Arc 7.1: Chapter 66
“Final count? Eighty-seven.”
Akira sighed as they made their way from the train station to their school building. “Eighty-seven. You hospitalized eighty-seven people over the course of three nights. And you’re proud of that fact?”
Sunset grinned. “Ridiculously proud. Though I’m a little pissed at Chao. If it hadn’t been for the all-night celebration following her little fiasco, I would have gotten way more customers on night three; I would have broken a hundred easy.”
“Did anyone even make it all the way through that crazy route?” Yuna asked.
“Oh sure.” Sunset waved her off. “Plenty of people. It’s just that most of them ran out screaming and needing a change of underwear. I think only about a dozen got through without panicking anywhere along the way, Takamichi included.”
Ako giggled. “I guess that’s what you’d call a successful haunted house.”
Sunset shrugged. “You can’t get ‘em all. Some few unfortunate people have actually been through some of the stuff I replicated. Seeing imitations - even really good imitations - isn’t going to phase them.”
“What about Takahata-sensei?” Natsumi asked.
He’s seen worse by far, I’m sure. “Can’t explain that one,” Sunset lied. “Must just have a really strong stomach.”
“Cast iron,” Akira muttered, “to deal with some of the nightmares you came up with. What did you even end up doing with those ‘bloody’ spoons? I never saw the part of the route where they went.”
Ako and Natsumi paled and Sunset chuckled. “Trust me; you don’t want to know.”
Natsumi cleared her throat. “S-so, are you planning to help with the Mahora Haunted Academy in October? I can’t imagine the planning committee hasn’t approached you.”
Sunset nodded. “They did. Although I think they’re more interested in my ability to make things look good than they are in my ideas. A few of them came through with notebooks that second night. They didn’t make it two minutes before-”
“Hey! Atena-Taishou!”
“Morning, Atena-Taishou!”
“Good luck today, Atena-Taishou!”
Sunset grinned and waved in response as Yuna tilted her head curiously. “‘Atena-Taishou?’”
“Heh, new nickname from the MJ-JSDF,” Sunset explained. “Apparently, I was inducted as an honorary general after Mahorafest and they named me in honor of the Greek war goddess.” She nudged Ako playfully. “Isn’t that right, Herumesu-shoui?”
Ako blushed. “Mou, I still can’t believe they’re calling me that. I didn’t even do that much.”
Sunset laughed and threw an arm around her shoulders. “Sorry about that. Fame by association. Everyone knows I brought you in to help Nakajima-Taishou, so you’re stuck picking up a bit of my glory. Besides, without you, Mana’s decapitation strike would have worked.”
Ako’s blush deepened. “I, um, I guess.” She fidgeted a bit under Sunset’s arm. Sunset, seeing her discomfort, quickly withdrew her arm, looking away awkwardly.
Unfortunately, their little exchange hadn’t gone unnoticed. “O-ho! What’s this!” Yuna’s grin was almost predatory enough to rival Haruna on an off-day. “I smell something suspicious here.”
Sunset rolled her eyes. “Unfortunately for the 3-A rumor mill, it’s nothing salacious. I just confessed to Ako on the last day of the festival.”
“N-N-N-N-NICHI-CHAN!!!”
Several jaws dropped. “W-wait,” Natsumi stammered, the first to recover. “You mean the two of you are-”
“Nope,” Sunset interrupted. “We aren’t in a relationship. I confessed. Ako hasn’t answered. And considering how suddenly I sprung my confession on her, I don’t expect she will answer either way for some time. I just…” Sunset looked away, blushing slightly. “I just wanted her to know. That’s all.”
Yuna and Natsumi cooed which only caused Sunset’s and Ako’s blushes to deepen. Akira looked between them curiously. “I would never have expected this. How did this even come about?”
Sunset’s blush vanished in an instant and she turned to glare at Akira. “What, you think Ako isn’t good enough to attract my affections?”
Akira’s eyebrows shot up before she giggled. “Oh wow, you've got it bad. No, I just meant, how did you even realize you liked her like that? You two have been close for a while, but I don’t think anyone saw this coming.”
Sunset’s blush returned. “Oh. Right. Sorry. Er, it was pretty easy to tell, actually. Considering how much I was fantasizing about murdering her date the second day of the festival.”
“NICHI-CHAN!!!!!”
