"Now that's a big boy."

Jaune ignored Roman's wandering about while listening to Professor Goodwitch recite the rules. Or he tried to. The spirit's words had a way of burrowing into the boy's thoughts.

"He eats his meat and potatoes." Roman marveled at the orange-haired opposition.

Cardin Winchester was a walking oak tree. He held a couple of inches of height and at least fifty pounds of muscle over Jaune. His plated armor was thick. His two-handed mace was heavy. And he looked like he knew how to use all of it.

Sneering, his face held no hint of pity. The large bird emblem on his chest piece was positioned as if its talons were out to catch prey. He exuded ruthless aggression.

"Don't like your chances here, boyo. Not one bit."

The boy was in deep trouble if Cardin was half as good as Pyrrha or Yang. Not in the way Roman might have thought, either. Jaune was not afraid of catching a beating. That was just part of the job of being a huntsman.

Jaune Arc could fake it in the classroom. He could not do so in the ring. Performing terribly in this spar would be a problem. If the defeat were too one-sided, everyone would know he was an imposter.

"I'm giving you five minutes, tops."

There had always been a nagging thought in the back of Jaune's head that he would eventually be exposed. It was amazing he had not been so before. His hope had been that he would learn enough to pass muster before a test like this came along.

Yet, as his father would tell him, 'Time waits for no one.'

"So, ready to get your face pushed in?"

At the same time, Goodwitch asked. "Are you ready to begin?"

A slow drum beat in Jaune's head. Pulling down his goggles, he resolved to give his all. The lenses flickered to life. Observing him deploy his sword and shield from his back, the instructor nodded at the implicit approval.

STRATOS suddenly activated. 'Combatant detected. Initiating Cyrano protocol."

Jaune blinked at the unexpected lines of text. This was news to him. Usually the mysterious software in his armor only turned on for Grimm.

'Scanning for a match…'

Before he could think any more about the interface change, Goodwitch gave the signal to begin. Cardin advanced upon him at a rapid pace. Jaune, drawing on his lessons with Neo, steeled himself.

'Match found! Type: Human. Name: Cardin Winchester. Determining battle routine.'

The first swing of the metal club was simple to avoid. Cardin was probing the defenses. Jaune did not want to give anything away too soon.

A wall of written information appeared on Jaune's lenses. So much so that he could barely absorb the meaning of them as he was backpedaling. There were a few facts he could pull out while weaving around the ever-encroaching attacks.

Cardin did not have an unlocked Semblance. His weapon was a mace called the Executioner. It had ten titanium flanges around a Dust crystal. Using his Aura and a firing pin mechanism, he could send out a column of fire.

Where this information had come from, Jaune was unsure. But it seemed legit. There was indeed a red gem in the middle of the blunt instrument. It was hard to miss the tell-tail gleam as the bludgeon whizzed past his nose toward the ground.

This glow was the only warning he got. Jaune pulled his shield in front as the flames rushed out. His teeth rattled under the shockwave. He wheezed as smoke whirled about, arranging himself for a follow-up slam to the visual distraction.

It never came.

Eventually the smog dispersed. Looking over his heater shield, he saw Cardin standing in place. A smirk had grown on his face to wicked proportions.

"This all you got?"

"Huh?" Jaune asked while dropping the shield lower.

"Figures I'd get a weakling. You'll learn your place soon enough."

The words were odd. Jaune was not sure why they were conversing at all. Their match had already begun. But if Cardin wanted to give him more time and space to think, he was not going to say 'no' to the idea.

Jaune licked his dry lips. "Where would that be?"

"Anywhere but Beacon." He raised his voice so all could hear. "Let this fight be a lesson to you all. None of you belong here."

The response from those watching was split. Part of the crowd was confused about why the action had stopped. The other portion, understanding they were being disparaged, were infuriated. This did not deter Cardin from continuing.

"Only my team, Team CRDL, passed Initiation the right way. We are legit. The rest of you charity cases are not fit to lace our boots."

Boos rained down as the students consolidated behind heckling him. None more so than Nora, who was yelling at Jaune to 'turn the jerk inside out.' The only contrary opinions were Cardin's teammates. They were soaking in the jeers and dishing back at their detractors.

