“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

And as expected, the woman behind me doesn’t believe my blatant lie and angrily slams her hand on the table, causing me to flinch at how close that was.

“Glynda...” The headmaster gives her a stern look of disapproval.

But even with her retreat, I can still feel her eyes burning holes into my back.

“I would greatly appreciate it if you could share more information, Mr. Rakhan. I assure you, there will be benefits for you if you help us.” He settles back into his chair and leans forward, hands clasped together with a grave expression. “Our city is facing a difficult situation, and it is my duty to ensure the safety of all citizens.”

But I couldn’t care less.

As if sensing my thoughts, the old man’s expression softens. “I understand that circumstances may not have been in your favor, and that’s understandable. Even the best of us make mistakes, it’s part of life. But we must also strive to right those wrongs and become better versions of ourselves.”

The right thing, the right thing.

Always this bullshit talk about doing the right thing.

“What…what do I get out of this?”

The blonde woman hits the table again in frustration, but this time I simply meet her gaze without flinching. “How dare you ask...
”
“Glynda.” Ozpin’s voice cuts through with a commanding tone. “Come to my side now.”

Reluctantly, Glynda obeys but her expression clearly shows her disapproval.

Once she is behind the headmaster, he turns his attention back to me. “We can assist each other, but I must first confirm my suspicions.” He leans closer, the light casting shadows on his face. “Do you work with Roman Torchwick and what exactly do you do for him?”

I gulp and take a deep breath before looking at the man. Then, I glance at the woman who has been glaring at me with the same hard expression since the beginning.

But I’m already fucked, he has visual evidence against me. Evidence that I cannot deny because I just confessed that I have a storage semblance, even if it isn’t correct to call my gamer inventory like that. And they look dead set on getting something out of me so I can’t just deny everything or I might make things worse for me, so what should I do?

At least Ozpin seems open to compromise and may offer something in return for information. Could this be an opportunity to clear my name and any criminal records? It’s worth considering.

I say a little about everything and they let me walk away.

“I’m not a police officer, Mr. Rakhan,” the man across from me says with a calm demeanor. “I’m just someone who cares about the safety of this city and its students. I assure you that anything discussed in this room will remain confidential.”

I have to admit; he has a point… I guess.

If he was a cop, he probably would have resorted to violence, or at least handcuffed me again after showing me those incriminating photos.

“If I talk, will you clear up all this mess? I don’t want any of this coming back to haunt me,” I ask, needing assurance.

He nods, which is the best I can expect from him.

I cross my arms and lean back on my chair. “Well, to answer your question, that prick saw my semblance and… recruited me to move his things.”

That stupid video is probably still saved in Neo’s scroll.

“What things?”

I let out a groan, dragging a hand across my face. “What do you think? Weapons, drugs, booze, chemicals, dust. Pretty common stuff. He even had me deliver a stuffed toy.”

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at how ridiculous that seemed. Couldn’t that guy have just bought the damn toy from a store?

“Tell me more about the dust.”

“It’s a recent thing, actually. Just collect dust, no matter how. Just bring a lot of dust. Roman is now taking all the dust he can in whatever method he can think of because is scared of that crazy bitch. We all are. Robberies are his thing, but I assume he has been buying up dust from other sources because there is always more dust than there should be if we consider his heists.”

“I see. That does explain the sudden shift in his actions. You mentioned this mysterious new woman; tell me more about her. She must be someone of significant strength to give orders to a man like Roman Torchwick.”
Just as I’m about to answer, I hesitate, closing my mouth to think for a moment.

If I spill everything about Cinder, these guys could move in and take her down. This man has so many hunters on his side that she’d never stand a chance against their combined strength. The thought of seeing her broken and running as everything crumbles around her brings a smirk to my face. Once she has every hunter in Vale on her as, Cinder will no longer be a problem to anyone ever again.

But they’ve never seen her in action or understand what she’s capable of. Even if I tell them, they might take a conservative approach and underestimate her, or worse, Cinder could find out I sold her out. Would these guys be faster than her murderous wrath if she decides to come after me?

She can burn people alive with a mere touch.

And I will be facing her alone.

No…

It isn’t worth it.

Cinder has been in this city for some time, and nothing has ever happened to her. If I talk to them, she’ll find out, hide, and then come straight for me, or send her bitches to finish the job. I can take on Emerald, but Mercury?
He’d crush me.

If I talk, it will be truly over for me. I need to stay alive above all else. I want to live.

“Mr. Rakhan?”

