Sayaka Nakajima, Lieutenant General of the Mahora Junior JSDF club, was a tall, stern-faced high-school third-year with short-cropped black hair and piercing gray eyes. She was the unassuming sort, the kind of person who easily fades into the background when she wasn’t commanding your attention. Though few outside of MJ-JSDF ever saw it, she had a core of steel and an iron will. When she wanted to, she could inject her voice with the sort of raw authority that could make the most carefree and independent spirit stand at attention.
Before her stood Nichibotsu Hikaru, a third-year middle-schooler from the notorious Class 3A, a class known for its chaos and individuality. A class that didn’t so much shrug off social norms as it seemed unaware of their existence. If you asked which class in all of Mahora was most anathema to the discipline exemplified in MJ-JSDF, every student and teacher at Mahora would have pointed in one direction.
“So,” Sayaka said. “Let me get this straight. At the whims of middle-school class 3A, the final joint event for the entire school is being overhauled to make way for a large-scale war game of mages versus robots using experimental technology and organized in less than two hours. And you want to borrow our command structure to turn the students, teachers, and other festival attendees into an organized military, all for the sake of this trivial and poorly thought-out event. Do I have that about right?”
“I’m also asking for you to place me high in your command structure in a temporary role,” Sunset replied, unphased by Sayaka’s overwhelming demeanor. “But other than that, yeah, pretty much.”
Sayaka raised an eyebrow. She was the fifth Nakajima sister to lead the MJ-JSDF, her eldest sister having formed the club and her other three sisters having shaped it into the disciplined, serious organization that it was. Sayaka’s family were military going back to the beginning of the Meiji Era, and she prided herself and her club on their dedication to the ideals of the JSDF. They were the last group of people at Mahora that you would expect to sign up for an insane, over-the-top, last-minute, massive-scale event like this.
“...sounds like fun. We’re in.”
Of course, this being Mahora Academy, that wasn’t saying much.
“Excellent.” Sunset strutted over to a map of the academy city which hung on the back wall of the club room. “The enemy objectives are six areas around the World Tree.” She pointed to each area in turn before gesturing to the massive lakes north and south of the school. “Their forces will be rising from these two lakes, twenty-five hundred strong. They will also be fielding six colossi. If those colossi manage to reach the six target areas and the enemy commander is able to complete her ritual, we lose. If we manage to hold them off, take down one of the colossi, or take down the enemy commander, we win.”
Sayaka nodded, examining the map and the routes the enemy was likely to take. “Sounds simple enough. How do we tell if someone is ‘dead’?”
“The robots will be equipped with special weapons,” Sunset explained, “of the sort displayed during the Martial Arts Tournament. I’m sure you’ve heard about Tanaka’s match?”
Sayaka nodded. “I was there. Impressive showing, by the way. So the enemy will be firing…”
“Defabrification beams, yes.” Sunset cleared her throat. “We will likewise be providing ‘weapons’ to players. A standard-issue ‘wand’ and several unique weapons for people who want them. All of them will shoot harmless beams, but the robots will react as if struck and self-damage accordingly.
“Finally, there will be several ‘hero’ characters lending aid across the battlefield. Mostly teachers and students who featured in the Martial Arts Tournament, including myself. We’ll be helping out wherever we’re needed and be the ones to confront the enemy commander directly, along with any enemy ‘heroes’. And of course, we won’t be scoring any points.”
“Naturally.” She raised an eyebrow at Sunset. “So you’ll be a hero unit and a commander?”
Sunset shrugged. “I’m not as much a powerhouse as the rest,” she admitted. “I could beat almost any of them in a straight fight, but they’ve got more raw strength than me. And you don’t need clever tricks or combat finesse to take down the robots. Besides, my mind is trained for strategy and tactics where theirs generally aren’t. I’ll wager I could beat most of the Chess Club at their own game.”
“If you say so. Who is the enemy commander, anyway?”
“...Chao Lingshen.”
“...I don’t suppose we’re allowed to switch sides?”
Sunset snorted. “You don’t need Chao on your side. You have me.”
