"This is the building we will give you to open your shop,"
Glynda Goodwitch announced, bringing Jaune to the chosen location.
The building was perfectly situated between the main Beacon cafeteria and the student dormitories, ensuring maximum foot traffic.
"Are you really sure?"
Jaune asked, genuinely surprised by the size.
The building was massive—a two-story structure, easily four times the size of his original slum shop.
"Yes, I am sure,"
Glynda confirmed.
"Given how precious your items are, we have to think of security and proper operations as well."
She explained the plan: the academy would handle most of the overhead and even hire older students to manage the shop and provide security.
Jaune wouldn't have to pay for them.
However, Ciel intervened immediately.
[Refuse the free labor. The expense must be paid by the shop. Control over finances equals control over loyalty.]
Jaune turned back to Glynda.
"I appreciate the offer, Professor, but all employees and security must be paid directly by the shop's account. I can offer one copper coin (1,000 Lien) per day per employee."
Even Glynda was momentarily tempted by such a high, tax-free pay rate for part-time work.
However, she had far too much on her plate.
"I believe there will be many senior-year students who want this job,"
She mused.
"How many people can you hire?"
"Three at most,"
Jaune responded, following Ciel's recommendation for a small, efficient security team.
"Hum, a team should suffice. I have a team in mind that needs a lot of money and has a lot of debt. I will send them to you after the initiation. You won't even have to participate."
Jaune shook his head.
If he were to join, he had to do it right.
He wouldn't be the failure who threw himself into danger recklessly like in the past.
He had changed; his debut needed to reflect that.
'And also Ozpin, who has screws loose in his head. Who thought it was a good idea to throw someone off a cliff?'
Jaune thought with a grim smile.
"I will let you check around the building. I have a report to give the Headmaster,"
Glynda said, excusing herself.
"Ciel, what do you think of this building?"
[This building is good enough as a second shop. The Host can establish a Teleportation Circle so the Host can move between the Lower City and Beacon shops with ease. Cost: 5 Copper Coins.]
"There's even something like that?"
Jaune mused.
5 copper was a good investment.
"Well, you can turn back time. Something like this shouldn't surprise me anymore. But I have one major concern. What will we tell everyone about the item? I'm sure they will want to know where these items came from."
[The Host can simply tell them it is a Trade Secret. If they attempt to force the Host, the Host can activate a temporary cloaking field and escape back to the Lower City shop instantly. The system advises minimal explanation.]
Jaune sighed.
It was the only proper way to solve this. If the push came to shove, he would just run away. Easy.
Time quickly moved on.
Jaune spent the remaining hours practicing his Kaminari No Kokyu in the slum shop until the Beacon Initiation finally arrived.
He was ready.
He moved through the buzzing main street, knowing exactly what was going to happen.
He waited for the first crucial encounter he had to intervene in.
And it went exactly as he expected.
Ruby Rose, along with her imposing big sister Yang Xiao-Long, disembarked from the Bullhead transport.
Ruby was super excited, darting around and loudly admiring everyone's weapons.
"Wow, everyone has cool weapons!"
Ruby exclaimed, her voice pitching high with enthusiasm.
"Calm down, sis. You don't want to be a social pariah, do you?"
Yang advised gently.
"N—No way. I'll tell you, I have a normal knee!"
Ruby responded, entirely missing the idiom.
Jaune smiled at them, stepping around a cluster of students.
They hadn't changed at all. And then came the trouble.
Weiss Schnee strode past, bringing a lot of valuable luggage with her, including a dust-filled container.
Ruby, distracted by an oversized hammer, accidentally bumped directly into her, causing the dust container to spill and create a small, localized explosion of colored powder.
"Hey! Be mindful of your surroundings, you dunce!"
Weiss snapped, her face flushing with anger as the expensive, explosive dust went everywhere.
Everything went according to his remembered timeline, and it was time for him to intervene.
He wouldn't let them start their relationships with such a terrible first impression.
Jaune was already moving.
Using the precise control gained from the Kaminari No Kokyu training, he launched himself forward.
Not with lightning, but with a silent, blinding burst of pure speed.
He appeared between Ruby and Weiss an instant before Weiss could launch into her second round of scolding.
"Hi there, I think we should discuss things with reason."
Jaune said, his voice smooth and authoritative, completely cutting across the mounting argument.
He winked quickly at Ruby, then turned to Weiss, who was covered in a light dusting of red and white powder.
"Let me clean that up for you."
He quickly pulled out a small, unassuming glass vial.
Item—Purification Potion
Origin—The Elder Scrolls World Rank—Copper
Prince— 1 mcc
Jaune uncorked the vial and lightly sprinkled a few drops onto Weiss's soiled collar.
The magic within the potion instantly negated the dust, causing the colored powder to dematerialize completely, leaving her pristine white jacket spotless.
Weiss stared, dumbfounded.
The substance had felt like magic, and this new student was impossibly fast and impossibly handsome.
"W-Who are you?"
Weiss demanded, her anger displaced by shock. And the handsomest man she had ever seen.
"Jaune Arc, nice roll on the tongue isn't it."
He said, offering a genuine, confident smile.
"It's a pleasure to meet you both."