Arc 6.3 Chapter 58
Reality reasserted itself around Sunset and Negi, the noonday sun filtering through the windows of the abandoned school building. A quick glance outside told Sunset all she needed to know; the Tatsumiya Shrine in the distance was packed with some sort of great commotion throwing up sprays of water and debris from within. The Mahora Martial Arts Tournament was still ongoing, approaching its conclusion. In other words…
“Time travel.” Sunset walked over to the window and stared out towards the shrine where she knew her past self lay comatose, soon to awaken and have that fateful talk with Chao. “Even with all I’ve seen, it’s still hard to believe. ‘There are more things in heaven and earth’ indeed.”
“Remember, Nichibotsu,” Negi said. “You have to be careful not to-”
“Not to run into my past self,” Sunset interrupted. “Not to appear near my past self such that someone else might see the both of us. Not to do anything to interfere with my past self’s actions.” She smirked over her shoulder at Negi. “That about cover it?” Chuckling at his shocked expression, she turned to face him fully. “I may not have ever traversed the timestream before, but I’m well enough versed on the major theories involved. Don’t worry; my plans for the day will bring me nowhere near my past self. What’s more, my past self spent most of the rest of today in disguise. There’s no chance of anyone wondering how I got from one place to another so quickly.”
Negi stared for a minute before shaking his head. “Th-that’s amazing, Nichibotsu! To think that you’ve thought of all of this so quickly!”
Well, I have been thinking about it ever since Chao let me in on the secret. And it’s not like I haven’t read a dozen novels that use time travel. Sunset shrugged and headed for the door. “I should probably get into position. Don’t want to miss my shift at the World Tree.”
“Er, Nichibotsu?!” Sunset looked over her shoulder again to see Negi bowing. “Thank you so much for your help with Ako-san! I really think I would have been lost without you.”
“Yeah, you would have.” Negi winced, and Sunset made an effort to take the bite out of her tone. “Look, I get it. You wanted to help. And it was helpful, in the end. Just… an adult has to deal with things that you aren’t emotionally mature enough to understand, much less handle. Try to keep that adult form of yours for emergencies only, got it?”
Negi nodded. “Y-yeah. I guess you’re right. I will.”
“Good.” Sunset let out a long sigh. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go and save love-struck fools from themselves.” I just hope they don’t pair me with anyone annoying.
*****
“Really, what is Takahata-sensei thinking, indulging Kagurazaka-san like that? A date between teacher and student. How inappropriate! And with everything that’s going on with the World Tree and Chao Lingshen’s schemes. Does he really have time to be indulging her elicit fantasies?”
Sunset groaned and massaged the bridge of her nose. She’d met up with her patrol partners - Mei Sakura and Takane D Goodman - at the World Tree Plaza. They were to patrol between there and the University stage, keeping an eye out for anyone who looked like they were about to confess their love for anyone else. Though Sunset had suggested they simply split up, Takane had insisted that it would be better to stay together. She’d claimed that it was so they’d have more options if they saw a confession about to commence.
Sunset was sure it was because Takane didn’t trust her and wanted both her and Mei’s eyes on her.
For the last hour, Sunset had been forced to bear Takane’s rants about Negi and Asuna: the former for his unprofessionalism, the latter for her inappropriate closeness with Takamichi. And while her loud and angry tirades had served to effectively kill the mood for confession along their patrol, Sunset was approaching the limits of her patience.
“I’m sorry about her,” Mei whispered to Sunset as they walked around the stands of the University stage. “She isn’t usually like this. These past few days have just been… stressful for her.”
“I get that,” Sunset growled, teeth grinding together. “What I don’t get is how going off like this is supposed to help.”
Mei sighed. “Takane-san has always had a bit of a temper, and she has a hair-trigger when it comes to the conduct of mages. She’s a bit of a perfectionist.”
“And Wildfire’s far from perfect.” Sunset sighed. “Well, I get that, at least.”
“Wildfire?”
“That’s what I call Negi Springfield.” Sunset shook her head. “Blazing forward without thinking, heedless of the destruction left in his wake, and more powerful than is good for him. Bright and glaring and indiscriminate. Honestly, what better name for someone like him?”
“So you do understand!”
Sunset groaned as Takane’s attention turned fully onto her. “Sure, yeah. Wildfire’s ridiculously clueless, naive, and oblivious. I wouldn’t call him ‘unprofessional,’ though. And neither would you if you’d ever seen him in ‘Teacher Mode.’”
