There Is No Way My Boyfriend Is The Protagonist's Rival! [RWBY AU] [Fix It Fic World] [Ruby PoV] - Chapter 3

Soon after Headmaster Ozpin finished his speech, the whole Amphitheater erupted into thunderous applause.

Ruby doesn’t want to lag behind other potential students, and enthusiastically joined in the clapping, doing her best to clap as hard as she could, from her spot, which is all the way to the very back of the crowd.

As for why she was at the very end of the crowd, despite her semblance which gave her super speed, as simply because she liked to sit at the back, since it let her view the entirety of the stage.

Totally not because she got lost while trying to find the Amphitheater.

And absolutely didn’t miss half of the Headmaster’s welcome speech.

And absolutely didn’t have to sneak in through a side door after the main entrance had already been closed.

Not at all, and if anyone tried to imply otherwise, they are totally lying!

As the clapping slowly died down, her hands stopped as well. She shifted in her seat, feeling a twinge of boredom creep in already.

Craning her neck, she scanned the room full with unfamiliar faces, wondering if maybe, just maybe, she might spot a classmate from Signal among the crowd who made it to Beacon.

But the room size made it nearly impossible for her to make out individual features from this distance, though. And her position at the very back didn’t help matters, either. Although, even with those disadvantages, a few distinct individuals did catch her eye, however.

Like that rude girl she met in the airship earlier – Vernal, if Ruby remembered the name correctly.

She had claimed a good number of seats to herself, lounging across them like a hammock as she was playing with her scroll. A sudden barking laugh erupted from her, drawing disapproving looks from those nearby. Not that it seemed to faze the unrepentant girl in the slightest as she continued playing and took a bite of her chocolate bar.

Ruby’s lips pressed together in a tight frown, her expression mirroring the disapproval of her future classmates. She had seen Vernal’s very… rude attitude before, but to be so blatantly disrespectful, even on her first day at Beacon?

That kind of attitude would surely get her in trouble with teachers and staff soon enough. Still, she wasn’t about to call her out herself as it wasn’t her business. Best to wait and let the professors handle her, and it looked like the deputy was looking in Vernal’s direction, and from the frown on her face, she’s clearly aware of what Vernal is doing, and disapprove of it.

Ruby shifted her attention to another area of the Amphitheater, a couple of rows ahead of her position, and something big and black caught her attention.

At first, she thought it was a couch, but upon further inspection, she noticed that it’s actually a guy instead, a really really really big guy.

Who appeared to be sound asleep in his seat, using not a single armrest of the chair in front of him as a makeshift bed frame, with his arm as his pillow, but 5!

The man is huge, like, gigantic, to the point where she wondered if his size is man-made, she did hear that there’s a bone-lengthening operation in Atlas, perhaps he got one of those?

She could easily imagine him being double her size if they were to stand side by side, her head would probably at best, be in his stomach. Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration but still.

But why was he sleeping through such an important ceremony? That seemed an incredibly rude thing to do, not as rude as Vernal, but still.

Not only that, did nobody around him think to try to wake him up?

Although, now that she looked closer, she noticed there were no other students seated directly next to him. In fact, people seemed to be giving him a lot of space, with some even opting to sit on their friends’ laps rather than the many empty seats beside him.

Were they… scared of him?

Ruby squinted, but she couldn’t find anything particularly frightening about his appearance from this distance. Neither of his clothes looked wrong, well… considering his size, he must be pretty intimidating when up close, is that why no one wants to sit close to him?

Moving her gaze onwards, her silver eyes landed on a girl with long white hair cascading down her back. Unlike the previous two she had noticed, this girl seemed fully focused, eyes locked sharply on the Headmaster at the front. She presented quite the stark contrast to the rude girl and oblivious sleeper. Although… there was something strangely off-putting about her too, something Ruby couldn’t quite put her finger on.

No, Bad Ruby. She couldn’t judge people like that without knowing them first.

Even so, her curiosity was piqued when a blonde guy moved to sit next to the white-haired girl and started speaking to her. From her position, she couldn’t make out his words, but it was clear the girl was utterly ignoring him, not even acknowledging his existence.

