The cafeteria at Beacon Academy was bustling with activity as students, now back from their break, chatted and laughed with their friends. The air was filled with the sounds of clinking cutlery and the smell of freshly prepared meals. Among the students seated at the long tables, Jaune and his teammates—Weiss, Yang, and Ruby—were eating lunch, enjoying the rare moment of calm before the chaos of the new semester began.
Jaune, always the one to lighten the mood, was mid-laugh at a joke Ruby had just told when his attention was drawn to the other side of the cafeteria, where Team BRNN was seated. Nora Valkyrie, as usual, had her own brand of chaos, flinging mashed potatoes at Yang Xiao Long, who eagerly caught and ate every piece that came her way. Ren and Blake exchanged resigned glances, doing their best to pretend they weren't part of the ongoing battle.
"Hey, Ruby, I think your sister's got the wrong idea about lunch," Jaune said, turning to her with a smirk.
Ruby, ever the optimist, just shrugged and grinned. "Nah, that's just Nora being Nora. Nothing new there!"
Weiss, sitting next to Jaune, shot an exasperated look at the two, her arms crossed in a huff. "Can you believe those two? One day, I'm going to have a full-on conversation with them about the importance of eating food properly!"
Yang grinned from the other end of the table, where she was trying to dodge a flying spoonful of mashed potatoes from Nora, which instead landed directly in her lap. "Come on, Weiss! You have to admit, it's kinda fun."
"Fun?" Weiss raised an eyebrow. "You call this fun?"
Meanwhile, Ruby had already launched into a speech about making the most of their last day of break. "Okay, guys, we've got one more day before the second semester starts, and I think we should do something epic. You know, something unforgettable!"
Before anyone could respond, Nora flung a chunk of pie at Yang, who caught it with surprising precision and tossed it right back. The pie splattered against the side of Nora's face, and the fight was on.
"Now we're talking!" Yang cheered as she launched herself into the food fight with reckless abandon, grabbing a bowl of spaghetti and flinging noodles at Ren. Ren, naturally, ducked and let the spaghetti fly past him, but that didn't stop Nora from picking up a plate of mashed potatoes and pelting Yang right in the face.
"Really, Nora?" Yang chuckled, wiping mashed potatoes from her face before grabbing a pitcher of orange juice and spraying it directly at Nora.
The action quickly escalated as plates, cups, and utensils became weapons. Weiss, who had been watching in horror as food flew around, tried to maintain her composure but was suddenly struck by a pie to the face.
"AH!" Weiss screamed, her hands going to her face in an attempt to wipe away the sticky substance. "This is not happening right now!"
With her vision obscured, Weiss blindly reached out and grabbed the nearest object—a salad bowl—and tossed it with surprising accuracy at Ruby, who was too busy watching the spectacle to see it coming. The bowl of lettuce and dressing slammed into her chest, and the room erupted into laughter.
"Weiss!" Ruby exclaimed, though she couldn't help but laugh. "This is your idea of fun?!"
The food fight raged on as students ducked, dodged, and threw food with incredible skill, turning the cafeteria into a chaotic battlefield. Trays of food became shields, cups of drinks turned into makeshift grenades, and the entire room seemed to be covered in a mess of food and laughter.
Meanwhile, across the hall, Glynda Goodwitch was passing by when the sounds of the chaos reached her ears. With a sigh, she stepped into the cafeteria just in time to see Yang soaring through the air, a flying spaghetti bowl hovering above her, only to crash straight down into a pile of mashed potatoes.
Her eyes narrowed. "Enough!"
With a flick of her wrist, Glynda activated her Semblance. The air around the room shimmered as everything—food, debris, and even students—froze in midair before being neatly returned to its rightful place. Plates and utensils floated back to the tables, the food settling into neat portions.
Yang, who had been airborne, fell with a loud thud onto the floor, a mess of spaghetti and mashed potatoes splattered around her. She groaned, wiping food from her face as she sat up.
Glynda stood at the center of the now-immaculate cafeteria, her eyes blazing with frustration. "You are all insufferable!"
Jaune, seeing the storm cloud that was Glynda approaching, quickly dove behind Ruby, using her as a shield. "Save me!" Jaune whispered in mock desperation.
Ruby, wide-eyed but quick-witted, raised her hands in surrender. "Glynda, I swear, it wasn't my fault!"
Glynda's gaze shifted to Jaune, her piercing eyes narrowing. "Jaune Arc…"
Before Glynda could say anything further, the doors to the cafeteria swung open, and in walked Ozpin, his usual calm demeanor unchanged, though there was an amused twinkle in his eyes. He glanced around at the now-spotless room, then turned to Glynda.
"Let them be, Glynda," Ozpin said, his voice calm but firm. "I believe that, while their actions were uncalled for, a little bit of youthful exuberance won't hurt anyone. Besides, I think Jaune and his team have earned a bit of fun after all the hard work they've done."
Glynda exhaled, clearly frustrated but choosing to let it go. "You're all lucky," she muttered under her breath before shooting a final, disapproving glance at Jaune, who was still hiding behind Ruby.
With a mischievous grin, Ozpin turned to Jaune and gave him a knowing look. "I must say, Jaune, I'm impressed by your strategic thinking. Hiding behind a student to avoid trouble… very resourceful."
Jaune sheepishly stood up from behind Ruby, rubbing the back of his neck. "I wasn't hiding, I was… uh… providing moral support."
Glynda's scowl softened, though her gaze was still stern. "You're lucky, Jaune. If I had it my way, you'd be spending the rest of the day cleaning up this mess."
Jaune gave a wide, cheeky grin. "I'm just happy I got out of that one in one piece."
As Ozpin made his way to the door, he paused and looked back at the room full of students. "I do believe I'll let you all off with a warning… but only because I'm feeling generous. Enjoy your youth while it lasts, my students. It doesn't last forever."
Glynda rolled her eyes but didn't say anything as Ozpin walked out. With that, the cafeteria returned to normal, though the echoes of laughter and excitement still hung in the air, signaling the beginning of a brand-new semester.