Takane huffed. “Perhaps. I’ll admit, I’ve heard good things about his teaching ability. Still, his ‘Mage Mode’ still leaves much to be desired.”
Sunset shrugged. “I won’t argue with you there. For someone with his level of ability, he sure is clueless when it comes to using it. I’ve seen him lose control in a fit of rage that put innocent bystanders at risk. On the other end, his match against me started out pathetically; his mind was miles away, and it made him a sad opponent. He really needs to learn some emotional control before he hurts someone.”
“Precisely!” Takane shook her head. “Honestly, I don’t know what they were thinking, sending him half-way around the world to be a middle-school teacher. Most prospective Magister Magi are given low-responsibility long-term assignments or are paired up with another Magister. Giving him this much responsibility to shoulder alone at his age is just asking for trouble!”
“Evangeline!” Sunset ranted. “Kyoto! Herrman! Time after time, he’s faced with ridiculous stakes and opponents that he’s nowhere near equipped to handle! How is he supposed to fulfill his duties as one with power if he’s constantly throwing himself at fights that are beyond him?!”
“Yes! The duty of the powerful! To protect the weak! To defend those who cannot defend themselves! An impulsive, battle-hungry, careless child like him cannot possibly be considered a proper mage!”
Sunset whirled on Takane. Their hands shot out, grasping each-other by the elbows. Their faces bore matching triumphant grins. “Finally!” they shouted in unison. “Someone who gets it!”
“Oh no,” Mei groaned, staring upwards helplessly. “Now there’s two of them.”
Sunset let go of Takane’s arm and chuckled. “I hate to admit it, but you’re alright, Takane. You might be green as hell, but you’ve got a good sense of what it means to have power.”
“You aren’t so bad yourself, Nichibotsu-san,” Takane answered. “I’ll admit, I was impressed with your commentary during the tournament. You’re more knowledgeable than I expected, and a superb fighter besides. Even if your tactics are a touch underhanded.”
“I regret that I wasn’t able to watch your matches,” Sunset answered. She leered at Takane’s blush. “And not just for the fanservice. From what I hear, your power and tenacity in the first match was impressive, and the Shadow Doll technique you used against Wildfire sounded interesting. I’d love the chance to see what you can do for myself, Takane.”
Takane coughed into her hand, fighting down her blush. “Yes, well, I did let myself get a touch carried away in the tournament. A-and I hardly think it appropriate for you to refer to me so intimately.”
“Sorry, but I don’t use honorifics.” Sunset shrugged. “At all. With anyone. Ask Takamichi. My home has no equivalent system, and I’ll admit that I see it as mostly pointless and cumbersome..”
Takane seemed displeased, but didn’t press the issue. “In any case, I find myself curious about you, Hikaru Nichibotsu. The mage teachers I asked didn’t have much to say regarding you.”
Sunset hesitated. “They wouldn’t, no. Only Takamichi and the Principal know about where I’m from. It’s kind of an… intimate secret.”
“Is that so?” Takane shook her head. “Well, if the Principal knows and he trusts you, then I suppose that will have to do for me.”
“Thanks.” Sunset turned her attention to Mei, raising an eyebrow. “Speaking of the tournament, you didn’t really get a proper chance to show your stuff, did you? What’s your style?”
Mei blushed, looking away. “Er, staff-fighting, mostly. My magic specialties are wind and sand, with special training in unincanted spells. I mostly-”
“Knock people around, right?” Sunset interrupted with an intrigued look. “Wind spells out of nowhere to knock them off-balance followed up by rapid blows from your staff? Sand spells to mess with their footing and vision?”
Mei and Takane stared at Sunset in shock for a moment. “I… I can see why you called us green,” Mei eventually muttered. “That analysis was way too fast. You… aren’t actually a middle-schooler, are you?”
Sunset smirked. “Thirty-six. Thirty-seven in a couple of months. Sorry to say it, but you’re just a couple of kids to me.”
Takane huffed with a slight pout. “No wonder. I suppose that’s why Takamichi-san entertains your rudeness.”
“That, and I don’t really care if people think I’m rude.” Sunset shrugged as they left the stands and started back towards the World Tree Plaza. “Anyway, what’s the plan to break up would-be happy couples now that we don’t have your ranting and raving to ruin the mood? Mei’s unincanted wind magic?”
Takane blushed and Mei giggled. “Pretty much. Takane-san has a certain reputation for, er, moral uprightness, so she can get away with a direct confrontation if necessary. You know, ‘such things should not be done in public, how indecent,’ things like that.” She shrugged. “Personally, I was raised in America, so things like that don’t really bother me.”
