"Can you let me go now?" Tsutsumi asked, feeling Pyrrha's arms and legs still locked tightly around him from behind.
She didn't answer. Instead, she just pressed her face into his back like she was trying to hide inside him.
A few quiet minutes passed before she finally spoke. "…I'm sorry."
Her voice was smaller than usual, guilty, apologetic, and clearly feeling bad about the whole thing.
They'd tried to help him. They genuinely did. But instead of fixing anything, they just accidentally opened up a bunch of stuff he clearly wasn't ready to dig through again.
"What is there to be sorry about? It's not like anyone being sorry would bring them back," he said bluntly.
Although he could travel to the past and change history.
Doing so meant he would disappear completely, and the past him would become a completely different person. His Future self, after coming back and successfully altering history, directly destroyed his own timeline and disappeared.
A place where, at the end of the world, he stands alone.
"I… that's…" Pyrrha tried to respond, but the words tangled themselves up before they left her mouth.
"Like I said, what is there to be sorry about? I'm already used to the feeling of loss, so there's no reason to beat yourself up about it," he said calmly, staring up at the ceiling.
Breaking out of Pyrrha's hold wouldn't be hard for him. He just didn't want to accidentally yeet her across the room in the process.
"That's not normal," she said with a worried edge in her tone. "Human or Faunus… we're social creatures. No one is actually fine being used to loss."
He wanted to argue back, but he couldn't, not fully. Being "used to it" didn't mean he was okay. It just meant he'd gotten better at pretending.
He searched for a family because he didn't want to be alone.
He kept traveling through worlds because it gave him something like a purpose.
Most of the things he did were just ways to keep himself from feeling empty.
"Sometimes, no matter how much you want to turn back, you simply can't," he said, leaning back against Pyrrha again. Her hold tightened instinctively, and the gentle pressure of her chest against his back made everything feel a little too warm.
"If you don't learn to move on from your losses, then you stay stuck in the past, trapped in a cage of your own creation."
They stayed like that for a while, the room quiet again. Tsutsumi had nothing else to say, and Pyrrha was still processing everything he'd told her.
"Then… let me do it," she finally said.
"What?" He blinked, confused.
"Let me fill that void in your heart. I-"
"No." He cut her off immediately. "Whatever you do, don't fall in love with someone like me. It never ends well."
Pyrrha puffed her cheeks and pouted into his back, clearly offended. "That won't happen! I-I just don't want you to keep suffering alone!"
"This has nothing to do with you," Tsutsumi shot back, tone cold.
"You can't stop me from loving whoever I choose!"
Tsutsumi: "…"
He had not expected her to say that so bluntly. He clicked his tongue, annoyed.
"I didn't think you were the obsessive type, Pyrrha," he muttered. "Love works both ways. If it's one-sided, it doesn't count."
"I don't care. You deserve to be loved and happy too. And you know me, I don't give up easily once I decide something." Her confidence only irritated him more.
"This is stupid! I don't want to see you die, Pyrrha!" he snapped.
"And I won't die! I promise you that!" she fired back instantly.
The room slipped back into silence… a very awkward one. But this time, Pyrrha hugged him more affectionately, like she'd already decided something, while Tsutsumi just stared at nothing and seriously considered abandoning this world and never returning.
But he couldn't.
If he ran away now, that would be the same as admitting he couldn't handle his own problem. And if he did it once, he'd do it again. And again. Which meant eventually he'd be running from everything.
So he stayed.
He stayed and mentally prepared himself to deal with this ticking time bomb named Pyrrha.
...
The next few days, school started like usual, with most teams gathering in their respective classrooms. Same chatter, same morning energy, and Team TNPR's leader missing from nearly all of his classes.
At this point, most staff and students were honestly just confused how Ozpin hadn't already kicked him out. The Headmaster always gave the same explanation to his staff: Tsutsumi's potential was "limitless," and he was "just a bit rough around the edges."
"Hmmm." Tsutsumi stared at the large purple bubble surrounding him, floating a few inches off the ground. His legs were lazily crossed, one hand behind his head.
"This is a pretty useful ability," he commented, as if reviewing a new gadget instead of being trapped by a literal telekinetic force field.
Glynda adjusted her glasses, looking just about done with him already. "Ms. Ryoko, you should pay more attention to your classes instead of just skipping them. The Headmaster's patience with you is running thin."
Her voice carried that familiar tone, the one she used when she was trying to sound strict and calm at the same time. Unfortunately for her, Tsutsumi had mentally checked out two sentences ago.
Whether Ozpin wanted to expel him didn't matter. He'd already learn everything he could from all the books in Beacon. Combat training wasn't even challenging to begin with. And besides his team and RWBY, he barely knew anyone here, so leaving wouldn't be difficult.
"Just give me the exam date, and I'll be there," he said casually.
Glynda's grip on her riding crop tightened.
"I suggest you take your studies seriously if you want to become a proper huntsman," she said, still trying to maintain her professional tone.
"I don't wanna be a huntsman." His reply came instantly, flat and honest.
In this world, huntsmen and huntresses were like heroes. Tsutsumi had never seen himself as a hero, or anything close. He never even bothered pretending to be one.
Glynda's eyelid twitched so hard it almost counted as a reaction. A small part of her genuinely wanted to punt the bubble straight out the nearest window. But Ozpin's words always played over in her memory. Tsutsumi was "one in a million," someone who didn't think like normal people. If he wasn't voluntarily leaving Beacon, they weren't supposed to force him out.
