“Magic. From the simplest of cantrips to the most powerful of rituals, all rely upon the use of the science known as magic. The channeling of the energy of life itself, mana, and the pronunciation of ancient spells scripted in arcane tongue allow the commanders of magic, known as mages to-”
“Oy! Nichibotsu-chan!”
Sunset winced at the pounding on the door of her old room in Library Island. It was the first day of their Spring Break between terms, and she had decided to take advantage of the time to throw herself into her studies of this new system of magic. She’d already informed Nodoka and Yue that she’d be studying for most of the day, and they wouldn’t be expecting her back until dinner.
“Which begs the question then,” Sunset muttered as the knocking continued, “just who is ruining my perfectly good study session so early on?” She sighed and stood, determined to get rid of the interloper quickly. She slid a book back into place, unlocking the door. She slammed it open, glaring out. “What is it?”
Three girls that Sunset barely recognized stood before her. The center girl was the tallest of the three, with waist-length purple hair. The one on the left was an annoyingly cheerful orange-head with twin pigtails, and the one on the right had boyishly short, black hair. All three were dressed in long-sleeve shirts and jeens, the boyish one wearing a baseball hat as well. Sunset was pretty sure these were the “Cheerleader girls” from her class: Sakurako, Misa, and Madoka.
The tall girl in the center smiled, leaning forward. “We just happened to hear from Haruna-chan that you were planning to spend the entire day cooped up down here all alone.”
Sunset raised an eyebrow. “And?”
“And we thought that sounded boring!” the cheerful one exclaimed. “So we decided to take you out and show you around Mahora!”
“After all,” continued the tomboy, “you’re fairly new to the school, and from what the Library Exploration girls say, you’ve spent most of the last six months cooped up in here. We figured we’d help you see what Mahora has to offer, and get to know you at the same time.”
“Most of 2-A, 3-A now I suppose, have known each other since Primary School,” the middle girl finished. “It’d be a shame to leave you out just because you’re new!”
Sunset frowned, crossing her arms. “And what makes you think I have any interest in getting to know everyone?”
“Eh?”
Sunset rolled her eyes at the girls’ dumbfounded faces. “Look, thanks for the effort, but no thanks. I’ve got plenty of friends in the Library Exploration Club, and I have no interest in opening myself up to a ton of middle-school nonsense. Haruna and Konoka give me enough of that already. Now if you’ll excuse me.” She didn’t give them a chance to answer as she slammed the door in their faces.
Madoka Kugimiya blinked a few times, adjusting her baseball cap. “Well, that didn’t work.”
“Why would she say no to more friends?” Sakurako Shiina asked, her usually cheerful demeanor extinguished. “Did we say something wrong?”
“I don’t think so,” Misa Kakizaki said, crossing her arms as she frowned at the door that Sunset had vanished behind. “Haruna-chan warned us that she might be slow to open up.” She grinned, whipping out her cell-phone. “Time to call in the cavalry.”
***
“Being a long dead language, Latin is the tongue of choice for spell-casting and spell creation. Though a few others are used by various schools (Greek being the second most common), Latin persists as the tongue of mages throughout both the magical and non-magical worlds. While many study Latin only so far as it allows them to perform their spells, many mages have found it useful to-”
“Hello? Nichibotsu-chan?”
Sunset growled, slamming her fist down beside her book. “Take a hint,” she grumbled, getting up and stomping over to the door. She swung it open again, glaring out at the girls. “I thought I told you to… oh.”
Kaede grinned down at Sunset, the cheerleaders leaning around to smile at her as well. “Yo, Nichi-chan. How are you today?”
Sunset frowned, suspecting a trap of some sort. “I’d be doing a lot better if a certain trio would leave me alone to study.”
“You see?” Madoka exclaimed, pointing dramatically at Sunset. “It’s as we said. This poor soul is trapped in her loop!”
“All she can remember is study, study, study,” lamented Sakurako, pretending to cry into a handkerchief she’d pulled from her pocket. “Having to learn Japanese from nothing, and having to catch up to the rest of our class as well. It’s no wonder she doesn’t know anything else!”
“Truly, it is a tragedy,” Misa agreed, nodding stoically. “This poor child would rather shelter herself in the comfort of her dusty corner of Library Island than risk the great unknown of the outdoors. Through no fault of her own, she has become a recluse of the highest order.”
