The Bet 7

This was bullshit!

Massive Goliath fucking kind of bullshit!

Cardin gritted his teeth, his bloodshot eyes shone as he tightened his hold on his mace.

Ever since yesterday when Jaune fucking Arc of all people received a kiss from THE Glynda fucking Goodwitch, Combat Class turned into Carnage Class!

Men and more than a few women that Cardin should have been able to beat easily were now suddenly roaring their hearts out and fighting fiercely like beasts!

Just to earn a kiss from Professor Glynda Goodwitch.

Honestly speaking, it turned what was supposed to be a competitive but enjoyable time period for all of them into something fucking brutal!

Every single match was now a showdown between beasts. And every fucking showdown now was a fucking fight for survival!

Ring outs were frowned upon and so, people who would’ve taken it easy by allowing themselves to be pushed out, now wanted to fight to the last Aura they had!

Don’t get him wrong, Cardin enjoyed a good scrap, craved it even, but when every fucking fight was a fight like that? It was just fucking brutal.

His mace came down, blowing up the ground in front of him, but this random fucker he got paired with didn’t even have the dignity to fall down and lose! Instead, the man used the dust blown up by his mace as cover to throw a spear towards his head!

By then, however, Cardin already knew what was coming.

He crouched downward, avoiding the spear in one smooth motion, while also preparing for what came next. 

The guy did not disappoint.

He roared through the smoke, ready to tackle Cardin into the next life with the way his eyes were glaring. 

Let it not be said, however, that Cardin was a fucking wimp that would leave a challenge unanswered.

He roared out, swinging his mace sideways to brutally connect it with the guy’s cranium. Light exploded and the next thing he knew, the guy was flying out of the arena with a trail of smoke following him.

“Winner, Cardin Winchester.”

He should have been happy, elated even at the achievement of beating another chump down, but the truth was, it was too fucking close for comfort.

Cardin breathed deeply as he glared at the screens above the arena.

30%.

His Aura was at fucking 30%!

If the guy had managed to do something else than try a fucking Jaune Arc by throwing his weapon at him and trying to tackle him, then he genuinely had a chance of beating Cardin!

What the actual fuck?!

He looked towards Goodwitch then, ready to receive her criticism, but the galling thing was, she just nodded at him.

“Well done, now get off the stage.”

Cardin tsked. 

Figures there would be no fucking reward.

Only Jaune had been able to earn it, and the worst part was, Cardin couldn’t even deny it.

Who knew Jauney-boy, weakest and dead last of their class, actually knew how to wrestle?! 

He managed to beat Yang Xiao Long without losing a single scrap of Aura!

Again, what the actual fuck?!

Credit where credit was due, however, Jaune Arc might have been shit at using his sword and shield, but apparently, he was a fucking monster when it came to wrestling!

The next guy that challenged him to a spar found himself pinned to the ground while being bashed in the face by Crocea Mors’ pummel.

Even Cardin winced as he watched Jaune pummel the random guy repeatedly until his Aura reached red.

It just goes to show what confidence and hidden talent can do to improve a man.

Damn it, if Jauney-boy had shown this shit from the start, then he never would have even messed with him!

Cardin was only messing with him because he thought the guy was coasting on Nikos’ skills while making a mockery of all of them!

Who knew he actually knew how to fight when push came to shove?!

Regardless, the feat of winning two times in a row without even losing a single scrap of Aura actually allowed Jauney-boy to coast through the class unchallenged.

No guy wanted to suffer next, and any girl who tried to get the Xiao Long treatmen suddenly got called out by Nikos herself.

Combined with that, the number 1 and number 2 rankings of the class were firmly occupied by Nikos and Arc.

Cardin’s own rank, however, was a measly number 9.

He used to be ranked 8th, but with Arc’s rank soaring yesterday, he got bumped down, with the ranks between them dominated by the rest of teams RWBY and JNPR.

Fury built up inside Cardin’s heart, and his eyes sought their seats out. There, the smug bastard was, surrounded by women. 

He must’ve felt Cardin looking at him because the blonde bastard suddenly turned away from Nikos towards him.

Their eyes met, and all Cardin could do at that point was grunt and glare.

He got the message alright.

A bet was a fucking bet, and it was high time to hold his own end of the bargain.

Fuck.

It was lunchtime.

And again, life was still a big fucking pile of bullshit!

Cardin should be eating by now, replenishing his lost energy from Combat Class, but nooooo.

Instead, he had to do this!

Right in front of everyone!