She still didn't understand Ozpin's logic, but she trusted him enough not to argue.
"Then what do you want to become in life, huh?" she asked, fast-walking down the hall while the bubble glided beside her.
"I'm not sure at this point," he answered. "I'm good at basically everything, except taking pictures."
Glynda inhaled slowly, very slowly, to stop herself from chucking him into a wall.
They reached the bullhead, where the rest of the class was already gathered. The bubble floated next to her like some kind of portable student containment unit.
"Thank you for waiting," Glynda announced, shifting back into teacher mode. "Now that everyone is here, we can begin our trip to the Forever Fall."
"Look, Ms. Goodwitch found our leader!"
Nora waved both her arms wildly from her seat, smiling as if Tsutsumi weren't floating around like a misbehaving pet.
Team TNPR had spent the past days quietly worrying about him. His sudden mood shifts made them think that it was because of them. Pyrrha tried reassuring them that wasn't the case, but even she had begun to wonder.
She also started thinking his strange attitude might've been caused by her confession, maybe forcing her feelings too suddenly. But after watching him long enough, she realized this wasn't some dramatic internal struggle.
This was just Tsutsumi being Tsutsumi… only more frequently now.
Only after the bullhead finally took off did Glynda release Tsutsumi from the bubble. He stretched like he'd just gotten out of a nap instead of ten minutes of telekinetic detention.
"Yo… you not gonna try and throw me off the bullhead, would you?" Yang asked, peeking over Weiss's shoulder like Weiss was a shield.
"I'll think about it," Tsutsumi replied as calmly as ever, which made Yang chuckle nervously.
The rest of team RWBY had already filled her in on why Tsutsumi was actually mad at her. The moment Yang heard it, she felt panic and guilt settle in her stomach.
Panic, because now she was also worried that Ruby might be affected by that weird lover's curse Tsutsumi carried.
And guilt, because she realized she might've accidentally kick-started something between Ruby and Tsutsumi in the first place.
A girl's first kiss isn't something she can just shrug off. And considering how Ruby is sweet, naive, easily flustered, Yang was terrified her little sister might've developed a crush that could end in the same tragedy as Tsutsumi's previous relationships.
"So, uh. About that night…" Ren started, already looking guilty.
"It's fine. You didn't mean for it to go that direction," Tsutsumi said. He already knew Ren was trying to help that night. They were just too inexperienced to actually be helpful.
Ren exhaled in relief, giving a small apologetic smile.
"This is great! Looks like Team TNPR is back!" Nora cheered, pumping her fist. Team RWBY also visibly relaxed, happy that their friends weren't going to fall apart over one weird chaotic incident.
Pyrrha stepped closer, her mood brightening. Without warning, she grabbed Tsutsumi's right arm, hugged it tightly, and pressed it against her chest.
"We started dating!" she announced proudly.
There was a beat of silence.
Then...
"EHHHHH!?"
Half the bullhead practically shook from how loud everyone shouted. Pyrrha Nikos, the four-time champion, idol of thousands, now openly declaring she was dating someone? And she said it like she was announcing a lunch special.
"Wait! Why are you surprised!?" Weiss demanded, noticing Tsutsumi's expression.
"This is the first time I hear about it," Tsutsumi said flatly, glancing down at Pyrrha still glued to his arm. "Tch, you really don't know how to quit for your own good, huh?"
"Nope," she replied cheerfully, giving the same warm, heart-melting smile she gave everyone on posters and magazine covers.
"Alright then, let's break up," he said casually, which only made the audience gasp harder.
"Not happening." Pyrrha lifted both arms and made a big X in front of her chest.
"Tch. Fine. Tell me where you want to be buried?" Tsutsumi asked, deciding to just roll with Pyrrha's unhinged confidence.
"Hmm… how about on the cliffside overlooking the sunset, right outside our house, where we would live and grow old together," she answered sweetly, swaying left to right.
Several nearby hearts shattered like glass.
"And what kind of flowers do you like?" Tsutsumi continued.
"White lilies," she answered after a moment. "They symbolize purity, chastity, and virtue where I'm from." Her emerald eyes sparkled a bit. "What about you?"
"Red spider lilies. They're associated with death, departure, and the afterlife where I'm from."
"Oh? Looks like we even share a taste in flowers," she said, lightly squeezing his arm. Different meanings, different colors, same overall flowes, somehow, that worked for her.
"Stop! Stop! Stop!" Weiss jumped between them. "This is going too fast!"
She turned sharply to Pyrrha.
"Pyrrha. Are you sure about this? I mean, he can be…" Weiss hesitated, clearly refusing to voice what she actually thought about Tsutsumi.
"What do you mean, Weiss?" Pyrrha tilted her head, still smiling. "I'm certain in my choice."
Weiss's eye twitched. She shot Tsutsumi a venomous glare, silently accusing him of casting some kind of love spell on her friend.
Tsutsumi didn't need mind-reading to understand the look.
He could already mentally hear Weiss's voice screaming. "This is all Decade's fault!"
"Tsutsumi! I knew you were a scumbag!" Yang suddenly roared. "You kissed my sister and now you're dating Pyrrha!?"
Her simple mind didn't register that this was Pyrrha's idea.
"Y-Yang!" Ruby yelped, mortified.
Ren pulled Nora away before she could add gasoline to the fire.
Blake, meanwhile, had her eyes glued to the chaos like she was watching a live soap opera.
Tsutsumi just looked tired.
Then, without warning, the bullhead window shattered. And Yang was no longer inside.