[6/12 (Thursday) - Afternoon]
[Beacon Academy — Near the Nurse's Office]
Thankfully, Jaune's injuries were only minor, the result of his Aura accelerating his natural recovery. Still, Professor Goodwitch had forced him to visit Nurse Florence for a quick checkup to make sure that no lingering damage persisted.
While Pyrrha had already forgiven Jaune for what happened a week ago, there was still a quiet hesitance between them, with Jaune himself having asked for space that day.
So Clerval had volunteered to accompany him instead. The appreciative eyes that were
The walk to the nurse's office passed in silence until Jaune finally broke it.
"Hey, Clerval..."
He slowed to a stop in the hallway before turning toward him, hesitation visible across his face. After letting out a long breath, he finally spoke.
"I'm... really sorry. About what almost happened back there."
"Cardin, he..." Jaune glanced around the hallway to make sure nobody was nearby before lowering his voice. "I... You're my teammate. You deserve to hear the truth."
Taking in a deep breath, he continued.
"I lied my way into Beacon with fake transcripts. I didn't go to any prep school or had any professional training beforehand. Because of that, Pyrrha tried helping me train—and I pushed her away. That's when Cardin found out and started blackmailing me."
"And what happened in Forever Fall..." He grimaced. "I couldn't go through with it. Not to you. Not to Pyrrha."
His hand tightened slightly at his side.
"It would've broken something important in me: my resolve to become a hero. I guess that even after breaking a couple of federal laws, I couldn't compromise on who I was." He chuckled bitterly as he leaned back against the wall, sighing before finally looking Clerval directly in the eyes.
"So... yeah. I'm really sorry for everything I've done."
Jaune had laid everything bare. His lies, his fears, and the guilt he had been carrying this entire time.
And Clerval nodded.
"Okay."
Jaune blinked.
"... Okay? Wha—" Jaune sputtered, staring at him in disbelief. "W-What does that even mean?"
"Okay," he repeated, crossing his arms. "The past doesn't define your present. You're risking your life to save others, Jaune. You saved one this afternoon. Your heart is in the right place—that matters more to me than how you got into Beacon."
Jaune opened his mouth, then closed it again, swallowing whatever he had been about to say. After a brief pause, he nodded with a small, relieved smile.
"... Thanks. For believing in me."
["I am Thou,"]
["Thou art I."]
["Thou hast established a new path,]
[bringing thee further into your odyssey."]
["With the birth of the Magician Arcana,]
["Thine soul shalt be blessed to call forth stronger Personas of the Magician Arcana..."]
Clerval simply nodded back.
He felt his relationship with Jaune had grown much stronger than before.
============================================
"Everything looks fine," Nurse Florence said, eyes still on her noteboard. "In fact, I'd say you're in the pink."
Spinning her chair around, she turned her attention to both boys.
"Jaune Arc, your Aura levels are unusually high for a first-year. You've got one of the largest reserves I've seen in years. Comparable to some third-years, even."
Her pen tapped lightly against the board, pointing at a section of her notes marked with several circled annotations.
"And you've only unlocked it recently?"
"I... cough—uh, we have doctor-patient confidentiality, right?" Jaune asked sheepishly.
She rolled her eyes.
"Then..." Jaune hesitated. "Haha... I may have unlocked it during Initiation?"
Instead of the look of shock that he expected, Nurse Florence hummed in thought, flipping through her notes and landing on a page filled with graphs.
"I see. That would explain the spike." She leaned back slightly. "And your recovery rate is exceptional. Your bruises and injuries were already nearly gone before you stepped into my office. By my estimation, you could heal a fractured rib in under three hours with Aura-enhanced regeneration."
After finishing the check-up, she gave Clerval a brief additional request to retrieve a package from deeper within Vale, giving him a wink before waving them both out of her office with a shooing motion.
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[6/12 (Thursday) - Evening]
[Beacon Academy — Dorm Hallway]
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"Well, thanks for following me for the check-up, man." It was the fifth time Jaune had thanked him since their conversation earlier.
Clerval waved it off dismissively as they continued down the hallway together. Eventually, they arrived at their dorm rooms—only for Jaune's expression to shift slightly the moment his eyes landed on Team Juniper's door.
"I'm... gonna go somewhere for a bit," he admitted quietly before immediately turning toward the staircase. "Get some fresh air."
Giving a quick wave goodbye, Jaune jogged up the stairs just as Clerval pulled out his Scroll.
[Conversation with: PYRRHA NIKOS (Online)]
[Clerval: He's heading to the maintenance rooftops.]
[Pyrrha: ?]
[Pyrrha: !!!]
[Pyrrha: Thank you!]
[PYRRHA NIKOS has gone offline.]
The door of Team Juniper's room slams open, and a streak of red rushes past Clerval at frightening speed, sprinting after her team leader.
It looks like their relationship would be alright, he thought silently, helping Nora and Ren close Team Juniper's door for them before entering his room with a twist of the knob.
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SOCIAL LINK RANK UP!
MAGICIAN (I): Jaune Arc
Level 1 / 10
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NEXT UPDATE: 18 June, Thursday
A/N: Sorry for the late chapter! Here you go!
P.S. With that, all of Team Juniper's members have a Social Link with Clerval! Time to finish with Team Ruby's with Blake and Yang!
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