Before Ruby could think more about it, another round of applause rippled through the room, something which she quickly followed. When she quickly looked back towards the front, she found the Headmaster was walking away and the Headmistress – Glynda Goodwitch, as she introduced herself early on — had now stepped up to the podium to speak next.

As the deputy headmistress finished her announcement, another round of applause began, though this time seemed to be louder than the last few, and from her experience as a student, it’s probably because the Headmistress’ last speech is the closing speech.

And as the Headmistress left the podium, some people began to stand up, which seemed to signal the end of the opening speech, and many people on her left and right started to stand up and make their way towards the main exit.

Ruby tried to stand as well, but then froze midway, and quickly plopping back down in her seat again.

She didn’t want to look bad by appearing like she was dying to escape the room first. And if she was the very first one out, the teacher standing outside might wonder how she’d gotten inside in the first place and get her into trouble!

Better to wait a little and leave blended into a group, so nobody thought she had arrived late.

Yeah, it was maybe a dumb reason, but giving bad first impressions was something she wanted to avoid.

Just look at Vernal – who hadn’t even budgeted an inch from her original position, content to keep lounging across the row of seats like she owned them, Scroll still in hand, the Headmistress kept sending glare her way when she’s still in the room, she didn’t want to leave that kind of bad impression!

Or the massive guy who was somehow still snoozing away, despite the loud noises from the students nearby who are talking to each other.

Couldn’t someone be nice enough to wake him up? What if he had simply been exhausted from all the training he did for the entrance test? She would, but there’s a huge crowd of students in front of her, so it’s really hard for her to cross.

However, her attention was drawn away by a small commotion not too far from her. Turning in that direction, she grinned as she noticed it was someone that she recognized. What caught her eyes is the sight of a familiar yellow haired faunus figure, Marigold, that she met earlier.

Ruby had been about to stand and go talk to her potential friend, but stopped herself when she realized that Marigold wasn’t alone.

The blonde was surrounded by a crowd of people, thankfully, they are keeping some distance away from the exit so as not to obstruct others. But the group still clustered around Marigold, some appearing to be taking selfies with her while others looked to be asking for autographs.

Was she… famous?

Ruby racked her brain as hard as she could, but she couldn’t recall ever seeing her on a CCT broadcast, or hearing about her in any media post.

Taking a closer look though, she noticed the distinctive Mistralian style and fashion of the people’s clothing around the faunus.

Maybe Marigold was a local celebrity back in Mistral? Like a popular singer or model who chose to become a Huntress?

That’s not an unheard story. As far as she remembers, a year or two ago, there’s a famous Atlesian singer who chose to drop her career and join Beacon. Maybe Marigold is like that too?

Ugh, she should ask her about it rather than think too hard into it, all of this was just confusing her.

And, all of these random thoughts were getting her distracted, because the room was now half-empty.

And since this was her chance to leave without raising any suspicions. Ruby sprang up from her seat and joined the line, finally able to leave.

She followed the crowd through the entrance. And a pamphlet was pressed into her hands – just like what the Headmistress — Miss Goodwitch — had said, a whole map of everywhere they could go is available on the pamphlet. Her eyes immediately locked onto the cafeteria and soon decided that it would be her first stop.

And would you look at that?

Everyone must have had the exact same idea, since they are all walking in that direction, so of course she joined the masses.

The walk itself wasn’t that far, but the entrance was just packed with a long line of hungry people. A big screen hanging over the doorway showed the current average waiting time.

“Ugh, twenty minutes?” Ruby groaned under her breath.

Well, it wasn’t the end of the world, she supposed. A few rounds of games on her scroll could totally help her to pass the time.

Giving the waiting line one last look, she pivoted on her heels and skipped over to sit down cross-legged on a patch of grass nearby instead.

Whipping out her scroll, she checked for any new messages from her friends, but her inbox was empty. A little pout puffed out her cheeks for just a second before she brushed it off and rapidly tapped over to launch the game ‘Dust Quest.’

She was pretty sure that by the time she reached the level 132, that long queue would have thinned out enough to slip inside and grab cookies – or maybe even a whole plate of cookies if she was lucky!

A fun little color-matching puzzle game was the perfect time-killer.

