?"

Becky sweatdropped while chuckling. "Ahehe... I don't think that castanets alone will make the cut... Sorry."

Anya slumped in disappointment. "Aww…" She then perked up a bit after she realized something. "Oh, wait! How about the guitar? Does it count?"

"Oh, yes! Guitars do count! Acoustic... electric... either of those two will do! After all, our club is looking for a new guitarist."

"Yay~!"

Becky smiled at the thought of her new best friend joining, until her eyes widened in horror after she realized something. "Wait, before anything else... how well do you know how to play the guitar?"

"Hmmm…" Anya thought about it for a moment. "Moderate~! Since I recently got into it and all."

Becky face faulted.

"Ouch…" Laura winced.

Oran sweatdropped. "Talk about anti-climactic…"

"M-m-moderate…?" Becky grimaced while she was still on the ground. "Oh, Oum…"

She was grimacing horribly because she knew exactly who the president of the Light Music Club was.

Inside Becky's imagination…

Anya epically failed her audition.

Damian's eye twitched before taking a deep breath. "What is wrong with you, you idiot?! That was the worst audition club in history!" He shouted.

Anya started to cry.

"I never should've considered Becky's recommendation to have you as our new guitarist!"

"GAH!"

Back in reality…

"Anya…" Becky got back up and placed her hands on Anya's shoulders. "...Best if you practice real hard first right before you try joining the Light Music Club. Believe me, our club president does not greatly appreciate anyone with half-baked talent or anything like that."

"Club president?"

Becky glanced to the side. "...Damian Desmond."

Anya's eyes widened in shock. "Wait… Sy-on Boy's the president of the Light Music Club?!"

"I would be lying if I said no…" She frowned. "And believe it or not, Dame already failed at least twelve auditonees in the past."

"T-Twelve?! H-how…?!"

"Some say that they failed because their "half-baked" levels of talent aren't good enough to meet his high standards… Some would also say that he deliberately failed them because he didn't anyone who tried to join his club just to become close to him and ride off his coattails." Laura explained before sighing. "Believe me… I've seen a lot of kids in our grade who tried to get close to him just so that they can blatantly leech off from a kid who's the wealthy son of a Councilwoman."

"Yikes…" Oran said.

Anya started to feel worried. "I hope that the latter's the main reason why Sy-on Boy failed them…"

Laura nodded in agreement with the others. "Yeah…" She turned to Oran next, wanting to change the subject. "Anyway, what about you? What would interest you?"

"Me? The Theatre Club sounds nice." He smiled. "I do like acting."

Laura's eyes sparkled in interest. "Oooh, really?"

Oran nodded while smiling. "Yeah, I've been seeing some videos of people doing impressions of fictional characters and I've been practicing in the mirror…" He sweatdropped. "Although, it did lead to some embarrassing moments… like last week for instance…"

Last week…

Oran stared directly into a mirror. "Now you gotta ask yourself one question… Do you feel lucky? Well?! Do ya, punk?!"

"I dunno-"

"Ack!"

"I'm sure I'd be able to get out of this arrest, officer."

He turned around to see Qrow behind him, smirking in amusement while leaning on his bedroom doorway with his arms crossed.

"Dude, knock next time!"

In the present…

"Awkward…" Laura sweatdropped while Anya and Becky giggled.

"Oh, but that's not it. I've also been pretty good at acting. While we were in Hisui, I was able to fool everyone that I had been mind-controlled." He chuckled nervously. "I mean… they weren't happy about it afterward and gave me a stern talking to… buuut I was able to be pretty convincing." He snickered. "Heh… I'm sure that Ruby would agree to that if she were here."

At the Monster Hunter World…

"Achoo!"

"Something wrong?" Rosalina asked.

Ruby rubbed her nose. "Ugh, I don't know why… but I feel like Oran's bragging about something he shouldn't."

Back with them…

Laura sweatdropped. "Yeah, right…" She composed herself. "Anyway, I think I might have an idea of what you might be interested in there."

"Really?"

Laura nodded. "Mhm~! I am a member of the Theater Club after all." She winked.

Oran looked at her in surprise. "Y-you're part of the Theater Club?!" He chuckled. "Huh… talk about a convenient coincidence."

"Maybe it's best I show you the place later after school." She turned around to leave. "C'mon guys. We don't wanna keep everyone else waiting in the cafeteria."

"Okay~!" Anya beamed.

Becky smiled. "Sure, I want to see what they have for today's lunch menu."

Oran smiled as well. "I'll be looking forward to it." He quickly walked up to Laura. "Oh, and… if you want to know more about that time I was able to fool everyone that I was under mind control, you can also ask Ms. Weiss about it sometime." He grinned. "She can vouch for that."

Laura sweatdropped again. "Uh… sure…"

Later, after all classes were finished…

Laura guided Oran to the clubroom of the Theater Club. When they entered the room, Oran caught sight of various club members, ranging from grade school kids to high school teens, going about their business. A group of kids were doing rehearsals via script reading and some other kids either worked on costumes, props or set design decorations. He also noted the walls were adorned with posters of the club's past performances over the years.

Needless to say, Oran was amazed by the boundless energy buzzing around the clubroom, not to mention they looked really busy most of the club members were. If he had to take a guess, they were busily preparing for their next production.

"Being a seasoned member myself, I'll give you the tour."

"Okay."

Both of them started to walk around the area.

"Just like any other Theater or Drama Club in other schools, Hathaway's Theater Club is an organization dedicated to giving students more opportunities to learn and grow in the field of performing arts. As such, sometimes we also work with fellow acting professionals to give our club members potential career opportunities related to stage production."

They first passed a group of students rehearsing lines while reading from the script they were given.

"As you know, the club is divided into two departments, which are Acting and Production. Of course, the Acting Department, which I'm a part of, is made up of actors who bring many different characters to life on stage. Auditions and rehearsals can get pretty intense at times, but it's all worth it when you see the final performance." She winked.

"Sounds pretty thrilling if you ask me." He said, then noticed one particular adult in the group of actors. "Hey… isn't that Mr. Henderson?" He asked in surprise.

"He's the faculty advisor of the Theater Club. Because of his background as a former professional acting coach, he's actually proven to be pretty competent and a helpful mentor to those in the acting department."

"Wow!"

"Of course, the leading cast is composed of actors who are playing for the main cast. Protagonist, sidekick, and antagonist… you name it. But if you're playing either of those three roles, you're expected to come to rehearsals almost every day."

"Makes sense. Having the leading role is great and all, but being part of one requires a lot of hard work if it's to work out well onstage."

Oran would then see Henderson helping Albedo, much to his surprise. "Albedo?!"

"Oh yeah, he's the son of a very famous stage actor in Vale, and wouldn't you know it, he presented himself to be a very talented actor, being able to read and act out most of the assigned lines without much trouble and occasionally ad libbing to make productions more interesting."

"The blade is folded steel. That's gold filigree laid into the handle. If I may. Perfectly balanced. The tang is nearly the full width of the blade." He looked at Henderson. "How did I go, sir?"

"Hmmhmm~ That was just as elegant as Will Turner, I must say! You truly do take after your father, Albus!" His expression became serious. "Although, I believe that we still have a long way to go, Young Sniegowski. Son of a famous actor or not, acting isn't always a walk in the park."

Albedo nodded in agreement. "Right." He then looked determined. "Okay, let's continue! I want to make this role and the production the best they can be for Portfolio Fes now that it's already around the corner."

Back with the duo, they passed by a group of kids who were currently busy with costumes, props or set designs.

"And here we have the Production Department, which is the backbone of every production we have onstage. From set designs to lighting, costumes to props, and sounds to scriptwriting, they make sure everything runs smoothly behind the scenes."

"That sounds like a lot of work." Oran commented.

"It is, but it is incredibly rewarding." She smiled. "You get to see the creativity come to life and be a part of something bigger than yourself."

They first stopped by the props and costume design team. Oran was amazed by the handiwork of the students who were working there. He also noticed that Nick, Magnolia and Logue were working too, much to his surprise.

"The twins have been members of the Production Department since the first grade. Logue recently joined under Maggie's wing."

Speaking of Logue and Magnolia, the two were busy making some final touches of a costume, bearing a striking resemblance of Jack Sparrow himself.

"You always amaze me on how gifted you are over this." Logue said.