Sunset sighed in relief as the other girls’ attentions instantly turned to the adorably flustered Ako, though she noted Akira giving her a knowing look before she did so. Sorry about that, Ako. Though really, it’s not like word wasn’t going to get around anyway. Second place in that “Cutest Couple” contest is going to get around. You have no-one to blame but-
“ATENA-TAISHOU!!!”
Sunset surfaced from her distracted musings to find herself surrounded. Ako, Akira, Natsumi, and Yuna had stepped away and a ring of big, burly muscle-types had formed around her. The one who had called out to her stood in front of her, clad in a gi with the sleeves ripped off, showing off his significant muscles. “...okay, I’ll bite,” Sunset said. “What is this?”
The muscle-head before her grinned and slammed a fist into his other palm. “HIKARU NICHIBOTSU-SAN! ATENA-TAISHOU! I WATCHED YOUR MATCHES IN THE MAHORA MARTIAL ARTS TOURNAMENT AND YOUR PERFORMANCE IN THE FINAL EVENT OF MAHORAFEST! I HAVE COME TO MATCH MY STRENGTH AGAINST YOURS!!!”
Sunset stared at the bulking university student below her, before slowly panning her eyes over the ring of like-minded battle-nuts that eagerly surrounded her. “Yeah, no.”
The meathead in front of her tilted his head, confused. “No?”
“No.” Sunset sighed. “Look, I get it. You all want a good fight. But here’s the thing: I’ve got nothing to prove. I’ve got no reason to fight any of you. In fact, I’ve got no reason to suspect that any of you are even worth my time.”
She ignored the shocked and angry grumblings that answered her and continued. “And my time is more limited than most. I may have been granted a few days reprieve post-festival, but I have several martial art and combat teachers, a half-dozen fellow-students that I tutor, two friends who I’m helping with intensive personal development projects, my duties to the Boxing Club, and a social life. This in addition to the interviews I promised to various reporters in the wake of the Martial Arts Tournament. Simply put, I don’t have time to beat your collective asses into the ground.
“BUT!” she shouted, quieting the outrage that had followed her cocky declaration. “But, I recognize that to you, it is important to test yourselves against worthy foes. So I’ll make you all a deal. I fought three matches in the tournament, and my opponents fought and defeated three other warriors themselves. If anyone here can defeat any of those six in single combat - Negi Springfield, Takahata Takamichi, Takane D Goodman, Sakurazaki Setsuna, Evangeline A. K. MacDowell, or Kagurazaka Asuna - then I will accept your challenge.” She smirked around at the group at large. “Honestly, I doubt more than a half-dozen of you are above their weight-class, let alone mine.”
The big guy who had first challenged her grit his teeth. “ARROGANT! TO TURN DOWN A WARRIOR’S CHALLENGE AND TELL US THAT WE MUST SEEK TO QUALIFY FOR THE HONOR OF FIGHTING YOU! IF YOU WERE AN HONORABLE-”
Sunset was in his face before he could react. Not a teleport - she didn’t need to waste one on him - but fast. Her fingers struck out, jabbing at his throat. When he jerked forward, literally choking on his words, she grabbed his head in both hands and pulled it the rest of the way down, slamming into her rising knee. She felt his nose break and released his head and, as he reared back in pain, hopped into a spin-kick aimed at his crotch.
She touched back down as he collapsed, groaning and curled in on himself. “Funny thing, that,” she coolly replied. “I’m not a particularly honorable warrior. Ask Setsuna, who I defeated by time-out.” She stepped over her challenger’s weakly moaning form and strode forward, the crowd parting fearfully before her. “Come and find me once you’ve beaten one of those six,” she called, not even bothering to look back at them as her classmates rejoined her side.
“Nichi-chan?” Natsumi hedged. “Don’t you think that was a little…”
“Cruel?” Akira offered.
“Condescending?” Ako opined.
“Badass!” Yuna exclaimed.
Natsumi shook her head. “I was going to say ‘harsh,’ but those work. I mean, Ku Fei-san faces challenges like that all the time, and she always accepts.”
“And if she spent half as much time studying as she does facing challengers far beneath her weight class,” Sunset countered, “she might not be Baka Yellow.” She shook her head. “Yeah, I was harsh. And condescending. Perhaps cruel.” She smirked at Yuna. “Definitely badass. But I also wasn’t wrong. My time is far more limited than most students’, so I couldn’t face regular challenge sessions like that even if I were inclined to. Honestly, I’m not a fan of fighting for fighting’s sake, and I mostly joined the Tournament in the first place for a chance to punch Takamichi in the face and because my club asked me to represent them. I mean sure, fighting can be fun, but I prefer either organized matches with rules or bouts against people I know and respect; I have no reason to get into a brawl with every random stranger who wants to prove himself.”