I don’t want to go to jail, but I also don’t want to die. At least in jail, I’d still have my life. Maybe I could even ask Neo for help. Fuck, she might have a plan or know someone who could get me out early.

Or she might take the craziest route and break me out herself, with her semblance she can do so many things by herself.

But I also want to get back at that bitch of Cinder and Neo shares my sentiment. Hell, even that fucking racist prick wants to get back at Cinder.

We all want to get rid of her.

We truly do.

But we aren’t strong enough.

Not yet.

“Mr. Rakhan, please.”

“A woman in a red dress. She is the one calling the shots now, she strong-armed Roman to follow her whims, and it’s been going on for weeks.”

The headmaster leans back to his chair and then exchanges glances with Glynda, who quickly gives him a nod.

“A woman in a red dress. And does this woman has a fire related semblance? With glyphs that glow on her upper body when she activates it?”

I chose to keep her name hidden, at least for now.

“Yeah, when Roman called her a whore in front of everyone.” I snort, remembering that moment for a second before grimacing. “And she turned a random guy into ashes. One touch and poof, that dude was totally gone. Roman has been obedient ever since.”

That also fucked me over as I was put in charge of everything else. Lots of menial tasks done by me, although I do occasionally have some help.

The mention of murder furrowed the headmaster’s brow. “I take it that witnessing such an event wasn’t pleasant. You have my condolences.”

He doesn’t mean it.

“But this woman, has she been demanding dust?”

“Yes, if she didn’t come, then I would have been making normal deliveries across the city. As normal as they can get, besides the occasional assholes attacking me, so I kick their teeth.”

“I see. And do you know where all this dust is going? What is the purpose behind collecting it? Perhaps you overheard her discussing her plans and objectives?”

“Fuck if I know!” I throw my hand up in frustration. “She just wants more and more. We have already exported some of that stupid dust in cargo ships.”

And I was supposed to finish another container and close it, ready for shipping.

My response only deepens his frown, a crease forming between his eyebrows as another cloud of worry settles on his face. “I see...”

I hate that I’m not strong enough to give them Cinder’s full name, but that doesn’t mean I cannot use the headmaster to get rid or at least fuck Cinder over and her lapdogs.

“And she isn’t alone…” I pause, thinking my next words carefully. “She has two followers with her. They are always annoying and keep watch on everyone. A dark-skinned girl with green hair and a very tall guy with spiky gray hair.”

A short general description of everyone without going into detail or specific names. That should be enough to send these guys against them and force those assholes into hiding and not raise suspicions about my involvement. At least I hope that should do.

Still, I pray those two bastards get fucked.

“We will keep track of individuals with those particular traits, I promise.” He agrees and reclines back in his seat, appearing more at ease. “So to summarize, Torchwick was forced into service under threat of death by a woman in red and her followers. Their main objective is to gather as much dust as possible, correct?”

I shrug. “That’s about right.”

And weapons, lots and lots of weapons. But their focus seems to be on the dust, so not really necessary to point it out.

“And where are these operations taking place?”

There’s no way I’m revealing the exact location.

“The slums, obviously. It’s an area that no one bothers checking; it’s like a no-man's-land. So it’s the perfect hiding spot for everything. And don’t even try to ask me for specific details; I have no clue where it is because they’re always changing locations.”

“The slums? That seems like a logical answer but also too simple of an answer. It explains why it was dismissed as a possibility.” He strokes his chin thoughtfully before nodding. “This conversation has been very informative, Mr. Rakhan. Thank you for your time.”

“So?” I tilt my head, waiting for my reward.

Ozpin glances over his shoulder and gives a subtle nod to Glynda, who quickly hands him a clipboard. “Your information was indeed valuable. This will greatly assist us in our ongoing investigation, as you have finally provided us with a lead and I am a man of my word. As I promised, Mr. Rakhan, your cooperation shall be rewarded.”

Ozpin rises from his chair and walks over to my side. He gently places the clipboard on the table in front of me. “By signing this document, all your criminal records will be expunged. The evidence we’ve gathered will be considered a simple misunderstanding due to the biased actions of malicious actors against the faunus.”

That’s… believable. They already punished that bastard. What’s stopping them from framing him with one more thing just as he framed me?

More importantly, it’s my ticket out of jail, something I’ve been aiming for from the start. And I only had to give some vague information. Truth be told, I was concerned they might resort to more aggressive tactics to extract the information.

All I have to do now is sign this document, leave this place, and finally head home for a good night’s rest.

As I reach out to take the clipboard, my heart skips a beat when Ozpin swiftly pulls it away without a word. His unwavering gaze remains locked on mine.