Magnolia giggled. "I've always been a natural at making new clothes from scratch. Joining this club allows me to show off my talent and further improve my skills on them. I can thank Tsumugi after meeting her."

"Speaking of Tsumugi, have you heard the news from Becky lately?" Nick mentioned as he was making a treasure chest which was a shoebox painted and decorated to look like one with the "treasure" being plastic gold coins and colored gems

"Yeah, she enlisted for Blackbell Industries a few months ago. I think she said it was because Kaito and Tsumugi are best friends and he talked her into it. She climbed through the ranks in a short period to become Colonel Kaito's first lieutenant. Lieutenant Tsumugi Shirogane."

"Wow!" Logue said in awe.

"I've also heard a woman named Maki Harukawa enlisted in the private military company too." Nick said.

"Yeah. According to Becky, she doesn't know the full details yet on why she enlisted, but a family friend of hers recommended her to join Blackbell Heavy Industries… and I think the Strauss's helped her given they're close friends with the Blackbells. I think she also said the family friend wanted to help Maki find ways on how she can get a chance of redemption in life for herself."

"Not only that, but I also heard Kaito hired Maki to be Becky's nanny as a side job… something about being around kids would help her temper her "violent and murderous impulses"." Nick added, causing Logue to pale at the thought. "Becky also mentioned that the family friend observed Maki being gentle around Anya and the other kids when they went to ancient Hyrule."

"A-anything else about this… surprisingly violent person?" Logue whimpered.

"Maki secretly confided to Becky that she admitted it'd be a waste of time for her and was worried she wouldn't be good with kids in spite of the great amount of time she spent with them in Hyrule. Though, given Becky's nature and the amount of time they spent together day one, Maki admitted she grew to love the job. Because of that, Becky and her butler affectionately call her the "Ultimate Child Caregiver".

Logue felt relief, the color in her face returning as they went back to work, while still being in awe that the theater kids not fearing Magnolia due to the "incident", and instead letting her stick around with unconditional love and open arms.

"Ultimate Child Caregiver"? I think "Ultimate Babysitter" works fine too." Laura said.

"This family friend… would it happen to be Ms. Yor?" Oran wondered.

"Hmmm… I think that's what Becky said." Magnolia shrugged. "Showing him around, Laura?"

"Yeah."

Magnolia smiled. "Well, have fun looking around!" She said before going back to work with her brother and Logue.

Laura proceeded on with the tour, taking Oran passed the set design department next.

"Hmm?" A member paused his work spotting Oran with Laura. "Hey, I've never seen that kid around here before. He a new student?"

"I think so…?" Another said. "It looks like Laura is giving him a tour of some sort." He waved at the duo. "Hey! Laura, new kid, over here!"

"Huh? Oh hey guys!" Laura walked over with Oran. "What are you all working on?"

"Part of the backdrop for our next stage play in Portfolio Fes, which is supposed to be a sea setting."

"Oh, right! Nick told us we're doing Pirates of the Caribbean this year. Pirate theme."

Oran looked curious. "Portfolio Fes? Anya and I heard from Becky about it earlier when we came to school, but she didn't give that many details."

Laura smiled. "Every year, Hathaway has a weekday-long school festival where students get to showcase their works to their friends and families. Pop-up museums, interactive exhibits, stage performances… or whatever way you wish to show off your works. Heck, there'll also be a lot of food and merchandise stalls in there too!"

"Soooo… who's the armadillo? A new student?"

Laura nodded. "Oh, yes! Guys, this is Oran, a friend of mine! I'm just showing him around here 'cause he told me he's interested in joining our club."

"Hello!" Oran smiled.

One of the members chuckled. "Is that so?"

Laura noticed Oran eyeing the backdrop with intrigue. "Hey, um… Would you guys mind if Oran could help out a bit with some of the set design? He seemed very interested in it."

"Oh, sure! We could use an extra set of hands anyway." He turned to Oran. "If you want to help out, feel free to come with me."

Oran nodded enthusiastically as he walked after the member before he started to help with creating more of the backdrop, all of which Laura watched him do a quick but proper job on the task at hand.

"Ooh, nice~! Progress."

Albedo walked up to Laura. "Ah, Laura! There you are! I saw you earlier with Oran while I was practicing my lines with Mr. Henderson."

Laura smiled. "What's up, Al? I thought you were busy rehearsing."

"Mr. Henderson told the Acting Team that we should take a break for now." He noticed Oran wasn't with her. "Speaking of which, where did Oran go?"

"Him? Oh, he's just helping the set design department with creating backgrounds for the play." She turned her attention back to Oran, currently doing wonderful at his job while also getting along well with the other set design members.

Albedo smiled. "Oh, that's nice." He rubbed his chin in thought. "I have been thinking… maybe he could start here as a member of the Production Team. Y'know, helping out with the set and props and other stuff like that? And if he feels like it, we might also consider having him as an actor too, but he just needs to pass the audition and do a lot of practice with his acting skills."

"Yeah, that makes sense. I mean, he did tell me that he had some experience before with acting." She then used her semblance on Oran's aura, showing him that he was happy. "I'm sure that will make him happy as well." She deactivated her semblance, her eyes turning back to normal.

Twenty minutes later, Oran had made lots of progress on the backdrop, the Set Design members congratulating him for his hard work and support he's given. He then approached the duo, seeing Albedo still chatting with Laura.

"I couldn't help but overhear your interest in having me join the acting department. It actually sounds kinda fun." Oran said.

"Alright. Show me if you're actually Acting Department material."

Oran nodded. "Right. Just give me a sec. I need to think."

"Take your time, bud."

He closed his eyes, wondering what he should say as his mind racked upon the games he's played or the movies he's watched with his family.

"Don't force it. Just let it come naturally." Laura advised.

Oran opened his eyes.

"It's-a me! Mario! Wahoo!"

"I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

"Hmm?" Henderson walked by and had overheard Oran.

"Saw the whole thing dude. First you were like whooooa, and then we were like "Whoa!" and then you were like "Whoooa…"."

Laura snickered.

"OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!"

"If I don't see a new door in my station in five seconds, I will personally put YOU through the shredder!"

"Wow!" Laura said in awe.

"Amazing!" Albedo exclaimed.

"I have to say…" Henderson approached. "The way you perfectly mimic their voices proves to me that you have talent in the acting department. If you want, I could give you an opportunity to formally audition in the Theater Club anytime you want this week"

"I'll gladly take up the offer!"

With Anya…

Anya and Becky were walking through a hallway, chatting amongst themselves as the latter was taking her to the Light Music Club, though it was basically for the club's bi-weekly band rehearsal, though she was bringing Anya there to check the room out.

Once they arrived at the clubroom and entered through the doors, they spotted the rest of Team DBEE playing Splatoon 3 together, with Damian's team in the lead in a TriColor Turf War match.

But what was most surprising was that Anya noticed that Spear was in the room as well.

"Coach Spear?!"

"She's the faculty advisor for the clubroom." Becky quickly said.

"Oh!"

"Gah, this team's a total powerhouse…!" Emile said while sweating. "Why did I get stuck with the worst players?!"

"HAHAHAHA~!" Damian grinned victoriously. "There's no way you two chumps will ever beat me and Coach Spear!"

"No way, Dame! If I'm gonna go down, then I'll take you all with me!" Ewen said.

Spear sweatdropped. "I swear… these Splatfests can be really messed up at times."

A minute later, the match ended… and it showed that Damian and Spear won. "Hmph, we win!" He high fived Spear. "Great job, Coach!"

"Anytime!"

"Aww, man… epic fail…" Emile pouted.

"If Becky was here, she'd totally crush you and your team in a heartbeat." Ewen shuddered. "That girl's a total beast whenever Splatoon 3 is involved… especially during Splatfests."

"Heh, you'd better believe it."

"Huh?" Ewen turned his head with the others to see the girls. "Ah, Becky! There you are. We were just waiting for you."

"Esper Girl?" Damian wondered once he noticed Anya. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm just showing her around here. She told me earlier during recess that she's interested in the Light Music Club."

Ewen and Emile both perked up, immediately getting close to Anya's face all excitedly.

"What kind of instruments do you play?!"

"What's your favorite music artist?"

"What's your favorite band?"

"Do you prefer the electric guitar or bass?"

"What kind of video game music is your absolute favorite?!"

