[5/30 (Friday) - Morning]
[Beacon Academy — Dorm Room]
"Vale?" Clerval repeated, brow slightly raised as he and Team Juniper sat on the floor.
Waking up completely naked that morning, he had thought the day couldn't possibly get any more complicated. On the bright side, he did feel unusually refreshed, mind, body, and spirit. He made a mental note to check the cafeteria more often for the Nutritional Goop.
Then Nora had barged into his room while he was getting dressed, earning a startled yelp from both of them.
Apparently, after whatever had happened the day before, he had forgotten to lock the door. Ahem, once he was properly dressed, Team Juniper entered his room and began explaining the situation.
Across from him, Pyrrha sat with an apologetic smile, hands folded neatly on her lap.
"Well, it's like this..."
She had tried to address the situation that occurred on the other day by publicly clarifying the rumors surrounding her and Jaune in an attempt to simmer down the attention on him. Not that she minded being seen with Jaune as her partner—she quickly added with a small cough, with Nora giving a wink at her while Jaune was nodding obliviously—but the media had taken things further than expected.
Now, the attention had spread to the entire team; it placed an uncomfortable amount of pressure on all of them, Jaune replied sheepishly.
After discussing it with her teammates and consulting her PR agent, she had come up with a plan.
She wanted to be seen going out to Vale again—this time, with another male friend.
... Confused, Clerval glanced toward the other male member of Team Juniper.
That earned a round of chuckles. Lie Ren let out a quiet sigh. "It would seem the media is convinced that I am female."
"Renny does lean more to the feminine side!"
"Thank you for defending my masculinity, Nora," he replied dryly.
The idea itself was simple. By appearing publicly with another male friend, Pyrrha could demonstrate that the rumors were baseless. More importantly, it would reinforce that she was no longer just an arena fighter. Alongside that, her PR team planned to release an aggressive statement, warning media outlets against further speculation and threatening legal action for any defamatory reporting.
Pyrrha Nikos is a Huntress-in-training now. Who she worked with, male or female, shouldn't matter in the face of the universal threat in front of them.
Clerval blinked. He hadn't realized it was such a big issue.
Then again, he barely used social media.
After Yang and Weiss discovered just how little exposure he had—his Scroll revealing he hadn't even downloaded any relevant apps—they had practically banned him from using Leddit and Crower altogether.
Well, he didn't mind going out to Vale again. Looking at the Beacon Support Group chat logs, he noticed a few pending requests he still had to complete.
Might as well kill two birds with one stone.
He gave a small nod. "When are we going?"
"Ah, preferably as soon as possible." Pyrrha smiled, relief evident in her expression. "I'd like to put an end to the media's enthusiasm once and for all."
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[5/30 (Friday) - Afternoon]
[Vale — Zone 8 (Commercial)]
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Out in Vale together, as they exited the Bullhead, Pyrrha revealed that she hadn't really planned anything else.
"Sorry! I was too busy planning with the team and my PR agents..."
Clerval waved it off, unbothered.
"If that's the case, do you mind if I grab a few things?"
He had recently received a rather hefty paycheck from Miss Florence—a solid five hundred Lien for delivering her goods. On top of that, the other deliveries he had completed for Beacon staff had earned him additional credit toward his teams' upcoming monthly budget allocation.
Safe to say, he had a bit to spare.
"Of course!" Pyrrha brightened at that and gave a quick nod. "And I'll cover the cost—for my sudden request."
He shook his head almost immediately. "No need."
Imagine taking money from a teammate, especially a friend, for something as small as this? He would handle his own expenses. Non-negotiable, he conveyed with finality.
Pyrrha paused slightly taken aback at the gesture before a small, genuine smile formed on her lips.
"Very well then, Clerval. Please lead the way."
With the matter settled, their first stop was the Electronics Store. Catching his eye was the signs of advertisement plastered on the windows of the store about a clearance sale.
Curious, he stepped inside and browsed the offers, with Pyrrha following behind. After a brief look around, he selected an older-model television and a DVD player—both heavily discounted, bringing the total to under 300 Lien.
"This television and disc player set must be almost a decade old," she observed.
Almost immediately, a salesperson appeared beside them, moving with practiced efficiency the moment he recognized Pyrrha. A professional smile was already in place.
"Why, Miss Nikos! While this model is on the older side, our store maintains very strict quality control standards. I assure you—it functions exactly as intended!"
He then immediately launched into a detailed explanation of the electronic set's specifications and features; Clerval's expression gradually shifted into mild confusion at the technical jargon being referenced.
Noticing it, Pyrrha smoothly stepped in, taking over the conversation with practiced ease.
The discussion continued for a short while before, through a combination of negotiation and unmistakable celebrity influence, she managed to bring the price down to 250 Lien.
"It's a skill I learned from my mother," she said with a slightly sheepish smile as the salesperson hurried off to ring up the purchase. "At least my fame comes with a few perks."
She even managed to have the store arrange shipping directly to Beacon Academy.
Having secured a proper television and disc player, the obvious next stop was the MovieRentalStore for the lifetime membership plan that he noticed a few weeks back.
A quick sign-up later—25 Lien for a lifetime membership—he now had access to a surprisingly wide and varied selection of films. The cashier also gave a quick reminder that any damaged discs would incur a small replacement fee.
