"Ah...ahhhh..."
Yang sat up from her bed with a yawn, stretching her arms above her head, trying to get relief in her stiff muscles. She blinked numerous times in this position, that is until her mind caught up with the fact she was awake.
Blearily, she looked around, noticing the stationary forms of the girls still fast asleep in their beds. Among them, across the room, Ruby looked especially adorable curled up in a ball clutching her pillow to her.
Cute.
"Hm?"
However, just as Yang was basking in that precious sight, there was movement in Ruby's proximity. To clarify, not on Ruby's bed itself, but rather a neat and orderly outline of sheets and bedding to Ruby's right.
Yes.
There existed another bundle of bedding, besides that of their four teammates.
Of course, Yang knew exactly who this belonged to, made especially obvious by the grayish white hair, boyish face after that, peaking out from under his sheets.
Now, the blonde just blankly stared at him, at least, up until her lips curved all on their own, the events of yesterday taking center stage in her head.
Well.
Maybe not every event from yesterday.
—"Imagine Miss Yang as... that person?"
The smile slipped off her face.
The way those normally soft amber orbs turned to chips of ice, how his entire demeanor turned cold, angry, bitter...
Really, just who did he imagine...?
Although plenty curious, Yang still shook the thoughts away. When she looked back to Rio again, an idea suddenly occurred to her.
Just like that, a mischievous little smile floated onto her face. Then, she slipped out of bed, and before she could second guess herself, she softly padded over to the sole boy sleeping soundly in a room full of young women.
Ah.
Right, she was still clad in only her pajamas.
"..."
Well, it should be fine.
The black shorts did leave much of her bright thighs exposed, and a thin orange tank-top did nothing to hide a portion of her stomach, but Yang was hardly one to be self-conscious of such things.
Not too much anyway.
Anyway, with little hesitation in her movements, Yang plopped herself right next to Rio's sleeping form, effectively sitting on the soles of her feet.
Although...
Geez, is this face even fair?
In a word, it was pretty.
And staring at it up close as she was, Yang wasn't sure if she should be enjoying the free eye candy, or be envious of it.
After all, there was a certain amount of androgynous charm there, looking both feminine and manly at the same time.
Now, while Yang thought she had a type for boys perhaps more rugged and muscular looking than Rio, she couldn't say that he was bad looking either. Then again, she knew just how much muscle he was hiding underneath that lean form...
Lost in thought, Yang didn't even realize when she began to lean slightly closer to the boy, to the point where her knees pressed deeper in the ground, and simultaneously, her blonde locks falling dangerously close to touching his shoulder and neck.
Her eyes then drifted to his hair, and lingered there for a bit.
I don't know if it's because its white or what, but why does it, I dunno, look so soft and fluffy? Well, Weiss' is pretty soft too. But so is Ruby and Blake's, so the color wouldn't have anything to do with it... right?
Yang, after some serious hesitation this time, tentatively, reached out.
Her fingers met the white strands, and her first thought was how soft it was after all.
And her second...
Amber eyes suddenly snapped open, and Yang didn't even get to process the way her center gravity seemed to shift on itself, nor how one moment she was casually teetering over the over the boy, and the next she was quite violently forced onto her back with a yelp, where both arms were cleanly pushed aside and away from her face, the person now atop of her planting their own over her throat.
Eh?
Yang didn't move, far too stunned.
No, technically, she couldn't because of the awkward position of her arms, the pressure beginning to bite at the aura above her neck too, but even before all that, the blonde girl found that her brain was telling her, with nostalgic urgency, that she couldn't.
And, it had to be the look in Rio's eyes.
The white haired boy's head lulled up and down groggily, like his mind and body weren't totally convinced that the other was awake. Yet, as if it didn't even matter, his eyes were still somehow narrowed with a very, very, familiar sharp intensity.
Just like before.
Except rather than a simmering hate lurking behind those twin ambers, it was a calm but cold hostility, yet at the same time, made slightly unfocused by the bags under his eyes, and the inter-frequent blinking where murkiness fought with clarity.
Seconds passed like this, and Yang didn't so much as breathe, either still too shocked, or because of the way her heart was hammering in her chest.
Then.
"…Y-... Yang? Why are..."
That inquisitive whisper, hoarse with lingering sleep, filled her ears, and it was accompanied by the sight of Rio not only blinking several times, but his sharp glare slowly dissipating and softening, where Yang could now even see her own surprised face reflected in those mollified amber orbs of his.