"Which is your least favorite video game music?"

"Out of all of the Splatoon bands, which one is your favorite?"

"Pearl or Marina?!"

"Callie or Marie?!"

"Shiver, Frye or Big Man?!"

"Harmony or Dedf1sh?!"

"What do you think about the drums?!"

"Do you think squids can actually play clarinets?!"

"Oooof…" Anya groaned, her eyes getting swirly as smoke started to come out of her head from the overwhelming stress.

"Boys, slow down. You're gonna break the new recruit." Spear mentioned.

Both of them blushed sheepishly. "Sorry…/My bad…"

A few minutes recovering later, Anya took a deep breath. "I play the guitar and my favorite artists are Ink Fresh, Sea5ons, 5 Seconds of Summer, Paramore and Fall Out Boy." I can definitely thank Ibuki for those last three…

Before any of them could compliment Anya's taste in music… "It's time for rehearsal now that Becky's here." Damian interjected, as they all went to set up the equipment.

"Hey Becky… am I allowed to stay and watch you perform?"

"You're allowed to watch." Damian spoke for Becky. "It might allow you to experience first hand what the Light Music Club is like."

"Okay!"

Team DBEE were now prepared with their instruments, with Becky holding a black 4-string electric bass guitar decorated with a purple rough pattern design, Emile sitting in front of a matte brown 6-piece drum set with a pair of wooden drumsticks on hand, Ewen in front of a pearl white electric keyboard, and Damian with a dark green and white electric guitar around his person and a mic set up in front of him.

Meanwhile, Anya was sitting down on a couch in excitement with Spear, who was preparing a camcorder for both recording and reviewing purposes. Once it was set up, Spear gave them the thumbs up.

BGM: She Looks So Perfect (5 Seconds of Summer)

Anya lightly gasped as she immediately knew what this was. Once they were starting to sing, Anya enthusiastically but quietly sang along, clapping to the beat in perfect synchronization.

She would also pay attention to Damian the most for some reason out of the four. His singing and guitar skills had caught her attention.

Spear, meanwhile, nodded her head to the beat with a proud smile on her face. She glanced over to see Anya singing along. She softly giggled at Anya's antics before turning her attention back to the group.

End BGM

After the song…

Team DBEE were lightly catching their breaths as it was over while Spear stopped the recording. "...Aaaand that's a wrap for now." She smiled. "I must say, you guys keep getting better every day." She complimented as DBEE smiled back in appreciation.

"And how about you, Anya? What do you think?" Spear asked.

Emile wiped some sweat from his forehead. "We did great, didn't we?"

"Great? You guys were awesome!"

Becky perked up. "R-Really?"

Anya nodded as her eyes sparkled. "Yeah! You guys were all like "BANG!" and "ZOOM!" and "ZING!" when I saw you keep a lot of steady yet fast beats behind those instruments! It was like you guys were all over the place!"

Spear and DBEE smiled, knowing they managed to leave a good first impression on her about their club. However, they were immediately concerned when she suddenly became downcast.

"What's wrong? Why the long face?" Becky asked.

"C'mon, I know this is a rehearsal, but it can't be that bad!"

Damian frowned. "Esper Girl, was our playing style not-"

Anya shook her head. "No, no. It's not that. You guys were pretty amazing and that was a cool rendition of one of my favorite bands' songs just like I said, but…" She hesitated.

"But?" Ewen gave her a reassuring smile. "Just say what you need to say, Anya. We won't judge."

Anya frowned. "I already told Becky about this earlier, but anyway… I only started the guitar recently and my skills are… moderate at best… and that I really got into the music scene since then…"

She noticed their reactions right after she admitted the level of her guitar level skills.

"But after seeing how you guys played…?" She glanced to the side. "...It made me think I'll only end up dragging you guys down if I join this club…"

DBEE and Spear all looked at each other while letting Anya's words sink in.

Anya sighed sadly. "Sorry if what I just said ended up disappointing you guys and whatever expectations you had for me…"

She got off the couch as she made her way to leave the clubroom. "Probably best if you never had a half-baked loser like me as your new guitarist."

"That's where you're wrong." Damian said.

Anya stopped in her tracks as she turned to Damian in confusion. "Huh?"

"You think that just because you're still learning, you wouldn't be able to keep up with us? I mean, c'mon…" He shook his head while chuckling before giving her a more serious look. "Es– No… Anya, being a musician isn't just about skill or experience. It's about passion, dedication, and the willingness to learn and improve."

Anya's eyes widened, surprised to hear that this was coming from the Sy-on Boy of all people.

"Look… I know how rich this sounds coming from me, but even rich guys like me can at least be nice to other people when they need to be. I'll admit that I'm a bit of a blowhard, but I'm not heartless."

Anya gave him a skeptical look, which was understandable in Damian's eyes. However, as she used her semblance on him, she realized he was actually being sincere.

"He's right, you know?" Becky nodded in agreement before putting her hands on Anya's shoulders and then giving her a serious expression of her own. "Anya, listen to me. We all start somewhere. All of us started out as rookies with our own instruments during our early days here in the Light Music Club. But with months of practice and hard work, that's when we finally got to this level. To put it simply, everyone here in this room was a beginner at some point, but what matters more is that you have the drive to improve and the courage to step out of your comfort zone."

"Exactly! And besides, we're not looking for prodigies or anyone like that around here. We're just looking for people who love music as much as we do and want to share that love with others." Ewen gave her a wink. "After all, that's what makes a great band like us: Daybreak."

"Moderate or not, you're totally welcome here, Anya! And hey, if you ever need help with your guitar playing, we'd be more than happy to help you out." Emile said.

"They're right, Anya. Don't sell yourself short." Spear gave her a reassuring smile before kneeling down to her eye level. "Listen, I want you to take advice from your friends and also from me as your teacher. You have potential, yes. And that joining the Light Music Club could be a great opportunity for you to explore that potential further."

She still smiled. "Not to mention that you'll have all of us to support you along the way."

Anya was stunned by the unconditional love and support given to her by her friends. "You guys, I…" She smiled in gratitude with tears swelling up in her eyes. "Y-you're all too kind… I… I don't know what to say... but thank you, all of you."

Becky hugged Anya while gently wiping her tears away with a handkerchief.

Ewen smiled back at Anya with the others. "Nah, no need to thank us. Just promise us one thing: never give up on yourself or your dreams, no matter how hard or bad things may turn out."

Anya nodded while wiping away her tears. "I promise."

Damian smiled. "Glad we could help out." His expression suddenly turned serious. "But there's one more thing you need to remember. You have to know that we can't afford to be complacent or lazy around here. We may be talented and all, but that doesn't mean we can slack off all the time and stay where we are in terms of skill level."

Anya nodded in understanding. "I get you, Sy-on Boy. Seeing how you guys performed obviously tells that you all had to work hard almost every day to get where you are right now. Like how I am with my guitar, I don't wanna slack off on it and waste whatever potential I have."

"Well said!" Becky smiled. "So, are you still interested in joining us?"

"Are you kidding me? Yes! I still wanna join you guys!" She looked at Damian. "But, uh… I still remember that I needed a pass some kind of entry audition for it, right? What do I need to do?"

"Oh, it's pretty simple. Just do a full rendition of one song with the musical instrument of your choice." Damian explained before turning serious again. "But remember though… new classmate or not, I'm a club president who can still hold high standards for anyone who tries to join the Light Music Club."

Anya stiffened in shock at the mention of "high standards".

"Y-you can't be serious…"

"Oh, I am. Believe me when I say that anyone who doesn't play beyond whatever instrument they play for doesn't deserve to be here in my club. If you really are more than just potential club material, then show me how exceptional you can be."

Initially, the other club members and Spear started to feel worried for Anya, recalling how notoriously difficult when it comes to having high standards, evidenced by the twelve auditonees in the past.

However, they were met with surprised that, thanks to their support, Anya looked more confident, choosing not to back down and taking Damian's words as a challenge.

"Is that so? Then I'll do it."

Damian's eyes widened in surprised, impressed by her newfound determination. "Are you sure you can handle this?"

"A minute earlier, I thought I wouldn't be good enough for you guys because of my current skill level. But now? I figured out if you guys can do better at your own instruments, then so can I with my own!"