When Ruby finally conquered level 131, she glanced up and noticed that the waiting line had indeed dwindled down a fair bit.

Checking the timer display, it showed only fifteen minutes left. Which is a solid five minute decrease.

She pumped her fist slightly in silent victory.

Okay, just a couple more levels.

After a while, Ruby reached level 150 and checked the cafeteria entrance again. And much to her delight, the long line had dwindled significantly.

Pocketing her scroll, she brushed off any clinging grass or dirt from her skirt before heading towards the entrance, an eager smile spreading across her face.

Upon stepping into the building, Ruby’s breath caught in her throat. Calling it just ‘nice’ would be a massive understatement. The place was huge, and everything looked so new!

She gaped as she realized the walls were actually floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing an unobstructed view of the lush green campus grounds where she’d been waiting mere moments ago.

Rows of long tables stretched across the room, each one equipped with a slowly moving conveyor belt, transporting an endless parade of steaming dishes.

Her eyes widened in amazement as drones hummed and buzzed around, carrying trays of drinks, just like seen in the airship that brought her to the Academy.

At the far end, she spotted the open kitchen counter where the bots ferried food out in a constant stream, its warm wooden surfaces a cozy contrast to the room’s otherwise ultramodern aesthetic. Massive digital screens strategically positioned around the space displayed the news, though muted.

Her eyes were immediately drawn to a huge, glaring red sign that read: “NO STARTING FOOD FIGHTS – PUNISHMENT WILL BE CARRIED OUT. IMMEDIATELY.” Ruby couldn’t stifle a giggle, her mind conjured what kind of chaos had happened in the past that had prompted such a rule.

Spying an empty seat at one of the central tables, she rushed in to claim it. As soon as she did, a holographic display flickered to life before her, asking for identification. She quickly gave it, and the menu unfurled before her – an overwhelming array of delicious looking breakfast, lunch, and dinner options organized by category and even option to check the calorie intake for each one.

Inevitably, Ruby’s eager gaze lingered on the desserts section.

After a moment, her resolve crumbled – she couldn’t resist picking the cookie balls, drowned in a chocolate milk and generously sprinkled with sugar and more chocolate chips.

Just the thought of biting into one made her mouth flood with anticipation.

However, as she went to confirm her order, another pop-up message appeared, prompting a disappointed frown.

It stated that as a candidate, she could only claim one free dish – anything additional would require payment from her own funds and that also included drinks except water.

Well, that sucked.

She had been hoping to sample a few plates. But now, with this strict limit, a quick scan of the extensive menu revealed that any additional dishes would likely blow through what little allowance remained in her wallet after ammunition and weapon maintenance costs.

It was a frustrating dilemma – indulge in something heartier and bigger but forgo the sweet special cookies entirely?

After briefly chewing her cheek in thought, she decided that those cookies were worth it. With a tap as confirmation, her order was placed.

Curiosity taking over her thoughts, she glanced around, her silver eyes catching sight of the slowly circulating conveyor belt. It carried a parade of fresh plates loaded with all manner of delectable dishes, none of them hers but nonetheless looking and smelling delicious.

And… was that shrimp?

She scowled a little, wishing she had read the menu more thoroughly instead of skimming ahead for the desserts.

But there was no point in mopping over what she’d missed now. If – no, when – she passed the entrance exam, she’d have unlimited access to eat all the amazing food this place had to offer daily. Heck, she’d insist on trying the lobster too, just so she could show off to her friends.

Another good reason to do her absolute best on the exams on the following day.

After waiting for a short while, she spotted her order making its way down the belt. She had to hold herself from getting up to pick her dessert as it drew nearer. The second it slid into reach, she snatched it up, grabbing a spoon along with her prize.

Wasting no time, she dug right in, scooping one of the cookie balls into her mouth. Her eyes fluttered closed in bliss as the decadent treat practically melted on her tongue, the rich chocolate mingling with the chewy, sugar-dusted dough.

She had eaten more cookies from all manner of brands and bakeries, but these… These were on another plane of deliciousness entirely.

“This is amazhing!” her muffled exclamation slipped out.

“I know, right?” came an amused response from her right.

