//------------------------------// // Arc 6.1: Chapter 42 // Story: Student 32: Sunset Shimmer // by Show Stopper //------------------------------// A week had passed since the battle with the demon, and Sunset and Negi had still not spoken a word to each other. Class 3-A was in an almost palpable state of tension, and only a few of the students knew why. Sunset was furious at Negi. Asuna was furious at Sunset. Konoka, Yue, and Nodoka were torn between concern for their teacher and for their friend. Kazumi, Ku Fei, and Kaede watched from the side, tense and worried. And Negi was constantly depressed. Everyone else was left to wonder why it felt like a war had been fought in the classroom. Only Evangeline and Setsuna seemed unaffected, though the latter was a little more prone to show affection for Konoka in the form of comfort. Sunset refused to acknowledge the tension herself, keeping her distance from Asuna and allowing her friends the space they needed from her for now. She rebuffed Ako’s requests and Haruna’s demands to know what had happened and generally stayed friendly with those few others who had started to befriend her. Her tutoring sessions with Asuna had stopped by mutual understanding, but she continued to tutor Ako and a growing group that now included Yuna, Akira, Natsumi, and, to the frequent trying of her patience, Makie. (Baka Pink seemed determined to maintain her place in the Baka Rangers despite Sunset’s best efforts.) Magic lessons with Nodoka and Yue, while subdued in tone, continued, and Sunset continued to train with Evangeline, Setsuna, and Takamichi. “I’m surprised you aren’t in the same funk as Ku and Kaede,” Sunset said while sparing with Setsuna two days after the battle. After her display in finesse in dealing with Slime, Setsuna had begun sparing with her at low levels of ki. “It was a shock,” Setsuna admitted, blocking a few of Sunset’s strikes before countering and going on the offensive. “But then I remembered that you are not as young as the rest of us. You have a proven warrior’s history, training, and mentality, and given your childhood, your reaction to Sensei’s slip was reasonable.” Sunset huffed and winced as a blow connected with her shoulder. She jumped back a bit to gain some distance. “Probably helps that you didn’t actually see it happen.” Setsuna shrugged. “Perhaps.” She lowered her sword, prompting Sunset to lower her fists. “Though Kono-chan has been… distraught over it.” Sunset sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. “Yeah. I am sorry about that. I… wish she and the others hadn’t had to see that.” “But you do not regret striking him down?” Sunset met Seetsuna’s eyes and answered without hesitation. “Not in the least.” Setsuna shrugged and raised her sword once again. “Then I cannot condemn you. Now, remember that you have more than flesh between you and my sword. You can shrug off a glancing blow and even take a direct hit on occasion, so long as you are braced against it. Let us continue.” Takamichi had noticed her and Negi’s change in mood as well, but had been rebuffed. “Nichibotsu, are you-” “I’m not talking about this with you.” And Evangeline wasn’t about to hold back on her training just because of a little interpersonal drama. “Well, it’s good to see that at least one of my students isn’t slacking off.” “Mph.” “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not thrilled with the way you handled Negi-boya’s little break, and I don’t completely agree with your philosophy, but something like this shouldn’t be enough to make him slack off in training.” “Mph.” “I mean, you are slower on the draw now, and your fire spells are noticeably less powerful, but I guess that makes sense since you don’t have your artifact anymore.” “Mph.” “...on that note, you don’t have a way to free yourself from a block of ice without an incantation anymore, do you?” “Mm-phml-phmph.” “Right. I’ll work on getting you a better focus than that toy wand.” And so the days passed, tense, awkward, and depressing. Sunset had to admit that something had to be done about the mood in the class. Even the approach of the school festival wasn’t enough to totally drive away the funk that had settled over 3-A. “Of course, we all know who’s responsible.” Sunset sighed and tried to ignore the whispers and poorly-concealed glares. The cheerleaders and the Narutaki twins had seemingly doubled down on their anti-Sunset sentiment and had guessed (somewhat correctly) that she was responsible for the poor atmosphere that had pervaded the class for the last week. “I mean,” Madoka continued, “it’s obvious, right? Ku Fei-chan and Nagase-chan are keeping an eye on her. Kagurazaka-san won’t stop glaring at her. Even the Library Exploration Girls are giving her a wide berth.” Misa nodded. “Whatever it is, it must be her fault. I’ve never seen Negi-sensei looking so depressed. I can’t believe that anyone else would be so cold-hearted as to put him in that state and leave him stewing like that for a week.” “So, what are we going to do about it?” Fuka demanded, slamming a fist into her palm. “We can’t just force her to apologize, after all.” Sakurako