"It'll take some time to get rid of all of the dead weight." He refocused his attention on Jaune. "I'll start with you. Beat you so bad you run crying back home to mommy."

Even Jaune was rolling his eyes at this point. If being brutalized or blown-up multiple times did not get him to quit, then some jerk with oily hair was not going to make him back down. Still, he did find himself getting more and more annoyed as Cardin yapped on.

"Your partner may be the only one who deserves to be here. What happened? Did she not pass properly because of you?"

Again, Jaune knew this was all manure. Yet it still got to him. Blood pumped faster between his ears. The drumbeat grew louder.

Cardin, seeing his words have an effect on his opponent, prepared to dish out the hurt. Jaune did not care how transparent in his emotions he was being. The other boy needed to be shut up.

Sword pointed out; the blond charged. That had been his move of choice against the Grimm. It was one of the few actions that he knew could pierce their boney hides. He figured the same principle applied to Aura.

But Cardin was not a Grimm.

The mace wielder diverted the thrust with his weapon's shaft. Then, with a simple backhand, he laid the knight out. Grounded, Jaune turned onto his side as the Dust crystal collided once more with the ground. The resulting explosion sent him rolling.

Dizzy, he got back up. Cardin watched on, doing nothing to prevent Jaune regaining his stance. He was like a predator playing with his food.

"What do you think? Will the headmaster let us have Nikos when you are gone? Me and the boys will take real good care of her."

Jaune saw red. He lowered himself for another pass. Cardin smirked.

"Wow. This guy has no problem playing the villain." Roman floated between them, stopping the reckless charge. "Hmm. Y'know what? As fun as watching you get curb stomped might be, I think I'll pitch in on this one."

"Really?" Jaune whispered as the thief merged with him.

"Why not? Beating this chump will do wonders for our popularity."

STRATOS was also contributing. "Enemy movements mapped! Sharing countermeasures."

For some reason, Jaune began to feel confident. With the three of them working together, he was starting to think they could pull this off. They just needed a plan. Cardin, though, was unwilling to wait any longer.

"Lost your nerve, eh? I'll come to you then."

XIX. Smackdown

"Jauney's not doing very well, is he?" Nora asked.

"Understatement of the century." Weiss answered.

Pyrrha had difficulties disagreeing. The trio were watching their team leader fight as pure observers. In the heat of the battle against the Lancers, Jaune had more than pulled his weight.

Here, not so much.

"Gah!" He yelped while avoiding a swing.

Credit where it was due: His dodging skills were top notch. Though, he was using up quite a bit of energy. He also had yet to land a hit.

"C'mon Jaune! Get in there." Ruby cheered.

Her team had stuck close by. The small girl was the most involved, followed by the boy called Ren. Yang and Blake were much more subdued. Nevertheless, there was an unspoken agreement that they were all for Jaune winning.

Other students were rooting for him as well. Pyrrha had the feeling this was not due to them particularly caring for Jaune but more for hating his opponent. She could not blame them on that front.

The things Cardin Winchester had said curdled in her stomach. Pyrrha Nikos was not a vindictive person. However, if they were ever to face each other in a ring, she would take great pleasure in systematically dissecting him.

Much like he, unfortunately, was doing to Jaune.

She looked down at her hand. A dark outline had appeared around the palm. Polarity pulsed, begging to help their partner.

Even at this distance, Pyrrha could 'feel' Crocea Mors. She had been in proximity to the weapon long enough to get a feel for its metallic signature. Much like in her fight with Yang, she could subtly direct Jaune's offense. Instead of forcing him to miss, the Champion could guarantee he hit his targets.

Shaking her head, she dispelled that surge of emotion. This was only a spar. Cheating on his behalf would not help him in the long run.

Knowing this did not make watching any easier, though.

The blond boy let out another cry. This time in exertion. His opponent had brought the ferrule of his mace down to block an attempt to go low. Jaune instead went high with his shield, scoring an uncharacteristically good bash to the face.