*****
I watched Nichibotsu as she laid out plans with Nakajima-Taishou. This… this was a side of her I’d never seen before. Even being new to this world of magic, I don’t think this is a side that anyone else had seen, either. Nichibotsu was a natural, grasping the organization of the JSDF club much faster than I could have. She and Nakajima-Taishou worked together seamlessly, despite having never met before. Nichibotsu’s heart was filled with determination, suppressing all other emotions, but one other feeling began to rise to the surface. Respect. The same sort of respect she’d felt for Takahata-sensei, but without contempt to cloud it. She’d already found in Nakajima-Taishou a fellow, a commander whose skill and mind she recognized. It didn’t matter that Nakajima-Taishou was technically younger than her. It didn’t matter that Nakajima-Taishou seemed to prefer a cautious strategy while Nichibotsu wanted to be more aggressive. It didn’t even matter that - underneath the respect and determination - it felt like Nichibotsu didn’t really like Nakajima-Taishou all that much. She was bemused and chafed, probably in reaction to how stiff and formal Nakajima-Taishou was. I felt a bit of mockery there too, like she was indulging a child who was pretending to be so very grown up. But none of that mattered. All of that was pushed away in the face of something else. Something like respect but… more. Sort of a respect for what the two of them were together. I didn’t understand this feeling, then. But somehow, it seemed important.
“Right. That should do it.” Satisfaction filled Nichibotsu’s heart as she turned away from the map, grinning cockily at Nakajima. “I know you’re worried about fighting Chao, but don’t be. You’ve got me. You’ve got your soldiers. And you’ve got an army of overenthusiastic festival-goers eager to tear some robots apart. We’ve got this.”
Nakajima-Taishou nodded and saluted. “Good luck with the rest of your preparations. I’ll see you back here when the fighting starts.”
Nichibotsu rolled her eyes, but there was nostalgia in her heart as she returned the salute. She marched out of the club room, and I followed her.
“That girl,” Nichibotsu muttered. “Honestly. She’s only a kid and she already thinks of herself as a soldier. Even the… the old military family back home didn’t have sticks shoved so far up their-”
“She seemed nice enough to me.” Nichibotsu shot me a glare for interrupting her, but even without my new ability I knew there was no heat behind it. “A little stiff, but nice. And she agreed to help us, right?”
Nichibotsu sighed and nodded. “Yeah, she did. I guess she’s not all bad.”
“Besides,” I continued, “it felt like you were getting along well with her.” I looked away, suddenly feeling sad for some reason. “You really have a lot of respect for her.”
“Of course I do,” Nichibotsu answered easily. “She’s a good commander. A natural, really. And on top of that, she’s been studying this stuff for years. I have no doubt she’ll go far once she grows up and joins the JSDF.” She snorted. “As far as anyone can go in the JSDF. Still, that doesn’t stop her from being stuck-up and pretentious.”
“I’m a little surprised you didn’t tell her that to her face,” I muttered. “You usually aren’t that restrained.”
Nichibotsu’s shock came out of nowhere. It threw out all other emotions with such force that I actually stumbled. I looked over to see Nichibotsu staring at me blankly as she came to a stop. “Of course I didn’t,” she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “What sort of comrade insults an officer in front of her troops?”
I didn’t know how to react to that. “B-but, but you said-”
“I said she was pretentious and took herself way too seriously,” Nichibotsu acknowledged, “but she’s still their commander, and those are still her troops. Even if the MJ-JSDF isn’t a formal military or paramilitary organization, she’s still their’s and they’re still her’s. I’m not going to disrespect that.”
There it was again. That powerful respect. Not for Nakajima-Taishou herself, but for all of them. Together. I’m not sure how, but I could tell that she wouldn’t have felt this way if she’d thought about any of them one-on-one. But together…
“Anyway,” she resumed walking, “that’s the organization taken care of. We should go and see if Wildfire’s awake.”
I flinched. Nichibotsu’s feelings towards Negi were… mixed, to say the least. There was a bit of contempt there, as if he was less than she expected. A certain fondness, but nothing I wouldn’t expect. There was something of that powerful sort of respect, but it felt… weak. Or broken, maybe. And there was hurt tied up in that. But more than anything, Nichibotsu was scared. Scared for Negi, but also scared of him.
“You… really don’t like Negi-kun, do you?”
Sunset slowed to a halt again, but she didn’t turn towards me this time. Her body language gave away nothing, but her heart was in turmoil. Hesitation warred with impulse. A little chagrin at being called out, and a little concern over how I was reacting. “I…” Hesitation won out. “I don’t hate him. It’s just… he’s dangerous. More dangerous than anyone else seems to realize.”
“Dangerous?”
Nichibotsu nodded. “To himself. And to those around him. Not all of the time. Not even most of the time. But… he’s got a problem with wrath. There are a few things that, if they trigger him, can make him forget everything around him. Everyone around him. He becomes a force more than a person. And that… Well, there’s no point hiding it from you right now. That scares me. I’m scared of what he could do to Honya. To Yue. To anyone who gets too close to him.” Her feelings for me flitted across her heart, and I was sure it was “To you,” that she whispered under her breath.