Ruby swallowed thickly and turned to find herself faced with a smiling blonde girl, her curly tresses framing a friendly expression.

“It’s like they are made by some super chef or something,” she continued, taking a bite of her grilled steak.

Ruby followed her gaze to the blonde’s plate, her own eyes widening at the food. The juicy steak looked perfect, paired with a medley of roasted vegetables and fluffy mashed potatoes with gravy – a dish that looked straight from the pages of a famous cuisine magazine.

“That looks soooooo delicious!” she said between bites. “It’s like those fancy plates you see on those high-end cooking shows! I can’t believe Beacon students get to eat all of these daily!”

The blonde chuckled lightly. “Truthfully speaking, they don’t, these high-end dishes that normally would cost tens of thousands of Lien are a recently added thing,” she explained, taking a sip of her drink. “Some time ago, my elder brother told me that, in his time, at best, students used to just get basic sandwiches or stale pancakes in the cafeteria. You had to cook your own food if you wanted anything decent.”

She nodded towards the open kitchen area, where a line of servo-bots diligently ferried out a fresh battalion of dishes. “Apparently, the academy hired a whole new staff of top-tier chefs and stipulated all these cutting-edge amenities as part of some program overhaul.”

Leaning back in her seat, Ruby glanced around the pristine cafeteria with new appreciation. “Well, they definitely scored some serious brownie points with me!”

Another cookie ball quickly found its way into her mouth, garnering a hum of utter joy. “We joined just at the right time!”

Her, probably/potentially, new friend, giggled in response.

“Mayhap so, on another note, is Beacon living up to your expectations so far?” she asked once she’d recovered.

“Yeah!” Ruby exclaimed, gesturing at their lavish surroundings. “It looks totally amazing! I didn’t know the academy would be this incredibly cool! Signal couldn’t even compare!”

Her potential friend nodded, idly adjusting a stray curl behind her ear. “True, me neither. I’ve yet to explore the rest of the academy grounds, but my expectation has been surpassed by a lot, so I’m quite giddy exploring it, my brother had sent me a lot of picture of the academy, but that’s a year ago, and what in the picture and what I had seen is world apart, I look forward to see the new change of other location.”

Ruby couldn’t help the small smile that formed as she recalled the pictures her big sister had sent upon first arriving at Beacon – mostly just poorly framed selfies in various places inside Beacon. Not exactly the best reference to draw comparison, but the intention was that mattered.

The blonde chuckled lightly before her expression shifted, seeming to realize something. “Oh! Where are my manners? I don’t think I actually introduced myself properly.” Squaring her shoulders, she extended her right hand towards her. “Lavender Arc.”

“Ruby Rose!” Ruby dropped her spoon with a clatter, eagerly taking the hand in a firm shake before releasing it.

“Sooo~ why do you want to join Beacon?” Ruby asked, picking up the spoon again and stuffing another cookie ball.

“It’s nothing grand, my brother is sort of my Idol, so I want to follow my brother footstrep, since he became a Huntsman, I want to become one too.”

Ruby felt her eyebrows quirk upwards. “Oh! You mentioned your brother before – is he an alumni of Beacon?”

“Oh no, he hasn’t graduated yet.” A look of fond sisterly adoration crossed Lavender’s fair features, a look Ruby knew all too well. “But he’s already in his third year right now, so by the time we are in second year, I think he’s going to become a full-fledged Huntsman.”

“Whoa, that’s awesome!” Ruby did a double-take, her previous words finally clicking into place. “Wait,my big sister Yang is in her third year at Beacon, too! Do you think maybe they actually know each other already?”

Lavender blinked owlishly, tilting her head as she mulled over the possibility. After a momentary pause, she simply shrugged. “Maybe? I do remember him speaking of his team and some of his friends, but I’m afraid your sister’s name doesn’t immediately ring any bells.”

“Well, it would be cool if they do,” Ruby shrugged, hiding her faint disappointment behind her smile.

Lavender seemed plenty pleasant so far – no sense letting a minor disappointment sour her second potential friendship here.

A faint, high-pitched buzzing abruptly drew their attention away from one another, both pairs of eyes locking onto the small fly that had alighted near the edge of Lavender’s plate.