His feet stomped forward, his joints locked in place, and Cardin gritted his teeth as he mechanically reached out a hand to give out a letter.

To Velvet fucking Scarlatina.

Team CFVY gawked at him, not knowing whether it was real or not, but Cardin knew the truth.

This was real, and it was his godsdamned nightmare.

“What the fuck?” Coco Adel asked midway from eating her own lunch, but what the hell? That was his line! 

All he could do, however, was growl as he glared at the floor beneath his boots.

“It’s a letter.”

“I know it’s a fucking letter, you dumbass!” Coco scowled, before looking at his hand skeptically. “But what kind of letter is it?”

“Just read it.” Cardin growled, pushing the letter towards Velvet’s sitting form and turning away from her.

Already, he could see eyes gathering towards him and Cardin couldn’t help the embarrassment he felt when Coco tilted her head towards him.

“Is this a prank or are you actually confessing to my Bunbun?”

“It is not.” Cardin ground his teeth, but Coco only raised an eyebrow, even as Velvet squeaked fearfully at him.

“Then why does it say to meet you at-”

“Don’t say it out loud, woman! This shit is private!” Cardin hissed, his eyes glancing at the prying ears around them.

This shit was already embarrassing as it was! No need to let the peanut gallery watch his full fall from grace!

Coco, however, only hummed thoughtfully at him.

“Private, huh? You wouldn’t mind Velvet’s teammates coming with her for her own safety, would you?”

“Do what you want!” He shouted before turning around as he felt all eyes turn towards him.

Damn it!

Cardin flushed embarrassedly, but he could only look down in shame as he stomped back towards his table.

Looking towards Arc one last time, Cardin sent him a defiant glare before sitting down on his table.

He could only hope, however, that his pride would survive what he had to do next.

—---

“What’s up with that?” Yang asked as he watched Cardin glare at Jaune.

Jaune, however, only smirked at her before going back to eating his lunch.

“That, Yang, was the start of Cardin holding his end of the bargain.”

“Wait, what? I thought you had to kiss a team’s worth of women to win the bet?” She blinked as the rest of their teams, with the exception of both Blake and Pyrrha, looked incredulously at him at that.

“I did.” Jaune nodded slowly, assessing the situation, but upon finding Weiss was the only one glaring at him, he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Pardon me if I don't know how to count, but there’s only me, Pyrrha, and as crazy as it sounds, Goodwitch, right?” Yang asked with wide eyes as she counted their names with wide eyes. “That only makes three, doesn’t it?”

“There’s also me.” Blake cut in casually, not caring at all as she dropped a bomb on the rest of their friends.

“Blake?! You too?!” Yang snapped her head towards her partner with wide eyes, while Weiss shook her head disappointedly.

“I should have expected this. Still, I am disappointed in you, Belladonna.”

Blake, however, only shrugged without a care in the world.

“It was to end racism. I wouldn’t expect a Schnee like you to understand.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?!” Weiss snapped, but Blake only ignored her as Yang looked intensely at her partner.

“When?”

“The day he kissed you, and I should say that it was more like I kissed him.” Blake answered before turning towards him with a smile on her face. “It was actually rather enjoyable with Jaune being so eager.”

Jaune blushed, even as Yang, Pyrrha, and Weiss scowled at him. 

It was true, while he did his best to make Blake feel good as well, he was also focused on trying to get as much as he could from their brief makeout session. He even went so far as to grab her ass, he knew now, however, that such action had consequences what with Pyrrha elbowing him on the side.

“And she says it's to end racism.” Pyrrha grumbled, glaring at both Blake and Yang before crossing her arms with a pout. “Just remember, I liked him first!”

Sparks briefly flew between Yang and Pyrrha at that before Yang sighed resignedly while turning towards him.

“Right, I already said I was willing to share. Is there anyone else you’ve kissed I should know about, Lover boy?”

Jaune could only wince at that, and he blushed as Yang raised an eyebrow.

“Well….kissing Ruby on the cheeks counted. So technically, I did kiss her too.” Jaune answered, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head while looking at his best friend apologetically.

“So that’s why you were acting so weird during leadership class.” Ruby, however, only hummed thoughtfully before smirking at him. “And here I thought you were gay for Cardin.”

And there went his blush.

Immediately, Jaune turned green, as the rest of his friends also looked disgusted at the notion. 

“No, Ruby, I can confidently say I am definitely not gay for Cardin.” Jaune shook his head, even as Yang and Blake giggled. 

“Yeah, thank the gods for that.”