He quickly browsed the shelves for a moment before picking up a disc titled Wraith, the synopsis describing a moving story of a woman who can talk to ghosts.
As they passed the Grocery Supermarket on their way toward the Bookstore, Pyrrha slowed to a stop.
"The dorm lounge has a Kitchen, doesn't it?" she asked suddenly, glancing through the store's windows.
He hummed in agreement. The dorms did have a kitchen; it was well-equipped, even, but in his month-long stay at Beacon, he hadn't seen anyone actually use it.
"That's exactly why," she said, a hint of excitement slipping into her voice. "Wouldn't it be nice? Cooking together as a team, I mean. Ren's been making pancakes for Nora on their portable stove, and he gives off the impression that he knows how to cook..."
She considered it for a moment before giving a small nod. "Could you give me a moment? I'll just pick up a few things."
He gave the okay. Perhaps cooking might increase his Reputation amongst the first-years and staff likewise?
With that, they stepped inside and began picking out a modest selection of ingredients. At one point, he had to gently stop her from buying enough food to feed an entire army after she casually flashed a black card and insisted she would handle all the expenses.
As they walked back out into the streets, hands full of plastic bags filled with groceries, Pyrrha's expression softened into something more thoughtful. After a brief moment of hesitation, she spoke.
"Ever since I was young, I've been training to become a Huntress. It's a tradition in the Nikos family to begin our training early as early as four years old, compared to the standard age of seven that the government mandates."
"And to help build my experience, my father, with his influence, arranged for me to enter the Mistral arena fighting circuit once I was of age. Compared to Vale, Mistral's scene is far more prominent and influential. Arenas are filled with spectators and gamblers alike, watching as fighters battle it out for a chance at standing on the podium. It's a sensation you only truly understand once you've experienced it yourself."
She looked slightly to the side, lost in thought.
"My career started taking off. Not that I'm bragging, but I did dominate in the arena. Mostly because I had more training than most people my age. Two years is a significant gap to close. Then, when I won my first Mistral Regional Tournament... things changed."
"I became too famous, too quickly. I was already used to fame because of my heritage, but the sudden fame caused the friends I'd trained with for years began to drift away. Some were jealous. Others felt like they had to step out of my shadow just to succeed."
Her grip tightened slightly around the grocery bag.
"I don't blame them at all. But... it got lonely for a while."
"That's part of why I came to Beacon. While it's one of the four great Huntsman Academies, Mistral has HavenAcademy; choosing one so far from my hometown was also a way to get away from all of that."
She glanced at him then, a faint smile returning.
"It was a bit rocky at first, I'll admit. No offense to Weiss, but the way she acted initially was exactly what I feared most. But I'm grateful it turned out the way it did. Meeting Jaune... my team... and now my friends—they don't see me as 'the Invincible Girl from Mistral' anymore."
"They see me as me, Pyrrha Nikos."
A quiet silence lingered between them for a moment when Pyrrha blinked, snapping out of her melancholic thoughts about the past.
"Oh dear, I've been rambling, haven't I? Sorry about that!"
Clerval didn't mind. If anything, hearing her speak so openly made the distance between them feel smaller, like he understood her a little better now than he had before.
At that moment, the world around him seemed to dim as a familiar voice echoed within his mind.
["I am Thou,"]
["Thou art I."]
["Thou hast established a new path,]
[bringing thee further into your odyssey."]
["With the birth of the Fortune Arcana,]
["Thine soul shalt be blessed to call forth stronger Personas of the Fortune Arcana..."]
Then, just as quickly, the world returned to its normal colors as Pyrrha shifted the grocery bags in her hands, breaking the silence.
"I'm afraid our time-sensitive groceries might spoil if we stay here any longer. Shall we?"
A bright, genuine smile lingered on her face as she led the way back toward Beacon.
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[5/30 (Friday) - Evening]
[Beacon Academy — Dorm Room]
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While he was busy setting up the television and disc player in his dorm—for some reason, it still wasn't turning on despite his troubleshooting—his Scroll alerted him to a new notification.
[Conversation with: PYRRHA NIKOS (Online)]
[Pyrrha: Hi Clerval, sorry for suddenly dumping my story onto you!]
[Pyrrha: Seems that the media was grating on my nerves more than I thought.]
[Pyrrha: Though.. Regarding our conversation, can I come to you at times to talk about it?]
[Pyrrha: It's just that... You're the first person that I've actually been able to talk so openly like this!]
[Pyrrha: And it really brings the weight off my shoulders when I talk about it.]
[Clervalhas sent a sticker of an ash-blond boy giving a thumbs up.]
[Clerval: I'm free whenever.]
[Pyrrhahas sent a sticker of an ancient Mistralian soldier giving a salute.]
[Pyrrha: I'll treat you with something when the time comes!]
[Pyrrha: It's a bit late now, so I'll head to bed first.]
[Pyrrha: Again, sorry about earlier! And thank you for accepting my request.]
[Pyrrha: Goodnight!]
[Clervalhas sent a sticker of an ash-blond boy sleeping in a bed without a care.]
[PYRRHA NIKOShas gone offline.]
Putting his Scroll aside, Clerval stared at the mess of electronics in front of him, letting out a quiet sigh a moment later as he returned to setting up the equipment he had bought earlier. Perhaps if he had more Proficiency with electronics and items alike, this would go smoother.
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