In another world.
"Tsutsumi?" Pyrrha's voice gently pulled his attention, soft yet hesitant, like she was unsure if she should even disturb him.
"Yeah?" He glanced at the redhead beside him, his eyes still carrying that dull, hollow sheen.
"Do you mind if I ask you a question?" Her tone carried a flicker of nerves, an unusual contrast to her usual confidence.
"Sure," he answered in his blank, almost monotone voice.
She hesitated, her expression tightening with thought, before finally asking, "Have you ever heard of the Mistral Regional Tournaments?"
He tilted his head slightly. He had no idea what that was, though the word Regional at least sounded important. As always, he gave an ambiguous reply. "Maybe… why?"
"It's just..." Pyrrha's brows furrowed slightly as she spoke. "I'm surprised someone of your skill never entered. Honestly, I'm certain you would have made it to the finals." Her confidence grew as she straightened and looked directly at him, her voice steadier now. "In fact, I'd say you would have won outright."
"You're exaggerating," Tsutsumi replied neutrally.
"Oh my lord!" Nora practically shouted, exploding into the space between them with boundless energy.
"That's, like, the highest praise anyone could ever get, Tsutsumi! Don't you realize Pyrrha here won four times in a row!? She went undefeated, not a single loss! She's- she's basically the best of the best! If not the greatest of all time!"
"I… see."
Nora bristled in disbelief, throwing her hands up like the world had ended. "I see!? That's it!? That's all you've got to say after finding out you beat someone like her!?"
Tsutsumi slowly turned to Pyrrha. She gave a small, nervous smile and a hesitant wave under the weight of Nora's dramatic spotlight.
Finally, it all clicked for him. Her fame. Her popularity. The way people whispered her name like it carried myth and legend. Pyrrha Nikos wasn't just well-known, she was legendary. It was like someone dominating the Olympics four times in a row, shattering records and standing untouchable, all while barely out of childhood. Judging by her age, she must have won her first tournament when she was only thirteen.
Before Nora could explode again, Ren smoothly stepped in, his calm presence cutting through the tension. "Tsutsumi, I have a question of my own, if you don't mind."
"Sure."
"What school did you come from again?" The whole team's eyes turned toward him now, curiosity sharpening like blades.
"It's complicated," Tsutsumi answered calmly. "You don't need to look into it."
The vague reply only made the group exchange uneasy glances. Their team leader wasn't just mysterious, he was deliberately evasive.
"Hmm," Ren hummed thoughtfully, undeterred. "Which kingdom did you come from, then?"
"Mistral." Tsutsumi picked one of the four kingdoms at random, his tone unchanging.
Ren nodded slightly, following up without missing a beat. "What town did you come from?"
"I don't have one anymore," Tsutsumi replied just as calmly.
The words hit heavier than he intended. Silence fell between them, heavy and suffocating. The other three stiffened, their expressions shifting to unease, each of them silently piecing together their own grim conclusions.
"I… sorry. I didn't mean to bring up something painful," Ren said quickly, his voice carrying an unusual edge of regret. In his mind, he could already see it, a village wiped off the map, swallowed by Grimm, leaving nothing behind but ashes and ghosts.
Tsutsumi only gave a small nod. "It's fine. I won't hold it against you for being curious."
But the way his eyes lingered on the ground, empty and distant, said more than words ever could.
...
At the cafeteria.
Weiss rolled her eyes, glancing at Pyrrha and her team, their leader nowhere in sight. "Ugh, I don't get why your leader seems so… cold."
"Yeah, I have to agree with Weiss on this one." Ruby also agrees.
"Eh, I don't think he's cold. Just… a little distant," Pyrrha said, though her tone carried a hint of hesitation, like she almost agreed with them.
"Girl, I think you need to check the definition of cold," Yang cut in, shaking her head. "Sure, he talks to us, but he never really hangs out or lets us get to know him."
"For once, I actually agree with Ice Queen," Blake added, not looking up from her book.
"Hey!" Weiss huffed, glaring at her teammate.
