Arc 4: Experience the Story - Chapter 9

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Cross-over from various games, books, anime, manga, and movies.

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"Speech"

Arc 4: Experience the Story - Chapter 9

I let out a tired yawn, rubbing my eyes to shake off the urge to go back to sleep. As I turned, the soft, golden morning sunlight streamed through the window, hitting me directly in the face. I squinted, quickly shutting my eyes in protest, a groan escaping my lips at the sudden brightness. Ruby and Weiss, still curled up beside me, stirred and groaned as well, clearly sharing in my displeasure as the light disrupted the peaceful comfort of our bed.

"Jin... make the sun go away..." Ruby moaned in frustration, her voice muffled with drowsiness as she curled up closer to me. Without hesitation, she burrowed her head underneath my shirt, seeking refuge from the invading sunlight. I could feel the warmth of her breath against my skin as she tried to shield herself, her small movements filled with sleepy irritation.

Weiss groaned softly, not bothering to say a word, as she shifted closer. Without warning, she buried her face into my stomach. Her legs wrapped around mine possessively. Despite her silence, the way she clung to me spoke volumes of her unwillingness to face the day.

I rolled my eyes, feeling the familiar sense of resignation at their antics, but everything around me unexpectedly glitched before I could react further. My vision blurred and fragmented, like a broken video feed, and in the next instant, I was no longer lying in bed but standing in front of it. My body had somehow already been dressed, and Ruby and Weiss stood beside me, also fully clothed in their usual outfits.

I glanced at them, and their faces were a mirror of confusion and disbelief, their wide eyes silently asking the same question I had—what just happened? I quickly used Invasion to peek into their surface thoughts to confirm my suspicion. Just as I expected, their minds were a chaotic swirl of shock and bewilderment, neither of them having the faintest idea of how we went from a cozy bed to standing fully dressed in mere seconds.

My right eyebrow twitched as I sensed Household Mastery and Glitching high-fiving each other mentally, both radiating a sense of smug satisfaction over what had just transpired. Before I could even process this further, the connection between them vanished, leaving me unable to sense their presence as if they'd just stopped feeling alive or going back into inactive mode. For now, at least. I couldn't help but sigh internally, knowing these cheats just do whatever now before disappearing. Completely different from how they were in the past.

Well, at least now I understood how Ruby, Weiss, and I had somehow ended up fully dressed and standing outside of bed. It all made sense in a twisted way—Household Mastery and Glitching had decided to work together, rearranging reality just for the sake of convenience.

"What just happened?" Weiss asked in a confused voice as she glanced around. Her eyes narrowed, still trying to piece things together. "I could have sworn we were just in bed a moment ago... and naked at that."

Weiss crossed her arms, tilting her head slightly as if the answer would suddenly appear. The shift from being comfortably tangled in the sheets to standing fully dressed had clearly left her bewildered, and I couldn't blame her.

"That would be thanks to my two cheats... I have no idea why they did that." I explained briefly, cutting off any further confusion before it spiraled into more questions. Ruby and Weiss both stared at me with raised eyebrows, their expressions a mix of curiosity and frustration. I quickly gave them a rundown of what had just happened, how Household Mastery and Glitching had pulled their little stunt, getting us dressed and out of bed instantly.

"I honestly want to say I should be more surprised... but with how our lives have been up to this point." Ruby trailed off, shrugging her shoulders. "What else is new?" She sighed softly, her casual acceptance of the bizarre now second nature. "But... this kinda ruins our morning quickie to start the day." She pouts, her eyes narrowing in mock annoyance.

"Jin could easily just give us new, fresh, exact clothing we're wearing..." Weiss said, glancing down at her outfit before looking back up at me with a small, knowing smile.

Ruby's eyes lit up at Weiss' suggestion, a spark of excitement replacing the earlier disappointment. "Yeah, Jin could totally do that!" She shot me an expectant look, practically bouncing on her heels, clearly eager for me to agree with the idea.

"I would gladly do that if it weren't for the fact that I have a suspicion we won't have time for it today." I said, a hint of regret in my voice as I spread my En further, expanding its range until I had the entire block covered. The familiar sensation of awareness flooded my mind, and within seconds, I confirmed my hunch. "Yeah." I frown slightly. "Some people are heading toward our location as we speak."

Ruby and Weiss looked at me with a mix of disappointment and concern, clearly understanding that many people were coming, which would entirely disrupt our morning plans.

"Should we just take our losses and get ready for the next class assignments?" Weiss asked, frowning as she considered the situation. "Clearly, the ones we have are putting us at a much greater disadvantage."

"No! We must complete this!" Ruby shouted with a burst of righteous pride, her determination practically radiating off her. "Plus, I don't want us to fail our first class assignments, to begin with. If this were the middle of the school year, then sure, maybe. But not the first one, and definitely not the last." Her eyes were blazing with confidence as she stood her ground, clearly unwilling to let the disruption ruin our efforts.