Kaede hummed contemplatively as Sunset rolled her eyes. “I’m standing right here, you know. And I don’t avoid the outside because I’m scared or anything stupid like that.” Her eyes narrowed into a glare. “I just don’t see why I would want to wander aimlessly around the school with you three.”
“And she even lashes out against us!” Sakurako wailed. “We, who would be her friends, must bravely stand against her cold and callous words!”
“Not that we blame her.” Madoka took over, lowering the bill of her cap over her eyes. “Fear is such a powerful force.”
Kaede nodded. “I see, de gozaru.”
Sunset sighed. If she’s buying this, then she’s even dumber than Yue made her out to- Woah! Sunset started as Kaede scooped her into her arms, glaring outward, her face set with determination. “Don’t worry, de gozaru,” she said. “I’ll help you see the light of day and keep you safe!”
“PUT ME DOWN, YOU IDIOTIC NINJA WANABEEEEAAAAAH!!!”
***
It had taken less than three minutes for Kaede to carry Sunset out of Library Island and to the edge of the lake, and another two for Sunset to fully realize what had happened. By the time her anger returned, Kaede was gone and the cheerleaders had caught up.
“Well,” Misa said, smiling innocently, “now that you’re out, how about that tour?”
Sunset glared at her. “Kaede’s just going to drag me back out if I don’t go along with this, isn’t she?”
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” Madoka said, avoiding Sunset’s gaze. “I don’t even see Nagase-chan anywhere. Do you?”
That’s not saying much when SHE’S A FREAKING NINJA!!! Sunset sighed, turning to look longingly back at Library Island. Well, at least there’s the rest of the break. “Fine, whatever. Let’s get this over with.”
***
Despite Sunset’s initial reluctance, she found herself enjoying her tour of the school. Not that she’d let it show, as she kept up a litany of snide remarks and thinly-veiled insults the entire way, only exchanging her scowl for a smirk when the girls looked away. Almost as fun as the tour were the girls themselves, or rather, their reactions to Sunset. It became a game for the girl, seeing just how agitated she could make the three without them giving up.
“And this is the Middle-School gymnasium,” Misa said, gesturing around the huge building, her smile as fixed as it was forced. “There are 21 athletics clubs that meet here. You can usually find at least eight or nine of them here at a time, sweating it out.”
“Athletics, huh?” Sunset asked, looking around the gym. A basketball game was being played with half court on one side while a group of bulkier girls wrestled on the other. Equipment and arenas of all sorts were scattered throughout. “So, why haven’t you shown me where the Cheerleading club meets yet?”
Madoka’s eye twitched as she grit her teeth in a painful grin. “Just outside in the courts. The Cheerleading Club is an athletics club, after all.”
Sunset snorted. “Cheerleading? Really?” Ooo, nice save, Madoka. I was sure you were going to bite my head off for that one. Better tone it down a bit before they lose it. “Well, I guess I might as well look around here a bit. I’ve been thinking about getting into better shape. Just hang around here and I’ll come find you when I’m done.”
Sunset chuckled as she walked away, drawing pleasure from their obvious ire. Though she’d told them to wait on her to get further on their nerves, she had be serious about getting more in shape. Her experience with the Golem in Library Island, especially Negi’s uselessness against it since his magic had been sealed away, had gotten her thinking that she might not want to rely entirely on this new world’s magic.
After all, she thought as she walked around, enjoying the view of dozens of fit girls in loose clothing sweating it up, magic here seems to rely a lot on lengthy incantations and some sort of focus. It’s too easy to catch a mage unawares. But I don’t really know any of these sports, and it’s not like a basketball would be much help in a fight. I wonder what-
“Eh? Nichi-chan?”
Sunset sighed, rolling her eyes at the second annoyingly cheerful presence of the day. “Hello, Makie.” She turned to glare at the pinkete, her glare turning to an appreciative stare as she saw the girl in a skintight leotard. “Hm. What’s up?”
Makie smiled, twirling a ribbon lazily. “Just doing a bit of practice for the Gymnastics Club. Are you here looking for clubs to join?”