“Hence the nickname. Wildfire. He needs to know. Needs to be reminded just how much power he has within him, and just how disastrous it could be if he loses control again.” A tinge of guilt colored her heart, along with a sad, melancholic nostalgia. “Yes, it’s a little cruel. Especially coming from me. But he needs to be reminded.”
“What do you mean, coming from you?”
She clamped up. Remained silent. Forced down her emotions. Did her best not to give anything away.
It didn’t really work. I could still feel the pain there. The hurt. The regret. The sorrow so deep, so integral, that it made every sorrow I’d ever felt feel like nothing in comparison, and I don’t count myself as one who has suffered nothing.
“...we should go.” She started walking again, forcing me to follow lest I be left behind. Somehow, in the very back of my mind, I thought I heard the crackling of flames.
*****
Sunset and Ako returned to the library just as Chisame was putting the final touches on the website for the new event. “And done.” She leaned back from her laptop and glanced over at Sunset. “So? Do we have our chain of command?”
Sunset nodded. “Nakajima-Taishou and her forces have taken command of the operation. She’s placed Kiyama-Chujou in charge of the northern front and Suzuki-Chujou in charge of the south. Abe-Taisa commands the World Tree plaza. Sakai-Taisa the University Stage. Hamasaki-Taisa has the-”
“Ack! Boring!” Haruna interrupted. “We don’t need a full list of the command structure! The point is, we’re all set to take down Chao-san and her robot army!”
Sunset shot Haruna a glare but relented. “As ready as we can be, anyway. I passed the preparations on my way in. I have to admit, I’m impressed. Where did you manage to find all of those weapons?”
“That would be my doing.” Yue tipped her hat - a large witches hat. Sunset hadn’t noticed it before in the commotion of the day. She also wore a cloak about her shoulders - at Sunset. “My artifact has able to connect to the magical world’s internet, as it happens. It’s even able to get into restricted information.”
Sunset’s eyebrows shot up. “Wait, when did you get an artifact?”
“Shortly after we returned,” she said. “I thought it would be better to see if I could get something useful for the fight ahead. I’m glad I did.”
Sunset nodded. “I see. Guess the Library Exploration Girls are three for three on support artifacts.” She shot a leer at Haruna. “Wanna give it the ol’ smakaroo and see if we can make it four?”
Haruna blinked. “Wow. Deja vu.”
“Huh?”
Haruna pulled out a card with a grin. “That’s exactly what future you asked Yuechi when she found out about my artifact!”
“...when did you-” Sunset shook her head. “You know what? Doesn’t matter. I just stepped in to report quickly on my way to the next group.”
“The next group?” Chisame asked. “Who else are you pulling into this?”
“Mahora Wheels.”
“...the skateboarding club?”
Sunset nodded. “Skateboards. Roller blades. Bicycles. Pretty much anything with wheels. They’ll be invaluable once this gets started.”
Haruna raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Okay, but how? I mean, the MJ-JSDF I get. Their club is basically built for this. But why do you need a bunch of skaters?”
Sunset pulled Haruna’s phone out of her pocket and tossed it to its owner. “Because once Chao starts her attack, she’ll start jamming communications too. Those and your cards will be useless. Mahora Wheels know every road and alleyway in this school, and they know how to keep a cool head under pressure. The same mentality that lets you take a sharp corner and immediately react to whatever obstacles suddenly appear in your face is exactly what our runners will need to navigate the battlefield.” Sunset tapped her temple with a finger. “A good soldier studies tactics. A good general studies strategy. But a genius studies logistics. If communications break down, our organization goes kaput, and the MJ-JSDF becomes one tenth as effective, if that.”
Everyone stared silently at Sunset for a minute before Haruna spoke up. “You know, it’s usually pretty easy to forget that you’re ex-military. And then you go and say something like that.” She frowned. “Also, how long have you had my phone?”
Sunset smirked and turned away.
*****
Recruiting Mahora Wheels was easy. Nichibotsu had barely finished explaining before they enthusiastically declared that they would join in. I think. They were throwing around a lot of English slang that I didn’t really get, but Nichibotsu was satisfied. They ran - or, they wheeled, really - off to connect with the MJ-JSDF while Nichibotsu and I returned to the library. Asakura had been dragged in and made to help out as payment for helping Chao during the Martial Arts Tournament. Kagurazaka, Sakurazaki, and a few of the other girls had been dressed up in their “hero” outfits and Haruna pulled Nichibotsu aside to get her changed into hers. With nothing else to do, I sat at one of the large tables in the middle of the library.