But Blake ignored her and continued, "He seems distant. More than I do. Like he's hiding something."
"Maybe he's just shy?" Ruby offered hopefully.
"That brute, shy?" Weiss scoffed, crossing her arms. "Ruby, if he were shy, he wouldn't openly start fights, throw insults, or mock people so easily."
Pyrrha sighed and turned away from Team RWBY, focusing on her own side of the table. Nora was chatting excitedly at Ren, who listened with his usual calm.
"Excuse me," Pyrrha asked politely. "What are you two talking about?"
"I was asking Ren what he thinks Tsutsumi's Semblance is!" Nora said, eyes sparkling.
Ren wore a thoughtful look. "Indeed. We were speculating about Tsutsumi's rather peculiar ability. It seems broad. He can conjure weapons, manipulate elements, even transform into other people. It makes me wonder what his true limits are."
"Wait, wait, wait." Yang leaned across the table. "Are you three talking about Tsutsumi's Semblance?"
"Yes," Ren confirmed.
"Oh, then you've gotta include me in this." Yang scooted closer, grinning. "So which ability? His fire-and-ice thing, or the shapeshifting? Because I gotta admit, he makes it look pretty damn cool."
"Yeah, yeah!" Nora nodded furiously. "He can even turn into Pyrrha, and match her completely! Maybe even surpass her!"
"I agree, it's impressive," Ren said.
Pyrrha hesitated, then admitted quietly, "Honestly, I feel like he's better at being me than I am."
The others blinked in surprise.
During their duel, outsiders may have thought they were evenly matched. But Pyrrha knew better. He only copied her semblance to retrieve his weapons, never exploiting her mistakes the way he could have. He restrained himself. And yet, she still ended up on the defensive, overwhelmed.
"You know…" Weiss turned back toward them, skeptical. "I've never heard of a Semblance that does everything he can. Is he using special Dust? Or maybe some kind of hard-light projector? But… I've never seen any equipment on him beside that belt."
"I wonder if he can turn into me with another Crescent Rose!" Ruby said dreamily, practically drooling at the thought.
"If he ever turns into you, I swear I'll show him hell!" Yang growled, eyes flashing red.
"Well, let's just hope he isn't doing anything indecent when he copies one of us girls," Weiss muttered, arms crossed. "Honestly, who does he think he is? Using a girl's face so casually like that?"
"Oi! Don't badmouth Tsutsumi!" Nora snapped defensively.
"Isn't it obvious?" Weiss pressed. "He can turn into Pyrrha, matching her looks, voice, skills, even her combat sense. Who's to say he isn't using that form for something indecent right now? Wouldn't that bother you, Pyrrha?"
The heiress looked to the redhead for backup. But Pyrrha only smiled calmly.
"On the contrary," Pyrrha said, her voice steady. "Tsutsumi isn't that type of person."
The whole table went quiet. Weiss blinked in disbelief. Yang's eyebrows shot up. Blake's eyes widened a fraction. Ruby tilted her head in confusion.
"E-Excuse me?" Weiss sputtered, pointing an accusing finger. "Surely you're not saying that a hormonal teenager like him wouldn't take advantage if he could look like you!"
Pyrrha let out a patient sigh. "Yes. I truly don't believe Tsutsumi would do that."
"Yeah, you tell her!" Nora cheered.
Ruby frowned. "What is she talking about again?"
"You're too young, Ruby," Blake said gently.
Ruby pouted. "I hate when you say that."
"Regardless," Pyrrha continued, "he's never given me the impression of being that kind of person. In fact… he seems sad lately. Like someone close to him has passed away."
The words caught everyone off guard.
"Are you serious?" Yang asked, gripping Pyrrha's shoulder. "You're not messing with us, right?"
"Unfortunately, no." Ren said, and Nora nodded; the two also noticed Tsutsumi seemed distant but also much colder than usual.
"Ehh… he wasn't exactly open about it," Pyrrha admitted. "But the way he carries himself, the hollow look in his eyes… it's hard not to believe something happened recently."