"That's great and all." Octavia's voice cut through the room as she slammed the bedroom door open, her glare sharp and unamused. "But could you guys not yell so loud first thing in the morning?" She paused for a few seconds, her eyes narrowing at each of us in turn before she sighed, clearly irritated but resigned to the chaos that came with our group. "I made eggs, toast, and bacon for breakfast." She spoke in a much calmer voice.

The smell of food wafted in from the kitchen.

"Couldn't you just wait for Jin to make breakfast?" Ruby pointed out, utterly unfazed by Octavia's earlier attitude. She tilted her head slightly, her casual tone making it clear that Octavia's dramatic entrance didn't bother her in the slightest.

Octavia, however, didn't seem amused. "I could have." She folded her arms and raised an eyebrow, "But I don't exactly have the patience to wait around when someone's yelling about class assignments and ruining the morning for almost everyone."

"You can cook?" Weiss blinked at Octavia, genuine surprise flashing across her face. "Not trying to offend you, but aren't you, like, part of a royal family with all the servants to cook for you?"

I suppressed the urge to snort at Weiss' comment, the irony of it hitting me hard. Weiss Schnee, questioning someone else's ability to cook? I couldn't help but recall how Weiss was in the original timeline—poised, proper, and, let's be honest, not exactly domestic. And then there was the chibi version of her, which only made it funnier. The mental image of that Weiss asking someone else about household skills was almost too much to handle. Still, I kept my composure, though a slight smirk tugged at the corners of my lips.

"I don't want to hear it from someone who can create monstrous lifeforms through cooking alone." Octavia responded dryly, fixing Weiss with a knowing look. "And before you ask—no, I didn't spy on you guys or anything like that." She paused, crossing her arms with a casual shrug. "It's just a well-known fact among many Eldritch entities. Cooking anything normally is nearly impossible for you guys. And I don't mean it comes out burnt or undercooked—I mean deadly. One bite, and it's over. Or some unlucky fools being within striking range, would be eaten by the food monsters."

Weiss blinked in surprise as Octavia continued, "Unless someone teaches you how to cook safely, that is. Otherwise, you and almost everyone in the Eldritch pantheon are just as likely to end up killing someone by accident with your food as you are to feed them or just let the food monster become the eater."

As I absorbed Octavia's words, I suddenly remembered something crucial. The cheat Supernatural Trainer hadn't exactly helped Ruby and Weiss become better cooks, which struck me as odd now that I thought about it. Their Eldritch lineage meant they were part of something much larger, with both bigger benefits and limitations that had been forcibly placed on them from the start—something I hadn't fully appreciated until now.

It was different from my own experience; even though I hadn't been in this position for a full year yet, the challenges they faced were undeniably unique. Their abilities were powerful, but the drawbacks that came with being part of the Eldritch pantheon were significant, especially in something as mundane yet essential as cooking. Honestly, crazy voices. You would think I would realize how something powerful as the Supernatural Trainer is, yet still wasn't enough.

"Yeah... now that I think about it." I said, my voice trailing off as I slowly looked away when Ruby and Weiss fixed their gazes on me. "I could teach you two pretty much everything else but cooking..."

Their eyes were wide, a mix of disbelief and disappointment at my admission. It was almost comical, the way they both leaned in slightly, as if willing me to change my mind. I could already feel the weight of their expectations.

"Anyway, breakfast is done," Octavia announced; she turned to walk away. "We should eat before they get cold. Unless you guys like them cold, be my guest."

Ruby and Weiss exchanged glances. Before I could say anything, they grabbed my arms and dragged me out of the bedroom as they urged me toward the kitchen.

"Come on, Jin! Breakfast isn't going to eat itself!" Ruby exclaimed. Weiss followed closely behind.

Soon, all of us settled down at the dining table. Yuri sat quietly, her expression a mix of confusion and hope as if she were hoping all this was just a fleeting dream. She ate her breakfast stiffly, almost like a robot, each bite taken with a broken smile that suggested she was trying to force herself to enjoy the moment.

"Next time, Jin, you should wake up early and make breakfast." Octavia said, scowling slightly as she picked at her meal. "I just realized how I could have eaten something better if you had cooked."

Octavia took another slow bite, her brow furrowing slightly as if she were still brooding over the culinary possibilities.

"Sure." I said with a grin at Octavia, but I winced a little as I took a bite of the eggs, noticing they were a bit overly cooked. It was a minor setback, but it definitely left something to be desired. "Yeah, don't worry. I'll make sure to wake up before everyone else to make breakfast. Along with lunch and dinner."

"By the way, should we be taking our time eating breakfast instead of relocating again?" Weiss asked, directing her gaze mostly at me, her brow furrowed in concern. "Didn't you say many people are coming to our current location, Jin?"

"It's fine! Jin can easily take us away before those guys could even knock on our door." Ruby declared, pointing her fork at Weiss with a playful grin. Her confidence was infectious, and I could see the tension in Weiss' shoulders begin to ease a little.

Then, as if someone—maybe even Featherine—had decided to slap Ruby in the face at that very moment, a loud knock echoed through the room.

Ruby froze, her fork halfway to her mouth.

This is why you don't say stuff like that, Ruby.