raised an eyebrow. “I thought you would be all for something like that.” “She means we literally can’t,” Fumika explained. “Kaede-nee says she’s been practicing fighting against Sakurazaki-chan in the mornings. Apparently their spars can get pretty intense.” Misa scoffed and waved her off. “So she’s learning kendo. Big deal. It’s not like she carries a-” “She fights with her fists. Against Sakurazaki-chan’s sword.” “...so we can’t force her to apologize.” “Heh. And here I thought you were normal.” Sunset rolled her eyes and turned to Chisame. “What about me has ever seemed normal?” Chisame shrugged. “In this class, ‘normal’ is a relative term. But going toe-to-toe with the Kendo club Captain every day? I might just have to reconsider.” “It’s nothing that impressive,” Sunset dismissed. “Most of the fighting clubs’ better members could do it. Get inside the sword’s reach, and the weapon actually becomes a detriment.” “Huh.” Chisame obviously didn’t care. “So, is it true?” Sunset feigned ignorance. “Is what true?” “That you’re the reason our sensei looks like a kicked puppy these days.” Sunset scoffed and turned away. “He had it coming.” “So that’s a yes?” “Why do you care?” “I don’t, really.” Chisame shrugged. “But whatever you did is still affecting you. It feels like I’m sitting right next to a dormant volcano that’s about to go active at any moment. And with you punching your way to the top of the boxing club, I’d rather not be right next to you when you blow.” “...you can tell, huh?” “You aren’t that subtle about it.” Sunset conceded the point with a grunt. “Well, it’s nice that the class hasn’t been freaking out as much lately,” Chisame continued, “but this dour atmosphere is even starting to get to me. It’s making it hard for me to study and pay attention when everyone is sighing all the time.” Sunset scoffed incredulously. “So you’d prefer the wild perversion that the class usually gets up to?” “At least I’ve learned how to tune that out.” “...fair.” And so it was that Sunset found herself walking home alone more often than before, staying out later just to avoid the awkwardness of her dorm and avoiding the rest of her classmates. She’d spent her evenings this last week wandering alone through Library Island or Mahora’s vast campus, lost in thought and pondering on whether and how she should try to mend bridges with Negi. After a week of evening wanderings, as she was walking down Sakura Lane, her brooding was finally interrupted. “Heads up!” Sunset tensed. She turned on her heel, crossing her arms and flaring her ki. The blow slammed into her arms, forcing her to take a few steps back. She lowered her arms, her glare turning into a look of surprise as she recognized her assailant. “Dog Boy? What are you doing here?” Kotarou smirked and jabbed a thumb at his chest. “What do you think? I transferred schools so I could be closer to Negi! Can’t have my rival getting too soft surrounded by you onee-chans.” His smirk fell to a glower. “Not that he’s been up to a rematch lately. Can’t seem to get out of his funk.” Sunset huffed and rolled her eyes. “If you’re just here to beat me up over-” “Hell no!” Kotarou shouted. “Listen, I don’t really get what happened last week between you two, but that’s got nothing to do with me. And it’s got nothing to do with our rivalry, either. He needs to learn to man up and put whatever he’s got going on with you aside.” Sunset was silent for a moment. She finally chuckled, shaking her head and smiling at Kotarou. “You know, I’m not usually a fan of straightforward machismo philosophy, but I guess it does have its place. So if you’re not here to get on my case, why are you here?” “Isn’t it obvious?” Kotarou crouched down, bringing up his fists. “Negi isn’t my only rival here at this school.” Sunset hummed to herself, bringing up her own fists. “Is that so? You do know we can’t go all-out, right? Too many people not in the know around who could see us.” “Fine by me,” Kotarou replied. “Skill against skill suits me fine. Besides, it’ll keep you from bringing out that monstrous amount of ki.” Sunset chuckled again. “Fair point. Have at thee, then!” ***** Sunset returned to her dorm that night battered, bruised, and feeling better than she had all week. “Nichi-chan!” Nodoka rushed to her side when she saw her, concern coloring her face. “Wh-what happened?” Sunset waved her off as she started to prepare for bed. “Nothing, Honya. Just ran into Dog Boy on the way home. Had a brief spar.” She winced and rubbed her left leg. “Kid’s got a lot more street-fighting experience than me. I’m gonna have to pick up some tricks from him.” “Kotaro-kun?” Nodoka asked. “He’s still here?” “Transfered to be ‘closer to his rival,’ apparently.” Sunset shrugged into her pyjamas. “And I guess he’s finally made me an official exception to his ‘don’t hit girls’ policy.” “I guess that’ll happen when the girl can give as good as she gets,” Yue noted, not bothering to look up from her book. “Add him to your list of teachers and mentors, then. Though you’ll have to share him with Negi-sensei.” At this, she did look up, her eyebrow raising. “Assuming he’s able to