This feint did not sit well with Cardin. Ignoring the pain, he retaliated by kneeing the other boy in the stomach. Jaune doubled over. He was so clearly outmatched that it seemed pointless to continue. Even his supporters were starting to lose interest.

"Welp, this match is over." Yang threw her hands behind her head and leaned back to stretch. "Or… Maybe not."

"What do you…?" Ruby looked up. "Oh."

Nora did the same before exclaiming. "Wowza! Look at that."

The rest of the group followed suit. They were all taken aback at the sight of the scoreboard. Especially Weiss.

"How is his Aura still green!?"

Not only green. Jaune was still at a hundred percent. In comparison, Cardin was down to three fourths of a bar.

The latter was logical. Cardin activating his Dust mace would have taken some Aura. Plus, he would have had to protect himself from any residual heat damage. However, the former was inexplicable. Jaune had taken plenty of hits. Something strange was going on.

Ren was the first to offer his thoughts. "Is his Scroll broken? The professor should stop this match if the measurement is off."

"Can't be." Pyrrha rebutted before Ruby or anyone else could rush the stage. "If the Aura reader were malfunctioning, the bar would be empty. Not full."

At Sanctum they had explained how Aura was calculated to students. Each Scroll would periodically send a small sonic pulse through the body. These imperceivable pulses assessed how responsive the light of their soul was to external stimuli.

The safeguards in place were predisposed to returning false negatives rather than positives. It was safer to warn a huntsman of depletion rather than of the opposite. If the reader said Jaune's Aura was full, then it was full.

But if Ren were wrong, how else could they explain what was happening?

Blake was the one to hazard a guess. "Maybe he is losing Aura. He just has so much that the Scroll is not registering any loss yet."

That theory caused everyone to give the screen above a double take. Despite the apparent absurdity of the claim, Pyrrha thought Blake's theory was the most plausible. Scrolls could only take approximations of quantity. It could not fully calculate a person's quality.

Nothing could do so. The soul was deep and complex. Its extensions were even more so. Polarity oscillated with mirth.

"How much Aura does Jaune have?" Ruby marveled.

The boy in question was still going hard in the ring. Meanwhile, Cardin's swings were getting slower. Less impactful. He knew it, too. Frustration was evident in the way he was throwing explosions around with little regard to his remaining stamina.

Cardin was not playing anymore. No longer did he taunt. He aimed to put Jaune down. But the other boy persisted.

Pyrrha wondered how she would do against such a foe. One that would not crumble. That could take everything she could dish out and keep going.

It was exciting. Horrible. She could not look away.

/ / /

"Block left." The shield moved in the wrong direction. "No, your other-"

Jaune was caught with a shoulder tackle. Cardin tried to slam him down, but the pretend knight spun out of harm's way. Reestablishing a healthy distance from the enemy, he panted heavily.

"Calling out… moves… is not helpful."

Roman agreed. "What should I do then?"

Pausing to think, they watched as Cardin shambled towards them. He was also breathing heavily. His armor and oversized club were sapping him of stamina. This brawl had devolved into a game of attrition.

Speaking quickly, Jaune said. "Take my right arm. You're better with a sword."

That was true. Not by much, though. There was a reason the thief had focused on a rudimentary escrima-based fighting style over the way of the blade.

"Anything I should aim for?"

"Push any openings and…" He trailed off. "STRATOS says his weapon does not have a safety lock for the Dust. Think you can do anything with that?"

Roman chuckled. "Can I?"

"...Can you?"

"Get me close and I'll show you."

Accepting the statement at face value, the conversation was over. Cardin was upon them. They moved in to engage.

Roman took a wild swing. One so unexpected that it caused the brute bearing down on them to try and change direction at the last moment. Jaune did not allow Cardin out easily. He thumped him in the chest with another shield bash.

For the first time, Winchester was the one knocked off his feet. Neither the boy nor the spirit was willing to let the opportunity pass them by. They pounced on Cardin as he rose, pummeling him with every available means of violence.

Feet. Elbows. Metal.

None of this was enough. Engaging someone with such an advantage in size and strength was always a losing proposition. Cardin easily wrestled back control. He smirked as he locked Jaune's sword arm under his armpit. This was where he wanted him.