“Could you imagine, though-”

“Nope! Nu-uh! I’m going to cut you off right there, Blakey! As enjoyable as it is to hear that Fearless Leader has apparently kissed most of Team RWBY, except Weiss, we, the people, have to eat you know?!” Nora interrupted, slamming her hands down with wide eyes before looking back towards her tower of pancakes as everyone laughed loudly.

Jaune watched, however, as Ruby winked at him and that was when he knew, she said that to defuse the situation.

Yet someone would not just let the conversation go that easily.

“Five women, Arc. You have kissed five women.” Yang stared at him flatly to which he could only shrug.

“Yup.”

He might have looked at ease doing it, but deep inside, he was nervous as hell.

He already got a scolding from Pyrrha but who knew how Yang would react?

Luckily for him, Yang only sighed resignedly instead of having an outburst.

“And you could have won your bet with four. What, did you just like kissing women so much that you went above and beyond your bet?” She looked at him unimpressed, but this time, Jaune had an answer.

“Hey, how would I know Professor Goodwitch would suddenly kiss me?” He shrugged before slowly shaking his head. “Besides, technically speaking, Cardin still doesn’t know Pyrrha and I have kissed.”

“He what?!” Pyrrha snapped with wide eyes, and Jaune paused before slowly turning towards his partner with a pale face.

“I…uhm…I never told him, and he never actually saw us kiss. So he still doesn’t know about….us.” He answered slowly as he saw Pyrrha suddenly gnash her teeth in frustration.

“That’s right. We had to take a picture of us kissing for him to believe us.” Blake piped in, causing Pyrrha to fume even harder as she now had to grit her words out.

“I saw.”

“So does that mean he only counts me, Yang, Blake, and Professor Goodwitch as part of the bet?” Ruby asked, tilting her head and not helping the situation one bit.

“Yeah, him watching me get kissed by Professor Goodwitch fulfilled the bargain for him.” Jaune answered while cautiously looking at his partner.

Before he knew it, however, she was suddenly slamming her hands on the table as she stood up.

“Cardin Winchester!” Pyrrha called out to the shock of everyone there.

“What?” Cardin asked, tilting his head, and Pyrrha being who she was, immediately garnered the attention of everyone there.

All eyes were on her as she suddenly grabbed at Jaune’s collar.

His eyes widened, and all Jaune could do at that point was gasp as Pyrrha uttered two words.

“Watch this!” 

And then she was pulling him up for a kiss.

It was angry, passionate, and insistent all at once. Before Jaune even knew what was happening, his world slowly shrank to just the two of them. He knew for a fact that a lot of people were actually watching them make out right now, but for the life of him, he did not just care.

“Another one?! First Xiao Long, then Goodwitch, and now Nikos?!”

“It’s Nikos. She’s always had the hots for Arc.”

“Damn, look at her go.”

And look at her go, indeed. 

Pyrrha moaned into his mouth before he himself went on the attack. Their tongues battled for dominion, even as their hands did not remain idle. Jaune felt her wrap her arms over his neck, and for his part, he embraced her from the waist.

It must’ve been a show because distantly, he heard whistling and clapping, and all the while, Cardin Winchester was slowly pushing his food away from himself before slamming his head face first onto the table.

Eventually, however, all good things must come to an end.

They separated with a smack, and while Jaune had to gasp harshly as Pyrrha took his breath away, Pyrrha, for her part, only licked her lips and looked at him heatedly.

“Mine.”

Now, Jaune will admit, his heart skipped a bit. How couldn’t it when Pyrrha was looking at him like he was her favorite food for dinner? Which, by the way, was still crazy.

Someone, however, was not so eager to surrender him.

“Woah there, P-money.” Yang stood up from across them, and judging from the glare on her eyes, she was more than willing to leap across if not for who was suddenly holding her hand down. 

“Don’t you mean ours? Jaune promised to be with me, after all. Arc’s word and all that.” Yang grinned toothily, tilting her head as if to challenge Pyrrha.

Before Jaune could even mediate between them, however, Pyrrha was already relaxing her hold.

“Fine.” Pyrrha huffed angrily before turning towards the rest of the table as her hands came down from her neck to cling to his arm. “Anyone else?”

“Me and Renny are good.” Nora piped in immediately before returning to her pancakes.

“Not a chance.” Weiss scowled while glaring at him.

“Question, can I join when I’m legal?” And Ruby raised her hand like she was in a classroom.

Everyone turned towards her in shock before Yang suddenly put a hand on her shoulder.

“Do you want to?” She asked seriously.