“”That makes sense,” Akira acknowledged. “And I suppose types like that wouldn’t be inclined to listen to reason over action, hence why you decided to speak their language.”
“More like shout their language,” Yuna said, still thoroughly amused.
“But aren’t you worried about the consequences of your condition?” Akira continued. “This will cause trouble for the others you named.”
“Less than you’d think,” Sunset said, beginning to count off on her fingers. “Takamichi already has his reputation as ‘Death Glasses’ so I doubt anyone is going to go after him. Setsuna is the captain of the Kendo Club and already faces frequent challengers and knows how to handle them. Plus there’s the psychological aspect: no-one wants to go bare-fists against a sword, even if it’s made out of wood or bamboo. Evangeline’s place is isolated and she doesn’t spend much time anywhere but there and the school; I doubt anyone will even be able to find her to challenge her. And despite making it to the finals, Wildfire’s still a kid and a teacher; a lot of people are going to hesitate to fight him seriously for one of those reasons or the other.”
“What about Asuna-san?” Ako asked.
Sunset shrugged. “She’s a bit of a battle-monkey herself, and quick to violence. She skirmishes with the Class Rep on the regular in class, and she’s been training with Setsuna. She’ll be able to handle any challengers no problem, and she probably won’t consider them more than a vague annoyance or inconvenience.”
“And Goodman-san?”
“...yeah, I’ll have to apologize to her later. Hopefully the guys at least will feel too awkward to challenge her considering what I’ve heard her fights in the Tournament were like. In any case, I doubt she’ll struggle to put any of that lot in their place.”
Akira raised an eyebrow. “So when you said that you doubted more than a half-dozen of them would pass muster…”
“It’s almost certainly less.” Sunset chuckled. “If even one person approaches me in the next month and can honestly tell me that they’ve beaten one of those six, I’ll be surprised.”
Natsumi shook her head. “Well, moving away from that, er, what were we talking about again?”
“Ako’s date with a tall, handsome, strapping Welsh gentleman.”
“Oh yeah!” Yuna cried, turning a predatory grin on Ako. “Don’t leave us hanging! Details!”
Natsumi wilted under the withering glare Ako shot in her and Sunset’s directions. Sunset, of course, was unmoved.
*****
After a long and thorough interrogation of Ako’s date with “Nagi” and what she thought about Sunset’s confession to her - Sunset was partly relieved and partly disappointed that Ako deigned to answer those later questions in any sort of depth - they finally arrived at their classroom. Sunset begged off their conversation to meet up with Setsuna, who was already sitting at her desk. “So, how’s the aftermath looking?”
Setsuna nodded a greeting before answering. “The demon gods are re-sealed beneath the academy waters, the robots have all been contained and hidden away by the mage teachers, and Chao’s magic-related notes have been confiscated. All magical cloaks and weapons loaned to the participants have been accounted for, and Hasegawa-san says the online community has dropped the idea of magic. All told, everything seems to be well and truly over,” she smirked, “Atena-Taishou.”
Sunset chuckled. “Well, that’s good to hear, Setsuna-Yuusha. No last-minute efforts by Satomi or Chachamaru or Mana?”
Setsuna shook her head. “Mana-san has finished and been paid for her services. Chachamaru-san has returned to Evangeline-san’s side. And Hakase-san was instrumental in confiscating Chao-san’s notes. Apparently, they planned for an all-or-nothing gambit.”
“Makes sense,” Sunset conceded. “At this point, anything they tried would be grossly ineffective. The World Tree Event was their one shot. I guess we won’t really need to worry about anything until twenty-three years from now, and we’ll all be long gone by then. By the way, how did things go with-”
“Setchan!”
Sunset turned and raised an eyebrow. “Speak of the devil. Morning, Konoka.”
“Oh, Nichi-chan. Good morning!” Konoka beamed brightly before darting over to Setsuna and planting a kiss on her cheek. “And good morning to you, Setchan.”
“K-K-K-Kono-chan!”
It had happened so quickly that no-one else in the class had noticed. In fact, Setsuna’s flustered response was drawing more curious eyes than Konoka’s actions had. Sunset chuckled at the display. “I guess that answers that question.”
“Nichi-chan! Nichi-chan! Listen to this!” Konoka turned her radiant smile back to Sunset. “Setchan asked me out on a date yesterday!”