She pointed her right index finger at Damian with a determined and confident smile on her face. "Mark my words, Sy-on Boy! Even if it takes me a month or two, I'll do whatever it takes to pass that audition and be more than whatever "high standards" you have for me!"

"Whatever it takes, huh?" He smirked. "If that's the case, then show me what you've got. 'Cause I'll be waiting for ya."

Later, at the Rose/Xiao Long/Branwen home…

Oran and Anya were sitting together in the living room with the family, telling them all about their plans to audition in their respective clubs.

Oran turned to Byleth, Dorothea and Qrow. "I was wondering if you three could help me with my acting skills and rehearse with a set of lines that Mr. Henderson gave to me, which I'll be using in my Theater Club audition.

"Of course!" Byleth smiled.

"Kid, you're talking to an opera singin' actress. Of course I'll help you out~!" Dorothea smiled.

Qrow chuckled. "Is this about the time I caught you doing impressions in front of the mirror the other day?" He teased.

Oran looked at him irked, trying to hide his annoyance and embarrassment with a forced smile. "Don't. Remind. Me."

Qrow chuckled again. "Okay, okay. I'll drop it."

"Papa, Big Bro Bereto… could you guys help me with guitar practice so I can prepare for my Light Music Club audition?"

"Ah… sorry kiddo, I'm not well versed with guitars." Bereto politely said.

"Yeah, I'm no expert on it either." Loid said. "We're not like Rosalina. After all, she introduced you to the guitar and gave you lessons on the basics."

"I think we can help." Raven said as Tai nodded, before he remembered something.

"Shoot… now's not a good time. Raven and I were about to head out in a few minutes to Elman Farms for some grocery shopping to see if they have any fresh produce worth buying for tonight's dinner."

"Ooooh… right…" Raven grimaced. "That usually takes thirty minutes by bus or car, but my semblance can help alleviate that."

"Elman Farms?" Anya tilted her head.

"Ah, it's basically a farm where STRQ used to go on a lot of field trips over back in our Beacon days." Qrow responded. "That was one of Summer's favorite places to go to."

"Ah…" Anya then tilted her head thoughtfully. I wonder if Emile has any connection to that place. She thought before she remembered something. "Oh, wait a sec! What about Maia? She can help out!"

"She's still traveling the cosmos helping Polari catch Star Bits, remember?" Tai said.

"Ooooh… right. I wonder how that's going for her…"

Meanwhile…

"Yaaaaack!" Maia yelped as she ran away as several cosmic clones ran after her. "WILL YOU STOP FOLLOWING ME!"

"Right in the middle of the collecting too… these prankster comets have the worst timing."

"This would've been a lot easier if Aunt Rosie were here collecting Star Bits!"

"I know, but the amount of Lumas eating Star Bits go by fast as much as she can make them!" Polari said as Maia found an opening and blasted away her cosmic clones, only for them to keep appearing.

"Rrrrgh! These are the worst…"

Back with them, a few minutes later…

Anya was alone lying on the couch, wondering what she could do to practice since Rosalina wasn't currently around to help her by offering more guitar lessons or rehearse a song she could do.

She did manage to learn to play the basic chords of a guitar and eventually moved on to the more advanced ones… but she could only play certain rock and even pop-rock songs that matched her current level.

Not to mention that she doesn't even have a guitar of her own as Yang usually allows her to borrow hers that she got from Candy Kong, who was happy that there was gonna be another guitar player in the family aside from her, Rosie and Tai.

As much as Anya appreciated the gesture, it was kinda embarrassing for her as she didn't want to rely on Yang too much all the time, adding on to the fact she doesn't have much money of her own to buy a guitar.

Without even looking, she reached for her scroll on the coffee table to chat with Becky instead, but instead of that, she pulled up a card instead that caught her attention.

"Metallic Ivories Boutique"

"...At Coconut Mall where I got my new clothes?"

She immediately got an idea, inspiration striking her as she flipped the card over to see both Ibuki and Kaede's numbers as she quickly dialed up Ibuki's number.

"Y'ello!"

"Hey Ibuki, it's me. Anya. Remember me?"

"Oh, of course she remembers the cute pink haired girl~!" Ibuki giggled. "What's up?"

"So uh… it's kind of embarrassing, but the thing is…"

She explained the situation to Ibuki.

"Sure thing, Anya-chan. Ibuki'll be there in a flash~!"

A few minutes later after hanging up, Ibuki opened up the front door with a smile. "Hey hey~!"

"Whoa!" Anya exclaimed in surprise, as did Loid as he was also in the room.

"H-how did…?!"

Byleth walked by to get a cup of water for Oran. "It's Ibuki, don't question it."

Anya sweatdropped. "Okaaaaay…?"

She snapped out of her shock, remembering why she called up Ibuki in the first place. "I was wondering if you could give me some guitar lessons since Aunt Rosie isn't here right now… and to also help me figure out a song I can perform at my audition."

"Of course~!" Ibuki grinned. "So, get your guitar and we'll get started."

"I don't have one… I mean, I can get Yang's guitar, but I don't want to keep doing it. I feel it's too embarrassing… While I appreciate the gesture, I feel like I'm taking advantage of Yang's generosity. I want a guitar of my own so I don't have to worry about keep on borrowing anymore."

"No guitar of your own, eh? Well, today's your lucky day, little Anya-chan! 'Cause Ibuki-sensei's got that covered for you~!"

"Ibuki-sensei…?" Anya tilted her head in confusion as she quietly mouthed.

Right on cue, Ibuki brought out a medium-sized package from behind as she handed it over to Anya, much to her surprise. She opened it up to see a custom made peanut themed electric guitar.

"Ta-dah~! Ibuki-sensei presents to you your very own electric guitar~!" She grinned.

"Whoa…!" Anya's eyes sparkled.

"You like it?"

Anya giggled in joy. "Like it? I love it!" She hugged Ibuki. "Thank you so much, Ibuki-sensei~!"

"Apologies for interrupting, but do we need to pay for this guitar?" Loid asked.

Ibuki chuckled. "Nah, don't worry about it. Consider that guitar as a gift from me to your daughter as a fellow music enthusiast." She winked. "Besides, if she does pass that club audition of hers, Ibuki'll have that one counted as payment."

Loid smiled. "Works for me. As long as Anya's happy with her new guitar, then so am I." He got up from the couch after checking something from his scroll. "Well, you two go ahead and have fun. Papa has to leave for work right now."

He got up, waving goodbye to the girls as he walked out the door.

"Okay! See you later, papa~!"

"Bye~!"

Ibuki brought out her own electric guitar, preparing to tune it before starting the lesson. "Okay, so… how much do you know about the guitar so far, Anya-chan?"

Anya strapped on her new guitar. "Oh, me? Aunt Rosie managed to teach me how to play the basic chords including a few of the advanced ones. Not to mention that I can also cover a couple of rock songs that she thinks are good enough for my current skill level."

She strummed her guitar, noticing the sound was off. "Huh, looks like I need to tune this first." She said before noticing something clipped onto the head part of of Ibuki's guitar. "Hmm? Hey, Ibuki-sensei? What's that?"

Ibuki pointed at the object. "Oh, this? This is called a tuner." She turned one of the knobs. "It's what helps her check if the guitar is in tune or not." She strummed the guitar while checking the tuner. "Perfecto~!"

Anya eyed the tuner on her guitar. "Oh, so that's a tuner…"

"Ibuki reckons that this is your first time seeing one?"

Anya nodded. "Yeah, to be honest."

Ibuki looked curious. "Oh? So how do you tune Yang-chan's guitar then whenever you borrow it?"

"Well…" She looked down at her guitar as she decided to check something. "Wait, gimme a sec." She turned on a couple of knobs before strumming. "Hmm, that doesn't sound right…" She managed to make a few adjustments before strumming again. "Ah, there we go~!"

Ibuki looked at her amazed. "Whoa, the pitch now sounds well-tuned! And you managed to do it without a tuner! How did you do that?"

Anya shrugged. "I dunno, I just try to play it by ear until it sounds right. I mean I also did this before with Yang's guitar whenever I borrowed it during my lessons with Aunt Rosie."

"Hmm…" Ibuki rubbed her chin in thought. Ibuki wonders…

An idea came to the Ultimate Musician's mind. "Okay. Try to recreate a series of chords she'll play for ya."

"Okay."