“Or…” he begins.

He places another stack of papers in front of me. “You can put your talents to good use.”

I let out a sigh; the situation isn’t as bad as it initially seemed. I lower my gaze to quickly scan the stack of papers. The first thing I notice is the Beacon Academy official seal, followed by the large, bold word “Scholarship” printed across the top.

I raise my head, giving a perplexed expression to the headmaster, who responds with a faint smile.

“Your excursions into the Emerald Forest haven’t gone unnoticed. You inadvertently made significant discoveries for the academy and potentially saved the lives of many students and prospective candidates,” Ozpin explains. “However, the main reason for extending this offer to you, Mr. Rakhan, is that I’ve recognized your potential; a potential to contribute positively in numerous ways.”

What is he even talking about?

“Why show me this?” I ask, puzzled.

“Because, as I’ve mentioned before, people make mistakes. But what sets us apart is our ability to pick ourselves up, learn from our errors, and strive to do better, be better.“

I furrow my brows, looking back down at the contract. “I can’t afford even a single semester. Paying rent is already a nightmare.”

Well, I recently got one million lien, but I would be a fucking idiot to lay down and do nothing because that million will probably be gone in a little more than a year. Shit is ridiculously expensive in Vale.

“That won’t be a problem, I assure you. Please take a look here,” Ozpin says, pointing to a specific section of the contract. My eyes follow his gesture, and I begin reading the paragraph, which explicitly states that I won’t have to pay a single lien as long as I maintain a minimum grade of 60/100. If I fall below that threshold, I would be obligated to pay for half the scholarship. “A scholarship will grant you numerous benefits and cover most of your expenses, provided you meet the minimum requirements. If you struggle to meet those requirements, we can offer you some time to rectify the situation.”

So, as long as I maintain good grades, all my expenses will be covered for the next four years of my life. I’ll have access to vast resources and train with the best of the best, ultimately becoming a licensed hunter.

Going from a street urchin to a powerful hunter with all my needs taken care of and a potentially bright future ahead is an incredible prospect.

This deal is too good, way too good to pass up…

Too good to be real.

“What’s the catch?” I ask, feeling a pang of skepticism.

Ozpin raises an eyebrow at my question. “Pardon?” he responds, his expression neutral yet questioning.

“Where is the catch? I know there is always a catch with this sort of thing.” I cross arms, my face twisting into a frown.

“I assure you that there is no catch, as you put it.” He replies, even sounding confused.

“Bullshit. There is no such thing as a free meal in this world.” I state, causing the woman to narrow her eyes, containing her anger towards me as she only tightens her grip around her weapon.

“Your skepticism is understandable, given the unfortunate circumstances you have found yourself in,” he begins, his gaze fixed on me. “However, I assure you that our intentions are purely to offer you an opportunity to harness your true potential for the betterment of Remnant. We seek individuals with talent and resilience, qualities you have shown us in abundance.”

The headmaster takes a moment to adjust his glasses. “It is not uncommon for young individuals such as yourself to question the authenticity of such offers despite their misguided past. I encourage you to view this as a chance to grow and contribute to a greater cause.” He then offers a small, reassuring smile. “Should you choose to accept, you will be provided with the necessary support and guidance to thrive as a hunter. In return, we ask for your dedication and commitment to the mission of maintaining peace and safety in Remnant.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.” I growl.

He takes a moment to collect his thoughts before continuing. “While there may not be a traditional ‘catch’, as you put it, we do have expectations. We require dedication, perseverance-”

“Just tell me, damnit!” I slam my fist against the table.

However, he remains silent this time, simply staring at me as the temperature in the room takes a sudden, drastic drop.

The silence is unsettling, but I use it as an opportunity to reach for the contract with the scholarship offer. Yet, the contract doesn’t budge. Frowning, I soon realize Ozpin has a firm grip on the contract, refusing to release it as he maintains a neutral expression.

A silent tug-of-war ensues, but much to my surprise, despite his age, Ozpin’s grip is strong, making it impossible for me to break free.

Even though I can’t read the documents, the tension in the room and his refusal to let me take the contract make it clear there is definitely a catch, one that would likely fuck me over one way or another.

Eventually, I relent, letting him win this stupid game.

With a swift motion, Ozpin takes back the papers and arranges them neatly before returning them to their original position.

I shift my gaze to the woman standing behind Ozpin, her expression a fixed glare of disapproval.

Understanding the predicament I’m in, I let out a sigh and slump back in my chair, giving myself a moment to think as I look at the contracts on the table. This time, there’s a black pen placed between them.