“A bit overwhelming, isn’t it?”
It was Hasegawa who had spoken. She was typing away at her laptop, though I had no idea what she was doing. Computers were never really my thing. “Overwhelming?”
Hasegawa nodded and gestured around. “You know. Magic. Mages. The kid and Nichibotsu. Chao. All of this. I’m surprised a normal student like you is taking it as well as you are.”
I wasn’t sure whether to take “normal” as a compliment or not. “What about you? Aren’t you, er, normal too?”
“Oh trust me, I’m freaking out on the inside. Stick around a while; you’ll see some of it come to the surface. But I’m also determined to keep this insane future of magic and fantasy from coming to pass. I can freak out over the implications of all this once it’s over. But you?” She finally looked away from her laptop and over at me. “As far as I’m aware, you were brought into this even later than I was. And you don’t really seem the type who desperately needs to maintain the status quo. So what’s your place in all of this?”
“I…” To be honest, I’d been doing my best to avoid thinking about that question. I wasn’t born into this world like Nichibotsu or Sakurazaki. I wasn’t a good fighter like Ku Fei, Nagase, or Kagurazaka. I wasn’t adventurous or curious like Saotome, Ayase, or Asakura. I wasn’t in love with Negi - not anymore, at least - like Miyazaki. Really, my only connection to any of this was my friendship with Nichibotsu. Was that really enough for me to get caught up in this world of magic?
Hasegawa eventually shrugged and returned her gaze to her laptop. “Well, it’s none of my business. But I’d think good and hard about it before getting in too deep.”
“Damn! I hate to give any credit to that perverted weasel, but he does know how to dress a hero!”
“Doesn’t he? Though I still think a military look would have suited you better.”
“Hah! Let those uptight junior soldiers keep their uniforms! This suits me much better. Oy! Ako!”
Nichibotsu and Asakura’s conversation drew my attention, and I was already turning their way when Nichibotsu called out. My answer stuck in my throat as my eyes fell upon her. Nichibotsu was dressed like a yakuza thug or yankee. Her chest was wrapped in bandages, leaving her midriff bare and collar exposed. She wore a long leather jacket across her shoulders, her arms free beneath it. Her legs were clad in tight leather pants, her fiery red and golden hair tied back in a flowing ponytail. A pair of spiked bracelets adorned her wrists. And her whole outfit was tied together by the cocky, aggressive smirk she bore. “Well?” she asked, pounding one fist into the palm of her other hand. “What do you think?”
I’ve never felt this threatened by someone this beautiful. Blood rushed to my face as I chased that thought from my head. I looked down to hide my blush. “Um, you look really cool, Nichi-chan.”
“Hell yeah, I look cool!” Nichibotsu didn’t notice my embarrassment, too caught up in herself. To be fair, I was rather caught up in her too. “I look freaking awesome! Badass! There isn’t a guy in this school who can pull off the thug look like I can!” She flipped up the collar of her jacket. “This is from Wildfire’s stash, actually. Surprised he had something like this lying around, but I won’t complain about its effects.”
“Yeah yeah,” Hasegawa said, waving her off. “Don’t you have somewhere to be? Like punching robots in the face or something?”
Nichibotsu scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Relax. Chao’s plan doesn’t start for another hour. We have plenty of time to-”
The door slammed open, cutting her off. An upperclassman on a skateboard wheeled in before screeching to a halt in front of Nichibotsu. He handed her a letter before collapsing to one knee, breathing heavily as he grabbed a bottle of water from his pocket. Nichibotsu frowned and opened the letter. “What is this? A test of the system? They shouldn’t be wearing our runners down just to…” Her eyes went wide. “Damn it! Runner! Do you have a-” she looked up to see the upperclassman holding a pen up to her. “Thanks.” She snatched the pen and rushed to a table, scribbling a note on the back of the letter before handing it back to him. “Get that to Nakajima-Taishou immediately!” The runner nodded, leaping to his feet and racing out. “Damn it, damn it, damn it!”
“Something wrong?” Ayase asked, raising an eyebrow.
Nichibotsu’s response was cut off as the door was flung open again, Sakurazaki bursting into the room. “She started early!” she shouted. “The robots just started advancing from the lakes! Advance units on the north and south shores were wiped out!”
Nichibotsu sucked in a breath through her teeth. “Yeah, Yue. You could say that.”