Ibuki played on her guitar for a bit, then once she was done, Anya did the same, strumming at the chords that Ibuki played perfectly without even missing a bit.

Hmmm… "Okay, try this now!"

She played a different series of chords, and when she was done, Anya was able to recreate it perfectly.

Aha! She's got perfect pitch! And for you readers that don't know, it's a person's ability to identify and recreate any musical note by ear after hearing it without reference to other notes. There's your random trivia for the day~!

"You've got perfect pitch~!"

"Huh?" Anya wondered as Ibuki explained what that was. "Whoa…"

She's gonna be a potential prodigy in the making~! Not to mention a potential jamming buddy like Rosie-chan that Ibuki can hang around with whenever she comes to crash at this house! Hehe~ Ibuki thinks she might have an easy time teaching this little owl~!

"Does this mean I could be a prodigy…?" Anya wondered.

"Possibly, yes~! Your immediate exposure to and natural interest in music along with the musical training you'll be getting at this age that can help enhance your development of perfect pitch. However! That doesn't mean you can be fully exempt from practice. Just like any other musical ability, it still requires a lot of practice and training to be fully developed and utilized effectively. As such, while you do have perfect pitch that can help you easily recognize and reproduce any musical pitch you hear accurately, you still gotta learn that there's more to musical proficiency than just pitch recognition."

"Oh… okay!" Anya nodded.

"Now then, let's get this party started~! Ibuki's feelin' a montage coming on!"

A wha…? Anya sweatdropped in confusion.

BGM: Lips Are Movin' by Meghan Trainor ~ Rock Ver. (School of Rock)

Anya practiced on her guitar, strumming the chords while Ibuki also decided to do some singing lessons with her, which Anya happily enjoyed.

"There's got to be a song that matches your tastes… but what exactly…?" Ibuki wondered as she and Anya thought together.

In the kitchen…

"Make your voice higher or lower depending on the person you're imitating." Dorothea instructed. "Voice inflections can help you train your voice. That way, you can mimic a voice as perfect as you can make it."

"Alright, good to know." Oran nodded.

With the help of Dorothea's guidance…

"Zack… Cody… where's Kimiko?!"

Ibuki and Anya both decided to take a break and listen in on Oran's performance, the former holding up her phone to record.

"I'll only tell you if you promise not to get angry."

"...I promise."

"Zack lost her at school."

"Mmmph! Hnnngh! …Oooh…!"

Qrow immediately grabbed one of the cooking pots, proceeding to let Oran scream into it as he then pulled it away from him.

"I think he's angry."

"Rrrgh! How! Do you lose! A woman?!"

"You forget to cherish her."

"Oh! …And scene!"

Ibuki immediately stopped recording.

"Good job, little bro!" Byleth smiled, hugging him as Dorothea also hugged him as well.

"Hehehe, just like they were here~" Ibuki giggled, sending the video over to her fellow Ultimates, including some at the Future Foundation.

"Oh wow! His Moseby imitation is on point!" - Chiaki

"Definitely a star in the making!" - Sonia

"Impressive." - Kyoko

"...Eh. Beginner's luck. Though, he was pretty good." - Toko

"Oh my goodness, I could just watch this for hours~!" - Komaru

"Holy shit, that's pretty impressive!" - Junko

"One day, he'll be good as me! I can see it now! Hahaha!" - Gundham

"Nice job!" - Aoi

At that moment, Ibuki received a separate text.

"HOW THE FUCK DID YOU GET MY PHONE NUMBER?!" - Celeste

"Ooops, wrong number!"

Ibuki deleted the contact, rubbing her head in confusion.

Guess vampires still like cell service? Ibuki shrugged.

Anya, meanwhile, walked over to the pot that Oran screamed into and opened the lid out of curiosity.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Anya quickly closed the lid with a weirded out expression as everyone in the kitchen all looked at the pot in surprise.

"Heh, looks like you did it a little too well." Qrow teased.

Oran blushed in annoyance and embarrassment. "Shut up…"

End BGM

A few days later, around in the afternoon at Hathaway…

Anya and Oran headed to their respective clubrooms, ready to take their auditions head on with determined expressions on their faces.

Oran walked into the theater club, approaching Henderson. "I'm ready for my audition." He said as LAFF and Logue were nearby, waiting to see what he could do.

"You guys think he'll do well?" Magnolia asked.

Laura smiled. "I think he's got this in the bag. I have faith in him."

Albedo smirked. "And given me the demo of his acting skills he showed to me a couple of days ago… I guess they show plenty that he's already a member of our club's Acting Team."

With Anya…

"You're ready for your audition already?!" Damian said in surprise. "I thought you would've had this done by next week!"

"I'm ready."

DBEE and Spear decided to shrug it off as they proceeded to help set the stage for her audition, checking to see if the guitar amps and microphone were working properly.

"Wait…" Ewen looked up to see Anya's guitar. "You brought your own guitar?!"

"It's peanut shaped… that's adorable~!" Becky smiled in amusement.

Definitely shows her personality, I guess. Damian thought in amusement… and then right on cue, Ibuki casually strolled on in. "What the...?! How did she get in here?!"

Anya giggled. "It's Ibuki~! Don't question it~!"

Damian blinked. "Eh…?"

Ibuki giggled while doing a peace sign. "Ibuki just let herself in to support Anya-chan~"

Damian looked flabbergasted along with everyone else sans Anya. "Wh-wh... what's with you referring to yourself in the third person and "Anya-chan"...?"

"It's Ibuki~ Don't question her~" Ibuki mimicked Anya.

Damian sweatdropped. This woman's nuts… He awkwardly cleared his throat. "Ahem… anyway, let's not get sidetracked." He looked at Anya. "Ready to start your audition, Esper Girl?"

"Yeah, just give me a sec." She turned the knobs on her guitar and then strummed her guitar. She nodded right after. "Mhm~! There we go~!"

Becky looked surprised. "Whoa, did she just tune her guitar by ear without the need of a tuner?"

"No way… She has perfect pitch." Damian said in awe.

"Perfect pitch…?" The boys wondered.

"It means that she can accurately identify and perfectly recreate any musical note she hears just by listening to it once." Spear smiled. "I heard that only one in ten thousand possess this rare musical ability."

"Cool…" Ewen and Emile said in awe.

"Wow… I didn't know she had that kind of special ability." Becky grinned. "She's certainly full of surprises, eh, Dame?"

Damian nodded in agreement while letting out a small smile. "She sure is." His expression became serious again as he crossed his arms. "Still though… Even if she does have perfect pitch, the only question now is how capable she is behind that guitar."

Anya took a deep breath to calm herself down, holding her guitar in the air with her eyes closed. She then opened her eyes, started strumming the chords of the opening parts of her chosen song.

BGM: Nobody's Perfect (Hannah Montana)

Immediately, everyone but Ibuki was surprised, amazed by how talented Anya was on her guitar. Despite how nervous she felt earlier, she had managed to pull off a great start successfully.

Holy cow, she's great at singing too?! Ewen thought in awe.

Incredible! Becky thought.

Both Becky and Ibuki both brought out their phone/scrolls and started to record Anya's performance.

Back at the theater room…

"-And I half expected it to be made out of wood." Oran recited as he was in the middle of his audition. Henderson, LAFF and Logue were impressed by what he was doing so far.

"You are, without a doubt, the worst pirate I've ever heard of."

"But you have heard of me."

A few minutes into his audition later, he had finished what he had been asked to do.

"Ahem." Henderson cleared his throat. "I must say, that was absolutely splendid. No doubt you had practice with an acting coach. However, I've noticed that your voice tends to slip out of character once in a while. While it is not the end of the world, I advise you practice a bit more. You must not let your nerves get to you, as I had noticed you were a bit nervous yet confident, as to be expected of all auditonees."

Henderson then smiled. "Therefore, with that elegant performance, I hereby declare that you have passed your audition."

Oran's eyes sparkled in happiness… and before he could even say anything, LAFF and Logue joyfully glomped the faunus. "Whoa! Waaaaah!"

He crashed into the ground, causing everyone in the room to laugh.

Henderson cleared his throat. "Now then, for your first ever role for the play next month at Portfolio Fes, you will be one of the soldiers that will be chasing Jack Sparrow."

"Huh?" Albedo wondered in confusion. "Why didn't he get a major role? His acting skills were impressive! It should have been good enough to land him one!"