“Hey! Careful!” Moving with her familiar speed, Ruby’s hand shot forward, whipping out in an attempted swat the disgusting insect from spoiling the food. Alas, the irritating insect evaded her strike with an effortless midair feint.

“Oops, we got a little… distracted,” Lavender murmured ruefully, carefully sliding her plate closer to avoid any further invasions. Taking another thick bite with her fork, she grinned at her. “Better finish this up quick before anything else tries to get a taste.”

Ruby giggled. “You got that right!”

With matching grins, the two focused their attentions fully on demolishing their respective meals before any other critters could interfere and steal it from them

It was hands down the best dessert Ruby had eaten in her young life so far. If she wasn’t currently surrounded by a lot of people, she would have happily licked that plate clean right then and there.

Ruby sat back with a contented sigh. A sidelong glance showed her that Lavender was scrolling through the menu options.

She was tempted again to order another plate, but she already made her decision to not buy anything.

“Hey, I have to go,” she announced with the best smile she could give. “Wanna come explore with me?”

Lavender tore her gaze from the menu, then offered an apologetic smile and a shake of her head. “Oh, sorry. I was actually planning to get myself settled in my room for the night first before doing anything else. But here.”

Reaching into her pocket, the blonde withdrew her scroll and held it out. After a moment of doubt, Ruby realized she meant to exchange numbers and quickly rattled off her number.

“There, now we can talk again later if you’d like,” she said warmly.

“Thanks Lav!” Ruby’s eyes went wide the moment the nickname slipped past her lips, a sheepish look crossing her features. “Oops, sorry! I have a bad habit of shortening people’s names sometimes without askin-”

“No, no, I like it!” Lavender insisted with a short laugh, waving away her concerns. “Lav’s fine. You’re more than welcome to use it.”

Ruby felt her earlier worries dissipate in the wake of Lav’s growing smile. As she returned the smile and waved farewell.

And probably made a new friend!

Once outside, she paused to consult the campus pamphlet anew, running her finger over the glossy map layout as she considered her options. There were still so many places left to see and explore..

Well, may as well start with something simple.

The park area seemed a good option.

By the time Ruby reached the serene space, the gentle breeze carried the sweet smell of flowers. She breathed in deeply, letting in the fresh air.

Her boots scuffed against the gritty stone, the sound muffled by the plush carpet of grass stretching in all directions, so she ended up walking and walking deeper.

As she ventured deeper, it became increasingly apparent that this place served as a preferred spot for Beacon’s senior students. Groups of older teens dressed in their black uniforms relaxing around and enjoying their break time.

She was kinda out of place, wasn’t she?

Her simple red-and-black outfit, though suitable for a lazy summer’s day back in Patch or a walk in Vale, stood out a lot like a sore spot. Maybe she should leave before she gets too much attention?

Although where?

She retrieved her map to check direction again, and by judging the direction from which she currently faced the Headmaster’s tower, she deduced that she needed to head eastward to eventually reach the library.

While not an inherently exciting destination, she was curious to see how Signal’s own library compared to Beacon, despite being a combat school, there’s plenty of comic books put in Signal’s, maybe they have something like that too in Beacon?

“Excuse me, are you lost?”

The sudden question from behind caused her to flinch, though she relaxed just as quickly, Ruby’s body spun, making her face a smiling rabbit faunus girl with long brown hair, the expression on her face is a mix of concern and curiosity.

“Umm…” Ruby felt her cheeks flush with a hint of embarrassment. “No, I’m okay! I was just…thinking about…. stuff, he he…”

“Oh, it’s quite alright.” The senior student’s expression melted into a quiet giggle. “From your look, I take it you are one of the candidate initiates?”

At Ruby’s nod, the older girl’s smile stretched further.

“Well then, good luck on the exam, if you are looking for the library, it’s over there.”

With one final cheery wave, the helpful senior pivoted and rejoined her waiting companion – a tall upperclassman with burnt orange hair, his lively blue gaze gleaming mischievously as he stooped to press a chaste kiss to his very obviously special friend’s cheek.

Suddenly very aware that she was intruding on a private, romantic moment, Ruby felt another blush scorch her features before beating a hasty retreat.

