//------------------------------// // Arc 4: Chapter 26 // Story: Student 32: Sunset Shimmer // by Show Stopper //------------------------------// Despite the foreboding outward appearance, the interior of the Kansai Magic Association Headquarters was bright and cheerful. Sakura trees lined the roads, their petals falling softly all around. Families, servants, and workers walked along unhurried, finishing up their business in the village-sized keep in preparation for the coming night. As the many traditionally-clothed men and women who made up their escort showed Sunset and the others towards the main building, Sunset couldn’t help but admit to herself that the entire area was rather picturesque. “Quite the warm reception,” she muttered, turning a light glare upon Setsuna. “It would have been nice to know a while back that this place was also Konoka’s freaking home.” Setsuna blushed but maintained her profesional stare straight ahead. “I-I couldn’t be sure at first that Headquarters hadn’t been compromised. All I knew was that there was a schism, not how many - or rather, how few - had separated themselves. It wasn’t until I saw that we were facing the same opponents multiple times that I realized that the main house would likely be safe.” Sunset rolled her eyes but decided to let it rest; she’d made more paranoid decisions back in Equestria, after all. Her eyes turned to Konoka and hardened. “So. When do we tell her?” Setsuna hesitated before answering. “I’ll report to my superiors tonight and advise them to speak with Ojou-sama’s father. He will likely see the wisdom in informing her tonight.” “Or, crazy idea, you could cut out the middleman and tell her yourself.” Setsuna shot Sunset a brief glare before facing forward again. “I know how you feel about my and Ojou-sama’s r-relationship, but this situation is entirely different. There is a clear command structure in place, and Konoka’s father is far above my station. To make such a decision without having consulted him first would be terribly inappropriate.” Sunset sighed but had to concede the point. Annoying as it was, her own experiences with military and paramilitary chain of command made it clear that there were some barriers that Setsuna wouldn’t, and shouldn’t, cross. “Fine. But if he takes too long, I’m telling her myself. I won’t have one of my friends be kept in the dark when she’s in danger.” Setsuna nodded. “Fair enough.” They were eventually led to the largest building in the compound, almost a temple in its grandeur. They entered to find yet more servants lining the walls of a large entrance chamber, though Sunset noted a number of lightly concealed weapons among them. They knelt on several mats provided before being told that the Chief of the Association would be arriving soon. “Quite an amazing welcome this is,” Haruna whispered, looking around with wide eyes. “What exactly is all of this?” Yue wondered. “W-well,” Negi admitted, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, “the truth is that, other than the school trip, I had another secret mission to do here-” “Eh!?” Haruna, Yue, and Asakura leaned forward, interest gleaming in their eyes. “Don’t get too excited,” Sunset muttered. “Just the kid helping to mend some old bridges that’ve been neglected for a while. He’s just a messenger.” “Mend some bridges, you say?” Asakura asked. “Between whom? And why do they need mending?” “That is a family matter,” Setsuna said, keeping her voice quiet so that it wouldn’t reach Konoka, who was chatting with Asuna. “It is between the Principal of Mahora and the Chief here.” “Konoka’s grandpa and her old man,” Sunset clarified. “Sorry for the wait.” Asakura’s follow-up inquiry was cut off as said old man made an appearance, walking down the large stairway towards the main room. His hair was black and frazzled, his face worn and a little gaunt. Heavy wrinkles hung under his eyes, but the eyes themselves were light and kind behind a pair of spectacles. He smiled down at the group as he addressed them. “Welcome, Asuna-kun, Konoka’s classmates, and their homeroom teacher, Negi.” “Otou-sama!” Konoka shouted, leaping up and rushing into a hug. “It’s been a long time!” “L-Leader-san!” Negi stood and rushed forward, drawing out his letter as he did so. “This