"While his acting skills were very elegant, he is still technically a beginner-level actor given he's still new to the club. As such, he'll be acting out minor roles in the meantime until he's good enough to move on to major ones."

"That's good enough for me." Oran said. "Starting out on minor roles while working with the production team will help me build up experience here."

Henderson smiled. "Indeed!"

Back at the Light Music Club…

Everyone, sans Ibuki was amazed by Anya's performance.

That's her girl~! Ibuki thought proudly.

Of course, Anya had felt nervous at the start as she sang and played, but the more she kept doing it, she felt the nervousness wash away as she continued to jam out to her heart's content, somewhat forgetting she was actually auditioning in the first place. Of course, the lyrics to the song also helped her out since, hey, nobody's perfect. There were a few mistakes she's made, but did she care? Absolutely not.

"Nobody's perfect, I gotta work it~ Again and again, 'til I get it right~!" Anya sang while playing the guitar in a near-perfect tune. "Nobody's perfect, you live and you learn it~ And if I mess it up sometimes~ Nobody's perfect~!"

Ewen and Emile were jamming along to the beat of the song, while Becky was also joining them while still recording Anya.

Damian, meanwhile, was studying Anya's performance for later critique while bopping his head to the beat, clearly enjoying the song.

Ibuki, meanwhile, was quietly singing along to the lyrics. She can't help it, she's been a fan of Hannah Montana when she was a kid! She happily thought while Spear bopped her head and clapped her hands to the beat.

It was pretty clear to all of them that she was having a blast through it all.

… I think we just found ourselves a new lead guitarist. Damian thought while letting out a small smile. Hmm.. I wonder if we could also have her as the secondary lead vocalist too…

End BGM

Once she wrapped up, the whole room was silent as the only thing that was heard was Anya catching her breath. Both Ibuki and Becky stopped recording.

"So… what do you guys think?"

"Two words. You suck." Damian said bluntly.

"WHAAAAA?!" Anya looked absolutely shocked as did everyone.

Talk about brutal! How perfect does he want her to be?! Ibuki thought, a twinge of anger swelling within her.

Suddenly, Damian snickered a bit before he burst into laughter. "Pfft... HAHAHAHAHA~! Nah, I'm just kidding with you!"

"...Eh?"

Everyone else looked at Damian in confusion… although Becky was incredibly annoyed.

"DARN IT, DAMIAN! Did you have to pull that stunt AGAIN?!"

Again? …Ibuki doesn't wanna know…

Damian cleared his throat after he recomposed himself. "Ahem, anyway… your performance was pretty good. However, you were a bit pitchy at a few parts and left our a lyric or two while jamming out, not to mention you didn't enunciate some words properly while jamming out. Also, you played a chord wrong at one particular part of the performance."

Anya listened with intrigued curiosity, forgetting her shock from the fake out earlier. "So when you told me that you had very high expectations…"

"That was to mostly make you feel concerned. Or for a lack of better terms, motivated."

"Motivated?"

"I saw potential in you the first time you stopped by our club a couple of days ago and I knew from that look you gave me that you have what it takes. You know, to be passionate enough to hone your skills and to be resilient enough to stand strong in the face of adversity. In the first place, those "high expectations" were mostly just a lie I made to test if you can actually defy them and set your own. Musicians who can set moderate expectations for themselves need it the most to properly pace themselves to do better in the long run with just a ton of time and patience."

He then grinned. "It was a rational falsehood."

Anya's shock came back in full force. "A RATIONAL FALSEHOOD?!"

Emile sweatdropped. "Looks like he really did trick her from the start after all…"

Becky pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation. "Ugh, why does this not surprise me…? I guess some things never change…"

Ewen chuckled while scratching his head. "As expected of Dame… If he's gonna keep on doing that, I don't know how much longer it will take for my faith in him to waver."

"Anyway… do any of you have anything else to say?" Damian asked.

"I noticed you were stiff at first, but you were more relaxed as time went on. I get that nerves were getting to you, but don't let Damian get to ya too much, especially if he's in a trolling mood and wants a quick laugh." Spear said. "If anything, just don't let him get to you and just relax during the whole thing."

"Ibuki would just like to say that ya still need some work, but honestly, you were absolutely incredible!"

"What Ibuki said~!" Becky agreed.

"I got nothing to say, honestly… Coach Spear said what I was gonna say." Ewen said with Emile agreeing.

Anya, meanwhile, smiled, taking it all to heart. "Okay!"

"Now, I have one last question for you…" Damian said.

"Yes?"

"…Did you have serious fun?" He asked with a straight face.

"Eh…?" Anya owlishly (no pun intended) blinked at Damian's question.

"You heard what I said. Did you have serious fun?"

"S-serious fun…?" She looked down a bit in contemplation at the question. "W-well… this overall experience I had was a lot of fun, including my preparations with Ibuki-sensei's training… so yes! I did have a lot of serious fun!"

"Is that so…?" Damian narrowed his eyes for a bit… right before his frown morphed into a genuine smile. "Then it's official… you passed the final test of this audition."

"Passed…?" She gasped in realization. "Wait, so that means...!"

Damian still smiled. "Yep. Welcome to the Light Music Club, Anya."

Her eyes sparkled. "R-Really~?!"

"What you did there… the way you sang, the way you played your guitar, and the way you performed as a whole… they abide by everything that the Light Music Club stands for! To have some serious fun!"

Becky hugged Anya. "Welcome to the Light Music Club, Anya~!"

Emile grinned. "Not only that! Welcome to Team DBEE too!"

Ewen chuckled. "Might as well now add in the A in the team name."

Anya giggled. "I guess we're now known as Team D-A-B-E-E now that I'm a part of the band~!"

Becky nodded in agreement. "Mhmm~! Truer words have never been spoken, bestie~!"

Damian couldn't help but smile and laugh along with his friends, then looked directly at Anya. I gotta admit… I'm rather impressed by her performance. Singing and playing guitar at the same time is no easy job, but she handled it rather pretty well for a beginner.

His expression turned serious.

...But I'm not totally lying about everything though. I'll admit that she did well, but she still has a long way to go if she were to be ready for bigger things in the future. He smiled. Though for now, I'll just let her have this moment. She definitely earned it.

On the sidelines, both Ibuki and Spear smiled proudly.

"Ibuki's gotta say… the kid's got a lot of stuff."

"Yeah. Not to mention that it's finally about time too."

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

Spear sighed softly. "Believe it or not… Damian has failed at least twelve auditionees before Anya."

"T-Twelve?!" Ibuki exclaimed in shock. "What exactly happened to these twelve individuals?"

"He failed them either because they were simply too incompetent or possessed half-baked skills in their talent while also lacking the drive to continuously improve themselves and their talents… or because while talented, they auditioned mostly because they wanted to cozy up to Damian and get close to him if they succeeded, considering his family's wealth and prestigious background. For the most part, Damian doesn't want to waste his time around people who merely want to befriend him or play in his band just to serve their own selfish interests."

Spear then shrugged. "Oooor maybe because their ideals in music differ or conflict with his. To him, while talent, passion, and success are important in music… he also believes having fun is very important as well in the long run."

Damian winced as a boy played the guitar in a very unorthodox manner, playing every other chord wrong every five seconds.

"Nope! You're done."

"La la la… LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA~!"

A window shattered.

"THIS AIN'T OPERA!" Damian yelled at a girl.

"Yeehaw~! Grab your partner and dosey do, it's time to square dance!"

"I don't square dance. You're out."

"Awww…"

"Aww, it sounded fun…" Emile quietly pouted.

"When you walk away~ You don't hear me saaaay~"

Damian winced, feeling like his eardrums were about to bleed from the extremely high pitched, out of tune crap.

"Pleeeeease, oh baaaaaby~"

"GO." Damian ordered.

"...Awww."

"Fail. Get out of my club room."

"Wh-what?! Why?! I proved that I can play the guitar! Not a single chord was missed in the song I chose! I even made sure my guitar was perfectly tuned! Isn't that enough to pass your audition?"

"True. You did manage to put up a good performance and you've shown me that you're pretty good with that guitar. But there's one thing you need to know…"

Damian glared at the auditionee. "...I don't want to waste my time with bootlickers like you running around my clubroom."