"You're joking," Weiss muttered, still defensive. "With a personality like his, I find it hard to believe anyone could actually care for him."
"Weiss, not cool," Yang warned.
"Yeah, that's mean," Ruby frowned.
"Even if you dislike him, that's no excuse to dismiss something that painful," Blake said sharply.
Weiss glanced around, realizing no one was backing her up, not even her own team. She slumped, defeated. "Well… it's just speculation. It's not like anyone actually close to him died."
"But what if it's true?" Pyrrha countered, frowning. "What if someone really did pass away?"
Weiss sighed heavily, shoulders dropping. "Okay… maybe I was too harsh. I shouldn't have said that."
Yang blinked, then smirked. "Well, that just happened. Guess you could say Weiss got… knocked out Weiss-cold, huh Blake?"
In perfect unison, the whole table groaned.
...
Sitting alone on a cliff, Tsutsumi stared blankly into the setting sun. His face betrayed nothing, no smile, no frown, no tension, only the hollowness in his eyes hinted at the storm inside.
He has skipped class once more, including in this world, just to be alone, staring into the sunset.
Aki has been the one to tell him that out there, someone could still love him.
Monika has shown him that love usually doesn't come directly; it can happen over time, and we might not even notice it before it's too late.
And Jeanne has shown him what it is truly like to be loved and what it feels like to love someone back.
Each of them was gone now. And each death left another scar across the dim remains of his heart.
The wind shifted. A presence joined him, settling down beside him on the stone. A white coat gleamed in the fading sunlight, its owner's face hidden behind an amber mask.
"Wiseman… what are you doing here?" Tsutsumi murmured, his voice flat, his eyes still locked on the horizon.
"You lost a loved one, too, huh?" Wiseman began, their tone cutting softly through the quiet. "I can see it in your eyes. That pain… it only comes from someone close. Someone you couldn't protect."
Tsutsumi didn't answer. He just kept staring at the sun as if it held the ghost of the people he had lost.
Wiseman followed his gaze, their voice calm, almost sympathetic.
"I lost my daughters. Years ago. And I know how it feels... to lose your hope in the world. The mage continues. "I am currently working on a way to bring them back. You can join me, and I can help bring the one you loved back to life."
For the first time, Tsutsumi turned his head toward the mage. His eyes widened slightly, shock flickering through the emptiness. The offer seemed too good to be true, but after unlocking Wizard Infinity, his understanding of magic grew to the point that he knew that magic worked in an equivalent exchange.
To create or gain something, something else of equal value must be given or lost in return, meaning nothing can come from nothing.
To bring back a life, you must either use another life or give more in exchange.
"I'm grateful for the offer… but I have to refuse." Tsutsumi said.
The dullness in his eyes shifted, replaced by a fragile light as he remembered Jeanne's voices.
"Please don't give up… on finding your happiness... There is always a light in the darkness. Don't give up, Ryo."
"After all, there is always a catch to this type of deal. There is no way you can bring back a life by paying nothing. She wouldn't want that, not if it meant trading another life for hers." He lifted his camera and snapped a photo of the sun, the shutter echoing like a quiet vow.
Wiseman scoffed, "You understand that much, huh?"
The mage stood up, looking directly at Tsutsumi through their amber mask. "So that's our difference. If you won't accept, then there's nothing more for us to talk about."
They stepped through a glowing portal and were gone, leaving nothing but the echo of their temptation in the air.
They didn't come looking for a fight, and Tsutsumi also wasn't in the mood to start one. So the two of them just leave each other alone, but thanks to Wiseman's temptation. Tsutsumi now realized that the best he could do was honor the memories of those who gave him love and keep walking forward, carrying them in his heart.
The light hidden in the darkness…
"I think… I finally understand what you meant, Jeanne." His voice cracked faintly at the edges as he whispered into the wind.
He opened an Aurora Curtain, its glow rippling against the sunset. With one last glance at the horizon, he stepped through and continued his journey, traveling through the different worlds.