is from the East’s leader, Mahora Academy President, Konoe Konoemon, to the Western leader. Please accept this letter.” Sunset rolled her eyes at Negi’s formality while Konoka’s father simply smiled. “Certainly,” he replied, taking the letter and opening it. “I’ve received it, Negi-kun. It was a tough job, right?” “And whose fault is that?” Sunset muttered. “Nichibotsu!” Setsuna hissed. “What?” she hissed back. “The actions of the individuals of an organization are the responsibility of their immediate supervisors. And their supervisors for them. And eventually it all goes back to rest on the head of the organization. You might be honor-bound not to talk bad about this guy, but I have no such loyalties.” She snorted. “Heck, I was barely subordinate back home.” “This is fine.” Setsuna and Sunset turned their attention back to Konoka’s father as he closed the letter. “In appreciation of the Eastern leader’s will, we too will negotiate to end the discord between East and West. Please tell him that. Your mission is completed, Negi Springfield-kun.” Sunset quickly covered her ears as her classmates started cheering, rushing forward to congratulate their teacher. “From overly formal to riotous cheer. I present, our idiot class.” She glared over at Haruna, who was slapping Negi on the back. “Seriously, does she even get what’s going on at all, or is she just caught up in everything?” “Ah, lighten up Nichi Ane-chan.” Sunset glared down at Chamo, who had wandered over to her to avoid the stampede. “What’s wrong with a little bit of mindless celebration?” “It wouldn’t be such a problem if they were ever not mindless or celebrating.” She sighed and got to her feet. “Still, guess Springfield did a good enough job. Maybe now we can enjoy the rest of our trip in relative peace. Oy! Springfield!” She wandered over to the small celebration and tapped her teacher on the head. “It’s getting late. The others will be wondering what happened to us.” “You are all welcome to stay the night,” Konoka’s father offered. “The mountain is difficult to traverse once the sun goes down. We will prepare a welcome banquet for you.” Amidst the new round of cheering, Negi spoke up nervously. “Um, we’re in the middle of a school trip, so we have to go back…” “It’s fine,” Konoka’s father assured him. “I will send substitutes for you.” “No need,” Sunset interrupted. “I’ll go back myself and explain the situation to the other teachers. No offence, but those paper golems have caused enough trouble already.” “A-are you sure, Nichibotsu-san?” Negi asked. “What if Kotarou-kun or the others are still out there?” “Then they’ll be planning a final, last-ditch assault on this place.” Sunset shrugged. “They won’t have any reason to come after me. Besides, that brat was pretty clear that he won’t fight girls; if nothing else, his stupid honor-thing will keep me safe.” “Still, I must insist that you stay,” Konoka’s father said, frowning. “I don’t like the idea of a child wandering the mountain or the city at night alone.” Sunset scoffed and turned on her heel. “Trust me, I’ll be fine. I’ve got plenty of light to make it down. And as for the city…” She shot a grin over her shoulder. “Let’s just say I wouldn’t mind running into a few would-be muggers. It’d give me a chance to practice restraint.” ***** Thankfully for Kyoto’s minor criminal element, Sunset made it back to the hotel without incident just as the sun had gone down. The other teachers weren’t happy with her news, but they accepted the situation after a quick call to Mahora. Sunset’s classmates were far less understanding, many of them complaining that they wanted to go too. A quick question from Sunset about whether they were disappointed because they couldn’t see Konoka’s childhood home or because they couldn’t play with Negi mollified most of the complainers. “I swear,” Sunset muttered, flopping onto her cot. “They’re all a bunch of children! I mean, I know they’re children, but they act like elementary-schoolers!” She turned her head to gaze listlessly at Zazie. “Tell me, are all of the mature-slash-normal people going to turn out to secretly be mages?” Zazie turned her eyes upward in thought before waving a hand back and forth. “Great.” Sunset sighed and closed her eyes. “Well, that’s tomorrow’s