"B-bootlicker…?! H-how dare you accuse me of–"

"If you think I'm falsely accusing you, think again. The day before your audition, I had my friends conduct some extensive background research on you. And you know what we found?"

"Wh-what…?"

"That you're not a child of a humble music-oriented family like you claim you are. I know this may sound rich coming from me, but I do know you're just another one of those arrogant, privileged kids who blatantly take advantage of connections. You never cared about music or having fun; you only wanted to pass the audition just to serve your family's self-centered interests."

Damian scoffed in annoyance. "Unbelievable… I already lost track of how many kids in our grade tried to get close to or be friends with me just because I'm the rich son of a Vale Councilwoman…"

"I… I-I…"

"This is gonna be the last time I'll repeat myself, uggo."

He glared at him while releasing an oppressive aura. "Get. Out. Of. My. Clubroom."

The failed auditionee paled as he quickly grabbed his guitar and ran out of the room in fear.

Back in the present…

"Hmmm…" Ibuki folded her arms, closing her eyes deep in thought. Even though he was kinda harsh with them, Ibuki can't really blame him for why he acted in such a manner. Hell, she'd probably do the same with those who lacked the drive or those who just wanted to be "friends" with yours truly just because Ibuki's famous. However, Anya-chan's no different. Though, the way she sees it, Anya-chan only sees him as a fellow classmate and fellow musical enthusiast and not just some rich boy… kinda just like Ibuki with her fellow Ultimates.

She smiled. Anya-chan had fun, and gave it her all. That's all that matters!

"Well, that's unexpected…" Ibuki mused. "For a little rich kid, I must say that Dami-chan can sure be surprisingly insightful and mature when it comes to seeing the bigger picture in things both in and out of the music world."

Spear chuckled. "That's Damian Desmond for ya. To him… passion and talent mean nothing if you're not having any fun in doing what you love."

Damian approached Anya. "Hey, Anya…? Can we have a moment to talk… privately?"

Anya nodded. "I was having the same thought."

"Uh oh~!" Becky overheard. "Sounds like someone's gonna confess his feelings for her~!" She teased.

"Oooh, when's the wedding~!" Ewen chimed in.

"Can I be your best man~?" Emile smiled.

Cross veins appeared on Damian's forehead as he blushed in embarrassment while gritting his teeth. "Why you… ARGH! I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!"

He grabbed Anya's wrist.

"C'MON, ESPER GIRL!" He yelled as he yanked her forward.

"Whoa!"

Everyone chuckled in amusement over Damian's embarrassment, all the while Ibuki proceeded to send the video she recorded to her friends.

"...Hannah Montana? Huh, I'll admit that hearing this song kinda takes me back." - Hajime

"OMG, is that Hannah Montana?!" - Chiaki

"Oh-ho, man! Childhood nostalgia certainly hits a lot like a truck!" - Akane

"She's most certainly right~! Nobody's perfect~!" - Sonia

"Man, that kid sure has good taste the moment I heard that Hannah Montana song!" - Souda

"Not my kind of music, but I gotta admit that the kid's pretty good." - Fuyuhiko

"Huh… been a while since I've heard Disney Channel music from the early 2000s." - Ultimate Imposter

"Hmph, nothing will ever beat the good ol' Disney Channel original classics!" - Hiyoko

"AMAZING! SHE SHOULD SIGN UP FOR REMNANT'S GOT TALENT! SHE'LL BE AMAZING!" - Kiyotaka

"N-No! I am not crying over nostalgia! You are! Shut up! I am a man!" - Mondo

"I should probably ask Aoi if we could do a marathon of this show later…" - Chihiro

"I approve of this." - Sakura

"Ooooh, I wonder if we could have her be a guest star in Ink Fresh~! She'd rock! …Of course, she'd have to learn a lot of Inklish…" - Sayaka

At that moment, Ibuki got a separate text from Kaede.

"Where is this from? If it's from a TV show I never heard of, I'm willing to watch it!"

"Ooooh, you are in for a TREAT, girlfriend!"

"Sounds like fun!"

"Woo! Date night~!"

Kaede sent a gif of a character sweatdropping.

"Platonically wise, of course…"

"Aww, where's your sense of adventure~?" Ibuki sent a winking emoji.

Ibuki giggled proudly, putting her phone away as she thought of Anya. She really is something, huh? She mused before smiling. Looks like Ibuki taught her really well~

At that moment, more texts came in featuring the Warriors of Hope.

"Oh wow, this sounds familiar!" - Masaru

"I should find this on a streaming service and watch it with the fam. They're gonna love it!" - Kotoko

"I wonder if I could watch this with Futaba one of these days…" - Jataro

"No idea what this is from, but she sings rather well." - Nagisa

"Same here." - Kokoro

"I feel like I heard this somewhere… it's been a while…" - Mabel

"I'm with Nagisa, but it could be a girl's show that Mabel watched at one point." - Dipper

"Okay. We are going to schedule a binge party of this show. I wanna see your reactions!" - Kotoko

"Uh oh…" - Dipper and Nagisa

Ibuki snickered. "You're in for a treat."

Back with Anya and Damian, the former smiled as she had caught Ibuki's thoughts with her semblance before Ibuki got distracted by more texts.

Well, I couldn't have asked for a better teacher. You and Aunt Rosie both.

Both of them stood there outside of the clubroom for a while, both of them unsure of what to say.

However, about a long minute later…

"Esper Girl…"

"Sy-on Boy…"

"...I just want to say that I'm sorry." They both said in unison, causing their eyes to widen in surprise. "H-huh...? No, i-it's okay... Y-you can go first." Gah, why is this so hard?!

Damian took a moment to calm down. "Ladies first, as Mr. Henderson would elegantly put it." He chuckled.

Anya giggled. "Alright."

Anya sighed, slowly rubbing her arm. "I'm… sorry for what I did yesterday. I shouldn't have lost my temper and punched you like that… I didn't mean to go that far even if it was in the heat of the moment."

"Just like Ewen said… we're just a bunch of kids who didn't know any better." Damian said.

BGM: The Champ (Creed III)

"In any case, what happened that day… that wasn't entirely on you." He shook his head while trying to hold back his tears. "None of it."

He rubbed his own arm. "Honestly… I kinda deserved it, what with calling you a lab experiment along with my out of control prejudices against Atlesians. To be fair… I went on a little field trip to Atlas when I was younger and all I was met with were Atlesians who looked down at my parents. "Oh, you're from that poor city known as Vale? I'll pray for you so you don't have to suffer in the slums anymore. It'd be a mercy killing from the gods"."

Damian sighed. "That was what I remembered when some idiot said to me. Apparently, some jerk said something worse to my folks. And then there was Jacques Schnee himself. Because of that, I… always had a chip on my shoulder against Atlesians. I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel bad for all of them when Atlas fell."

Tears swelled in his eyes. "I should've just learned your side of the story first… and, you're right. The Schnees aren't terrible people. They just got caught up in Jacques' horrible practices and politics that they couldn't do a thing about it. Honestly, I don't feel bad for him… he deserved what he got."

He looked down. "I… know you don't have it in you to forgive me…"

"Hey, Sy-on Boy…"

Damian looked up at her, seeing her give him a reassuring smile.

"It wasn't entirely on you either."

Anya frowned. "Still…" She looked at the bandage on his cheek. "Apologies for sounding like a broken record… but I'm really sorry again for punching you hard in the face. Who knows what else I could've done to you if I didn't fully restrain myself at that time…" She grimaced at the memory.

"Nah, don't worry too much about it. I'm not gonna hold it against you. To be honest, I kinda have felt worse before." He chuckled. "Not to mention that it was a pretty good punch too."

"You mean it?"

Damian nodded while smiling. "Mhmm. With a punch like that, it shows that you have what it takes to be a great Huntress like the rest of us Junior Hunters." He looked out to the side with a wistful smile. "One of these days, maybe we should try sparing against each other. Your hand-to-hand could use a little more work."

He then chuckled. "And if you feel like it, maybe I can also invite you to one of my private karate lessons at home too."

Anya giggled while smiling. "Well, I'd be more than happy to learn from the best."

"Let's both make a promise to do our best to understand each other and be better friends to each from now on. What do you say?"

"I like the sound of that."

Both smiled before sharing a big hug, then they walked back into the clubroom.