“I mean, he is my best friend, so maybe?” Ruby, however, only shrugged unsurely.

But being said best friend, Jaune could recognize the mischievous glint in her eyes.

Contrary to his expectations that Pyrrha would jealously shut her down, however, she only nodded promptly.

“We’ll decide when you’re older.”

That, however, only left one last person.

Blake Belladonna.

Cool, beautiful, and mysterious Belladonna.

She, however, only shook her head slowly with a smile on her face.

“Don’t look at me. That was a one time thing to end racism.”

Something in his face must have shown his disappointment, because Blake suddenly laughed as she looked at him.

Jaune flushed, even as she cutely tilted her head at him.

“Don’t tell me you actually want me?”

All eyes turned towards him, and he wasn’t so dense as to not notice Yang Pyrrha’s intense stares, but at that point, what else could he do other than tell the truth?

“I mean, why wouldn’t I?” He shrugged to the gasps of everyone there.

“Oh?” Blake Belladonna, however, only raised an eyebrow as Jaune blushed while rubbing the back of his head.

“You’re cool, beautiful, and despite how much you try to play the mysterious demeanor, you’re actually really kind and passionate.”

“How do you say so?”

“If you weren’t, you wouldn’t have cared about the Faunus.” He pointed out, and Blake reeled back as she blinked at him in surprise, before a soft smile appeared on her face.

“Thank you, Jaune. I appreciate it, really, but I’m not looking for a relationship right now.”

He paused before nodding to accept her answer with grace. It was as good as a rejection he could hope for. Before he could say anything, however, someone else was suddenly leaning towards Blake.

“Maybe you can take some time to think about it like me?” Ruby squealed, happy at the prospect of having someone else on the same boat.

Blake, however, only blinked at the silver eyes looking up at her before shrugging carelessly.

“Might as well, but don’t hold up hope for me, okay?”

Jaune only nodded, smiling softly as a light blush colored his face. 

Heh, Blake thinking about being with him?

It was surreal.

Nothing was as surreal, however, as what happened next.

He got jolted out of his thoughts when Nora clapped loudly beside him.

“Okay! So we’ve got three nos!” She announced while waving towards her, Ren, and Weiss. “Two maybes!” She continued with a nod at Blake and Ruby before finally smiling at Yang and Pyrrha. “And two yeses! Wow, Jaune-Jaune. You’re on the way to forming a harem!”

Jaune blushed at the sudden attention he was getting, and even Yang and Pyrrha cleared their throats uncomfortably as they realized the same thing.

A harem?

How the hell was he getting a harem when he was just on the brink of getting expelled?!

The answer, however, came from an unexpected source.

“And you have Cardin to thank for it.” Ren piped in, and at that, Jaune’s eyes widened in realization.

“I mean, I wouldn’t like to call it a harem, but you are absolutely right.” He replied before turning towards Cardin with a grin as an insidious idea formed in his mind. “Hey, Cardin! Thanks for the harem, buddy!”

Eyes snapped towards the Winchester at that, but Cardin groaned, slamming his face down on the table once again, and making Jaune laugh loudly.

“Ha! That might actually be a lot more painful for him than his apology to Velvet later!”

“Later? I thought that that was his apology.” Blake tilted her head towards Team CFVY’s table, where they were still looking at the letter.

“Oh, that? No, that’s actually just a letter informing Velvet to meet somewhere else. Cardin wouldn’t actually do a public apology, but I thought this would be the next best thing.” Jaune explained, getting nods from Team RWBY as they looked at Cardin’s suffering form.

“Make it public that something is going down, despite the apology being private. Smart.”

“My team and I will actually be there to make sure Cardin follows through. Wanna come and watch?”

“Nope! Nu-uh! This afternoon is reserved for Team RWBY’s team activity! So keep your claws off of my team!” Weiss

“Sorry, Jaune. But we already scheduled to go to Vale together to watch the preparations for the Vytal Festival.” Ruby winced as she looked at him apologetically.

“Oh, that’s fine. You guys have fun.” He slumped as he watched Team RWBY stand up slowly. 

Weiss glared, Blake nodded, Ruby smiled, but Yang….Yang pulled him for a kiss.

On the cheek.

Pyrrha’s eye twitched, but a victorious smile appeared on her face, even as Jaune blinked while Yang blushed furiously. 

It might have just been a kiss on the cheek, but this was the first time Yang had ever initiated something like that.

It spoke of good things to come, and Jaune couldn’t help but grin stupidly, even as Yang laughed at him.

“Tell me how it goes later?”