“I’d guessed.” Sunset smirked down at the mortified Setsuna before patting Konoka on the head. “Congratulations on your new girlfriend.”
Setsuna squeaked while Konoka giggled. “Thanks!” Her grin turned teasing. “But I heard that I’m not the only one with reason to celebrate.”
Sunset shook her head. “Unfortunately, my confession went unreciprocated.” She turned to look at Ako, who it seemed had finally managed to steer the conversation away from her love life. She was laughing at something Yuna had said. Sunset smiled fondly. “Unlike Setsuna here, she wasn’t a closet lesbian suppressing a huge crush for years on end. I don’t know if she’ll ever reciprocate. Still… I had to try. And I wanted her to know. Know that she’s someone worthy of love. That at least in someone’s eyes, she outshines all the bright, ostentatious stars in this class.”
Konoka sighed dreamily. “Ooh, that’s so romantic.” She raised an eyebrow. “And unexpected, coming from you. I wouldn’t have expected you to say all that out loud.”
Sunset chuckled. “You’re a romantic who loves to hear gossip but keeps a tight lid on what she knows, and Setsuna is too flustered by all of this to reciprocate my teasing. Now, if Yue or Haruna were here, I wouldn’t dare get this sappy.”
“And Honya-chan?”
“Similar boat to Setsuna, though not as bad. Besides, it’s not like I need to say anything for her to hear it with that damned diary of hers.”
Konoka giggled. “That’s true. I’m surprised she hasn’t figured out about your crush on her yet.”
Sunset glared at Konoka. “She did, as it turns out. And how the Hell did you know about that?”
“Wait,” Setsuna said, emerging from her haze of mortification to voice her confusion. “You have a crush on Miyazaki-san? But I thought you said you confessed to Izumi-san?”
“Fading erothoropia for Honya. Growing eros for Ako.”
“Ah.”
“Good morning, everyone!”
Sunset nodded goodbye to Konoka and Setsuna as Negi entered the room. She took her seat, noting that Evangeline looked rather irked and thanking Celestia that she’d been given a few days off of training post-festival. “Sanders still getting under your skin?”
“He has a unique talent for that,” Evangeline muttered before glaring at Sunset. “And me without my favorite punching bag this morning.”
Sunset shrugged. “On the upside, you’ve got a new challenge ahead of you for our training sessions.” At Evangeline’s quirked eyebrow, Sunset explained. “Wildfire’s letting me keep the Phoenix-Wing jacket. I assume you have no qualms about teaching me aerial combat?”
"3-D combat, huh?" Evangeline considered that for a moment before nodding. "I'd usually start you off slow on something like that, but your reflexes with bringing out your ki have been getting a lot better. You should be safe even when I smack you out of the sky and send you careening to the ground below."
"Don't you mean 'if' you send me careening?"
"..."
"...right. Fair."
*****
Though Takamichi had likewise given Sunset a few days off from training, he had asked to meet with her after class regardless. She was surprised to find a certain robed and hooded enigma chatting with him when she arrived.
"Sanders," she said, raising an eyebrow. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be off tormenting a certain loli vampire?"
“There are plenty of hours in the day, Nichibotsu-chan,” Sanders answered. “I have her penciled in for later. I was surprised to note your absence yesterday.”
Sunset shrugged. Negi and several of the others had taken a trip deep beneath Library Island to some sort of ruin that Sanders was staying in for the time being to ask some questions about Negi’s father. Sunset had begged off, citing a need for some R&R after the hectic festival and trusting that they would fill her in later. “Wildfire’s search for his father is his own,” she said. “I’ve promised my aid, but it’s his quest; there’s no need for me to know every clue, rumor, and detail until it’s time to actually join his search. There’s only one thing I’m urgently interested in hearing about from you.” She glanced at Takamichi. “And from the fact that my magic-ki compatibility teacher is here, I assume you’re about to address that very topic.”
Sanders nodded. “Kanka. You’re struggling with it?”
Sunset shrugged. “I’ve been told that it can take years to get a handle on. I’m annoyed at my lack of progress, but not disappointed. Still, you did promise me information.”
“And I have come to fulfill that promise.” Sanders smiled enigmatically, his eyes still hidden by his hood. “I assume you’ve already interrogated Kagurazaka Asuna?”