End BGM

Later, with LAFF, Oran and Logue…

"You know what guys, since DABEE'll be busy with their dinner tonight, why don't we go out for ice cream and enjoy our time at one of the arcades in Toad Town to celebrate Oran's success. My treat." Laura offered.

"Great idea!" Nick nodded.

"Yeah there's this massive sundae that's on offer that we could take-" Albedo mentioned… and then both boys got clobbered on the head by Magnolia.

"What did I tell you knuckleheads about mooching off of other people's kindness?"

"Oww, we're sorry." Both boys said in unison.

I'm glad that we have a boy with us who's at least a bit more sensible than those two. Then again, he's reckless in his own way… Magnolia thought.

"So what do you say, Oran? You up for some ice cream?" Laura asked.

"You had me at ice cream!" He pulled out his scroll.

"Hmm? What are you doing?"

"Since Anya already left I'm informing the family that we passed and that we'll both be home late."

Group Chat Name: We Seriously Need a Better Name For Our Family Unit Instead of Using All of Our Last Names When Referring To Us As a Whole

"Good news, Anya and I both passed our auditions for the light music club and the theatre club. Anya went out for dinner to celebrate with Team DABEE and will probably be home late, and I'm going into Toad Town with the rest for some ice cream and the arcade. I'll probably be home late as well."

Several people are typing…

"Atta boy! Good to see the practice paying off. For both of you." - Raven

"Oh, I'm so happy that you were able to succeed with the lessons I gave you!" - Dorothea

"I bet that Ibuki is feeling happy about this." - Byleth

"Good job kiddos!" - Qrow

"Anya, when you end up seeing this, I'm very proud of you. Enjoy your dinner. I'll see you at home." - Loid

"Glad to hear that, we'll leave some leftovers in the fridge when you get home and you're still hungry, try to be home before nine thirty. That goes for both of you." - Tai

"We will!" - Oran

Oran turned to Laura. "Good news! Dad gave me the okay to go with you guys in Toad Town."

"Great! Let's go!"

BGM: Apotos - Night (Sonic Unleashed)

At Toad Town, the group wound up at one of Susie's ice cream joints where Laura paid for all their ice creams.

Oran had chocolate moose tracks.

Laura had Summer's Clementine Cake.

Magnolia had mint chocolate chip.

Nick had rocky road.

Albedo had chocolate.

Logue had Rose-Scented Strawberry Shortcake Fields.

"Mmmm~! Delicious." Oran smiled. "Thanks, Laura."

"No prob!" Laura giggled as she bit into her ice cream. "Mmm~! I just love how big bro and his friends got their own ice cream flavors named after them!"

"Same here with Team RWBY!" Albedo added. "Though I do wonder when Team JNPR and the other teams will get a turn…"

With Team DABEE…

"Here we are." Emile smiled.

They were standing in front of a high-end two-story building in the night streets of Vale, with the architecture designed to be almost modern-looking inside and out. The name of this establishment is called Castor Steak & Pasta.

"Whoa! Emile, you didn't tell me before that your family runs a restaurant!" Anya said.

"Oh, yeah. I almost forgot that this is your first time coming here. And about the family running the restaurant thing? Well… my dad owns the place, but my mom does most of the management thing around here."

"Oh? So what does your papa do then?"

"My dad's very busy right now at the farm outside the city either doing the usual farm work or the daily agritourism."

Anya was surprised, then remembered what Tai and Raven said the other day. "Uncle Tai and Auntie Raven said something before about Elman Farms… So you guys have a farm too?"

Emile grinned. "Yup! Elman Farms is a major family-owned farm and produce market slash supplier just outside the city of Vale. Our main focus as an agricultural company is not only production and sale of wholesale goods for over sixty varieties of pure-grown fruits and vegetables including livestock but also agritourism."

"Agri… what now?"

"Basically, it's the business of establishing farms and other agriculture-related places as travel destinations for education and recreation purposes, especially for school field trips. If you wanna go to that farm, it's just thirty minutes away from here if you prefer traveling by bus or car." Damian explained.

"Oooh~" Anya nodded in understanding.

"He's right!" Emile cleared his throat. "Anyway, most of the ingredients used in most of our menu items come from the freshly harvested produce and livestock we get from my family farm every week. You know… fruits, veggies, carbohydrates, protein, pretty much the healthy stuff." He grinned. "And the best part? They all taste pretty fantastic!"

Anya's eyes sparkled. "Whoa~ Sounds delish~!"

Emile chuckled. "Trust me, you'll love them. That said, I think you should come visit my family farm sometime. We get a lot of visitors and customers there, especially during the summer and fall seasons."

"Really?"

Becky smiled. "Trust me, Anya. Elman Farms is one of Vale's top tourist destinations. Out of the attractions there, I think you'll love the strawberry fields the most during this coming summer."

"I heard that a lot of people went there last year. And heck, all of us also purchased and brought home our own boxes of freshly harvested strawberries during the last time Team DBEE went there for a day in the summer season!" Ewen chimed in.

The kids then approach the reception desk where they are greeted by the receptionist, who immediately recognizes Emile as she welcomes him to the establishment escorts the kids inside the restaurant, and brings them to the table where Team DBEE usually sits whenever they hang out at the restaurant together after school.

"Is my mom here?" Emile asked.

"She's busy manning the kitchen." She responded.

"Oh, okay!"

As they looked through the menus…

"By the way, I've been meaning to ask… How's your family farm's food donation drive program coming along?" Damian asked.

"Oh, it's going well. Sure there were a few hiccups along the way when we had to deal with a bunch of obnoxious Atlesians who thought that they deserved more to have than the Mantle folks because they were "rich and powerful"... buuut we didn't want any business with them and drove them off without much effort since they're all bark and no bite anyway."

Becky was stunned along with the others. "Wow… even if Atlas fell, I guess that not all of them have learned their lesson the hard way about how money isn't always everything."

Emile sighed. "Sadly, yes…" He smiled a bit. "But if there's any consolation at least we did manage to secure a lot of support from many Atlesians who were kind enough to help out on the program and share with the Mantle folk, that's for sure."

Damian shook his head while sighing. "Seriously… I honestly find it pathetic how they chose to blame the Schnee family and Sea5ons for everything when Atlas fell into Mantle during that egghead's invasion. I get how much panic and distress it caused, but that doesn't mean they can go around finding someone to blame, even the Schnees."

Becky shrugged. "Well, there's a reason why entitlement is the most common bane for folks like them. If they wanna whine about the so-called "fortune" they lost and blame it on others even when it's not completely their fault, it's their loss."

Emile nodded in agreement. "Totally." He chuckled. "Anyway, how 'bout we forget all of this rich people talk for now and live in the moment?" He looked at Anya with a smile. "Our friend here just passed her audition and we've gotta celebrate for our new guitarist in the band."

"Yeah~!" The others agreed while Anya smiled back in appreciation.

Emile grinned. "Go ahead and order anything you want, guys! Dinner's on me tonight!"

Fifteen to twenty minutes later, the food finally arrived after they finished ordering the following…

Damian had trenette al pesto with garlic bread on the side.

Becky had squid ink pasta with seared scallops.

Ewen had creamy steak alfredo with mushrooms and fettuccine.

Emile: had grilled rib-eye steak with baked potato on the side.

And Anya and stir-fried pasta with lime sesame peanut sauce and chicken.

Emile had also ordered a pitcher of bottomless iced tea (which was really just unlimited refillable iced tea) to share with everyone.

Damian cleared his throat, raising his glass up. "A toast… to Anya for passing the Light Music Club audition with flying colors. I'm definitely looking forward to more musical aspirations and other things the future has in store for Team DABEE!"

All of them smiled, raising their glasses up high.

"Cheers~!" They smiled as they clinked their glasses and began eating happily, all the while Emile's mother looked on with a chuckling smile.

"Kids…"

Shout out to Yuri and Log for this Gaiden chapter!

Ibuki: Ibuki had fun teaching Anya-chan~!

Deadpool: I bet you did!

Mhm. Now then, this might be a bit of a turn off for some of you because of this being a slice of life chapter and not action packed or anything but... here's the thing. What's wrong with a little variety? There's nothing wrong with some slice of life action. After all, it all depends on the setting. Anyone can be the protagonist. A main character, if you will. Oran, Anya, DBEE and LAFF are the main characters/protagonists of this chapter, and there's nothing wrong with it.

It ain't filler in my book.