"No."
My response was as flat as it was direct.
There is no way I am agreeing to any of this and losing my freedom.
Qrow gave me a wry smile while Taiyang Xiao-Long, Qrow's brother-in-law and my potential teacher after I join Signal, looked kind of awkward.
.....Actually, his name kind of sounds familiar. Did I overhear his name back in Mistral or something? No. That can't be it. I'd have remembered his name clearly if he were a potential threat.
Hm. A thought for later.
"Look, kid. This ain't Mistral, where laws are mere suggestions. Here, there are serious consequences to breaking said laws. And the law states that any child under the age of 17 must live with an adult guardian, failing which, they must report to a state-run orphanage."
"And I just said that I refuse all that. If I am not allowed to own my own house despite having the money and being an experienced merc, I might as well go back to Mistral and try my luck with Sanctum instead of Signal."
"Yeah, no can do, chief."
"...huh?"
I must have looked particularly stupid since Qrow looked like he was trying not to laugh while Taiyang pushed forward a rather thick file towards me.
Opening the file, I did not know how to react to what was inside.
"Name: Ignis Ruben. Status: Orphan. Potential Huntsmen Primary Combat School candidate: Yes."
So far, it was normal and factual, but what came next was truly mind boggling.
"Was found wandering the wilderness of Mistral with nothing to his name? Was one of the many survivors of Yamamura and lost everything, including personal identification and citizenship status? Taken in by Huntsman Qrow Branwen out of pity? What the hell kind of sob story is this!??"
The first two statements are technically true. I did wander Mistral's woods all the time, but I am not some homeless kid. I chose not to settle down anywhere because of my profession. Hell, I have so much money that I could easily live the rest of my life in luxury without lifting a single finger if I wanted to!!
But that last statement!? That is straight-up bullshit!!
Qrow raised his hands and shrugged his shoulders.
"That's just how the game is. If I hadn't created that sob story, things would have taken a lot longer on that end-"
"Fuck that shit!! I am not taking this lying down-"
"Language!!"
"Oh, please! You don't got no right to say that to me. And this is between him and me, so you better not get in between!"
I rebuked Taiyang and turned back to Qrow.
"This kind of bullshit story is not going to fly! I demand you change it!"
"No can do. It's already official."
...I regret allowing this bastard to ship me from Mistral to here.
'Actually, what is stopping me from leaving right now? Oh, right. Because I wanted to go legit and stop being a merc. Something that would be relatively harder compared to the current path laid out in front of me.'
'Fuck my life, seriously.'
I sat back down and slumped into my seat.
"Fine. But I am not going to be adopted by some randos off the street just because the law requires it."
"Sure thing. Besides, you are not getting placed with some random person on the street."
....Hold up. That doesn't sound right.
"...Why does it sound like you already decided where I am going?"
Qrow grinned at my words. A grin that unsettled me a lot.
"Because we have. You are going to stay at Tai's home for the next five years, until you hit the legal adult age after entering Beacon Academy. Then, you can move out and do whatever the hell you want."
"Qrow..."
I groaned as Taiyang gave Qrow a glare for the swear he used.
I can already see what kind of hell awaits me in Taiyang's house if this is how he reacts to swearing and some minor bad words.
Especially since my vocabulary has evolved in some.....interesting directions in the past two years, thanks to living in Mistral's underworld.
Unfortunatley, it doesn't look like there is any loophole to exploit here. At least, I don't think there is one.
I'll need to hit the books on local law the first chance I get. I know the laws of Mistral like the back of my hand, but Vale? That is out of my wheelhouse.
"Fine. I'll go. But make no mistake. I am not going to be a charity case."
I stared Taiyang in the eyes and laid out my cards clearly.
"I will pay for my stay, food, and everything else. I will not be someone who freeloads on you simply because you are playing the role of my legal guardian."
"In return, I hope you will not restrict my freedom too much. Deal?"
Taiyang thought for a moment, looking like he swallowed a lemon. A justified feeling.
Hell, if I were in his place and a kid like me dared to say these words, I would be pissed beyond reason.
But this is the one thing I cannot compromise on.
I require this freedom to make sure of my safety in this dangerous world by making backup plans and enacting other contingencies I have in place.
That aside, these two are still strangers who suddenly barged into my life.
They seem to be good people, and based on the limited amount of details I managed to find in the past two days by secretly contacting the underworld and trading in some of the favors a few guys out there owe me, these two seem to be very competent and morally upstanding huntsmen.
However, they are still strangers to me nonetheless, and I would never put myself in this situation if it were not for that nagging sensation that I keep getting with Taiyang. Something about him seems very, very familiar, and for the life of me, I can't remember.
Finally, the blond man nodded slowly.
"Fine. But, this deal of ours, don't mention it in front of anyone else, not even my daughters."
That is an acceptable compromise-wait a minute!
"Daughters?"
At my question, his face brightened up again as Qrow groaned a bit, knowing what was coming.
"Yup! I have two very cute daughters! Look! This is them!"
He took out a photo showing a blond girl with lilac eyes, with a few of her teeth missing while grinning, either from a fight or from falling down or something else, I don't know, and an even younger girl with black hair that had red tips and silver eyes.
"They are my precious treasures! The older one will be your classmate starting next year in Signal."
I could not stop the amused smile on my face as Taiyang beamed with pride and continued rambling about his daughter while also giving me light threats about not getting any 'ideas'. A statement I did not take to heart.
"You really hold a lot of pride for them, eh?"
"Yup! Yang and Ruby are my greatest pride!"
Hm. Understandable. I, too, had a lot of pride for Sam. She never used to cause any trouble at school and was a straight-A student all the time.
It makes sense that Taiyang would be proud of Yang....Wait.
Yang. Her father's name is Taiyang Xiao-Long. That means her full name is Yang Xiao-Long.
And she has a little sister named Ruby with black hair and crimson tips, along with silver eyes.
....Fuck me. Are those two the main cast of the show?
The realization hit me like a fully loaded freight train.
This is why Taiyang's name and his face were nagging at me so much! I once saw his pic on the wiki while casually browsing along with the fact that he was Yang and Ruby's dad.
Back then, a lot of guys were cursing him for shaking up with both Yang and Ruby's mothers, calling him all kinds of names. There was also that famous meme of him railing his entire team.
So, in that context, Qrow is the 'dusty old crow' that taught Ruby in the future? The one that the girl talked about in Volume 1's opening episode?
....The next few years are going to be interesting. And it is not a good thing.
There is a reason why 'May you live in interesting times' is considered a curse.