Or so he thought.

Extending himself outward, Roman traveled along the linkage of arms. He skipped along Cardin's Aura like a stone, unable to seep in like he could into Jaune's body. But that was not his aim.

Weapon makers had different approaches to overcoming Dust's inherent instability. Most refrained from using Dust in weapons that required direct contact with an enemy. Those that did employed a safety lock to prevent an accidental discharge.

Winchester could not use a lock with his weapon. He needed to be able to stimulate the Dust crystal at the drop of a hat. The triggering mechanism was for him to flare his Aura to activate the crystal and discharge an equal amount of fire.

This solution worked for most situations. The handle would only ever be in Cardin's hand. Unless, of course, he was dumb enough to invite someone into his personal space.

As soon as Roman reached the mace, he felt a tug. It responded to his presence. He was free roaming Aura, after all. The weapon did as it was constructed and guided the excess up the shaft.

Roman sensed something wrong in his being. He fled before the weapon could suck any more of him up. What had been taken was enough. The Dust crystal blazed with a new shade of pure crimson.

Cardin stared on, dumbfounded. His grip loosened. Jaune slipped loose. He escaped just as the mace erupted in a particularly nasty explosion.

Looking down from on high, Roman felt strained. Compared to the time that Death Stalker had cut away a portion of his ghostly body, this was scarier. If he had interacted with the mace any longer, he would have been sucked in completely.

Now Roman knew not to interact with any Aura channeling weapons. He was less than thrilled with the discovery of this new peril. Being dead was astonishingly complicated.

As the fiery haze dimmed, he caught sight of Jaune. Merging once more with the boy, the thief felt his vitality recharge. Thus was the advantage of having a partner who was willing to share his Aura.

Unaware of Roman's brush with a permanent death, Jaune asked. "Did I win?"

It certainly seemed so. Yet, Goodwitch had not declared an end to the match. The reason for this became as clear as the air.

On one knee, facing the opposite direction, was Cardin. Dazed by the explosion, he was completely unaware of Jaune. His head bobbed up and down as he cleared his lungs.

Roman knew what to do. "Say, didn't you used to play t-ball?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"Well then, doesn't that look familiar?"

The confusion on Jaune's face was brief. He quickly sheathed his sword and detached Crocea Mors from his armor. Running while wielding the ancestral weapon like a bat, he swung for the fences.

A loud thunk echoed through the arena as the flat side of the fully loaded scabbard collided with Cardin's skull. The crowd audibly winced. A buzzer went off as he hit the tile.

Their judge rendered her decision. "Cardin Winchester's Aura has been depleted. The winner is Jaune Arc!"

His classmates cheered at the announcement. Roman did as well. Even he could appreciate a hard fought win. Jaune sagged, tired both physically and mentally.

Recovering slowly, Cardin returned to unsteady feet. Hearing the celebration and realizing he had lost, he snarled at his former opponent. There was a crazed look in his eyes. Not taking any chances, Jaune wound up his arm to hit another home run.

"Enough! Report for a debrief!"

Goodwitch's words shook the orange-haired boy free of his blinding rage. Or maybe it was the implicit threat underlying the order. Either way, he cooled himself down.

The two students walked over to the professor. They made sure to keep a respectable distance between themselves. Neither of them wanted to risk being expelled.

"Gentlemen, I don't even know where to begin." Glynda Goodwitch tapped angrily at her tablet. "Mr. Winchester. That was one of the most shameful displays I have ever witnessed. In one short match, you managed to embarrass yourself, discredit your team, and alienate your peers."

"I-" Cardin tried to defend himself.

"You have talked well enough." She chided. "This was supposed to be a simple spar to display your strengths. Not a chance to gloat and preen. If your Aura were not already below the acceptable threshold, I would restart the match with myself as your opponent."

The taller boy glared at his boots. No matter how sure of himself he was, he knew that he would not stand a chance against someone of Goodwitch's caliber. Roman cackled in a way that brought a tiny smile to Jaune's face.