pull him out of the funk you put him in.” Nodoka winced and looked worriedly between Yue and Sunset. Sunset, for her part, simply sighed and hoisted herself into her loft. “It’s not my fault that Wildfire can’t compartmentalize. Just goes to show that he’s still an idiot kid after all.” “Wildfire?” “An appropriate nick-name if there ever was one.” Yue sighed. “You know that’s not going to help him if he ever hears it.” “Tough.” Sunset leaned over the side of her loft and glared down at Yue. “If he plans to become a Magister Magi, then he’s going to face a lot of people who don’t like him or outright hate him. He can’t let every one of their insults and jabs get to him.” “Most of those foes won’t have been people he considered his friends,” Yue countered. Sunset flinched and looked away. “...” “Of course, that’s how you thought of him, too,” Yue continued. “Until he took action that you saw as a betrayal. You should really try to follow your own advice.” “Hey! I’m not the one who’s an emotional wreck over this!” Yue shrugged. “Maybe.” She returned her attention to her book. “Or maybe you just ‘compartmentalize’ better.” “I-” Sunset’s retort was cut off as the phone in her pocket chimed. “Damn,” she muttered, fishing it out. “Forgot to return it.” Nodoka sighed and shook her head. “Whose is it this time?” “The Class Rep’s” Sunset answered, flipping it open. “Huh. Borrowed Chizuru’s phone to text me. Wants to meet up.” Sunset sighed and hopped down from the loft. “Well, can’t say I didn’t see this coming.” “Should we even bother reminding you that we shouldn’t be out late?” Yue asked. The door closing was her only answer. She sighed. “500 yen. At least thirty seconds.” Nodoka shook her head and climbed into bed. “Sucker bet.” Thirty-five seconds later, Sunset returned to change out of her pyjamas. ***** “So, back here, huh?” “It seemed the proper location for this conversation.” Sunset sipped her whiskey as she looked around the bar. “Well, I’m not going to argue with that. The whole class has been taut as a wire all week. A little alcohol is just what I need to relax.” “On that subject,” Ayaka said, taking a sip of her wine, “I suppose it’s fruitless to ask for the details of your confrontation with Negi-sensei?” Sunset chuckled. “As a drinking buddy, you’re a lot closer to the sort of person I would gripe to than the rest of the class.” She shook her head. “Unfortunately, our confrontation involved secrets that aren’t mine to share. I might not care too much one way or the other, but Wildfire’s determined to keep certain things under wraps.” “Wildfire?” “...I guess you’re one of the few other people in the class who can understand the meaning behind that one.” Ayaka paled. “That…” She stared in shock at Sunset before tipping her glass back and chugging the rest of her wine. She gasped as she slammed the glass back down on the table, glaring daggers at Sunset. “What could Negi-sensei POSSIBLY have done to earn such a moniker from you?!” “I don’t expect you to understand or approve,” Sunset growled as she returned the glare. “And no, I’m not saying that he got anyone killed. But…” She sighed and sat back, staring down into her own glass. “...you know how he’s been learning martial arts from Ku-Fei, right? Learning to fight? Well, he’s good at it. Really good. Killer instincts, and a mind that picks things up at a crazy pace. But he’s still a kid. We keep forgetting that. Me. Ku-Fei. Everyone. And when you give an immature, emotional kid that much power and ability…” Ayaka held her glare for a minute before relaxing as well. “Well, you have a point there, much as I hate to admit it.” She shook her head. “I heard about how badly he got hurt in his fight with Chachamaru-san. And now that Kotarou brat is pestering him too. Honestly, why does everyone want Negi-sensei to-” “Wait!” Sunset held out a hand to stop Ayaka’s tirade before it could start. “You know Dog-boy? Er, Kotarou?” Ayaka raised an eyebrow, annoyed at being interrupted, but also curious. “He’s been living with me, Chizuru-san, and Natsumi-san for this past week. He’s Natsumi’s brother, and they have a complicated family situation that makes this the best option for him.” “...” Sure. Whatever. I’ll buy that cover story. “Well, that explains it, I guess. Wildfire and I met him in Kyoto. Good kid, if a bit brash.” A notion sparked in Sunset’s mind and she leveled a teasing glare at Ayaka. “So, Dog-boy’s been living with you, huh? Looks like you’ve got a little brother now after all, if Natsumi’s willing to share him with you.” Ayaka’s face went red with outrage. “ARE YOU INSANE?!” She stood up, slamming her hands down onto the table. “That frantic little beast?! No no no! I refuse to accept him as a surrogate little brother when I have the gentlemanly Negi-sensei!” Sunset laughed, leaning back in her seat. “Too bad, Ayaka. Did you think brothers were all sunshine and sparkles? They’re guys, after all. Cute as they can be, they’re guaranteed to drive you insane most of the time. You’ve just gotten lucky with how well-behaved Wildfire is; most kids aren’t so well-mannered.” “I refuse to accept that!” Ayaka sat down