problem. After double-timing it down the mountain, I’m bushed.” “...” “...okay, I’ll bite.” Sunset cracked a single eye open and glared at Zazie. “What am I forgetting.” Zazie turned and pointed out of the room before lifting her book a few inches higher. Sunset groaned. “Right. Ako.” She forced herself to her feet. “I swear, I should start charging for this.” Unfortunately, Ako’s group was late in returning. Not wanting to waste any time, Sunset snuck out to look for them. Between her magically enhanced speed and liberal application of her tracking spell, she was able to track them down with ease. She found them about half an hour’s walk from the hotel, eating ice-cream in a small park. “Oy!” she called, pocketing her wand. “You do know we were supposed to be back ten minutes ago, right?” “N-Nichi-chan!” Makie shouted, surprised. “Wh-what are you doing here?” “Looking for all of you.” Her eyes locked on Ako. “You specifically. You’re late for our session.” Ako chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of her head. “Aha, oops. I guess I forgot that we were meeting tonight.” “Eh? But weren’t you the one who insisted that we could stay out a little-” Sunset chuckled as Ako none-too-subtly stomped on Yuna’s foot. “Nice try, Ako.” She jerked her head back towards the hotel. “Come on. The Class Rep’s pissed, and the teachers aren’t in a forgiving mood. Springfield and group 5 are staying the night elsewhere so their patience is already stretched a bit thin.” “Aw, Negi-kun isn’t back?” Makie whined as they began walking. “I was hoping we could play again tonight.” “What? Last night’s War of Lips wasn’t enough?” Sunset asked. “I’m surprised you have any energy at all after staying up so late.” Akira raised an eyebrow. “You’re surprised that Baka Pink and the energetic basketballer aren’t out of energy?” She frowned. “Still, that whole affair was strange. How did Asakura do that thing with the fake Negi-sensei’s?” Sunset and Mana shared a covert look before Sunset answered. “Oh, you know. CG. So Ako!” She quickly turned to the girl in question, pointedly ignoring Akira’s incredulous look. “What did you want to study tonight? We can get about twenty minutes done on our way back.” “Eh? Studying now?” Yuna asked, surprised. “Come on, Nichi-chan,” Makie said, elbowing her lightly in the side. “We’re on a school trip! We can save studying for when we get back!” Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Not the best defence, considering it’s coming from the worst student in the class.” Yuna started snickering at Makie’s pout and Sunset immediately turned on her. “And your grades are nothing to be proud of either. If you hit the books half as often as you hit the courts, you’d actually be in a position where you could afford a break.” “Wait, how do you know her grades?” Mana asked. “Elementary, number 16,” Sunset replied. “I regularly borrow Springfield’s class records.” “Without permission, I assume.” “Naturally.” “I’m pretty sure that’s called ‘theft,’” Akira pointed out. “And now I’m starting to question your own high grades.” Sunset rolled her eyes. “I only started borrowing them when I started tutoring Ako, and I was already near the top of the class by then. Besides, I only looked at how everyone ranked in different subjects and overall, not at test answers or homework details. I may be sneaky and underhanded sometimes, but I’m not a cheater.” She caught Mana’s raised eyebrow. “Well, not in academics, anyway.” “I still don’t think that’s a good idea,” Ako said. “What if Negi-sensei catches you?” Sunset shrugged. “Nothing. Springfield knows me enough to know that I’d never cheat, and he can’t complain with the results. Asuna’s just under Yue now in the Baka Rangers, and Ako just made it to rank 300 out of all second-years. I expect her to be in the low 200’s by summer break.” “EH?!” “That’s amazing!” Akira shouted. “I didn’t think it was possible,” Yuna muttered. “It is indeed strange to think,” Mana added, “that Kakurazaka-san has managed to surpass Ku Fei-san and Nagase-san.” “Yeah, and me too, right?” Makie asked. A moment of silence passed before Ako cleared her throat. “Nichi-chan is rather impressive. She’s good at breaking things down and making them easier to understand.” She winced. “Doesn’t really