That all stopped when she turned to them. "As for you, Mr. Arc? While I can appreciate lateral thinking, your deficiencies in your chosen weapon class are shocking. I have seen first year preparatory students with a better grasp of the fundamentals."

"Sorry, ma'am."

She sighed. "Luckily, this is your first day. There is plenty of time for you both to grow as huntsmen. I will be expecting better from here on out."

There were a few more helpful suggestions. Roman did not really listen, but Jaune was doing his best to commit them to memory. The spirit could practically see the gears turn in the blond's head.

Upon dismissal, Cardin stomped off with a sneer. His team followed him to a corner at the far end of the stadium. The rest of the class glared.

Jaune received a more friendly reception. There were a number of pats to the back and whistles as he made his way through the sea of faces. Team RRBY offered their own congratulations before walking as a group closer to the ring. Ruby was fighting next.

His team stayed to speak with him. Nora was the first to react. She hopped on him in an instant. His arms immediately reached under her legs to offer support.

"You won! You won!" She sang while hanging from his neck and kicking her feet in the air. "Oh yeah, boi! Two for two! Our team is on a roll!"

Weiss was next to offer an assessment. "Well, I for one, agree with the professor. Your swordplay was atrocious."

"Ah, Weissy." Nora groaned into his chest piece. "Can't you be a teensy bit more supportive?"

"She is right, though. I do need to get better." Jaune pointed out.

Or ever, Roman would have gladly noted. Jaune's total hours in a proper training environment could be measured on fingers and toes. Considering it took ten thousand hours to master a skill, the boy had a long way to go.

His 'Snow Angel' coughed in her fist. "Perhaps I was too harsh. Regardless of elegance, a victory is a victory. And recognizing your shortcomings is the first step to overcoming them. Still! I do hope you have a plan for improving!"

"Yeah… Ha ha." Her mouth thinned, causing the lover boy to scramble. "I guess I could get a tutor. Maybe an older student?"

"There is no need for that." Pyrrha spoke up. "I'm more than happy to help get you up to speed."

"Oh, well I, uh-" He was about to turn her down before Roman took over. "That would be swell! Thank you, Pyrrha."

Her smile was radiant. They then turned their attention to the ring. Ruby's match had just begun. While this happened, Roman explained himself.

"For future reference, when a world-renowned champion offers to personally train you, you say 'yes!' Immediately!"

It should have been a no-brainer. Roman would have chewed his arm off for an opportunity like that when he was growing up in Mistral. Especially from Pyrrha Nikos. There were few who were better with the blade and buckler.

With his team around, the fake huntsman-in-training had to hold back his retort. Which was good. Roman was not in the mood to listen to any excuses.

Jaune had passed his first school sanctioned fight through gimmicks and trickery. Barely. There was no time to be stubborn. He would just have to swallow his pride and accept the help.

/ / /

"People are going to talk if you keep staring."

Coco diverted her attention to Yatsuhashi. "What people?"

The two of them were seated next to each other in the dining hall. They had just finished their last class of the day and were enjoying a quiet supper. Despite having been seated for a while, she had yet to touch her baked chicken breast.

"Anyone that observes you watching that boy."

A table over, there was a blond freshman with a carefree expression on his face. Much like Coco, he was also eating with his team. His attention was on the excited ginger to his left. She was making wild gesticulations while spinning a tall tale for the group.

"Who says my attention is on him? Maybe I'm more interested in his teammates."

Two of them were pretty famous: Weiss Schnee and Pyrrha Nikos. A famous singer and an idolized athlete, respectively. Plenty of heads were already turned in their direction. What was one more?

"Because you are usually more discreet."

"How would you know, exactly?"

"Because I've caught you a few times ogling Velvet."

Coco choked air. "No you haven't!"

"I have not." Yatsuhashi admitted easily before adding. "But that reaction tells me that I am correct."

She touched her face. It had heated up quickly. He simply sipped on his glass of water. The sliced lemon inside bobbed with each gulp.

"As your leader, I am ordering you to keep that to yourself."

Especially since her glances had not meant anything. Coco had no romantic interest in their faunus teammate. Velvet was just the occasional eye candy. The last thing they all needed was for their squad dynamics to get weird because of messy feelings.