Sunset shrugged. “Something like that, I guess.” She jerked her thumb at the cheerleading girls. “Those three drug me out for a tour of the school, and we stopped here for a bit. I’ve been looking for a chance to get in shape, so…” She shrugged again.
Makie hummed to herself, looking Sunset up and down. “Really? You don’t really seem the sporty type. You sure you don’t want to look around the martial arts dojos?”
Sunset scoffed, rolling her eyes. “I’m looking for an exercise program, not a lifestyle. Give me something I can do for an hour a day without some instructor breathing down my neck telling me how I’m doing it wrong. Then again, I guess I shouldn’t ask for a serious workout from a girl who spends her athletic time dancing around with a ribbon.”
Makie laughed, rubbing the back of her head. “Yeah, I’m not nearly as sporty as Yuuna-chan or Akira-chan. Still, gymnastics is a good aerobic workout. Hm.” She put a finger to her chin, looking around the gym and missing Sunset’s glare. “I’m sure there must be something here that suits you.”
Did she really just miss that I insulted her? Sunset wondered. I know she’s Baka Pink, but come on! “Well,” she said, turning to walk back to the cheerleaders, “thanks anyway. Guess I’ll just have to-”
“Aha!” Sunset was almost jerked off her feet as Makie’s ribbon wrapped around her wrist. The enthusiastic girl all but dragged Sunset over to a far corner of the gym where a roped-off platform stood, a few large punching bags scattered around it. “The Boxing Club!” Makie said, coming to a halt and grinning at Sunset. “I knew there was something here for you!”
Sunset scowled at Makie, tearing the ribbon from her arm as she looked up at the boxing ring. Two lean girls were in the arena, jumping from foot to foot as they traded quick jabs. “I don’t know,” Sunset hedged. “I mean, I’ve seen boxing before,” during a trip to the Minotaur kingdom “but I’ve never done it.”
“No better time than now to try!” Makie replied, grabbing Sunset’s wrist and pulling her over to a hanging heavy-bag. She grabbed a roll of tape, wrapping up Sunset’s hands. “There you go!” she said, stepping back. “Give it a try!”
Sunset looked from the bag to Makie before rolling her eyes. “Sure, fine.” She approached the bag, glancing up at the boxing girls to see how they moved and punched. Imitating their stance, knees bent and balanced on the balls of her feet, she threw a quick jab at the bag.
...huh. Sunset threw another jab, the thwack of her fist on the burlap sounding surprisingly pleasant to her ears. She snuck a few more glances at the sparing girls, trying to imitate some of their punches. One-two! One-two! Heh, this is actually pretty fun! Sunset attacked the bag with a vigor, a savage grin slowly growing on her face as she pounded into the bag. All thought left her as she struck it mercilessly, her fists moving faster and faster. She finally finished up with a massive swing, sending the bag swinging so far back that she had to step out of its way when it swung back towards her. She was tired, out of breath, and sweatier than she’d been since she’d last been able to experiment with her pyromancy.
And she loved it!
“Well, well, well.” Sunset looked over her shoulder, surprised to find that she had gained a small audience. The girls from the ring had finished their match and had joined a small group of fellow-boxers in watching Sunset’s rampage against the heavy-bag. “I’ve got to say,” one of them said, “you’ve got a fire in you. You sure you’ve never done this before?”
Sunset panted as she shook her head, trying to catch her breath. For once, she didn’t feel the need to put up an act for these girls. “Never. Just thought I’d… give it a try.”
The girls turned and muttered to each other, giving Sunset appraising looks. “You know,” said the other girl from the ring, “the Boxing Club’s been getting smaller lately. We’d love to have you on the team.”
Sunset considered the offer. One one hand, it was exercise, it was fun, and it didn’t involve any of the crazy students from her class. On the downside…
Huh. There’s usually a downside to things like this. Sunset grinned, finally able to breathe normally again. Her heart was still pounding, but she couldn’t tell whether that was from the exercise or from excitement. Her eyes drifted to the cheerleaders who were watching from a distance, and their nervous looks cemented her decision. “I’d love to!”
***
After a quick shower and a change of clothes, Sunset’s tour of the school continued with Makie deciding to join them, much to Sunset’s annoyance.