Following the new direction, she found the walkway and eventually the library building, and it wasn’t crowded. Better said there was barely anybody around.

“Huh… I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised,” she muttered under her breath. “Who really wants to spend all their free time in a library, anyway?”

Pushing through the library’s heavy wooden doors, Ruby took in the new sight. Beacon’s library without a speck of doubt dwarfed Signal’s, with towering banks of shelving units marching off in every direction. This place could likely house Signal’s entire collection a dozen times over with room to spare.

But more than just being large, an air of elegant sophistication permeated the place. From the polished checkerboard marble floors to the intricately carved reliefs adorning the supporting columns, the library’s classical aesthetic stood in stark contrast to the more modern looks she had seen in Beacon thus far.

Unable to resist, Ruby swiftly fished out her scroll and snapped off a quick selfie, sticking out her tongue playfully. A few taps later and her image editor was hard at work – a tiny rendering of her shrinking figure rapidly becoming besieged by a group of Grimm doodles. Not done yet, she added a gleaming crown filter hovering above her head, and then sprinkle some of that starry bubbly effect.

“Shhhhh!”

The sudden harsh hiss caused Ruby to jump, nearly dropping her scroll in surprise as she whipped her head and found – a golden-eyed faunus girl with black hair and distinctly feline ears pinning back along her scalp in obvious displeasure.

Her face heated up, jaw snapping shut as she realized she’d been giggling to herself and bothering others.

Better leave and not cause further problems.

Leaving the library behind, her steps eagerly carried her towards the next destination – the combat arena. If she was lucky, perhaps she’d stumble upon a display of the upper-year students’ hard-earned skills and cool techniques!

And passing the doors, she soon heard the indistinguishable sound of clashing weapons, that got a grin out of her.

Seems she stumble into someone having a spar, lucky~

Ruby quickened her pace, moving herself toward the seat, and when she reached it, she got an overview of the entire room.

Sure enough, the unmistakable sounds of steel clashing against steel – clanging, screeching, punctuated by the occasional fierce battle cry – echoed from the arena’s entrance as she crossed it. A grin split her face as she quickened her pace.

In the ring stood the two combatants: a tall, long-haired redhead dressed in gleaming bronze armor and a bulky, blonde knight in heavy, gold and white armor. Both of them in a defensive posture. The difference in their armor was striking, especially since the heavy knight carried no weapon other than his tower shield.

The place seemed sparsely populated, with only a few spectators – a small group of students and a lone blonde girl several rows ahead of her current position.

A lone blonde girl whom she had known just recently.

“Lav! You’re here too!” The words burst from Ruby’s lips in an excited shout.

Lavender turned her head, a surprised expression evident on her face, but when she noticed who had called out to her, a warm smile wormed their way into her face. “Ah, good evening Ruby, nice to see you again.”

“What are you doing here?” Ruby questioned as she plopped down on the empty seat beside her. “I thought you’d be busy getting your room all set up for the night.”

Lavender’s cheeks tinged slightly pink as she looked away, scratching the side of her jaw with a sheepish smile. “Well, that was the plan, but then I found out we’re all just going to be bunking down together in the central ballroom.” She gave a little shrug. “So instead, I decided to search for my brother.”

“Your brother?” Ruby tilted her head. “Is he here?”

“Yeah, there” Lavender pointed at the gold and white knight in the arena. “He’s the tall guy in the arena, his name is Jaune.”

Ruby squinted her eyes at the tall blonde guy, then looked at Lavender.

Yeah, their size aside, she could see faint resemblance, such as their blonde hair.

“Your brother sure looks big. Was he a bodybuilder or something? And what’s with his armor? He looks like one of those tank characters from RPGs game.” She commented.

“Oh, you play those too?”

“A bit.”

“Hehehe, well, I think Jaune went a tad overboard with his armor design.” Her gaze flickered back towards her brother. “Although his teammates did lend a hand with some elements, like those big shoulder pads and that crest on his shield. Those were definitely not his handiwork.”

She focused on the arena floor, the two combatants having already engaged, as Lavender’s big brother — Jaune, right? —shield met his opponent’s blade. With a forceful shove, he managed to repel the gladiatrix, affording Ruby a clear view of the crest etched onto his shield – his team’s acronym accompanied by special drawn stars.