help with English, though.” “It’s just repetition there,” Sunset said. “You’ve been getting a lot better with the grammar. You just need to put in the time to run through the vocabulary. Have you tried learning any songs in English like I suggested?” Ako nodded. “A couple.” “Well, keep at it. Remember, the more of your brain you use while learning, the more likely the information is to stick. Singing the words is going to help a lot more than just staring at notecards.” Feeling eyes on the back of her head, Sunset turned to regard Akira’s stunned face. “What?” She shook her head. “N-nothing. I just… I’ve never seen you like this before except with the Library Exploration girls. Usually you’re either biting someone’s head off or trying to ignore us.” “Ookochi-chan is one of the doubters,” Mana said. “She wasn’t entirely convinced when Murakami-chan uncovered your facade.” Sunset groaned and shook her head. “I still can’t believe she noticed that. Damn Natsumi. Haruna was giving me grief over that for a week straight.” “Nichi-chan is actually really nice,” Ako added, wincing slightly at Sunset’s glare. “W-well, as long as you aren’t being… how did you phrase it again?” “Irritating, hyperactive, immature shotacons with the self-awareness of goldfish.” “No, the nice way.” “That was the nice way.” Sunset sighed. “I don’t suffer fools. There’s a place and time for levity, frivolity, and even raucousness. An active classroom is neither the time nor the place.” “Geeze, Nichi-chan.” Yuna elbowed her in the side. “You take school way too seriously.” “And you all don’t take it seriously enough,” Sunset shot back. “This is the future we’re talking about here. Your entire lives will be determined by what and how well you do in your early academics. And it’s not just about grades; it’s about discipline! You can’t just grow up and mature the instant you need to start looking for a job. Or do you think your future employers will be okay with you molesting their customers and clients? “Besides, it’s not just about getting through it.” Sunset looked up into the darkening sky, stretching her hand up. “It’s about growth. Understanding. The fundamental steps for knowing how the world works, how people think, and how the very forces of nature conspire. Education is the great tool which transformed our drooling, primitive ancestors into the masters of the known world! It’s the stepping stone to greatness! The wood which fuels the fire of our potential! Without it, we are nothing. With it...” She clenched her fist, her eyes shining with determination, “...the stars themselves are within our grasp!” The five girls stared at Sunset, stunned into silence. “Okay,” Yuna finally said. “That was actually pretty cool.” Sunset spun around to face them, a manic glint in her eyes and a grin splitting her face. “Which is why I’m going to be quizzing you on English until we get back to the hotel!” “EH?!” ***** “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood.” “Um, two paths… split in a yellow… tree?” “You know what, I’ll give you that one. Two paths branched off in a yellow forest. Wood is as in the woods or the forest in this case.” Sunset nodded to Yuna. “Just remember, if it doesn’t sound like it makes sense, you probably translated something wrong. Never go with an answer that’s obviously nonsense; better to guess and have a chance at guessing right than to go with an obviously wrong answer.” “Aw. All I got was ‘two’ and ‘in a yellow,’” Makie whined. “English is hard.” “Could you at least tell that it was past tense?” Sunset asked as they entered the hotel lobby. Makie nodded. “Yeah. the verb ended with ‘E’ ‘D,’ right?” “Right. That almost always denotes past tense,” Sunset said. “Like I was telling Ako earlier, the vocabulary just requires time and repetition. Get the grammar down, and the rest is just-” “Group four!” Everyone jumped at Ayaka’s shout. “You’re late!” Sunset winced and quickly ducked back as Makie and Ako began making excuses to the class rep. Yeah, no way I’m going to waste the night getting chewed out by her. Let’s see if I can just sneak up to- “In other words, Baka-Leader, a rescue is necessary, de gozaru?” Damn it, Yue. “Rescue?” Sunset asked, walking over to where Nagase and Ku Fei were relaxing. “What happened?”