I can sign the scholarship contract and become a full-time student with all my expenses covered. I’d likely receive an allowance as well, but Ozpin’s words suggest there’s an underlying catch—something that could tether me down. I’m already shackled by one fucking bastard; I don’t need another chain holding me back. I don’t want it.

But maybe it’s different this time.

Compared to the prick of Roman, there are clear advantages with this that I can use to their fullest potential, which would bring me numerous benefits.

Yet, I can’t shake the fear of whatever catch Ozpin has planned with this scholarship.

With that prick I can escape, I know I can eventually break free from his grasp and from that bitch of Cinder. I just need to become stronger, much stronger than both of them and it won’t take long considering my rate of growth.

But Ozpin is a different matter altogether. No matter how much strength I manage to get, I will have to fight against all Vale’s hunters, including students if something goes really wrong, which could happen considering my terrible luck so far.

Still…

I can become a hunter, an actual fully licensed hunter.

A unique opportunity for a new life and leaving everything behind.

Everything…

I take one deep breath and grab the pen, taking a moment to stare at the two contracts in front of me.

I take a deep breath and grasp the pen, pausing to stare at the two contracts before me.

That’s why I grab the first contract and sign it without thinking twice. Will I regret it?

Maybe, probably. But at this point, I don’t care anymore.

“So… Can I leave?”

-Industrial District, Neopolitan-

“One job, Roman. One job was all you needed to ruin everything.”

Neo watched her partner in crime pace back and forth, his movements more agitated than normal. Though ‘everything’ wasn’t entirely accurate, her Dumdum had certainly made things difficult and some small mistakes here and there, but Junior’s men, as usual, proved unreliable against the aura-powered brats.

“I had to improvise, woman!” he threw his arms up in exasperation. “How could I have predicted that little—”

“Girl. You were outmaneuvered by a little girl who isn’t even old enough to drink yet,” the ugly bitch sneered, her tone dripping with scorn. “So this is the ‘famed Gentleman Thief’ who eluded authorities and hunter teams for years? What a pathetic joke you’ve become.”

That was an unnecessary comment, making her frown. She tightened her grip on her umbrella. She wouldn’t have allowed that comment to slide.

“First,” Roman raised a finger, his expression firm, “I was NOT bested by a stupid girl. It was Glynda Goodwitch, one of the most powerful hunters in all of Vale.” He held up a second finger. “And second, I always conduct my heists with my partner whom you ordered me to exclude her for some reason, and on top of that, I didn’t have my cargo pet with me. You didn’t bother to search for him, nor did you find a proper replacement.”

Neo could only nod in agreement. Her partner raised very good points. They always worked in pairs, and her kitten hasn’t been responding to her messages so far, which was very strange in itself.

However, her agreement only intensified the ugly bitch’s murderous glare. Her expression darkened, and she took a step closer, raising her hand abruptly. A single finger ignited with fire as she spoke, “Watch your tone, thief. Remember your place.”

She was distracted, maybe just maybe, she could sneak behind her and stab her stiletto in her back, one good thrush and she will pierce a kidney. She might do that. There was an opportunity to end this bitch once and for all.

She just needed to be very careful.

Or that was the plan until she noticed her dumdum discouraging her with a glance. If he was telling her to stop, then she would listen. He definitely saw something she didn’t. Better not risk it.
Shame.

That was the moment when the bitch turned around, sensing something was off, so she just needed to offer her a smile.

Smile and wave, certainly nothing bad going on or planned. Just her being cute and harmless as she always has been. And DEFINITELY not imagining herself stabbing that woman over and over again and watching her bleed out in agony on the floor before gutting her.

And that future-corpse just turned her attention back to her partner, who was still holding back a lot of words. She knew how much he was holding back and fuming behind that ugly expression of his.

“I had to expose myself much earlier than planned to save your incompetent ass. Now you will have to fix it. I don’t care how, you will fix it, and fast.” She ordered.

That caused his expression to break. “Fix? What do you want me to do now? If you have forgotten, I’m still very busy with your special job of stealing all the dust of this damned city!”

True, they have filled a couple more containers, and this heist was meant to complete yet another. They planned to seal it and export it to their destination. Wherever that is.

“I fail to see how that is my problem,” she mocked with a dismissive scoff and walked away slowly, her steps deliberate and taunting, disappearing into the warehouse’s shadows.

Of course, she kept her guard up, listening intently for the sharp click of the woman’s heels echoing through the building. Her partner remained vigilant beside her, both of them watching and waiting. Neo knew that the bitch could not be underestimated, and her departure could easily be a ruse to lure them into a trap.