“Sorry my clothes don’t fit too well,” Makie said. “Yours should be done in the laundry in a couple of hours.”
“It’s fine,” Sunset replied, stretching her arms above her head and privately reveling in the stares she received. Being both taller and bustier than the gymnast, Sunset’s borrowed t-shirt rode high, showing off her midriff, and pulled tight against her chest. Her jeans were similarly tight, showing off her lower curves as well. “After all,” Sunset continued, “I’m not ashamed. Flaunt it if you’ve got it, right?”
“That’s one philosophy,” Madoka muttered.
“I’m surprised you didn’t go for the Cheerleading Club, then,” Sakurako said.
Sunset considered it for a minute. “Much as you girls need help in that department, cheerleading’s not really my thing. It takes a certain talent to be that constantly cheerful. Or a certain air-headedness. Which explains why you’re so cheerful; you’ve got both of those in spades.”
“Well!” Misa said, suddenly gaining their attention and distracting Madoka and Sakurako from their growing anger, “It’s just about lunch time. We should show you around the shopping and food districts around the school!”
Sunset smirked. So even she’s noticed that they’re close to cracking. If I play my cards right, I might be able to get away for a few hours of studying after all. “Sure, why not? I’ve worked up a big appetite.”
“Me too!” Makie chimed in. “It might not be as strenuous as boxing, but gymnastics really eats up those calories.”
Sunset nodded. “You know, we sporty types are kind of lucky that way. I don’t know about you, but I can eat however much I want, and I don’t gain an ounce.”
Makie chuckled, rubbing the back of her head. “Yeah, I’m the same way, unless it comes to sweets. I can’t ever stop myself when I should.”
“Although,” Sunset lowered her voice, low enough for it to sound like she only wanted Makie to hear it, but loud enough for the others to pick it up, “we probably shouldn’t pig out in front of those three. I’m sure they’re trying to watch their figures, and they don’t have the same athletic advantage as we do.”
“CHEERLEADING BURNS PLENTY OF CALORIES!!!”
Sunset smirked. Score! She turned around smiling pleasantly. She almost couldn’t hold it when she saw Sakurako holding Misa back, a hand clamped over her mouth. “What was that?”
Madoka cleared her throat, though her cheeks were flushed as much as the other two. “She meant to say that you don’t have to worry. We’re cheerleaders after all. We need to eat just as much.”
Sunset tilted her head in innocent incredulity. “Realy?”
“Y-yeah,” Sakurako said, still restraining Misa, though the girl had stopped trying to escape and had settled for glaring murderously at Sunset. “Cheerleading takes a lot of work.”
“Huh.” Sunset shrugged. “Guess I always figured it was just about showing off for the boys. Not that they’re complaining, right Madoka?”
Madoka started, surprised by the question. “Um, I guess? I’m not really sure why you’d ask-”
“Oh!” Sunset interrupted, her voice thick with sincerity. “I’m so sorry! With your deep voice, short hair, and lack of…” she trailed off, her eyes darting down to Madoka’s chest. “I kind of forgot you weren’t a boy.”
Madoka’s eyes went wide, her jaw dropping. Her look of shock suddenly twisted into a grimace of malice. “That… you…”
“Nichibotsu.” Sunset turned, only to receive a slap across the face. Misa glared at her, Sakurako at her side. “I think it’s time we parted ways for today.”
Sunset turned her gaze cooly back to Misa, ignoring the stinging in her cheek. “Funny,” she said. “That’s about what I thought when you dragged me out this morning.” She turned up her nose, turning on her heel and strutting away in the direction of Library Island.
***
The next morning found Sunset in Library Island once again, determined to catch up on the studying she’d missed yesterday. Yue and Nodoka had given her strange looks the previous evening at dinner, but she’d brushed it off. If they’d heard about her behavior that day, well, she’d probably be able to brush it off as a simple misunderstanding.
She sighed in contentment, propping her book open and reading aloud. “Magic is drawn from, and manifests in the form of, a myriad of different elements. Some of the most common of these are light, fire, air, water, earth, and lightning. Others such as sand and darkness are less common, and still more may yet to have been discov-”
“Nichi-chan? Are you in there? Who are you talking to?”
Sunset groaned, slamming her head into her desk. This is going to be a looooooong week.