"Keep what to himself?"

The girl they were speaking of slipped into the seat opposite them. In her arms was a tray holding up a garden salad and a can of soda. Coco was about to make a joke about Velvet's food choices when Yatsuhashi spoke up.

"That she's obsessed with a boy."

"Yats!"

"Oh? Which boy?"

"Velv!"

Yatsuhashi not-so casually pointed him out. Velvet fully turned for a lingering look at the blond. Coco pulled at her own hair wanting to scream.

"Ooh! He's cute!" Her rabbit ears twitched before hurriedly turning back. "Is what I would say if he was my type. Heh."

Yats grinned at her sheepishness. "It's okay, Velvet."

She returned the gesture before addressing Coco. "Wait. You're also into boys now? Not that I am judging! I just assumed from the way you only snuck glances at women like Professor Goodwitch that-"

"Shut it! Both of you!" Coco hissed.

This was a clarifying moment for the leader of Team CFVY. If and when she ever had an actual crush, these knuckleheads would be the last two people that she would ever tell. They were, in her estimation, the biggest dorks in the history of ever.

It was a good thing Fox had not arrived yet. He, fortunately, had a private lesson with Professor Greene. Coco was unsure if she could have handled a three-on-one assault.

Knowing they had pushed her too far, the three silently returned to their meals. She was grateful for the reprieve. Eventually, though, Velvet had to continue the conversation.

"So… what is it about him that has caught your eye?"

"Nothing caught-" Coco struggled to keep her temper in check. "He's the guy who took down the Queen Lancer. You know. The one who jumped off our Bullhead?"

Velvet's eyes lit up in recognition. "Him! Yeah, that makes much more sense. You want to thank him for saving our bacon?"

"Something like that." Coco wanted to apologize for sending him to a near-certain death. "Just not sure how I'm going to do it."

When she found out that Jaune Arc had survived the explosion, a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. It was then swiftly replaced by a pit in her stomach. Coco needed to talk with him ASAP.

Yet, that had not happened. Events had conspired against her approach. So had her own cowardice, her mind whispered.

At first, he and his team were stuck in medical recovering from the battle. Then he had been away in Vale, likely celebrating his survival with friends and family. Now they were on the first day of class.

None of these events felt like the right time to corner him to unburden herself. The conversation would be tough to get through. Her mind swirled with questions.

Did he blame her? Did he not? Which would be worse?

The faunus snapped her fingers. "Here's an idea! I'm a teacher's assistant for Dr. Oobleck's freshman history class. I could pull him aside so you two can talk. We could even set it up to look like a big coincidence!"

"What? Like a meet-cute?" Coco scoffed. "You need to stop watching so many romantic comedies. They are rotting your mind."

"It was just an idea." Velvet's ears drooped.

Coco tried to push them off delicately. "I… appreciate the thought. But this is something I need to figure out for myself. So could we please drop it for now?"

"Of course." Yats agreed. "But remember, it's not just you he saved. It was the whole team. You can lean on us to find a solution."

His measured response went a long way to making Coco feel like absolute trash. Not trusting herself to say the right thing, she simply nodded. They then turned to other topics of interest, such as training schedules and plans for the upcoming weekend.

Minutes later, Fox joined them. As he began talking about his adventures with the crabby Professor Greene, Coco saw Jaune stand up and leave the cafeteria. The rest of his team stayed behind.

Coco deliberated following him. This was as good a chance to speak with him as any. He would be all alone. She had to decide.

Now or later?

/ / /

"Are you sure this is enough?"

"Has to be, unless you have a better idea."

Not possessing one, Jaune closed the lid of the foot locker that now contained Melodic Cudgel and its associated Torchwick clothing. Having the outfit close by was critical for when he needed to become the thief. But he could not leave the disguise lying around.

So, Jaune had requested a chest from the Beacon armory. He had told the staff he needed extra storage for some repair parts for his armor. They lent him the metal box with only a signature and a promise to return it upon graduation.

He pushed the locker under his bed. "I'm just saying it would be awkward if one of my teammates sees me taking this out."