Only to grab his cap and slam it against the floor. “THAT BITCH!”

Oh, now he was very, very angry, no doubt about it.

“Who does she think she is?!”

It is better to let him vent and rant by himself. She knew how much he has been holding back. But he didn’t need to mistreat his favorite hat like that. But she wouldn’t be a good partner if she didn’t fix it for him, would she?
“If it wasn’t for that cursed semblance of hers, I would have…”

Wow, Roman hasn’t put this in a washing machine for a long while, and now it is all dirty with ash, dust and hair strands. And that’s ignoring the strong smell of cigarettes.

“And then I must spend….”

Oh, there is some food stuck on the edges. Was he using his hat as a bowl or something?

“AGHHHHH those fucking backstabbing leeches….”

Just a little more here and there, and take that small thing off aaaaaand done!

The cap is back in shape and spot clean, at least as clean as she could get because the smell is still pretty bad and she didn’t bring herself with any aromatic to mask it off. But that still should be more than enough, and would you look at that.

Her dumdum has finally calmed down the perfect opportunity to return his hat.

“Oh, thank you very much dear.” he puts it back on. “I apologize for my outburst. It must have been unsightly.”

Neo rolled her eyes at his predictable behavior. Some things never changed, not that she wanted him to.

“Anyway, please go find your pet project and do what you gotta do, I leave it to your discretion.” He adjusted his hat before turning away. “I don’t need more headaches that I already have.”

And he left, going deeper into the warehouse, deeper into the warehouse, probably to plan something. He sure had a lot of work piling on top of him. A lot of work, which she didn’t need to deal with, and he knew it very well. She would burn any paperwork he sends her way.

She had far more important things to do, after all.

One of them was finding out why her kitten hadn’t shown up or responded to her messages. He always did, usually within minutes.

Just to be certain, Neo pulled out her scroll to check her messages, her frown deepening when she saw none were read. The checkmarks remained gray, not blue.

Maybe he needed a good spanking for ignoring her messages. But she decided she’d hear his excuses first, before deciding how hard she’d discipline him.

So the first thing on her list was to find him. His apartment was the first place she’d check, although she didn’t have high hopes of finding him there.

Or that was the plan until she got a notification in her scroll and…would you look at that. Her kitten finally decided to answer her messages. He was in so much trouble.

Oh, so that happened. She could forgive him.

After he cooked for her and gave her a massage, that is. He owed her that much.

Now she needed to contact Junior’s legal team.

-Bonus Scene: Nepotism is a beautiful thing-

“This is bullshit!” Yang shouted, jabbing her litter picker into a strange bluish soda can on the ground.

The most sexy, coolest and strongest huntress in training ever, who kicked the butt of an entire gang all by herself, the number one graduate at Signal, reduced to picking up trash from the streets.

It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t her fault. It was all just a stupid misunderstanding.

To add insult to injury, her own father and uncle were pleased with the outcome!

“Do I need to remind you that disorderly conduct will increase the number of hours?” Glynda Goodwitch spoke up with a stern tone and an equally stern glare.

And she could easily tell that Glynda wasn’t telling an empty threat.

So, begrudgingly, she kept quiet, stabbing a piece of paper with her tool before tossing it into her trash bag, then picking up a banana peel, and more discarded items.

And more trash.

And more trash.

And more trash…

“But this is pointless! You can use your semblance to pick everything up and be done in seconds!”

“Correct. Telekinesis would allow me to clean the entire street within seconds,” Glynda replied with her arms crossed.

“So why am I the one picking up everything?!” she finally snapped, her anger spilling over as she slammed her tool against the ground.

“Miss Xiao Long!” The woman stomped her heel. “The headmaster went through a long and arduous process to reduce your sentence to community service. Do not disappoint him with your attitude. If it were up to me, you’d be behind bars for a week, at the very least, followed by mandatory anger management courses, and then you’d pay for all the damages you caused.”

With a flick of her weapon, Glynda activated her semblance, and the stupid stick flew from the ground and landed back in her hands. “Do not test my patience.” Glynda warned.

Yang winced at the thought of facing harsher consequences had Glynda gotten her way. She could never afford to pay for all the damages she’d caused during that fight, and jail time was definitely never on her list. “Yeah... sorry about that, I...”

“I don’t want words, Miss Xiao Long. I want actions.” She cut her off.

Yang could only let out a frustrated sigh as she resumed picking up the trash.

“When you finish here, we’ll head to the main avenue.”

Yang grumbled to herself, knowing she had another 47 hours of community service ahead.