“Wasn’t worth it,” Sunset said. “She said something vague about ‘becoming nothing’ and not really understanding it, which tells me that she operated on instinct more than anything. How you develop an instinct for that - of all things - I have no idea, but asking her anything else is useless. But you mentioned something interesting during her match. ‘Melding one’s inner body with the outside,’ wasn’t it?”
Sanders nodded. “I cannot perform the technique myself, but I have spoken at length with someone who has. He described the process more elegantly than I can, but I will convey what I understand of it.
“You know, of course, that magic comes from the world around you while ki comes from within. You actively shape the mana from without to suit your purposes while the mana within shapes itself to match your will. But they are both, fundamentally, mana. Your body and your will are all that stand in the way of your internal store of mana and the mana which surrounds you. Kanka, as it was described to me, is about quieting the body and the will so that they don’t interfere with the natural blending of the two sources of energy which would naturally occur if they were not blocked. In other words…”
“Become nothing.” Sunset glanced down at her hands, contemplating for a long moment. Finally, she sighed. “I don’t think that way of thinking will help me.” She looked up at Takamichi. “Does his approach match your experience?”
Takamichi stroked his chin in thought. “I can see where he’s coming from,” he said. “And I think I understand how that thought process could lead to an understanding of Kanka. But I’ve never experienced that sort of ‘nothingness,’ no.”
Sunset nodded. “Good. Because that philosophy is totally alien to me.” She turned back to Sanders. “It may be because of where I’m from-”
“Equestria, if I’m not mistaken.”
“...it may be my Equestrian upbringing, but I can’t think of my wellspring as of the same nature as the mana around me.” She placed a hand on her heart. “Equestrian magic - ki, as it manifests in this world - is tied to and is an expression of one’s soul. Shaped by one’s personal destiny. If each of our wellsprings were no different from each other’s, or from the mana which surrounds us, then there would be no reason for me to be a natural pyromancer while others struggle to produce so much as an ember with their magic.
“In other words,” Sunset concluded with a sigh, “another dead end.” She waved Sanders off. “You have fulfilled your obligations to me.”
Sanders’ smile turned a touch mischievous. “Oh? Were you not also interested to know the secrets around Kagurazaka Asuna and the Thousand Master?”
Sunset scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Evangeline now knows the former and Wildfire the latter. If either of them think I need to know as well, they’ll tell me. And if my curiosity grows insatiable for some unforeseen reason, they’ll be easier nuts to crack than you.” She smirked at him. “Don’t try to jerk me around. You may be able to get under Evangeline’s skin, but I was raised at the hooves of an immortal older than you; I know how to spot boredom-inspired mischief.”
Sanders chuckled, holding up his hands in surrender. “Fair enough. I wouldn’t dare to dream of comparing myself to your Tenko-hime.”
Sunset turned an annoyed glare on Takamichi. “You know, when the Principal asked me to keep my origins hush-hush, I assumed the circle of those in the know was fairly small. And yet you, Evangeline, that demon I blasted to ashes, and now this guy all know about it.”
Takamichi shrugged. “The Principal and I are the odd ones out, actually. From what I understand, most immortals, near-immortals, and pseudo-immortals know about your world. The Principal only knows because he’s in charge of keeping the gateway safe, and he only told me so that I could help in case anything or anyone ever came or went through.”
“Most immortals, huh?” Sunset rolled her eyes. “What, do the immortals of this world all belong to some sort of secret club or something?”
“It’s actually an inn and resort that doubles as a mercenary and troubleshooting agency,” Sanders answered.
Sunset facepalmed.
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Hey, UQ Holder reference!
11869564
I hate that sequel but thanks for that explanation.
Why shouldn't she?
Perfect. Just perfect.
They're lucky. Sunset could have acted like the title character of TSUYOSHI, who doesn't like fighting but continues being challenged... So he imposes a "only one fight rule" and then breaks bones, punches crotches, and shatters spirits to make sure they're too terrified to come back for more.
Japan's college national Karate champion became a fat shut-in idol fan from the terror of their fight, and he didn't even get any finger broken. Better I don't say how some Russian spies healed his fighting spirit (and got him to slim down)...
Erothopia? What does that word mean?
UQ Holder reference? I haven't read that one yet.
11869788
Erothoropia, or Ludus, is the playful, non-commital, flirtatious love found at the beginning of relationships or between friends. It's more commonly known by its Greek name, but I used the Latin name here because that's a shared language for Setsuna and Sunset.
11869564
Still not sure if I'm going to really include anything from it, but occasional references like this make for good Easter eggs, I figure.