with a huff and began to pour herself another glass of wine. “Honestly. That hooligan? A little brother? Honestly.” “I mean, Natsumi deals with it, right?” Ayaka raised an imperious eyebrow. “Hm, yes, I suppose. Just like how you and Asuna dealt with the ‘aliens’ who made those circles of glass over Golden Week.” “...oh thank goodness.” Sunset chuckled and sipped her drink. “I thought for a minute you’d actually fallen for Dog-boy’s ‘Natsumi’s little brother’ story.” “It was Chizuru-san’s story, actually,” Ayaka muttered. “And yes, I saw through it rather quickly. However, I recognize that there are circumstances there which I am not privy to, and I am not so brash as to pry.” Sunset smirked. “That, and you don’t want to kick him out because having him around will make Wildfire happier.” “I do not understand their friendship at all.” Ayaka sighed. “But, yes. At least, I hope so.” She took one last sip of her wine before setting the glass aside. “Which brings us back to the reason I called you out here.” Sunset huffed and refilled her glass. “So much for distracting you,” she muttered. She took a long pull from her drink before setting it aside as well. “Look, I don’t know what you want from me. I can’t tell you the details of what happened, and it wouldn’t help if I could. Wildfire did something that was both bad and a personal affront to me. I can’t forgive him easily, and I’m not going to apologize for what I did or said.” Ayaka shook her head. “Stubborn as you are, I didn’t expect you would. But whatever you said, it is affecting Negi-sensei far more than you intended it to, no?” She took Sunset’s abashed silence as confirmation and continued. “All I ask is that you talk with him. Clear the air between you two. Get some closure for whatever happened. Because until you do, the tension in the classroom isn’t going to go away.” Sunset hesitated. “I…” “Besides, the rest of the class is getting desperate. I’ve heard enough whisperings to know that they’re planning something extreme for Monday to perk Negi-sensei up, and if it doesn’t work, you can be sure that their antics will escalate.” “...that’s a low blow, Class Rep.” “Any port in the storm, Nichibotsu.” ***** Monday saw Sunset trudging towards Evangeline’s cabin early in the morning once again. For once, though, she wasn’t alone. Several dozen students were up and about the school grounds - mostly university and high-school students - setting up various structures. She passed Zazie suspended from a crane, working to attach trapeze equipment to some poles. A little further along, she found a giant wooden archway being erected. Small stages and roped-off areas for stalls were everywhere, and she even spied a few of her upperclassmen setting up a boxing ring. “This is pretty impressive,” Sunset admitted aloud as she walked. “I’d heard Mahora’s school festival was a big deal, but it’s still a couple of weeks out, isn’t it?” “Well, it’s not like this school to do anything half-way, ne.” Sunset turned, surprised to find a few of her classmates working nearby. “Chao? I didn’t know they let middle-schoolers over here this early.” Chao Rinshen raised an eyebrow. “And yet, here you are. Surely you passed Rainyday-san on your way here, ne?” Sunset rolled her eyes. “It’s Zazie. I figured out not to question anything about that enigma from day one. But what are you all doing here?” Chao smiled and gestured behind her. An old train-car had been modified to drive along the road and had been parked on the side of a small plaza. The side of it had been opened, and Sunset could see ovens and stoves inside, as well as a few stools attached to the front. Chao was accompanied by fellow genius Satomi Hakase and Ku-Fei in setting up several tables in the plaza, and Sunset could see Satsuki Yotsuba’s wider frame moving about the train-car. The car had a sign hanging above which read “Chao Bao Zi.” “We set up this little food-car every year, ne,” Chao explained. “Between my snacks and Satsuki-chan’s delicious meals, it’s quite popular with both the students and the teachers. What do you say? Up for a quick breakfast?” Sunset raised her nose and took a sniff of the air, humming in delight at the scent wafting from the car. “Much as I would love to, Evangeline will be pissed if I’m late to meet her. I’ll stop by later, though.” “Try to leave your attitude when you come,” Satomi called over warningly. “Satsuki-chan doesn’t take well to fighting in her domain.” Sunset thought back to the chefs back in Canterlot and felt a shudder run down her spine. “Noted.” Satomi walked over to Chao as Sunset walked away. “So, what do you think?” she muttered. Chao hummed to herself. “Well, she would probably be sympathetic to our goals. And her fight with Negi-sensei means it’ll be easier to take her aside and keep our offer quiet. Still, let’s hold off for a bit; don’t want to give her too much time to second-guess.” Satomi nodded. “Be careful with her. Even if she agrees with our aims, she’ll be a hard one to control.” “Let me worry about that.” Chao narrowed her eyes and grinned after Sunset. “She’s an Equestrian, after all. I know how to talk to her.”