The boy even had the gall to look at his surroundings in almost disturbed confusion.
Like he didn't know what was going on.
You're... You're kidding...
Yang wanted to say that aloud but didn't, unsure if she even could.
Regardless, her eyes widened as far as they could go.
Had this been, what, some kind of twisted danger instinct?
No, Rio was sixteen, seventeen?
There was just no way.
The only people she knew who displayed similar behavior were her father and uncle, both considered veteran Huntsmen, and had been in the game for decades.
...Eh?
But all those thoughts disappeared.
Because Yang suddenly looked down, and when she did, a deep blush spread across her face.
Her shirt had risen up along her body when she was pushed down, exposing a majority of her stomach. She could also feel the left strap of her orange tank top slipping off her shoulder, revealing even more.
Mortification and embarrassment crawled up her body, and she knew she was seconds away from either stammering in fluster, crying out, pushing Rio off her, all three even—
"Hmmm…"
But then.
A stifled but elongated yawn filled her ears.
And it was a sound so very close to Yang.
A sound that had not come from Rio.
"H… Huh?"
Proper words left Yang's mouth for the first time, looking towards the source of the sound that echoed right in her ear.
However, it was not from one of the three occupied beds a little bit away from them.
In fact, it came from right beside them.
After Rio had deftly pinned Yang in place, he had subconsciously ripped the blanket away to leave his periphery unhindered. But in doing so, that had revealed the form of another who had been quietly and motionlessly sleeping that entire time.
And, they stirred.
That is, the extraordinarily beautiful girl with pink hair laying side by side with Yang, wearing the kind of flowing summer dress that strangely suited her peaceful and serene eye-catching appearance.
Time ticked by.
Yang just stared, face blank.
Rio did as well, just with a crushing look of ever growing despair.
Then, as if someone pressed play on her thoughts and feelings, Yang promptly acted exactly how someone of her age should act in this situation.
Thus, there was a startled yell, a panicked retort, multiple people waking up in a frenzy, and another sleepy yawn that did not look bothered in the slightest.
…
…
…
I've decided.
As Rio sat seiza-style with (sadly) practiced ease, and with a smile so brittle it wasn't even funny, he came to a certain conclusion within his heart.
If my alternate room arrangements aren't prepared by the end of the day, I'm sleeping in the woods.
Amidst a very oppressive silence where four pairs of eyes beat down on him without relent, Rio had such a thought.
Of course, they weren't only looking at him.
It was hard to ignore Aisha right beside him, leaning against his shoulder even, but very much still half-asleep.
Rio inwardly sighed.
In other words, explaining away this situation fell on him and only him.
"So, let me ask the first obvious question."
Weiss suddenly grabbed at his attention, massaging her temples with visible annoyance. Was it because she had been woken up so abruptly, not even out of her sleepwear yet? Most likely. Still, sitting against her bed like the others, the pale blue of her eyes narrowed, meeting his.
"Why was Yang in your bed?"
Rio made to answer, only to pause.
He blinked a few times.
Why had Yang been in his bed?
No, even before that, why had he woken up to find himself above her in the first place?
Technically, the attraction Rio had to the opposite sex did exist, however small, but nowhere in his memories, either of them, could he recall him engaging in such shameless behavior, unconsciously or not.
Had he pushed her down?
Rio could sort of see that happening, that is if she came so close that he mistook her presence as someone with hostility, a somewhat bad habit he formed during his time surviving those first few years as an slum-dwelling orphan, but...
No, that couldn't be it.
I'm neither near the bathroom nor the hallway. Moreover, we're not that close. Yang wouldn't have any reason to go anywhere near me, much less while I'm sleeping...
Not that ruling out such a possibility helped him in the slightest, not when amidst his growing silence, Weiss' eyes were turning more glacial by the second.
"I tripped," someone blurted out.
Rio blinked.
Right before looking at Yang, surprised.
"You... tripped," Blake parroted back, conveying how little she believed it with the dryness of her voice alone. Of course, the stare the ravenette was directing the blonde's way was also plenty flat.
Ah, and not even the barely awake Ruby was exempt, inclining her head with the most ambiguous of head tilts.
"Y-Yep?" Yang replied, meeting none of their gazes. "I mean, it's embarrassing, but yeah. Woke up, leapt out of bed without thinking, and bam, crashed right into him, haha. Er, sorry about that, Rio." The girl laughed awkwardly, and with visible embarrassment, it gave her words a strange amount of credibility.