“Nor me,” Sunset agreed. “Seriously, the Japanese are such prudes.” She turned to Takane. “Are people in the Magical World like that too?”
“It’s not prudishness,” Takane grumbled. “We just have a greater sense of restraint and collectivism. Public places are not appropriate locations for private affairs.”
Sunset and Mei shared a look before rolling their eyes. “I’m not really sure what I can do,” Sunset admitted. “I’m rather more brazen than subtle, but I don’t have a big enough reputation to get away with direct confrontations. Honestly, I wouldn’t have agreed to do this if I didn’t feel it was important.”
Takane shrugged. “I suppose you can leave the interference up to me and Mei-san, then. Just keep an eye out for any potential hazards.”
Sunset offered a casual salute. “Yes ma’am.”
*****
Their shift ended with no major incidents, though there had been a couple of close calls that had required some quick teleportation to interrupt. As evening gave way to night, a couple of teachers arrived to take over for their shifts. Sunset had bid goodnight to Takane and Mei before wandering off into the festival. She still had a little more than an hour to kill before the Midnight Horror route, and she decided to take the chance to explore the festival a bit.
“Oooooy! Nichi-chaaaan!”
So much for that plan. “Yuna,” Sunset greeted, giving the cat-eared girl an appreciative glance. “You needed something?” She finally noticed the concern on the girl’s face. “What-”
“Did you know that Chao-san is leaving?!”
“Chao?” Sunset blinked a few times. “Leaving? Leaving what?”
“Leaving Mahora!” Yuna cried. “She’s transferring out after the festival!”
“...is that so?” Makes sense, Sunset thought. If she’s going to lead a revolution revealing magic to the world, she won’t be able to just go back to her ordinary school life. “I had an inkling that something like that might be happening,” she said. “Guess word is getting around, then.”
Yuna nodded, pouting. “And get this! She wasn’t even planning on telling us! We only found out because she told Ku-chan and we tortured- er, convinced her to tell us!”
Sunset chuckled at that; any sort of “torture” the class could come up with would be easy for Ku Fei to escape from if she really wanted to keep a secret. “So, I assume the class is doing something crazy and over-the-top about it?”
Yuna rolled her eyes. “No, nothing crazy.”
*****
“WELCOME TO CHAORIN’S GOODBYE PARTY!!!”
Sunset had to admit, by class 3-A’s standards, a rooftop concert and mini-festival weren’t all that over-the-top. A private performance by Decopin Rocket. Catering provided by Chao Bao Zi. Small gifts from most of the class members. Even the class rep’s long, heartfelt speech was interrupted part way through for being too formal and sad. And in true 3-A fashion, the party served a nefarious secondary purpose of trying to eek out some rare tears from the heartless scientist. Sunset pulled away when the class pulled out a set of mechanical - and magical, if she had to guess - remote-control hands of Chao’s own design to try to tickle the sought-after tears out of her.
“Quite the little party,” Sunset muttered, taking a sip of her juice. “Shame I’ll have to bow out soon for the Midnight Horror Route.”
“I hope you’re at least planning to say a few words to Chao-san before then, de gozaru.”
Sunset huffed and glanced to the side, no longer even surprised that the class ninja had approached without her notice. “I’ll get to it later,” she said. “I have some unfinished business to take care of with Chao; I’ll say my goodbyes then.”
“Unfinished business?” Kaede frowned. “Would that business have anything to do with her plans?”
Sunset managed to keep herself from tensing, but only just. “Perhaps. I still need to consider my position a bit, but I think I have my answer. I noticed you and Setsuna standing with Wildfire against her, Chachamaru, and Mana before the party started. You’ve got some formidable opponents already.”
Kaede nodded. “We would rather not count you among them.”
Sunset chuckled. “Believe me, after seeing your fight with Sanders, I have no intention of fighting you either. Still, I can’t disagree with Chao’s objectives; I won’t stand in her way.”
“I see.” Kaede frowned. “That is disappointing de gozaru.”
Sunset smirked and tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Of course it is! It looks like the battle will be close, and I’d surely tip the scales dramatically in favor of whichever faction I chose to join.”
Kaede chuckled and changed topics. “I hear you helped Izumi-san out significantly today de gozaru.”
Sunset shrugged, hoping that the relatively low light level would hide her mild blush. “What can I say? What started as an attempt to apologize has grown into friendship. Much as I hate to give you credit, I guess I should thank you for nudging me down that path.”
“I hear that there might be more than friendship involved.”
