The Bird and the Garden 2: Restart!

Chapter 40: Questions

The library was silent when he stepped inside. The librarian had her elderly back turned to him as he entered noiselessly, staggering towards the back. And finally, he found what he was looking for.

The metal door seemed to absorb the light as he stared at it, a new lock holding it firm. Or, more like several locks. Seven locks held the door shut, barring entry. Y/N gave one a gentle tug, but to no avail. These weren't ordinary locks, he realized. When he looked at the keyholes, he quickly discovered they weren't normal keys, either. Some of them were biometric scans only, keeping anyone who didn't have the authority out. He tugged at it again, knowing it was pointless. And again. And again.

"... And what are you doing, Mr. Rose?"

Y/N didn't turn around. He already knew who stood behind him. He took a shaky breath, resting his head against the door. "... P-Professor Ozpin," he whispered softly.

Behind him, Ozpin loomed like an ominous shadow, all traces of his usual, friendly and calm smile vanished without a trace. "What are you doing, Mr. Rose?" He repeated. There was something intimidating in his voice, something that made Y/N's fingers tremble.

"... What... Is this door?" Y/N asked quietly.

He could hear Ozpin take a sip from his hot chocolate, licking the excess liquid from his lips. "Do not take me for a fool. You know this is the door to the library's restricted section," he almost whispered. "Two years ago, we had to replace the locks after thieves broke in. Would you... Happen to know anything about that? Mr. Rose?"

It finally dawned on him. Ozpin knew. Y/N couldn't speak. His mouth had gone more dry than cotton. Ozpin, after waiting for a moment, continued. "You could face life in prison, or even receive the death penalty for this, Mr. Rose. Stealing classified information from a Hunter Academy is... A very serious crime. It is considered treason all across Remnant." Y/N could hear Ozpin's footsteps drawing near, until his chocolate-scented breath tickled his ear. "... But you're a special case, Y/N. I knew you would eventually come here, and so I waited. Why don't we continue this conversation behind closed doors?"

Y/N shakily nodded, stepping out of the way as Ozpin began to unlock the iron door. He didn't even realize just how complex this security system was. Fingerprint recognition, iris recognition, it was truly made to keep anyone without authorization out. And when Ozpin came to the final lock, he tapped the head of his cane against it. Y/N could hear the mechanical whirring or the lock as it scanned Ozpin's weapon, finally clicking open. The headmaster pushed the door open, stepping aside to let Y/N pass. The katana-wielder shuffled inside, his pace drastically decreasing. And when he was inside, Ozpin followed and closed the door. The sound of the locks clicking back into place echoed in the restricted section, leaving them trapped in pitch darkness.

Fwick.

The sound of a match striking caught Y/N's attention. The small flame illuminated Ozpin's hand and nothing more as it moved through the darkness, a lantern soon alight. Ozpin's face was barely visible as he turned to Y/N with the lamp in hand, holding it between them.

"... Do you think I didn't notice, two years ago? When you, Weiss, Sasha, and Vao broke in? Or did you not think that the restricted section was too easy for Vao to break into, only needing to pick a lock?"

Y/N was internally admitting that. He felt like an idiot. As severe as a crime as stealing classified information was, it had been far too easy. Ozpin hummed thoughtfully.

"You know, Vao was the one who asked me about the restricted section. Where it was, the penalty someone earns when they break in..." Of course Vao would ask that. Then why didn't Ozpin stop him there? The headmaster would tell him. "I told him it was expulsion, nothing more. And then I changed the lock. Do you know why?"