"Oh, no... don't worry about it," Rio said with deliberate slowness, although not because he was offended.
Was it really just that? he wondered.
"A-Anyway, you suddenly att-... er, woke up, I freaked out. Ah, and then I saw her and freaked out even more," Yang suddenly explained in a frenzy, eyes going every which way for a second, that is, until she ultimately settled on Aisha, and with the kind of spaced out stare that suggested she had definitely almost forgotten about her.
No, that was actually the case for most of them.
Attention returned to Aisha just like that.
Of course, it didn't seem to bother the pink haired girl in the slightest, not when the only move she made was to further nestle herself into the crook of Rio's neck, making the boy squirm with a shaky smile.
"S-So..." Ruby, now slightly more lucid, decided to speak up. "Um, my sister's clumsiness aside..."
"Hey."
"W-Who is this girl exactly?"
Of course, the question didn't seem to belong to just Ruby. Whether it was silent curiosity, or piercing suspicion, both Blake's and Weiss's eyes said the exact same.
Yang was hardly subtle, either, that is, with her continued staring.
Left unsaid was the fact that each and everyone already had a guess; they just didn't want to be the one to say it.
This is definitely a case of sneaking a hidden girlfriend into the room, Yang thought with growing certainty. But then her cheeks darkened ever so slightly. And... And the reason can only be 'that', right...?
"Honestly, I should have explained this from the beginning, as it was probably inevitable that she... anyway, I'm sorry for the belated introduction, but this is Aisha, an application of my semblance, but still an irreplaceable partner to me."
Of course, then Rio said that, and the silence it brought as a result was as lengthy as it was loud.
Seconds passed.
No, several dozens of them did.
"…Semblance," Weiss eventually repeated, face blank. "That... that girl?"
Ruby, Yang and Blake looked the exact same.
"That's right," Rio said concisely.
Of course, since that wasn't the case at all, the boy was actually inwardly screaming at himself for a deciding on a lie that had sounded good in his head, but now that he actually spoke it aloud, didn't come across as believable in the slightest.
But what else could he say?
That he was from another world?
That he used powers different from their aura?
That Aisha was a contracted spirit that had awoken inside him one day, increasing his mastery over a power not even most people in his old world even knew existed?
Of course, revealing all that with that device strapped to him could have been a method, but Rio was hardly so gluttonous for trouble that he would welcome the endless questions that would come as a result.
So, a white lie.
Aisha was his semblance, gifting him select powers.
Rio inwardly wilted.
Who am I trying to fool, there's no way they're going to buy—
"Interesting. So that's how you can fly," Weiss muttered absentmindedly.
"Eh?"
"What?"
"I-... It's nothing. A-And yes, you have the right of it. Just... think of Aisha as a being that can manipulate the elemental vectors of wind dust without needing the power of crystals at all. Honestly, it's not as simple as I'm making it sound, but using that method, flight is possible."
Or so Rio explained with some actual truth, but at the same time really hoping his smile didn't look as fragile as it felt.
"A semblance that manipulates wind dust… without wind dust…" Blake echoed, but surprisingly, with astonishment rather than skepticism.
"Yes." Rio nodded, again, lying with ease, and with the kind of relaxed calmness he had unfortunately gotten quite good at.
Although...
This is still a lot more believable than telling them that Aisha and I can control practically every element, with or without each other's presences. This way, I can keep her near me, in and out of her spirit form, without it being suspicious...
"That's… amazing," Weiss murmured, looking looking at Aisha. "While a bit unbelievable, I guess that's just what some semblances are..."
"Yeah," Yang echoed, before her gaze shifted. "But isn't your semblance just as busted, Weiss? Just how many different glyphs do you even have?"
"That's..."
To Rio's great relief, that was when the conversation veered away from him and Aisha slightly, letting him, if only for a moment, relax.
Of course, it was soon broken by the sleepy pink haired girl herself, who chose that moment to open her eyes, blinking them several times before blearily looking at each of the girls in turn.
"Haruto," Aisha said softly with a seemingly apathetic face, lightly tugging at his sleeve with subtle familiarity. "Introduce me to your friends..."
The girls immediately swallowed somewhat.
Woah...
Ruby didn't know why she was surprised that the girl had spoken, although maybe it was because her apparently being a actual 'semblance' was skewing her perception. But it still didn't change the fact that the girl in front of her was absolutely stunning.