But she cannot say that out loud.

“So, were you able to explore Beacon more?” Ruby changed the subject.

“Oh, definitely! I found the gym. The gyms back in Ansel can’t even compare.” Lavender shook her head in amazement. “I had no idea there were so many specialized weight machines, or one that trained these muscles.” She pointed down a little below her ribs.

“There was also a lot of boxing equipment and a sparring ring, Hazel would be over the moon had she been here.” The last part was muttered quite low, but Ruby is still able to pick up her words.

Still…. a gym, huh?

Ruby could already picture Yang passing a lot of her time training there.

However, her thoughts were cut short by a piercing bell ringing out, causing her to turn her head and look at the arena. A large screen was flashing the name ‘Pyrrha Nikos’ as the victor.

Oh, so that was her name.

Both of the combatants then stepped out of the arena, only to be greeted by their ginger teammate, who was already down with them. While the rest were taking their time to descend the stairs.

Then, Ruby saw a white-haired girl with an air of elegance started to talk to Lav’s big brother. There’s something familiar about her, it took her a while, but it seems, she’s one of her big sis teammates… Wise, was it?

Since Lav said that her big brother is in the third year, it should check out, since Yang’s teammate should also be in the third year.

“I need to talk with my brother. See you around Ruby!” Lav quickly stood up and rushed down the stairs, leaving her behind, she wasn’t even given a chance to say goodbye.

Well, that was a bit of a bummer, but Lavender looked happy reuniting with her brother, so she wasn’t going to interfere in a sibling moment.

Speaking of which… Where was her big sis? Her teammate is here, shouldn’t she be here too?

Reaching into her pocket, Ruby grabbed her scroll and checked for any new messages, just in case she’d somehow missed one earlier. But the inbox was empty. So she was going to write one.

[ Yaaaaang! ]

[ Sr 1 Sc, I pss u t lctn ]

Moments later, a picture popped up, displaying a simple map with easy to understand directions. Fortunately, it didn’t seem too far from where she was.

Ruby could have easily used her semblance, but the chances of accidentally crashing into a person were too high, so she walked.

Eventually, Ruby reached the exact room number in the hallway and knocked firmly on the door three times before rocking back on her heels, unable to contain her excitement.

The door swung open, and the sight of her beloved sister Yang, clad in pajamas, with a lopsided grin on her face, greeted her.

“Yang!” Ruby flung herself forward, enveloping her sister in a tight hug.

“Heya Rubes! Welcome to my dorm.” She stepped back, holding her weight with no issue. “You’ve been going sightseeing in Beacon? How is it?”

“It’s incredible!” Ruby exclaimed, finally releasing her sister as she looked around. The room was bigger than she imagined. “I had no idea there were so many amazing things here.”

Her eyes lit up as she dug into her pockets, producing the slightly crumpled map.

But Yang barked out a laugh, shaking her head. “Man, Miss G really needs to stop using those outdated maps, a lot of things have changed since they updated it.” She plucked the map from her hands.

“In fact, here.”

Walking over to her bed, Yang scooped up her scroll and tapped away. Moments later, Ruby’s scroll pinged with a notification. Curiosity piqued, she quickly opened the new app, her eyes widening as a detailed 3D map unfurled before her.

“Whoa…” she breathed, watching in delight as Yang’s location pulsed with a yellow beacon.

“Pretty neat, huh?” Yang grinned, throwing the paper map into the trash. “It’s an interactive virtual map with directions, locations, all the cool stuff to make your life easier. No more boring paper.”

Ruby rolled her eyes.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Yang plopped down on her bed, patting the space beside her. “The girls won’t be back for a couple hours, and Reinhard is off doing god knows what, but he said he would come back in a few days. So you better get comfy, we have plenty of time!”

Yeah, they definitely had a lot to discuss.

Ruby looked at the app again, making sure it connected to the internet, before typing [Ballroom] into it, it’s the place where everyone would be spending the night. Yang told her that she had also spent her first night there when she enrolled – it was a strange tradition of sorts.