"Then we'll just have to be careful."

There was a knock at the door. "Who could that be?"

If it were his teammates, they would have just let themselves inside using their Scrolls. He dropped the bed skirt to conceal the trunk. Then he walked to the dorm room entrance.

Opening the door, Jaune found a brown-haired girl in a Beacon uniform. Over her shoulder was a full courier bag. He did not recognize her from his classes, but that did not mean anything. She could have been an upperclassman.

"Yes?"

She looked up at him with a tilted head. Her pigtails fell to the side. One of her eyes shifted to pink. She grinned upon his recognition.

"Huh. Haven't seen this disguise in a long while." Roman wistfully mused.

"Ne- Wow!" With a push, he fell backwards into the room.

Neopolitan followed him in, stopping only briefly to shut the door with her hip. She prowled toward his fallen form. He clambered to his feet. Having wrestled her before, he knew better than to be on the ground for an extended period of time.

"How did you… Well, I know how you got here. Why, though? Is everything okay?"

The agreement had been for Jaune to focus on Beacon while Leroy and Tommy prepared for the group's next move against the White Fang. Meanwhile, Neo was going to stick around their hideout. She was to help them chase down leads and ensure no one slacked off.

Seeing her here, he assumed the worst. Though, Neo did not seem particularly worried. She instead gave him an appraising look, before stalking past him to his bed.

After poking the mattress a few times to test the softness, she flopped on top of it. Sighing in bliss, she tossed her bag to him. He just barely caught it.

"Uh… You want me to store this for you?"

"She wants you to open it." Roman supplied helpfully.

Nodding, Jaune unzipped the front of the bag. Reaching in, he pulled out a thick three-ring binder. It was marked as 'History of Remnant Lesson Plan' on the front. He opened the table of contents, which contained a chronology with certain historical milestones.

Flipping to the section marked 'Color Revolution' revealed a twelve-page 'executive summary' on that world event. Each paragraph could be read as speaking notes for a wider discussion. On the last page was a list of books for further reference.

Looking back into the bag revealed similar, if smaller, binders for Plant Science and Weapon Crafting. These were all classes Jaune was taking. Returning to the front of the history binder, he found the next day's notes.

Also present were future homework assignments. In a few weeks, Dr. Oobleck was going to assign a surprise essay on comparing and contrasting the old Mantle royal governing body, the Duma, with the current Council system. His rubric was printed below the prompt.

"This is…"

"Brilliant!" Roman spoke through him. "With this, you'll know exactly what's coming in each class. You could actually complete your assignments well in advance."

That did sound useful, but there was a problem. "Hang on. Neo, where did you get these?"

She turned over in his bed, so Roman answered. "She must have lifted them from a school administrator. These look rather formal. I'm guessing teachers have to submit them for each class."

Hopefully, no one was missing the lesson plans. Jaune resolved to make a personal copy as soon as possible and return the originals. He was sure his Scroll had a scanning feature.

It was only then that he stopped to consider the ethics of his choice. This was blatant cheating. He was also concerned with how long it took him to recognize the issues with stealing to get ahead. These compromises were becoming frequent.

Yet, he could not stop here.

In the end, Jaune recognized that this was the only way he was going to keep up with the coursework while also running a criminal enterprise. Plus, he had already sneaked his way into Beacon. That alone could get him expelled. There was no prize for flunking out.

Breaking him of these thoughts was a clicking noise. Someone had unlocked the front door. And Neo was still in his bed.

Dropping the messenger bag, he ran to the door. It swung open slowly. He cut the other person off before they could enter fully. A mane of blood red hair greeted him.

"H-hey, Pyrrha!"

"Hello, Jaune!" She beamed. "I thought I'd come check on you. Did you finish unpacking?"

"Sure did." He thought fast. "Say, did you want to get a head start on tutoring me in combat? I got some energy to burn."

"We could…"

"Great!" He joined her in the hallway. "Let's go!"

Their weapons were still in the locker rooms, so he led her away from the dorm. Pyrrha was a little confused by his sudden burst of enthusiasm, but she accepted it easily. With any luck, Neo would be gone before anyone else returned.