“I sure will.” He replied with a sigh, watching as she filed out with the rest of her team.

Jaune might not get to spend the rest of the day with Yang, but he already felt like a winner.

—--

Cardin felt like a loser.

It was disgusting, it was pathetic, but a bet was a fucking bet, and Cardin Winchester wouldn’t be a man if he didn’t follow through with his words.

And so there he was, standing on the rooftop of their dormitory while waiting for one Velvet Scarlatina.

She entered with the grace of the scared animal she was. Skittish, trembling, and hunched over herself as she walked towards the middle of the rooftop to meet him.

Cardin, however, only ground his teeth when he saw the silhouettes of both Team JNPR and the other members of Team CFVY peek through from the door behind her.

“C-Cardin, you called me?” She stuttered unsurely, and it was here that Cardin closed his eyes in pain.

This was just painful.

Torture, really.

But with both Teams JNPR and CFVY waiting by the door, there was only one thing he could do.

“Imsorry.”

“What was that?” Velvet blinked as he muttered the words.

“I said…” He trailed off, feeling genuine pain in his heart as he closed his eyes. “I’m sorry.”

That was it. He wasn’t going to say anything else. He didn’t need to do. Whatever he had to be sorry for, Velvet could think for herself.

Silence, however, was all that greeted him except for the wind blowing around them.

He didn’t open his eyes, however, instead he only looked down and ground his teeth painfully.

“Why are you doing this?” Velvet asked, jolting Cardin out of his thoughts.

“What do you mean?” He frowned, but Velvet only shook her head slowly.

“I can see you’re in pain, Cardin. So why are you doing this?”

Cardin could hardly answer with the truth, so instead, he only walked past her while looking away.

“Think what you want, I’ve said my piece.”

He watched as both Team JNPR and Team CFVY start to crowd together behind the door, but he only growled at one particular person.

“It’s done.” 

“It’s done when I say it’s done.” Jaune crossed his arms as he raised an eyebrow.

Cardin, however, only growled at him.

“Careful, Arc. Don’t push me. This is as far as I’ll go. Remember, I still know what I know.” He warned, and his lips tilted up a bit when he saw Jaune’s eyes widen.

That’s right. Just because Cardin did the bargain, doesn’t mean he’s forgotten Jauney-boy’s transcript. If Jauney-boy continued to push him, then damn being expelled over his behavior. He’d take Jauney-boy with him with his fake transcripts!

The two of them looked at each other before nodding at the same time.

It was an unspoken agreement.

Cardin wasn’t going to mess with him and his friends anymore, and Jaune wasn’t going to mess with Cardin.

They were just going to live their lives and that would be enough.

It would have to be.

—--

Velvet blinked as she watched Cardin walk away.

She expected Coco to stop him, to get more answers on why he was doing what he was doing, but it seemed she had been satisfied with whatever exchange he had with Jaune Arc.

That was another thing, how was Jaune Arc and his team involved in all of this?

Velvet tilted her head as she watched them walk towards her. Before she could say anything, however, Coco playfully slapped Jaune’s back.

“Alright, Arc. You’ve got some explaining to do. Why did Winchester call my Bunbun out here, and what’s your hand in it?”

“Ow.” Jaune groaned, arching his back before rubbing the back of his embarrassedly while looking at her. “First thing’s first, what did he say to you, Velvet?”

“He said sorry.” She smiled wryly, tucking her hair behind her ear, even as Jaune looked at her in disbelief.

“That’s it? That’s all he said?”

“Yes, but between you and me, it was funny to see how much it pained him.” She giggled as she looked at Jaune’s face.

He sighed resignedly before giving her a soft smile himself.

“I guess that’s the best we could hope for.”

Velvet felt the heat flush her cheeks, she sobered up, however, when she saw Pyrrha Nikos suddenly narrowing her eyes at her.

As a fellow woman herself, she knew when someone was trying to fence off a man, this looked a lot like that. Before she could say anything, however, Coco was already raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms at Jaune.

“Alright, explain. Not that I don’t like it, but why was Cardin Winchester suddenly apologizing to my Bunbun?” 

She saw Jaune wince, but he eventually nodded at them embarrassedly.

“So you see, we had a bet.”

“A bet?” Velvet furrowed her brows, getting his attention as he suddenly looked at her.

“Yup. You know how he was messing with me too, right?”

“I know.” She answered softly, Jaune, however, only shook his head at that.

“Not anymore. He and I made a bet that he would stop messing with me if I manage to do something for him. I figured I might as well have him apologize to you too.”