"Ah, of course." Rio stood at once, absentmindedly taking the girl's hand to help her do the same, something the spirit gave the faintest of smiles at, which definitely surprised the rest of the room, if only because it was the first time the pink haired girl's unresponsive face changed.
"Well, as I said, this is Aisha, a dear friend of mine before anything else. Aisha, this is Ruby, Yang, Blake, and Weiss," Rio introduced, gesturing to each of them in turn.
"Oh, n-nice to meet you, Aisha," Ruby stammered.
Yang grinned with a lazy wave. "Yang, good to meet you."
"A pleasure, Aisha. My name is Weiss." The white-haired girl gave a short bow, but still was looking intently at the girl.
"Blake..." the faunas girl said simply, passively staring at Aisha, as if taking her all in.
Aisha didn't react initially.
"Haruto, they're all so beautiful." But with that floating voice, her lips curved upwards in that same small but warm smile.
Rio blinked, before chuckling a bit, saying nothing.
Weiss reacted honestly with her face dyed crimson, while Ruby squeaked and dipped her head down. Blake's cheeks reddened only slightly. However, Yang took the compliment in stride.
"Aw, thanks~ Aisha. But aren't you, like, even more beautiful? Seriously, you're totally drop dead gorgeous."
"Drop dead… gorgeous…? Haruto, I look dead?" Aisha asked with a confused tilt to her head.
"That's... not what she meant. It's an exaggerated expression. It means that you're so attractive that it might cause someone to 'drop dead'. Not actually of course, but it's used as a compliment." Rio explained with a tight smile, ever used to this strange but endearing aspect of the girl.
"Oh," Aisha said with a slow blink. Then she bobbed her head at Yang. "Thank you."
The blonde waved it off with a smile.
Of course, what she was really thinking...
Seriously, what the heck? Is she really just semblance? Isn't this girl way too cute?
"Um, she's been calling you Haruto…" Blake muttered as much, cocking a brow in confusion. That said, this resulted in somewhat of a domino effect, where three other pairs of eyes joined right in the curiosity, all ambiguously aimed the white haired boy's way.
"Right, that..." Rio murmured faintly, smile dimming somewhat in the time it took for him to properly meet their gazes. "There are... some special circumstances regarding that. …You all heard about the crime I committed, correct?"
Crime.
Such a word echoed in their minds, and then just as succinctly, the words spoken in that interrogation room after that.
All of them had already been staring rather transfixed at Rio and Aisha for some time now, but this mention especially sobered them up with rigid, almost nervous, alertness.
"Ah, y-yes," Weiss said with a nod, unable to hide her stutter.
The others opted for restless silence.
Rio continued, voice unnaturally light.
"Haruto was an alias I used for some time, as what I did was naturally against the law. But due to... recent events, there is no more need for it. So, I'm just Rio now. Aisha here has just gotten used to calling me Haruto, but there's no reason for you all to change the way you address me."
This lie wasn't particularly hard.
He had indeed changed his name because he committed a crime, however it was because of one he didn't commit rather than the one he did in this case.
The false accusation levied on him during the Outdoor Drill back in Beltram, and then act of killing he had committed against that slave traders, were used interchangeably in this case.
Of course, refusing to reveal the truth behind him being a convenient scapegoat for those half-smile nobles... had little to do with him not wanting to further lie to the girls.
Rather, Rio just didn't want them to pity him unnecessarily. That chapter of his life was already over and done with, after all.
He had buried it.
Same with his dislike for those who had wronged him.
Don't get him wrong, he was hardly about to make friends with those kids who openly bullied him during his Academy days, their fathers too, who had unhesitantly sent assassins after him...
Still, why waste time on such tiring emotions?
Just one.
There was just one person Rio would save that hate for.
All at once, the white haired boy dismissed the thoughts, lest they spiral out of control.
But.
He didn't notice the contradiction in his thinking.
He would rather have them know he had killed someone in self-defense, instead of being forcibly accused of something while completely innocent.
It didn't end there.
Sharing the bad things he has done when the topic came up, not shying away from it in the slightest, giving others an out in case they hated him, not once assuming the thoughts and feelings of others without checking...
Rio was considerate.
Almost... unhealthily so.
It was not how a normal person was supposed to interact with others, yet his perception had been greatly skewed by his past experiences, making him unable to realize this.