Although, looking up at the darkening sky, it was better to reach that place soon or risk losing all the decent spots, as her sister put it.

On her way, she spotted a lone blonde girl seated on a bench. she didn’t think anything of it, but the closer she got, the more details she noticed.

When she saw the two large horns atop the girl’s head, a smile crept onto Ruby’s lips.

“Marigold! How ar-” She abruptly stopped her word as the blonde jumped from her seat, the faunus head swerved to her, and Ruby noticed how her eyes are full of wariness, the blonde haired girl broadsword are tight in her grip, causing Ruby to take an involuntary step back.

“Ru–Ruby?! I—sorry, you startled me,” the faunus girl said, relaxing visibly, a relieved sigh came out of her mouth as a hand pressed against her chest.

Ruby gulped down her nerves and showed a smile. “Sorry about that.”

Then, she looked away in embarrassment. “Probably shouldn’t have shouted in the dark.”

Marigold took a few deep breaths, exhaling slowly. “N–no, it is my fault for overreacting. I hope you can forgive me.”

“Sure! No problem,” Ruby assured her with a smile. “I was heading to the ballroom to get a good spot. Wanna join me?”

Marigold’s face brightened. “If you don’t mind my company.”

“Great!”

Sleeping partner acquired!

Now they only needed to reach the ballroom, which resulted in a silent walk, because none of them tried to start a conversation.

Well, she wanted for Marigold to go first.

When they passed the entrance, they were greeted by rows of sleeping bags. And the place was half-full, the candidates already setting up their respective spots.

Ruby scanned her surroundings and spotted an unoccupied corner. She rushed over. But before she could arrange her sleeping bag, a floating screen appeared in front of her, requesting identification.

Well, she didn’t expect something like that. But maybe it was to avoid getting your bed stolen, so she scanned her ID and her spot was reserved.

The screen flashed, displaying a text message:

‘Candidate Rose, your belongings have been stored in locker number 44 in section S. The password is your birthday. Have a nice day.’

Oh, how convenient!

She hadn’t given much thought to her luggage all day after handing it over to the airport staff.

The screen disappeared after delivering its final message. Ruby turned to see Marigold had already secured her spot and was heading toward the lockers.

Following her lead, Ruby found section S without issue and located her numbered locker, inputting her birthday into the digital pad.

The door swung open, revealing her belongings neatly stored within, including her precious Crescent Rose– which she’d been required to leave with the academy staff before the Headmaster’s speech, just as everyone else had done.

Although, come to think of it, why did Mary have her broadsword with her?

Either way, Ruby knew she needed to get changed into her pajamas before settling in for the night. Rummaging through her luggage, she pulled the two pieces and quickly swapped her clothes. Before storing her belongings, she fished out a plump pink pillow.

It had been a genius move to pack the extra pillow. she had seen the standard-issue academy pillows earlier.

Their flat, lifeless forms hadn’t instilled much confidence in a good night’s sleep.

With a contented sigh, Ruby snuggled her precious pillow against her chest before closing and locking her locker.

And Mary seemed to have been faster than her, as she was already back in her bed, the faunus girl was wearing more fluffy pajamas compared to hers.

Well, it was a bit early, so maybe they could catch up on their day.

“Hey, Mary-” Ruby’s greeting died on her lips as she noticed Marigold’s intense stare, eyes glazed and a rosy blush dusting her cheeks.

Though, the stare was not directed at her, instead, it’s at something else.

Following her friend’s line of sight, she immediately regretted her curiosity, feeling her own face erupt in a furious blush.

It was that gray-haired guy from the initiation speech – the one who’d dozed off shamelessly. And he not only had their full attention, but the entire room.

Why?

Because he ‘s naked!

Well, not fully naked, but still! He was walking around with only his boxer and those weren’t even the loose type. And he was ripped too!

Gah, why did she think that?!

How can he be so… so shameless?!

Wait—! He was heading her way!

But, thankfully, the shameless exhibitionist merely dragged another vacant sleeping bag closer before flopping down with a grunt.

Ruby whipped her gaze away, suddenly finding the floor tiles to be of immense interest as her cheeks burned scalding hot.

This was certainly NOT how she expected her first day to end like.

Why were weird things happening to her?