“Of course you do.” Damn ninja. Sunset rolled her eyes and turned back to watch Chao shout at the class about how tears from tickling didn’t count. “I doubt anything will come of it. Her fiasco with ‘Nagi’ shows which team she bats for pretty powerfully.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure.”
Sunset cocked an eyebrow. “What do you…” She turned back, but Kaede was gone. After a moment, Sunset turned her attention back to the party. Specifically to where Ako was laughing at the whole tickling fiasco. Heat rushed to Sunset’s face and she forced her eyes away.
“Damn interfering ninja.”
*****
A little over six hours later, Sunset locked the classroom door behind her, feeling very accomplished. There had been twice as many customers as the previous night, and only about half as many successful runs. Most of those eliminated from the Martial Arts Tournament in the previous night’s preliminaries had heard she was running it and had come to try to win some sort of symbolic victory over her.
At least eight of them had soiled themselves. Two-thirds of them had fainted half-way through. One of them had had a heart attack and been hurried away by the paramedics Sunset had had on standby - from what she’d heard, he was expected to make a full recovery.
In other words, it had been another wildly successful night.
Sunset was just leaving the school building and heading for Evangeline’s house when she felt a presence appear behind her. Or rather, she realized that a presence had been behind her for a while. “Okay, that’s never not going to be unnerving.” Sunset turned to smirk at Chao Lingshen. “I suppose you’re here for my answer?”
The Chinese genius smiled her enigmatic smile at Sunset, a hand on her hip. “Technically, I gave you longer than I said I would. That party threw off the timing for yesterday evening.” She held up her time-travel device. “Not that that’s too much of a problem, of course.”
“Of course.” Sunset turned fully to face her, aware of another presence focused on her. She couldn’t pinpoint a location - it was too far away for her to even try - but she sensed someone taking aim at her. “And Mana is nearby to make sure I give the ‘right’ answer, ne?”
Chao’s smile quirked into a smirk. “For a certain definition of ‘nearby.’”
“A terrifying ally indeed.” Sunset shrugged. “You have no need to fear. I have no intention of standing in your way.”
Chao’s smirk fell into a thoughtful frown. “Is that all?”
“You expected more?”
Chao shrugged. “More of a vague hope than an expectation.”
Sunset chuckled. “Maybe if you had more time to convince me. Time to lay out your whole plan. But I will help you in one respect.”
“Oh?”
Sunset’s smile held far more emotion. Eager, and hungry. “Takamichi. I didn’t get a chance to fight him in the tournament. In order to stop your plans, he won’t have the luxury of not going all-out. This is my one chance to fight him when he’s guaranteed to fight me seriously.”
Chao snorted. “So you’re not so much helping as you are taking advantage of my plan.”
“This world has a certain saying about gift horses,” Sunset countered. “Do you really need to look inside my mouth?”
Chao held up her hands, conceding the point. She gave Sunset an appraising look. “It’s fascinating, you know? Seeing you now. Knowing who you have the potential to become. Seeing the rough edges that will be smoothed out. The foundations that will build to familiar strengths. I almost wish…” She shook her head with a chuckle. “Well, I suppose a heartless scientist like myself doesn’t get to wish. Enjoy your fight tomorrow. Oh! And I’m afraid you won’t be able to use the villa tonight. I have a little… surprise set up for Negi-kun and his group there.”
Sunset frowned at that but shrugged it off. She was trained to operate on seventy-two hours without a wink of sleep; a single night wouldn’t have any serious impact on her. “When’s this all going down, anyway?”
“Seven-thirty.”
Plenty of time to enjoy the rest of the festival. Sunset gave Chao a final nod before heading back to the dorms, noting that Mana’s focus had vanished. Good luck against them, Wildfire. You’re gonna need it.
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I thought the “Decopin” was spelled “Dekopin”; my copy of the manga is currently in storage, so I can’t really double-check.
Is actually not possible to make a full recovery after a Heart Attack but maybe they used magic to get around that... also Anime so who knows?
Huh? But she was only twenty-six just last chapter
11211282
Blargh. Thanks for catching that.
11211282
I blame Chao and her wibbly wobbly timey wimey shenanigans.
I ship it.
11211503
I blame my inability to take notes on my own stories.
Very good stuff. My favorite now. I'm curious what will happen with all the stuff happening now. Can't wait.
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I'm flattered! Thank you for reading. I'll hopefully have the next set of chapters out before, say, Christmas. Lol.
He says "lol." What he means is "cries softly in the corner."
NOBODY ASKED YOU!!!
Best line in the story, hands down.