For the next few days, the silence where Ciel's voice used to be was a heavy, constant pressure on Jaune's mind.
He felt wrong, unnervingly isolated, and constantly prone to distraction.
"What is happening to you, Jaune? Why have you been absent-minded?"
Pyrrha asked him after a particularly dense lecture in combat class.
Her face was full of genuine concern for her leader, her brow furrowed slightly.
"Oh, it's nothing, Pyrrha. I was just thinking about something related to the shop's inventory,"
He lied easily, running a hand through his hair.
He sighed internally and forced himself to focus on Professor Port's rambling lesson, desperate to look normal.
"How about we go and take a walk around Vale? It might help lift your mood up,"
Pyrrha offered, her tone hopeful.
She wanted to spend time with him, hoping proximity would break whatever dark cloud was hanging over his head.
Nora, overhearing, instantly bounced in her seat.
"Ooh! Can I tag along? We can find the best pancake shop in Vale!"
"No, you can't, Nora,"
Ren interjected smoothly, pulling her back by her scarf.
"You still haven't finished your assignment, and Professor Goodwitch was very clear about the quality of your work."
"Aww, come on Ren. I can finish it after coming back! I promise!"
"No, you won't finish it. You will go to sleep directly and let me finish for you like always,"
Ren countered with the calm authority of long-suffering experience.
Nora slumped in a dramatically exaggerated pout.
"You know what, Pyrrha, that's actually a great idea,"
Jaune said, accepting the invitation.
"Right, I forgot to speak with Pearl about Weiss. I need to visit her and get her number and permission to pass it to Weiss."
Pyrrha's smile stiffened slightly, and a barely noticeable pout touched her lips when he talked about Pearl.
She felt a surprising twinge of jealousy, which she quickly masked.
Despite the unexpected mention of another girl, the main prize was still a whole day alone with Jaune.
The next day was Saturday, their first day off. Pyrrha would be alone with Jaune, as Nora had to finish her assignment, which Ren was standing guard over.
Before the trip, Jaune returned to his shop branch, wanting to ensure everything was stocked and, more importantly, to speak with Velvet.
"Let's go. I have finished restocking,"
Jaune said, his expression more relaxed than it had been since the incident.
He had checked on Velvet privately and offered a sincere, deeply felt apology for losing control and terrifying her.
Velvet, however, had simply rushed forward and hugged him fiercely, burying her face in his chest.
"Oh, Jaune! I'm okay now, truly. I'm just so glad you're okay,"
She whispered.
She then pulled back, stood on her toes, and planted a quick, affectionate kiss on his cheek.
The innocent display instantly made Coco and the others tease her non-stop.
Coco, in particular, had become a regular fixture, often coming to hang around the shop to see if there were new items that caught her eye, treating the place like her personal, exotic boutique.
Jaune simply blushed and left, knowing the incident had resulted in gratitude, not fear.
"Alright,"
Pyrrha said, pulling Jaune away from the bustling shop.
They boarded the Bullhead and headed toward Vale.
They could have used the secret Teleportation Circle in the shop's back room, but Pyrrha, with her whole-day goal in mind, had sweetly insisted on enjoying the scenic public ride with him.
Across the city, nestled within the private, guarded grounds of her lavish mansion, Pearl Schnee was waiting.
Pearl felt a profound sense of happiness and calm now.
Her butler had just informed her that Jaune Arc—the kind, strange boy who had saved her life and connected her to the powerful shop—had arranged a visit.
"Master, he has visited me. Are you sure you don't want me to introduce you to him? He might be able to help you with your broken soul,"
Pearl spoke softly to a little, shimmering Ice Phoenix that perched elegantly on her shoulder.
The phoenix was a profound fragment of power that now resided inside the Feather Pen she always carried.
"It's alright, I don't want to be fixed. I am who I am now,"
The little ice phoenix replied, gazing at her reflection.
Due to the immense infusion of spiritual energy, Pearl had become a lot more beautiful.
She was ethereal, with pale, flawless skin and eyes that shimmered with an inner, ice-blue light—a beauty as delicate and profound as Jaune's own, newly enhanced God Physical Body.
"If that is your choice, I will obey, Master,"
Pearl walked toward the guest room and found her savior… and a woman…