Yet.
That didn't mean others didn't.
"Haruto wants to be friends with you all, but he's scared to close the distance. It's why he spoke to you so formally." Aisha said suddenly, and all eyes fell on her.
Moreover, the room froze.
No, maybe that was just Rio, now standing shock still.
"Ah, eh?" The boy blinked, clearly startled by the admittance made on his behalf, to the point where he let an uncharacteristic blush begin to color his cheeks.
Now, that had to be why Yang suddenly got excited as she did.
"Oh, is that true Rio? Heh. I know what you said before, but I didn't know you cared about us THAT much." With a smile lighting up her face, the blonde slugged his shoulder once, which was apparently starting to become the norm for them.
Still caught off guard, Rio could only chuckle awkwardly.
Of course, immediately after, his entire expression froze, thoughts coming to a screeching halt, just now remembering something.
Ah, that's right.
He reached into the pocket of his sleepwear and pulled out a device, one he had gotten from Glynda just the other day.
They called it a scroll, oddly enough.
Regardless, it was a device that allowed the user to interact with a virtual interface, as well as call and exchange messages with others.
Admittedly, Rio was aware he was thinking about it far too stiffly, when he really should just recall how similar it was to a smartphone in Japan, but the sixteen years he's lived without such technology could not be so easily ignored.
Still, the scroll worked almost exactly the same as how a phone would work on Earth, even regarding the aspect of time.
No more relying on the position of the sun, I suppose, Rio thought wryly.
Nonetheless, Rio checked the time, silently relieved he wouldn't be late.
He had somewhat of an appointment, after all.
Although... perhaps that wasn't the right word.
Rio cleared his throat.
"Would you girls mind if I take this chance to use the bathroom and get ready? I just remembered I have a meeting with Miss Glynda I can't miss."
Yang, who had chosen to whisper in Blake's ear about something or the other, causing the black haired girl to push her off with an actual hiss, suddenly looked up at Rio's words, Yang too.
Also, Ruby, who was now secretly poking the cheek of Aisha, the latter yawning cutely as she stood in place, only making the most minute of movements to prove she wasn't asleep, and then with Weiss simply sighing at the childish behavior; they also were quick to perk up.
"Right," Yang muttered in something like silent disbelief. "Almost forgot you somehow got the first name pass...."
"Anyway, what does Professor Goodwitch want?" Ruby asked over the girl.
"Well, I got detention," Rio said simply, but with quiet amusement.
After all, how long has it been since he's used a word like that?
It certainly hadn't came up in his previous world filled with 'monsters and magic', as the game obsessed Masato would put it.
"Detention? Why?" Yang asked.
Then she paused, before making a face Rio couldn't decipher, that is, up until she spoke.
"W-Wait, Rio? Don't tell you really did unlock the teacher route?! What, did Goodwitch catch you engaging in risque behavior with various girls and decide she needed to discipline you herself?! That's totally it, isn't it?!"
Silence.
Dead silence.
Then.
"I-I'm sorry for my sister."
"Ruby?!"
Blake and Weiss just rolled their eyes.
"Um, you lost me a bit with that first part, but everything else, yes… that's exactly what I'm being punished for," Rio revealed, scratching his cheek.
"Eh?"
"Huh?"
"What?"
"Hm?"
Yang, Blake, Weiss, and Ruby all suddenly snapped to attention.
Rio looked hesitant to say any more, but as if deciding something, he coughed, looking away. "It was, uh, because of my actions yesterday… when I…"
He vaguely, very vaguely, gestured at them.
A beat passed.
Then, in seemingly perfect unison, they all flushed red.
"Oh... r-right, kinda forgot about that," Yang said, looking up to ceiling with her own shade of red. But she paused. "Wait. Didn't we already forgive you?"
"You did," Rio nodded with slight smile.
Then he continued, almost absentmindedly.
"Of course, there is also the issue of an unmarried woman showing her skin to man. Even if it was done accidentally, that isn't something that I should be so easily let off the hook for, forgiveness or not."
Blink.
Blink.
Blink.
Blink.
All four girls, and one spirit, stared at Rio with varied blank expressions, not just at the over the top way of speaking, but at the very matter of fact way he said it, as if he didn't see such rigid manners as strange in the slightest.
"Rio..." Blake eventually said.
"Yes?"
"How old are you again?"
A head tilt and a quizzical glance.
"Sixteen. Why?"