“Oh, Jaune. You didn’t need to! He must’ve have made it harder for you if you added that to your bet!” Velvet replied as her eyes widened.

She knew how bullies worked. She’s had them since she was a child. No matter what you did, they just kept pushing and pushing until you ran far far away from them. There was no bargaining because they just kept raising the stakes, and even if you told on them, they would just be replaced by someone else!

So she didn’t know how Jaune was able to do it, but it must’ve been extremely hard.

Jaune, however, only smiled at her.

“But I wanted to.”

It was then and there, Velvet Scarlatina’s heart skipped a beat.

Here Jaune was, tall, blonde, and gallant. He was cute too as he rubbed his shaggy hair that blew on the wind.

Velvet Scarlatina did not stand a chance.

She tried to hide the blush suddenly covering her face by looking away, luckily for her, however, Coco was already pointing a finger at him.

“Not that I don’t appreciate it, but what was the bet?” She asked, successfully taking the attention away from Velvet as everyone looked towards her.

There, however, they saw Jaune suddenly blush brightly. Even Pyrrha Nikos cleared her throat uncomfortably beside him. 

Velvet’s heart sank at that. It must’ve been truly embarrassing if he reacted like that. The least she could do at that point was to protect his privacy.

But before she could even say anything to dissuade him from sharing, he was already moving to answer.

“It was to kiss a team’s worth of women.”

“I beg your pardon?” Fox asked incredulously, breaking his silence as Yatsu gawked beside him. 

Even Velvet could only look at Jaune in shock as he tried to laugh it off awkwardly.

“Yeah, it was to kiss four women.”

“And you did it?” coco asked slowly, pulling her glasses down as she looked at Jaune in shock. “Otherwise, Cardin wouldn’t have apologized to Velvet over here.”

Velvet’s own eyes widened at that realization, but Jaune only nodded slowly.

“Well, gods be damned, Arc! I didn’t know you had it in you!” Coco laughed, but Velvet could only look at him in shock.

“Yeah, I didn’t know I had it in me myself.” He answered with a blush on her face.

“And you did that to stop him from messing with Bunbun!”

“Well, I couldn’t just let her suffer, right? Besides, fighting racism is always the right thing to do.” He laughed as he turned towards her.

It was then, however, that a strange feeling came over Velvet.

She was giddy. She was brave. And she was happy as she giggled towards him.

“You’re right. Fighting racism is always the right thing to do.”

He smiled at her, but she was not done just yet.

She stepped forward, laying a hand on his chest to the surprise of everyone there.

“It is the right thing to do, but not everyone does it.” She said slowly, before looking up at him with half-lidded eyes. “Which is why I think you deserve a reward.”

—-----

Jaune blinked as before he knew it, Velvet Scarlatina was tilting up to plant a kiss on his lips.

It was quick, it was sweet, and it was electrifying.

“Consider this my thanks.” She smiled sweetly at him, and Jaune could only blush, even as she blushed herself.

And so there they were, two idiots blushing together as everyone looked at them.

“You okay, velvet?” coco asked, though Jaune could see the proud smile on her face. She only raised an eyebrow at him, however, when she saw him looking at her. “I hope you’re not thinking of getting a kiss from me too? We’re on the same side, if you get what I’m saying.”

Jaune blinked before he realized what she was saying. She was just like Saphron, and so he only nodded with a smile on his face.

“Yeah, I get you.”

Coco looked sternly for a moment, before smiling with a loud laugh.

“Ha! Yeah, you do get it! You’re a good kid, Arc. You’re a good kid. Now come on, Bunbun. It’s time for us to get some dinner.”

“Bye, Jaune. I’ll see you later.” Velvet waved shyly before following after her team. They looked at her, and spoke towards her, but with the wind whistling between them, he could hardly hear anything else.

He clearly heard, however, someone loudly clearing their throat beside him.

Slowly turning to the side, he saw Pyrrha raising an eyebrow at him.

“I bet you liked that reward, didn’t you?”

“Oooohhh, someone’s in trouble!” Nora called out, even as Ren tried to pull her back from teasing him too much.

“Hush, Nora. He already knows.” 

The small smile on his face, however, told Jaune that Ren was just as amused as Nora at his predicament.

Before he could say anything, however, his Scroll suddenly rang loudly.

Fishing it out, and looking towards the name of the caller, he furrowed his brows as he saw the name of his best friend.

Instinctively, he answered it, but before he could even say anything else, Ruby was already shouting.

“BLAKE IS MISSING!”